Most small businesses need to keep a tight budget across the board. So it may not be a surprise to some readers that implementing tech tools is a line item that often gets crossed off early on in budget planning. We conducted a survey of small businesses owners and found that more than half of the respondents consider CRM to be too expensive (Tweet this!). This is one of the biggest misconceptions about CRM and why many SMB owners will opt to use spreadsheets or a pen and paper to track customer details rather than making the investment in implementing CRM. We’re here to breakdown the top three reasons CRM deservers to be a priority line item in the company budget.
- It will change the way you interact with customers.
Customer contact details and personal preferences can be logged in a single platform and easily accessed by any user. Customers receive a fluid experience, no matter which person they speak with, since you’re no longer digging through emails to figure out when you or a colleague last spoke with a customer and what the conversation consisted of. It can also track personal details like birthdays and anniversaries, which gives customers an even more unique and pleasant experience when interacting with your company. CRM gives users the ability to show customers that they understand their needs and preferences. Even better, CRM allows users to do so in a scalable way – now you can simultaneously remember these important details for hundreds or thousands of customers.
- Your sales pipeline will always be full.
Tracking leads and moving them through the pipeline in an efficient way is key to business success. CRM helps sales people to efficiently handle lead management by keeping track of where leads fall within the customer journey and making it easy to follow up at the appropriate time and with the most appropriate content. For example, when a potential customer is interested in purchasing a product but isn’t quite ready to sign on the dotted line, a sales person can make a note to follow up on a particular date or share relevant educational materials that will help the lead to make a final decision.
- It won’t break the bank.
CRM has been historically considered to be a tool that only enterprise companies can afford to use, and that it’s not a tool that is well suited for smaller businesses. Clearly, this isn’t the case, and there are plenty of plan options that can fit into even the smallest of budgets. Even better, CRM solutions that have been specifically designed with small businesses in mind, not only offer low price points, but also the features and functionalities that will address SMB business owners’ specific needs. So rather than wasting time trying to figure out how to use clunky platforms that have hundreds of features that you’re likely to never use, a CRM designed specifically for SMBs can start to show ROI almost immediately.
The benefits that a CRM will have on your line are worth any upfront cost. Your customers will be happier, your employees will be more productive and your bottom line will increase. During the next budget meeting, remember these factors when considering how important it is to the allocate funds needed to implement a CRM – the benefits will surely outweigh any costs.
At Insightly, we offer a CRM used by small and mid-sized businesses from a variety of verticals. Learn about Insightly’s features and plans on our pricing page or sign up for a free trial.
