An important point that many business owners overlook is that what supports your business also supports you. The point of purchasing a CRM system is to save you time and make more money. Taking into consideration how your business – and your team – operate is the most important part of the decision making profess when you’re looking into purchasing new business infrastructure and systems. The comparison between Base CRM and Infusionsoft is not quite fair because while both operate as CRM systems, Base CRM has not been created as a sales and marketing automation platform.Many business owners find that it is the sales and marketing that takes up their time.A system that automates these processes is a worthwhile investment.
Overview of Base CRM:
Base CRM provides a platform for improving business sales and enhancing Client Relationship Management (CRM). It does this by streamlining account management processes, including improving information access across the business.Enhanced client engagement and easier processes leads to improved productivity and business growth. As a CRM system, Base CRM functions very well; however it is not designed to operate as a complete sales and marketing platform so you will still need a separate – but compatible – system in order to execute your sales and marketing strategy.
Base CRM is currently utilised by over 10,000 business owners around the world, and the system can be accessed using just about any device that can get online. This is a huge boon to business owners – and their teams – who often work on the go. The system can be used by micro, small, medium, or large businesses.
Base CRM Best Features:
Base CRM includes sales management, customer management, lead tracking, reports and analytics. You can also use the system to generate email marketing campaigns and automate these. Your email campaigns can also be integrated into Outlook and other Contact building systems. Base CRM is designed to track and manage sales more effectively and includes functionality for forecasting and reporting. If you opt for the client management module you can also contact and accounts management features. The end result is that the CRM system offers a more streamlined way to manage client communication across your business. It does with by utilising a range of personalisation filters and tags.As a lead management and tracking tool, Base CRM is a good system and the reporting and analytics functions are useful. They include a dashboard with customised insights, visual reporting tools, and forecasting features.
Base CRM’smain features include:
- A full-featured 14-day free trial
- Ability to access the software on mobile devices – including Android
- Customer support with both phone and email
While Base CRM offers a competent and scalable CRM solution, it is heavily focused on lead nurturing as well as client communication management – and sales of course.It does not include a facility for customer support, although it provides telephony integration. It also does not include any social media integration.
Pricing for Base CRM:
There are 3 pricing plans for Base CRM users. The Starter plan begins at $15 per person per month. The Professional plan for a growing sales team sits at $45 per person per month. The Enterprise plan for large sales organisations at $125 per person per month. Please note that the lead and deal scoring functionality is only available as an inclusion in the Enterprise plan.
For more information on finding the right software for running your business smarter, talk to a small business CRM, marketing, and automation systems expert. Contact one of our consultants today for a free Business System & Strategy Consultation today.
Overview of Infusionsoft:
Infusionsoft is nothing more or less than a one-stop-shop integrated sales and marketing solution for small to medium businesses. The software offers everything via their online system and allows you to automate much of your sales and marketing processes. The idea is to save you time, allowing you to focus on other areas of your business. Infusionsoft is all about customer life cycle marketing. The software platform can make a difference to your business in the following areas:
- Channel Management
- CRM
- Self-Service Portal
- Marketing Automation
- Project Collaboration
While it is possible to use Infusionsoft as your CRM system as it has the functionality to do this, it is as a sales and marketing tool that Infusionsoft really shine – particularly when it comes to marketing campaign automation. Over 23,000 small business owners use Infusionsoft to organise their teams and score incoming leads, saving time and growing business revenue(and obviously, enhancing their businesses). Most business owners find they can used Infusionsoft for sales, marketing, and CRM – and the fewer systems the better. Multiple system chaos is every burgeoning business owner’s nightmare. It causes income to stall and sometimes the business drops off entirely.
Infusionsoft was designed as the solution to this problem – and it does this well.
With almost all the sales and marketing functionality you need able to be created, executed and automated, including marketing campaign analytics, most of your lead capture, nurturing, and follow up / follow through campaigns can do the work while you do something else. This is a big time saver for business owners and one of the reasons why this platform is so popular.
Infusionsoft also offers many opportunities to tailor your marketing to your client list. It’s a fact that being able to personalise your promotions to the behaviours of your prospects increases client spend and customer engagement. With Infusionsoft you can do this easily – and once you learn how, such clever sales and marketing can be automated as well.
Infusionsoft’s main features include:
- Sales and CRM Integration
- Social Media
- Web Analytics
- Collaboration Centre
- Contact Management
- Customer Service
- Marketing Automation
- Sales Automation
- Campaign Management
- Campaign Performance Reporting
- Email Marketing
- Email Triggers
- Lead Management
- Lead Tracking
- Marketing Automation
Pricing for Infusionsoft:
Infusionsoft pricing starts at around $199 / month per user. There’s also a $2K Kickstart fee which covers your training and personal consultant (and is well worth this money). The comprehensive training means that you learn how to use the software in your business as you go so your first few campaigns are set up through the training.
Want to find out more about which software will work best for your business? To talk through all your options, book a free Business System & Strategy Consultation with our experts today.
Which One Should You Choose?
The answer to this question depends very much on what you need for your business – both in the short and the medium term. Are you looking for a CRM that can handle a few low-key marketing campaigns? Are you after a sales and marketing automation system, with effective CRM capabilities? Have a good think about your business goals. Consider where you’d like your business to be in the next year. Five years? Ten? Look closely at the systems you’re considering, and assess their flexibility. You won’t want a system you’re going to have to replace in a few years. Replacing systems mid-growth phase is expensive and costs more than just money while processes fall over and leads dissipate.
There are dozens of CRM options out there, but they won’t all give you what you want. Talk to an expert – one who has worked with small businesses over a range of industries. Our expert consultants have tried and tested just about every small business system out there. Contact them for a free Business System & Strategy Consultation today.
