While some CRMs are designed for big businesses, there are many out there that are just perfect for small business use. The best of the best aren’t expensive or overly complicated. These four CRM software options are cost-effective, sleek to use, and easy to implement quickly so you can get down to business.
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And as a small business, you already know that your customers are the lifeblood of your business. Nurturing your relationships is the cornerstone for healthy growth.
Best for Scalability: HubSpot CRM
If you're not sure whether your business needs CRM software, it's difficult to beat the power of HubSpot CRM. Its freemium plan is free forever for unlimited users. And it's feature-rich with everything from sales pipelines to chatbots and so much more, most of which you'd pay for with other companies. It's ideal for companies expecting to scale soon because you can add users without having to pay extra. Down the road, when you're ready to upgrade to advanced features for content management, marketing, sales and customer service, you can add "hubs" to pay only for the services and tools your business needs.
Some of the additional benefits of using this CRM include the ability to manage your pipeline with real-time data allowing you to visualize your sales funnel. Log customer interactions and sales activities automatically, see all the details you need about each lead in a single spot, and get started quickly with no charges, no contracts and no necessary training.
Best Customization Options: Freshsales CRM
USA Today rated Freshworks CRM as the “Best Free CRM of 2021,” and PC Mag hails its various customization options. It's designed specifically for small and mid-sized businesses, with an intuitive user interface and a single point of access that lets you see all of your contacts' details, including recent activities and social profiles. Freddy is Freshsales' AI-powered assistant, which does everything from giving you deal insights to making recommendations for your next best action. You can also use this CRM software to create automated email campaigns with follow-up tracking and more.
in addition to its ability to simplify the process of adopting a CRM for small businesses.
Freshsales is available in 30+ languages and it supports multiple currencies. It has multiple integrations to provide small businesses with a unified platform that does more all in one place.
Best for B2B Sales: Nutshell
For B2B sales teams interested in selling smarter, it's hard to beat the balance of sophistication and user-friendliness offered by Nutshell. For these sales teams, keeping track of everything going on across multiple deals and with various stakeholders can be a challenge. But Nutshell makes it easier to prevent conversations or contacts from falling by the wayside. This single-source email marketing platform and CRM offers powerful sales automation tools, unlimited data storage, unlimited CRM contacts, pipeline and contact management, tools for team collaboration and customizable reports that provide the insights you need to measure performance or create charges for presentations.
Another way Nutshell stands out is with its mobile app. Although many other CRMs offer them, this is one of the best options available, providing sales reps and other users the ability to access product catalogs and client information on the fly.
Most Affordable: Less Annoying CRM
As a small business, sometimes value trumps all. While HubSpot CRM has a great free option, when you need more features and flexibility without breaking your budget, Less Annoying CRM provides the extra value you’re looking for. The team behind this CRM software understands those small businesses can't spend all their time figuring out how to implement software or all their money on buying it. But that shouldn't translate to sacrificing performance. That's why Less Annoying CRM is designed to provide a simple, easy-to-use platform with affordable and transparent pricing.
You can sign up for the 30-day free trial to take it for a test drive. After that, there's a straightforward fee per user per month. Best of all, it sets up in minutes and you'll receive a video introduction to show you everything you need to know to get up and running quickly.
While these are four of the best options on the market for small businesses, they are only a fraction of what’s available. To find the CRM that will work best for your small business, start by looking at the tools that are available and how they meet your specific needs. Ultimately, you want software that's easy for everyone to use. It should integrate with other tools and apps that you use, giving you a single platform to execute the majority of your essential functions. And ultimately, the right software will help you attract and retain your customers, streamline your operations and build your small business into a thriving organization.