While 89% of companies have seen a boost in revenue after sales CRM adoption, some are still doubtful about the role of CRM in certain industries. Many decision-makers believe that Customer Relationship Management tools are not needed in small business environments (mainly due to their hefty price tags) … as well as other myths.
Here are five common misconceptions that deserve the boot.
Myth #1 – CRM Is Only For Large Enterprises
Any business that interacts with customers, big or small, requires a tool to manage communication and task output. Yes, enterprises with large volumes of data rely on these tools for collaboration (due to the size of their teams). But there’s more to CRM than what meets the eye. The right sales CRM can power up any small business from scratch.
This central source of truth can be used to improve customer satisfaction across multiple touch points, increase sales and manage complex tasks with ease. By automating mundane tasks, you can streamline interactions and avoid bottlenecks.
Myth #2 – CRM Is Expensive
This myth was true … until the early 2000s.
Sales CRM software used to mean dropping thousands of dollars on the initial investment: hardware, installation, licensing, onboarding, and extra expenses for maintenance. However, since cloud computing became widespread, many CRM solutions have cut down on costs and changed their pricing to subscription-based.
Nowadays, there are plenty of CRM solutions that offer zero upfront investment and affordable pricing for any budget. This creates more opportunities for small- to medium-sized businesses to adopt CRM, and use it to help manage their tasks effectively. Take Pipeline CRM, for example. You can get a free 14-day trial after signing up. No credit card details are required, and there are no strings attached.
Myth #3 – CRM Isn’t Customizable
A CRM isn’t a set-in-stone system.
Many CRMs are customizable, but the degree of customization is varied. For instance, some CRM solutions are limited to customizing the deal stages only. In contrast, others allow you to create automatic recurring custom fields, set up user permissions, color-match the interface with your brand, and much more. A well-designed solution can transfer the uniqueness of any workflow into the system.
Myth #4 – Using CRM Is Too Complex
Change means ditching something old and learning something new. And for some people, saying goodbye to their old habits and going through a learning phase discomforts them. This friction is made worse by unnecessary fear of change, such as stepping out of the comfort zone of using Excel, Outlook, and Post-its and entering the foreign domain of Customer Relationship Management tools. Depending on the tool, you don’t always have to say goodbye to your favorite apps. Pipeline CRM, for example, offers plenty of integrations to enable smooth data transfer and sharing.
Some also feel they won’t have full control of communicating with their customers anymore because everything is now shared in the CRM. These changes are often why sales teams are reluctant to adopt CRM and feel that “CRM is too difficult to learn.”
If you work with, not against, a CRM, the opportunities are endless.
Myth #5 – All CRM Tools Are The Same
Each business is unique, and so is every CRM solution.
Many CRMs design their software with specific types of business in mind to maximize the impact based on the common pain points. For example, a CRM for construction focuses on bids, projects, and client details management that can easily be accessed from desktops and mobile devices. On the other hand, the main focus of CRM for wholesalers is not on giving a flawless mobile experience but on tracking and reporting features for customers and vendors. Because of this, all CRM tools are not built the same.
How Pipeline CRM Debunks These Myths
There you have it; five misconceptions. These myths certainly didn’t come out of thin air but were likely from disappointed users whose expectations weren’t met.
When designing Pipeline CRM, we made sure not to contribute to more myths. Instead, we created reliable sales CRM software with ongoing product development. Our tool can be customized to match your sales process; you decide how to manage your sales pipelines, custom-name the CRM fields, and set up automatic recurring sales steps.
(Learn more about our pricing model and features.)
Our subscription plan starts at $25 per user/month—a far cheaper alternative to Hubspot with top-notch customer support and comparable features. We’re ideal for businesses that don’t need over-complicated systems; just a simple game-changer to help keep track of all data under one roof.
This further proves that all CRM solutions are not the same—at least not Pipeline CRM. Empower your sales team now, and sign up for a free 14-day trial.
