Page 8 - What's an SMB
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CRM buying guide checklist

             There’s a scene in the Netflix original series Master of None where the main character, Dev

             (played by Aziz Ansari), spends 45 minutes online researching the tastiest taco in New York City
             only to find that when he arrives to the spot, they’ve sold out.


             It’s an accurate reflection of our current purchasing habits in the age of Yelp and Amazon where

             consumers are more informed and more opinionated than ever about products and services.
             CRM software is no different. With so many CRMs on the market, narrowing it down to two or
             three choices can be a vast undertaking. So before diving into specific features or solutions it’s
             important to consider a few big picture characteristics of your CRM.





                    Price versus budget            Ease of use            Integrations           Flexibility





                    Scalability           Customization            Data security






                 $ $




             Price versus budget                                  Ease of use

             This is a factor in any purchasing decision but      CRM software doesn’t do your business
             it’s especially important to SMB owners who          any good if your salespeople can’t use it or
             want to keep costs as low as possible. First,        spend most of their day trying to understand

             establish your budget and use it to narrow           it. Most SMB owners aren’t computer science
             down your choices. Be sure to consider both          majors and don’t have time to dedicate to
             up front and long term costs so you have a           complicated software. Almost all cloud-
             clear picture of what this software will run you.    based CRM vendors offer free trials, so

             If the base price is low but requires a bunch        take advantage of those to determine how
             of add-ons or hidden costs in the future as          quickly you and your salespeople can start
             you grow, you may want to consider another           using the CRM. Yes, there will be some type
             option.                                              of learning curve with any CRM, and training

                                                                  your sales team is an essential step of the
                                                                  implementation process, but some systems
                                                                  are far easier than others and designed with
                                                                  SMB owners.



     What’s an SMB? It’s not what you’ve been told.          06                                         www.zoho.com/crm
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