Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

There are lots of talks and discussion these days about CRM`s. Are they really that important for a small business? I`m curious for people`s opinion. I obviously think they are really important simply because I am in the CRM industry. That`s what I do for a living. But I just want to know what the rest of you think about CRM`s and their importance to you specifically

http://consideredsales.com

CRM`s are needed for any size business. Now with that said a company has to look at what features "they need" vs. "ones they want" to choose the correct CRM product.




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Shaun M. Smoot, Principal, Totus Company Atlanta Technology Firm

What does CRM stand for?

Craig, Craig, Craig ... I know you better than this. Let your fingers do the walking (seeking/searching).

Customer Relationship Management - one of the BIG Boys (not a plug - just reference).

R@

PS - to answer the question ... "Yes"

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Richard Arnold · Key Concept Writers · Business Communication: The "Key" To Success· Law of Attraction Blog · Life Ain`t Brain Surgery Blog

Yah, *I* know what CRM stands for, but the bugaboo is people who use acronyms as if everyone in the world knows what they stand for. Hell, it could stand for Commercial Retail Manufacturing for all anyone would know, right? :-)

The theory is whether or not a software application can better help people manage their relationship with customers. A customer might, then, also be those who were interested in buying this CRM software. So why have people walk away scratching their head, when it`s easy enough to just spell out the acronym one time? I went to the Web site and didn`t see the spell-out anywhere, so I assumed this was a wholesale site, dealing directly with corporate sales departments, not small businesses.

Craig - if you`re talking about the salesforce.com site, it is spelled out on the first line on the home page:

The Leader in On-Demand Customer Relationship Management

Actually, they are not a wholesale site. SF.com caters to large and small companies alike. Very responsive company. Excellent partners. Most varied solutions-oriented company I have dealt with in many years. Are there very good smaller companies that do the same? Yes. And some smaller CRM providers are right here at SuN. And have had some great successes with smaller CRM providers, too. Choice depends a lot on cost and solution required. IMHO.  

R@

PS - Craig ... do you not like acronyms? If not, why? Have you sought therapy for this condition?

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Richard Arnold · Key Concept Writers · Business Communication: The "Key" To Success· Law of Attraction Blog · Life Ain`t Brain Surgery Blog

I think that the concept of CRM has such a broad meaning now. When you are in the corporate world, CRMs are these huge systems. In the small business world, the idea of "CRM" means something totally different.

Nikole,

Explain the differences, please.

R@

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Richard Arnold · Key Concept Writers · Business Communication: The "Key" To Success· Law of Attraction Blog · Life Ain`t Brain Surgery Blog

Well, when a lot of people think of CRM, they think of huge enterprise-level software that is only accessible to corporations with very large budgets.

But for a small business, and especially micro businesses, it is more about the concept of it than an actual piece of software. For example, I have a CRM system that has nothing to do with CRM software.

The large-scale software started with the concept and automated it.

But you can still have a CRM system without even owning a computer.
(I`d hate to even admit how low-tech mine is. I`m a developer! You think I`d be way high tech!)

In our high-tech, automated, "crackberry", iPod, computerized world today, I find many pre-computer aged people tend to forget that every business process now being run by computers was done for many, many, many years by hand, pad & pencil, and pure brain memory. Sometimes I wonder if it wasn`t some how better then.

CRM has been around since the first business/customer relationships started. Successful business people have always found ways to track and measure sales and better serve their customers. And truly, no CRM software - big or small - is worth a slug nickel if not used properly. When you get right down to it, there is still a human behind the business relationship.

R@

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Richard Arnold · Key Concept Writers · Business Communication: The "Key" To Success· Law of Attraction Blog · Life Ain`t Brain Surgery Blog