A Crash Course in Small Business CRM

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A Crash Course in Small Business CRM

CRM stands for Customer Relationship Management. Looking at each word pretty much explains the basics; it's about managing customer relationships.

Beyond that, there are some intricacies worth noting that can help you make the most out of using a CRM Software application.

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Small Business CRM Learning Topics:

Do I really need CRM Software as a Small Business?

As long as you are in business and as long as you have customers, CRM Software offers advantages...

Stay Connected | While the "C" in CRM stands for customer, CRM Software can be used to manage other types of business relationships as well. This includes suppliers, investors and others who have a vested interest in your success. Staying in touch is a great way to keep everyone actively involved and engaged in supporting your business progress.

Increase Productivity | Small business CRM Software offers many features that provide many benefits, such as saving time, money and improving business relationships! For example, a CRM Software provider like Insightly not only provides features for managing all types of business relationships, but also includes features for managing projects. Read What to Look for in Small Business CRM Software for more details.

Cost-Benefit Value | Small businesses who have up to 3 people managing relationships can use Insightly CRM software for free with up to 2,500 contacts and up to 200 MB of storage. Once your business grows, which is likely once you improve managing relationships, you can scale up to fee-based plans that support more contacts as well as provide more storage capacity.

Ease of Use | As a small business, it's important that technology works for you and not the other way around. This is particularly true for a CRM system. While business relationships can be complicated, you don't want or need your CRM system to be. Read CRM Software: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly - and the Just Right to better understand why choosing a plug-and-play CRM application is likely to offer more value for your small business than an enterprise-level CRM application.

Support | One of the advantages to using cloud-based applications is that software maintenance and upgrades are taken care of for you. This allows you to focus on leveraging CRM features and benefits to improve business relationships instead of having to manage technical support to customize, trouble shoot, upgrade and maintain business systems software. When you do have questions, it's nice to have options:

Credibility & Reputation | When thinking about taking on something new, particularly a business system, it helps to learn what others have experienced in their own words. It is also useful to view Case Studies of users who are in the same industry as you are, such as Business Services, Consulting, Education, Financial Services, Media, Non-Profit, Real Estate and Technology.

Education is a powerful tool when it comes to starting, growing and succeeding in business. It allows you to run your business instead of having your business run you.

Did you know?

"...that over 250,000 users in 100 countries rely on insightly every single day to manage their contacts, tasks and projects? Insightly CRM Software was designed specifically with small business in mind ensuring ease of use and affordability while delivering robust features that keep track of customer interactions and manage leads, proposals, opportunities, projects and files from any device, at any time. These are just a few of the reasons why Insightly is the #1 CRM Software application in the Google Apps Marketplace."

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Other CRM Learning Topics:
Sales #101 | CRM & Project Management | CRM Features & Benefits | Free CRM | CRM Training

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Note: This information has been compiled by the Knowledge Institute for Small Business Development (KISBD) for educational purposes only in order to convey a general overview of the options and related services available to small businesses in the subject areas introduced. Content is provided on an "as is" basis and is not intended to be an exhaustive representation, nor does it provide advice or create a customer relationship between KISBD and its sponsors, buzgate.org, its affiliates and any other organization named herein, and any reader.

BUZGate.org is an award-winning entrepreneurial education and resource community serving small and medium-sized businesses. Content promotes awareness and access to free government and nonprofit assistance programs and select business-to-business products and services tailored to driving venture startup, growth and profitability.

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