What is the most competitively priced CRM?

[ghen]

If you actually want to market to your customers and track that customer from sales to service you need something a bit more fleshed out than a bargain basement CRM. I'm not going to make any recommendations for you but I will say this one thing:

You're not buying a CRM for today's economy. You're buying a CRM for the next 3 years economy. Changing CRM's is a huge hassle and I wouldn't want to get away from even one that I hate in less time than that Even if you get one without a contract or a 1 year contract.. the switch-over is a pain!

As for the setup fee, this will range very widely between companies. Most company's monthly fees are reasonably priced compared to what you get in the product, but setup and training varies all over the place.

 

[Patrick80639]

I've seen Dealersocket as low as $700 and still pretty functional.

 

[Jerry Thibeau]

I've seen Dealersocket as low as $700 and still pretty functional.

Another one to check out that might be in that price range is DealerUps. I saw a demo of their product recently and while it does not have all the bells and whistles of some of the bigger players, it is a solid system. In talking with one of the owners, they are currently rolling out some new technology to improve the product. You can call them at 888-866-6999

Good luck.

 

[Shellie]

Great point here. A good CRM implementation should last you for years to come. Make sure that you check out a company's history, it's financials and stability. They should have money in the bank and a team that has a commitment to the industry.

Another key factor is going to be support, now and over the long term. What does the CRM vendor promise in terms of monthly and ongoing support? What is their training program to get your team up and running. If you cannot train your staff to effectively use the CRM, then no matter how much you are paying per month will be wasted.

Finally, make sure whichever CRM vendor you choose can give you a WHOLE picture of your customer. ILM is only one component of your customer lifecycle. By saving money and going with a straight ILM vendor (or straight service or just desking) you are shooting yourself in the foot long term. You won't be able to get FULL value, you will only have a piece of the picture. Your auto CRM should give you insights into EVERY department.

Let me know if you'd like me to coordinate a demo of DealerSocket, it would be my pleasure!

Regards and good luck!
Shellie Pierce
www.dealersocket.com
spierce@dealersocket.com

If you actually want to market to your customers and track that customer from sales to service you need something a bit more fleshed out than a bargain basement CRM. I'm not going to make any recommendations for you but I will say this one thing:

You're not buying a CRM for today's economy. You're buying a CRM for the next 3 years economy. Changing CRM's is a huge hassle and I wouldn't want to get away from even one that I hate in less time than that Even if you get one without a contract or a 1 year contract.. the switch-over is a pain!

As for the setup fee, this will range very widely between companies. Most company's monthly fees are reasonably priced compared to what you get in the product, but setup and training varies all over the place.

 

[sal5pointo]

Great point Shellie

 

[lfinney]

I have been reviewing CRMs lately and want to chime in. You can't use price as you base factor it is important. Also lenght of contract is HUGE to me. But make sure you get what you need and not have to change as soon as you grow. I am considering changing but the idea of the data I will lose in customer notes hurts me beyond belief but I just don't have a choice. So buy something that will last you or you can add to.

There are many good options out there. The best best for getting pricing specific to you store is do a few demos.

Lori Finney
Mathews Nissan Suzuki

I'd be glas to share my recent reviews...

 

[ghen]

At max I'd sign a 2 year contract. At 2 years you know that if the company went under tomorrow the product would still be semi-current at the end of your lease (worst possible scenario). Going on 3 years is just too far out of the loop and will be hard to get back into the swing of a modern CRM at that point (3 years from now).

Any good company though will only sign you to 1 year or even month to month. Take this as a testament to their ability to keep customers around. If they aren't afraid of losing you then it shouldn't matter to them how long the contract is!