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A CRM, or customer relationship management system, is a software that helps businesses manage their customer data. It can track customer interactions, as well as sales and marketing activities.

When you're shopping for a CRM, it's important to consider the features and integrations that are important to you, as well as the pricing. CRMs can cost anywhere from being absolutely free to costing tens of thousands of dollars a month, so it's important to do your research and find the CRM that fits your needs and your budget.

In this guide, I'll walk you through a few basics about CRM pricing and the factors to consider when making the decision to purchase one.

What Is a CRM?

A CRM is an essential tool for any business that wants to keep track of its customers and their interactions with the company. It can help businesses better understand their customers' needs and wants and help to create more personalized interactions with them.

What Are the Benefits of Using a CRM?

So why would you want to buy a CRM? There are many benefits to using a CRM, including increased sales, better customer service, and improved marketing efforts. CRMs also make it easier to manage your business operations.

The data you store in a CRM is used to create customer profiles, which gives you a better understanding of who your customers are and what they need from you. This, in turn, helps you deliver better customer service and increase sales.

You can also use the data collected by the CRM to create targeted lists of customers and send them customized messages. You can also track the success of your marketing campaigns and see which ones are most effective.

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Examples of CRM Software

So now that you understand what a CRM is, it's time to take a look at some of the different types of CRM software that are on the market.

Some of the more popular ones are Salesforce, which is considered to be an enterprise CRM, and then there's Zoho CRM, which is more affordable and tends to be used by small businesses.

Then there's Microsoft Dynamics CRM, which is a popular choice for larger businesses, and SugarCRM, which is a good option if you're looking for an open source CRM.

And finally, there's Infusionsoft, which is a popular CRM for small businesses that are looking to grow their sales.

I've got a list of the best CRM software if you want to see a full description of the best CRM products on the market.

How Much Do CRMs Cost on Average?

There are many different CRM software options available, both free and paid.

There are a variety of CRM options available, from inexpensive standalone software to more expensive enterprise-level systems.

The most expensive enterprise CRMs can cost tens of thousands of dollars per year. However, there are many affordable CRMs available that cost less than $100 per month, and several have free CRM software plans that come with limitations.

What Are the Things to Consider When Looking at the Pricing of CRMs?

1. What features do you need? Some CRMs offer basic features like contact management and lead tracking, while others offer more robust features like project management and sales pipeline tracking. Make sure the CRM you choose has the features you need to run your business effectively.

2. How well does the CRM integrate with your other software? If you're using a lot of different software to run your business, make sure the CRM you choose integrates well with all of them. Otherwise, you'll be wasting time manually entering data into multiple systems.

3. What's the size of your business? Larger businesses will likely need a more expensive enterprise CRM, while smaller businesses can get away with a less expensive CRM.

4. How often do you plan on upgrading your CRM? Some CRMs offer free upgrades for a certain period of time, while others charge for upgrades. Make sure you're aware of how often you can upgrade your CRM and how much it will cost you.

Before purchasing a CRM, it's important to consider what you need it to do. Here are some things to think about:

- What features are important to you?

- What integrations do you need?

- How many users will need access?

- What's the total cost of ownership?

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By Phil Gray

Philip Gray is the COO of Black and White Zebra and Founding Editor of The RevOps Team. A business renaissance man with his hands in many departmental pies, he is an advocate of centralized data management, holistic planning, and process automation. It's this love for data and all things revenue operations landed him the role as resident big brain for The RevOps Team.

With 10+ years of experience in leadership and operations in industries that include biotechnology, healthcare, logistics, and SaaS, he applies a considerable broad scope of experience in business that lets him see the big picture. An unapologetic buzzword apologist, you can often find him double clicking, drilling down, and unpacking all the things.