Let’s set the scene—you’re a small business owner wanting to grow in exponential ways. But, you need the data to tell how to do it, or even why you should. CRM, or customer relationship management, software is a great avenue in helping make those decisions. Salesforce is the biggest player in the CRM game, but how do you know if it is really the right choice for your small business?
Is Salesforce worth the upfront annual payment?
Our Answer: Yes, it will definitely pay off!
Cost is a large factor when deciding which CRM to use. There are just simply so many options. Let’s not forget that while the monthly prices per user are affordable, the up-front annual cost is enough to make even fast-growing small business owners hesitate. But, there are small business solutions Salesforce offers. The cheapest version is Salesforce Starter. It costs $25/month and offers basic use of Sales, Service, and Email Outreach functions. It does still require an annual down payment, however, it is less than that of the full cloud services plans.
The Starter Plan also requires less development, but that also means it has more limited functionality. You will spend less on implementation costs, but as your business grows, you’ll upgrade your plan to meet new demands, which will require extra development to integrate the new features. Regardless, Salesforce Starter is still better than no CRM at all, and has the ability to easily shift into a more robust plan as you grow, without requiring another huge transition and learning curve.
Should I go with a cheaper implementation partner so I can afford a full cloud?
Our Answer: Not recommended
As great as the full cloud services are with their plethora of features, you won’t even get close to the same value if you go with a cheap partner’s slapdash solution as you would with a more limited plan set up with care by a high-quality, innovative implementation team.
You may be wondering why companies even have to pay an implementation partner to get the Salesforce org ready for small business use in the first place. But truly, a good implementation is key to getting the most value out of Salesforce. And your implementation partner will make or break your Salesforce project. They are basically the architects and construction crew of your org, and when you skimp on the crew and materials, your building (or org) doesn’t last long. If you’re looking to grow, it is best to have your org prepared by professionals who structure it to accommodate for that future growth.
Salesforce offers a wide range of applications and customizations. At Banjaxed, we work to help businesses look through their operations and identify how to blend processes and external programs into a single workflow that is most optimal for the business. As Salesforce professionals, we can integrate some sources you already use into your org, including Google Suite, Slack, and more. This way, you can stick with some of the same systems you and your team are familiar with, but now the data syncs to one place so everything is reported cohesively.
Once my org is set up, how will I get my employees to use it, and learn to use it myself?
Don’t get us wrong, Salesforce can look intimidating, especially when you first log into your newly-completed org. That’s why we make training materials as part of our implementation process. You’ll get videos and documentation explaining how to log leads, sales, contracts, and calls, as well as the business-specific processes you have us set up. Not only that, but we can also pre-build templates for pages, dashboards, automations, emails, and more with walkthroughs on how to use them.
Why should I get Salesforce?
Salesforce has a wide range of functionality, even on the Salesforce Starter plan. It is used by over 150,000 companies, each utilizing at least one Salesforce product. Did we mention this includes 90% of Fortune 500s?
Salesforce works differently for everyone, but ultimately provides insights that leadership teams use when planning and executing on business goals, and evaluating their success. On fragmented systems, employees often must spend hours searching through multiple platforms and databases, organizing and interpreting data that proves their work is, well, working. But that takes away from time they could use doing what you hired them for: building relationships, making sales and curating high-quality experiences for clients.
Salesforce takes that responsibility off their hands. All a sales or customer service rep has to do is enter the information and log tasks using an intuitive user interface within your org, and the system does the rest. The data appears neatly in dashboards and reports, sent to you on an automated schedule.
During implementation, we build out these dashboards and reports that collect and visualize all relevant data for you. Your employees save time and you still get all the insights you need, presented in clear, understandable graphs and terms so that the right decisions can be made at the right time.
Not only does Salesforce get the job done, but also continuously seeks new ways to do work more efficiently. It started with flows and automation, but now Salesforce is introducing artificial intelligence to business automation. In partnership with OpenAI, Salesforce released their own generative AI tool, called EinsteinGPT this March. This tool speeds up monotonous processes even more, generating emails and chat agent messages personalized to clients, as well as automatically pulling up assets you may need for an upcoming meeting or scheduled task. With each of its three update releases, Salesforce brings new innovations like this to make your efforts more productive and rewarding. With Salesforce and its dedication to integrating new tech with business on your side, your company will always be ready to adapt and compete in an ever-changing economy.
What if I’m not sure about committing to an implementation?
We understand that not all small businesses are in a position to invest in Salesforce right now, and that’s ok. We’ve had to make similar decisions at other small businesses and start-ups we led. We know it’s a scary jump to invest a lot of money into a single product. But we’ve also seen it pay off. Our team is committed to finding the solution that will fit your needs and financial situation. We want to see you succeed and believe that we can get you where you want to be when you’re ready. Let’s chat about how we can make it work for you, on your budget.
