Abby is a data-driven content marketer with certifications in inbound marketing and content marketing. She’s written hundreds of articles covering digital marketing topics — a few of her specialties include first-party data, marketing and data analytics, marketing strategy optimization, and SEO. When she isn’t writing or optimizing content, Abby loves to spend time reading the latest mystery novel, having movie marathons with lots of snacks, and jamming out to Shania Twain.
But how can you pick the right platform for your company? Keep reading for eight top tips on how to choose a CRM system that helps your company drive more sales and revenue.
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How to choose a CRM system for your business
Here are eight tips for how to choose a CRM system that drives sales for your company:
Before you start looking at CRM options, it’s essential to first think about your current needs and any pain points your team is experiencing.
Talk to your team to find out which tasks take up most of their time and any areas of their processes they think could be improved.
For example, does your team spend a lot of time manually entering lead and customer data? In this case, you’d likely need a CRM with automation features.
Does your team find it difficult to know which interactions prospects had with your team and what they discussed? If this is the case, you’d need a CRM that tracks the interactions of your leads.
Does your team find it tricky to find the contact information of clients and prospects quickly? If your team runs into this problem, you’d need a CRM that stores all your lead and client contact details for easy access.
Once you’ve identified your needs and pain points, you can better select a CRM platform that provides the best solutions for your business.
2. Establish your goals
The next step in choosing a CRM for your business is establishing your goals. Your goals are what you want to accomplish with your CRM software.
For example, you might want to increase your conversions by tracking every lead that moves through your sales funnel. Or maybe you want to improve your team’s productivity so they can spend more time closing deals. You might want to improve your lead generation efforts across your website.
By taking the time to establish your goals, you can find a CRM platform that will help you achieve them.
3. Identify your must-have CRM features
Now that you’ve taken note of your needs, pain points, and goals, you can start identifying your must-have CRM features. Then, you can start searching for a system that offers the features you need.
For example, if you want to improve your lead generation efforts, you’d want your CRM to include lead generation forms. And if you want to increase your team’s productivity, your CRM should have sales automation features.
Some CRMs are also built for specific industries, and therefore have industry-specific features. If those features are a high priority for you, you could consider an industry CRM. However, the benefit of those features is usually outweighed by the downsides of industry CRMs (like the price).
Here are a few examples of other CRM features you can keep an eye out for:
They can actually help you save money by helping you cut ties with other software licenses, like meeting scheduling software, email marketing, landing page builders, website visitor identification software, and more.
Look for a CRM that allows you to purchase a license that comes with the essential CRM features AND allows you to buy more features, but doesn’t make you pay for all the features when you know you won’t use them.”
4. Consider which team members will use the CRM software
When choosing a CRM platform, it’s also important to consider which team members will use it and consider involving them in the selection process.
After all, your team members will be the ones using the platform, so it’s important to choose one they find easy to use and that improves their processes.
Make a list of all the team members who will use your CRM system and ask which features they’d like to see in the platform. Then, once you start making a list of possible CRM software options for your company, you can let your team test them out to get their feedback on which platforms they like best.
5. Plan your budget
The next tip for how to choose the right CRM for your business is to plan your budget. Your CRM software should help your business grow and not shrink it. That’s why it’s important to think about how much you can afford to spend on a CRM platform so you don’t go over budget.
Once you have a price in mind that you want to spend, you can begin searching for CRMs that fit within your budget.
6. Start researching CRM platforms
Now that you’ve established your budget, it’s time to start researching CRM platforms.
Remember the needs, pain points, goals, and features you took note of from the above tips.
If you already have systems in mind that you want to look at, be sure make a list of them. And if you’re not sure which CRM platforms you should look at first, blog posts and articles on the best CRM software options can be a great place to start.
Once you have your list of possible CRM solutions, you can start vetting them to find the perfect fit for your company.
7. Use free trials to test the software out for yourself
The next tip for how to choose the right CRM for your business is to use free trials. Free trials are a great way to try out the CRM software for yourself without spending a penny.
During your free trial, be sure to pay attention to the:
User experience: Is the platform easy to use? Can you quickly find the information you need? Does your team find the software easily navigable?
Available features and integrations: Does the platform provide all the features you need and are they easy to use? Does it provide integration features so you can sync your CRM with your other marketing tools?
Customer support: Does the CRM provider offer customer support? Is the support friendly and helpful?
8. Narrow down your options and make your selection
Once you’ve tested out the CRM platforms on your list, you should be able to narrow down your list of which options you like best.
If you’re deciding between one or two platforms, consider asking your team for feedback on which one they like the best.
Once you’ve decided which CRM software fits your business best, it’s time to pick your pricing plan, follow the proper CRM implementation steps, and start using your platform to increase your sales.
We foster and form long-term partnerships so that your business has long-term results.
Over 90% of WebFX clients continue partnering with us into year 2 of their campaign.
Get a hassle-free CRM platform that drives conversions with Nutshell
Now that you know how to choose the right CRM for your business, it’s time to start testing out your options.
If you’re searching for the best CRM for small businesses, Nutshell is a user-friendly CRM system that makes it easy for you and your team to convert leads into happy customers.
From automating manual data entry to implementing lead generation forms throughout your website to personalizing audience experiences, Nutshell does it all.
Craft a tailored online marketing strategy! Utilize our free Internet marketing calculator for a custom plan based on your location, reach, timeframe, and budget.
Craft a tailored online marketing strategy! Utilize our free Internet marketing calculator for a custom plan based on your location, reach, timeframe, and budget.
Abby is a data-driven content marketer with certifications in inbound marketing and content marketing. She’s written hundreds of articles covering digital marketing topics — a few of her specialties include first-party data, marketing and data analytics, marketing strategy optimization, and SEO. When she isn’t writing or optimizing content, Abby loves to spend time reading the latest mystery novel, having movie marathons with lots of snacks, and jamming out to Shania Twain.
