We get it. It’s a big commitment. You don’t want to invest all your time just to get hurt again. You want someone who listens and communicates, someone who supports your growth and grows with you, and most importantly, someone you can trust.  

When it comes to choosing a long-term partner, there’s a lot at stake. Finding the right customer-relationship-management system is a big deal (Well that took a turn, didn’t it!).  

Customer-relationship-management is a technology system that centralizes communication between your company and your customers. It does so by keeping a record of all customer communications via marketing and sales tools, such as digital leads and email campaigns. Known asa CRM for short (a nickname? so adorable!), CRM systems help ensure consistent messaging across various platforms for a business and serve as an effective lead generation tool.  

Things to do before you say yes.  

As you start to think about taking the next step with a CRM, we’ve written down some tips to consider before it comes time to define the relationship or “DTR” as the cool kids say.  

✏️ Know your needs.

CRMs help to strengthen communication with customers. Where is there opportunity to improve relationships? What are current communication roadblocks with your customers or stakeholders?Define your goals and have a clear strategy for what you’d like your CRM to improve. 10/10 do not recommend going into a relationship without clearly defining your standards and expectations.

✏️ Do your research.  

Check out various CRM platforms. Compare costs and identify integration opportunities.Does the CRM connect to your email campaigns, social channels, and sales tools?There’s no shame in considering all your options.

✏️ Gather internal and external input.

On your team, who will be using the CRM the most? Bring them into the conversation. Ask your employees for their thoughts and concerns. Also, see what other businesses utilize. We use Constant Contact as our CRM, but we’ll get to that later. Keep gathering input! Investing in a CRM is like investing in a long-term relationship – you want the people most important to you to support the big decision.  

Red Flags!

No matter how much work you do on your end, some partnerships aren’t meant to be. Avoid the heartache by identifying toxic traits and red flags in potential CRM systems.Save the Taylor Swift record, gallon of chocolate ice cream, and tissues for later. 

🚩Isn’t supportive 

A supportive CRM partner is there for you throughout your data and marketing sales journey. A little handholding can be nice. If your CRM isn’t user-friendly or doesn’t provide training and educational opportunities for you and your team, maybe it’s time to cut that negative energy out of your life.  

🚩Doesn’t communicate  

Hidden extra costs revealed after onboarding? Rolling outa major change to your main dashboards without proper notice? No, thanks! The right CRM will have honest, timely communication with you in order to foster success. If not, maybe it’s time to say you’ve met someone else.

🚩Refuses to grow  

Your CRM should grow with you. It needs to lift you up, not bring you down. Letting go of a CRM that doesn’t allow for customizations that help your businesses process improve may indicate that your relationship is going in different directions. Just like Ross, sometimes you want to P I V OT your strategy. Cue the Friends theme song!

Don’t settle! 

Did your potential CRM pass the red flag test? Congratulations! You are one step closer to finding the one (if only real dating was this easy...). Before there’s a ring on your finger, make sure the CRM checks all the boxes below to ensure you are choosing the right partner.  

✅ Practical

Complicated relationships aren’t worth it. Your CRM offers all preferred features and user-friendly practices and aligns with your industry goals.

✅ Adaptable

You’ve got big dreams, and your CRM needs to keep up. As a long-term partner, a CRM must be able to handle your businesses’ volume of marketing and sales data.

✅ Trustworthy  

All relationships are built on trust. A CRM houses all valuable data in one place, and it should be someone you can rely on when life is chaotic.

Having second thoughts?

We might just know the perfect someone for you.

At 5PointsCreative, our agency and a few clients utilize Constant Contact as a long-term CRM partner. SharpSpring offers reliable marketing and sales integration in a user-friendly format.  

By choosing SharpSpring through 5Points Creative, you’d have a real-life customer support team making sure you’re utilizing all strategic advantages. We’re basically the90’s rom com bestie.  

Lean on us anytime at:
5pointscreative.com/SharpSpring