Apr
1

By CommenceCRM

Let’s Bring Back Some Integrity to CRM Software

The CRM software sector is perhaps one of the most competitive in the technology industry, and there are many good companies that service small, midsize, or enterprise businesses. Despite this fact, rarely are these companies mentioned in industry journals. This is simply because the so-called industry experts continue to promote companies – not based on the unique problems they solve – but instead based on name recognition, features, and functions.

Some time ago, a leading industry magazine awarded Salesforce.com “Best solution for large, medium, and small businesses” – despite the fact that there are more than 400 CRM solution providers in the space. This was very impressive, but you have to ask yourself – was this award based on any actual analysis of the business challenges the product addressed across all industry sectors (small, medium, and large companies) or based on popularity or perhaps something else?

Saying ‘Salesforce.com is the best solution for any size business‘ is like saying ‘Donald Trump is the best candidate for president of the United States.‘ Maybe he is, but based on what – popularity and name recognition or actual policies supported by the public?

I think Salesforce.com does have a very good product, but I doubt it is the best solution for every size business. If it were, then why are so many competitive solutions like Commence CRM and others continuing to attract new customers?

What is a bit more disturbing is that industry journals and white papers can be misleading to companies looking to select a CRM solution for their business. They seem to represent that vendors are listed based on some specific criteria, when in fact, every CRM solution provider in these journals has paid a fee to be listed, and is supplied with your contact information if you submit a request for the report. This is simply not right. While I (and others like yourself) would like to see a bit more integrity here, I do not see this changing in the near term.

So what can you do if you are looking for CRM software? You can certainly use these journals as a guide but focus your search on who can address the specific business challenges you are trying to solve. It does not matter if they are popular, have the most features, or appear in one or more of these pay-to-play journals. Find the one that addresses the two or three core business challenges you need CRM software to fix.

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