They told us we need a CRM system — what exactly is it, and does our business really need one?

Consultants love pushing their cookie-cutter solutions onto everyone. A CRM is almost always a dead investment for a four-person wholesale gig. Your sales guy won't bother logging notes after every single phone call, and you'll be back to your spreadsheet in two months. Don't waste your money.

Check if that consultant is getting a kickback from the software vendor. A 15,000 AED implementation fee for an operation that size is totally inflated. There are tons of software resellers in the market masquerading as consultants.

There are 3 dead giveaways that a business actually needs a CRM: 1) A rep quits and nobody knows what was quoted to the client, 2) 3-4 quoted clients slip through the cracks every week because people forgot, 3) Multiple reps end up calling the exact same client. If none of that is happening, you don't need one.

We jumped the gun and bought an annual license back when we were just three people. Everyone logged everything enthusiastically for the first two weeks but once work piled up, nobody touched it. Totally wasted money. If a shared spreadsheet gets the job done don't overcomplicate things.

edit: I wrote something wrong above, sorry about that.

spending 15k aed for 30 clients a month is a complete waste. just add a couple filters to a cloud sheet and it does the exact same thing. think about it once the sales team actually grows.

At the B2B export company I used to work for, the boss dropped 40k dollars on a massive system. Everyone, including the sales manager, hated logging into it because the interface was so clunky. Everyone quietly kept using their own notepads and spreadsheets, and the company shut the system down completely two years later.

We moved to a free tier once we hit 120 active client touchpoints a month. We got by for the first 6 months without paying a single license fee. Instead of burning 15,000 AED a year, putting that cash into your sample budget or logistics will give you a much better return.

Just add a 'Next Follow-up Date' column to your current sheet and review it every week. As long as you never miss the day you're supposed to call a client back you don't need to spend a single dime on pricey software.

This thread is archived.

If I understood correctly, you're saying: The harder it is to reverse a decision, the slower you should make it.

Measure first, then divide. When the order is right, the debate ends. If I were you, I'd go this route.

Let me summarize the topic, since several different answers were given. A two-week notebook guides you more than a six-month forecast.

I'm also curious if anyone does it differently.

Thanks for writing this, that's the right way. The biggest time-waster for us was not knowing who had the final say.

Correct. Just because everyone does it doesn't mean it's right.

Good luck with that.

Thanks for posting.

There is something to watch out for. Don't enter any agreement without an exit plan.

That's all, sorry if I went on too long.

Absolutely. If I were to add anything: When you try to change everything at once, nothing settles.

The real issue isn't the number, but what it's based on. Just leaving this note, it might be useful.

The discussion got scattered, let me summarize. Measure first, then divide. When the order is right, the debate ends.

Good luck with that.

Let me share what happened to me; it might be useful. Most time waste accumulates in tasks waiting for approval.

When we decide without measuring, we always end up in the same place. If you post the result here, it will help others too.