Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems can be incredibly powerful tools for growing your business. With a CRM, you can track sales leads, convert those leads into closed sales more effectively, manage customer support issues, and market to your customers more efficiently for follow-up sales and renewals.
In my company, we are currently evaluating different CRM systems because we need help organizing and following up on sales leads. Right now, we rely on a mix of disjointed emails, chat messages, and calendar reminders, which are hard to keep track of.
Without an integrated system, sales leads often fall through the cracks, important commitments are missed, and opportunities we worked hard to secure disappear. Sadly, we are not alone in this struggle. CRM adoption among small businesses is low. According to Brent Leary, a partner at CRM Essentials, CRM adoption by small businesses significantly lags behind that of larger companies. This isn’t because CRM is less useful to small businesses but because of three significant challenges they face when implementing such a system.
**Challenge 1: Understanding what different CRM systems do**
All CRM systems are not the same. While it’s good that there are many options on the market, each system excels at different things. Some are excellent for managing sales leads, others for maintaining relationships with existing customers, and some focus on marketing automation. Others may simply help you keep track of contacts or enhance your social media networking capabilities.
To choose the right CRM, devote time to evaluating different providers with a structured approach. Focus on your specific needs and avoid getting distracted by features that don’t address your main pain points. Use a spreadsheet to organize your evaluation notes on each CRM, including how well it meets your requirements. Take advantage of live chats, demos, and free trials that most providers offer.
Evaluate the price carefully. In a small business, the cost is crucial. Sometimes, expensive CRM systems come with complex features that aren’t necessary for small companies and can make implementation harder.
**Challenge 2: Perception of CRM as costly and complex**
Many small business owners view CRM systems as expensive and complicated. While some systems are indeed complex and pricey, they are typically designed for larger enterprises.
Address cost and complexity concerns by focusing on CRM systems that highlight their suitability for small businesses on their websites. Many cloud-based systems are available for free, making it easy to start. These free versions often include entry-level functionalities that are less overwhelming when you first implement them.
**Challenge 3: Underestimating the resources needed for proper implementation**
Many businesses become frustrated and give up too soon during the implementation process. Implementing any new software takes time and effort, often more than you initially anticipate. However, the benefits of a CRM system far outweigh the implementation challenges.
Be well-prepared by understanding the specific challenges you aim to solve and knowing how to measure success. This preparation will help you stick with the implementation process and see the benefits as they start to materialize for your business.
