Do I need a CRM

Here’s a short introduction to what a CRM is, who needs it, and how to find one for a small business.

what is crm

Do these problems sound familiar?

Let’s first take a quick look at some of the most common challenges small businesses have.

Problems

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    Disjointed client history

    Contact info and emails are all over the place
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    Forgetting to follow up

    Nothing prompts you to get in touch with a contact
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    No repeatable processes

    No templates, manual and time-consuming processes
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    Lost meeting notes

    Lack of focus, too many apps that are not integrated
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    Out-of-sync team

    Clients repeat themselves to different team members
These problems lead to

Poor results

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    Missed sales opportunities

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    Inefficient workflows

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    Low customer retention

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    Slow growth or stagnation

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    Stress and burnout

Organizing client information in spreadsheets

Spreadsheets are easy.

They are a simple-to-build, low-cost, and familiar solution.

But here’s the catch.

Once your business starts to grow, so does the number of rows and columns in your spreadsheet… up until the spreadsheet bursts at the seams.
organizing

What is a CRM?

  • What is a CRM?
    10:21
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  • A Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tool is a contact database that has all the important information that can be used to build and nurture business relationships.
    10:23
  • Okay, so does it mean that a spreadsheet can also be a CRM ? Or a phonebook? Or a list in Google Contacts?
    10:25
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  • Not really. A good CRM doesn’t only store and organize client information. It encourages you to put it into action and get tangible business results.
    10:26
  • Hm, and if not everything is a CRM, what features should a good CRM have?
    10:28
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  • Great question! I’ve outlined below the three main CRM features…
    10:30

Three main CRM features

pyramid
Database storage and management
  • Remind you to follow up.
  • Encourage regular client interactions.
  • Promote personalized approach.
Relationship-building functionality
  • Store client information.
  • Provide tools for sales management.
  • Integrate with other business apps.
A unique built-in methodology

For example, the Next Action principle or Inbound Marketing.

Which CRM does your business need?

With thousands of CRMs on the market, it’s easy to get overwhelmed.

Here’s a simple classification that will help you narrow down the number of choices.

To find the best CRM,
you need to know if it’s admin- or action-focused.

VS
Small business
Action-focused CRM
Action-focused CRM
  • Client-centric Client-centric
  • Simple functionality Simple functionality
  • No training required No training required
  • Starting from $9-10 per month Starting from $9-10 per month
enterprise
Action-focused CRM
Admin-focused CRM
  • Process-centric Process-centric
  • Multiple features Multiple features
  • Training required Training required
  • Starting from $99 per month Starting from $99 per month

The Action Stream is the most notable feature of an action-focused CRM

Although it might seem similar to a spreadsheet, there’s a powerful functionality behind this simple interface.
The Action Stream
The Action Stream turns a client database into a color-coded to-do list with follow-up reminders next to every contact.
Starting from $20-50 per month
Every contact in the Action Stream has an individual page with all details, notes, emails, sales deals, and even document attachments.
Starting from $20-50 per month

How to choose
the best CRM?

You need to identify where your business stands.
How to choose the best CRM?

Action vs. admin CRM

Watch this video to see the difference between an action- and admin-focused CRM and why small businesses all over the world are choosing the action-focused system.

action vs admin focused crm
play
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The CRM
you’ve been looking for

The CRM that makes your follow-up process easy, helps you generate sales, and build long-term relationships with prospects and clients. Simple and action-focused.
Try Free
No credit card required • 21-day free trial
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