Your Business CRM Is Overkill (And What to Do About It)
Contributed by SBOC Member:
Pat Miller
Founder of the Small Business Owners Community
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“I’ve been using HubSpot for my contacts, but it feels like I’m driving a Ferrari to the grocery store.”
That question came straight from the Small Business Owners Community, and Pat Miller tackled it on today’s Idea Slam. If you’re a solo operator spending $50+ a month on a CRM that’s way more powerful than what you need, this one’s for you.
Start With WHAT YOU ACTUALLY NEED
Every CRM discussion, every organization discussion, every AI delegation discussion starts with the same question: what are you trying to do?
Pat broke down the basics that most solo operators actually need from a CRM. A place to collect and find all your contacts. “What’s Lisa Rebel’s phone number? Boom. Gonna find it.” Calendar control that interacts with your actual calendar so you can schedule meetings. Email tracking and follow-ups so you know who opened your email and you can reply when they do.
That’s the floor. Contact control, calendar control, email tracking.
Where Business CRM Gets Fancy (And Expensive)
Sales funnel management, content distribution, social media posting, texting clients, updating your website, managing your blog. Those are real features that real businesses use, but they’re above the basics.
The problem with HubSpot specifically: “It’s not expensive to get started, but ooh, boy does it get expensive. You want to drive it past second gear.” Pat was direct about it. If you’re going to be a big company someday, HubSpot is a monster and it’ll serve you well. But if you’re a solo operator with a couple clients and a couple hundred people in your database, it is overkill.
Your CRM Options For Your Business
From the show and the SBOC community chat:
GenHead is what Pat uses. It powers his entire business, including CRM, social media, content tools, and email outreach. “It practically does everything. It connects 10 or more disconnected tools.”
Zoho came up as an affordable ecosystem play. A friend of Pat’s is all in on Zoho and its suite of tools.
Keap (formerly Infusionkeep) is sponsoring a community member’s event, which is how Pat learned about it.
HoneyBook and 17Hats were recommended in the chat as two of the more affordable CRMs.
A spreadsheet. Claire Lauer’s contribution from the community. If your CRM is functioning as a glorified Excel sheet, maybe just use the actual spreadsheet.
What To Ask Yourself
Nikki from the community nailed it: “If you’re only looking for a CRM to be a glorified Excel sheet, I would really challenge you to consider what your long-term goals are for the business, and choose a system that will scale to your dream.”
Buy for where you’re going, not just where you are. But don’t pay for a Ferrari when a Honda gets you to the grocery store just fine.
If you need something named, that’s what the Idea Slam is literally there for. Tune in to Businessing weekdays at 11 AM CT.
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Contributed by
Pat Miller
Founder of the Small Business Owners Community
Pat spent two decades in broadcasting management and hosting. After leaving the radio industry, he spent time consulting small businesses and realized the support system for entrepreneurs was broken. Where could you find help for improving small businesses and building real connections with other like-minded people. In June of 2020, the Idea Collective Small Business Community was born.