I wrote this article How to make CRM work for your small business, as I have worked in the world of CRM for over 17 years, and from my experience there are typically 2 reasons why small businesses become frustrated with the way that they manage their data/contacts.
Surprisingly, it’s exactly the same for businesses at different stages of their CRM journey, whether they are using multiple spreadsheets/free software, right through to those that are using advanced CRM’s like Hubspot and Zoho etc…
Now, I’m not going to knock the various systems out there, I’m just going to share with you reasons that our users tell us why they have moved to popcorn CRM, and hopefully it will give you some insights to help make the best decisions for your business.
The growth problem for small business using CRM
When small businesses are using multiple bits of software to manage their data/contacts, nothing is joined up, and the business owners soon realise that they and the team are struggling to find the information they need, when they need it. Meanwhile, most scaling businesses who have already moved up to an advanced CRM, rapidly realise that they are behemoths, and yes they can do loads of stuff, but they end up giving up using them as there are so many options and pages, it takes ages to do anything.
The finance problem with small business CRM’s
When you are using multiple bits of software, you eventually end up upgrading to get them to work properly, which soon adds up. And for those using an advanced CRM, it’s exactly the same – small business are sold these platforms via freemium offerings or starter packages, that allow you to get started at a low cost… but as soon as you start using them more, you rapidly find that you hit usage limits or need to bolt on extra packages to get that one extra feature you need. All of a sudden you are paying consultancy fees and £1000’s per month for something that started at an affordable few pounds.
Now don’t get me wrong, these advanced CRM’s are amazing systems, but if your company does not have the resources (financial and personnel), you will end up becoming frustrated and stop using it. According to SalesForce.com, this figure is as high as 72%.
The small business CRM solution
The solution is to find the right CRM system for your business now (not for 2 years down the line), then when you have outgrown the platform, you can always move to the next one.
Click HERE to find out about how popcorn CRM helps you to visualise your sales process and join up your data so that your team love using it. And check out our optional onboarding packages to find out how we can set all of this up for you.
Book a 1-2-1 demo, to see exactly how popcorn CRM can help make your small business to become more effective
Watch a video on how popcorn helps Small Businesses Become more effective
What our Customers say...
popcorn has increased event sales and saved me from having to work on Saturdays!
