Salestack - How to Choose the Right CRM for Your Business

How to Choose the Right CRM for Your Business?

Choosing the right Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system for your business can feel pretty overwhelming. With so many options to choose from, each with a different array of tools and features, how can you possibly identify the right one for your business?

1. Identify Your Goals

It is important that you understand what problem you are trying to solve with a CRM.

Track Leads and Lead Activity
Track Customer Base
Track Opportunities and Closing Rates
Offer Connectivity Between Teams
Manage Relationships
Generate Customized Reporting
Organize Business Operations
Increase Profitability
Increase Productivity

2. Understand the Implementation

This Component is key.
In Some Cases, You may need an outside consultant or a staff person who is heading up the deployment.
There are no external implementation costs.
There are still costs associated with educating your team.

3. Prepare For User Adoption

Common Complaints among salespeople as they believe that by giving up their customer’s contact information they are putting their positions at risk.
Involve your sales team in your CRM selection process to get their buy-in and keep them involved through the process.

4. Understand Product Mobility

Mobility is key in today’s world.
Look for a tool that can be accessed using a variety of web-enabled.
Updated regularly and remain current with new technology.

5. Layout Your Processes

CRM Tools are connected with multiple business processes in mind everyone’s processes are different.
It is important that your CRM is flexible enough to handle your process.
CRM that will grow with your business and adapt to your changing processes without having to be replaced.

6. Review Compatibility with Current Software

While Compatibility with multiple systems is becoming less of an issue as more and more applications are connected through APIS.
CRM System you choose can interface with other applications you already have in place.
Integrate your systems to streamline your data organization.

7. Dig into the Product Demo

People will request a product demo only to glance at it before assuming it will work.
Tacking a little extra time at this point will save you time in the long run.

8. Ask About Reporting Capabilities

While all the functionality of a CRM is nice it is the product reporting capabilities that can help you surpass your competition.
Processes are effective but your data may show you otherwise.