Thinking of changing your CRM? Know before you go! Are you getting everything you can from your current system or have you outgrown it? Do you know what to ask when shopping around for a CRM System? More importantly, do you know what questions to ask and what a CRM conversion process looks like?

1. Should I Stay or Should I Go?
CRM Buying & Implementation Guide
561.470.5450
www.techbenders.com
Tech Benders
Act! CRM Guru
Zoho CRM Guru
Karen Fredricks

2. Time to Switch?
You're thinking of
changing CRMs
Analyze
Decide which product will
best suit your needs.
Warnings
What could possibly
go wrong???
CRM Options
Explore the various
options
Conversion
Know before you go.
Agenda
Please feel free to ask your
questions!

3. We want to send
eMarketing. We want to
send SMS. We need more
automated processes.
We are adding a department
or another location. We
need to integrate with our
other software.
No one can figure out how
to use our CRM
We can’t see a ROI.
Lacks
Functionality
Scalability
. Ease of
Use
Cost
Time to Switch?
Changing CRM systems will have costs in terms of both time and money. Look before
you leap! Make sure you explore all your options before making a change!

4. Sometimes you can save a
whole lot of time with training!
Have you received help in
customizing your CRM?
Are you using all of the features
of your existing software?
“Karen, I am only using 10% of Act!’s Capabilities”

5. SalesForc
e
HubSpot Pipedrive
Price
$360 - 480
user/year
Price
$25 – 330
user/month*
Price
$50-800/month+
Price
$50 - 65
user/month+
Price
Free -$444
user/year
Available CRM Systems
The last time I checked there were over 2,000 CRM Systems on the market

6. CRM X CRM Y CRM Z
Over 30
years in
business
??? ??? ??? 100 million users &
over 1B in Revenue
Available CRM Systems
Look for Longevity & Marketing Stability
The average price of CRM is around $450/user/year.
If you are paying considerably less you might be receiving considerably less.
If you are paying more you might be overpaying.

7. CRM X CRM Y CRM Z
Simplicity for Sales,
Marketing &
Basic Contact
Management
??? ??? ??? Automations, Integration
& ERP Capabilities
Available CRM Systems
What is their Sweet Spot?

8. 1 2 3 4 5
Total Costs
(Software,
conversion,
training)
How Many
Existing
Customers?
How Long in
Business?
References or Trial?
Monthly vs Yearly?
Consultants Network
Ask the Right Questions
Most CRMs have lots of features. You need to find out if the software will do what YOU need it to do.

9. Plan For the Future
A good consultants’ network to
answer small questions & help
with major changes.
Easy interface to make
minor changes.

10. Ask More Questions
This is what we currently do. We have
other areas we need to include. How will
they work?
Analysis
A
Will this work with my phone
system? What about my mobile
devices? Remote users?
Phone
B
How long will the conversion take?
What happens if it’s not on time?
Clock
C
We have duplicates, blanks, old data and
missing data. What do we do with that?
Data
D

11. 1
2
3
4
Who will answer your
ongoing questions?
Who will be doing the conversion,
customization & training?.
Sales People aren’t technical &
generally don’t have a wide rage of
business experience
Sales People might not
use the software
Remember:
You are talking to the
Sales Team.

12. Extraction Cleanup Planning Importing
1 2 3 4
Extractio
n
I can easily get all
data from my existing
system.
Cleanup
The new system will
fix it OR we can take
care of it later.
Planning
I’m too busy. The IT
Guy will handle it.
Importing
“The vendor says
they have an
automatic
process.”
A Few of My Favorite Assumptions
Don’t “ASSUME” Anything!
Automatic conversions “assume” that your data follows the “standard” structure without customizations.

13. But My CRM includes Tech Support!
Licensing, installation materials,
payment problems. Links to KB
articles.
Issue Resolution
I
Something isn’t working or
won’t install.
Technical Help
T
Molds the software to the way
YOU do business. Map & convert
your data.
Solutions
S
“HOW” do I do something? WHY/when
would I use a feature?
Training
T
Tech Support vs Consulting

14. 1 2 3 4 5
Testing of Data:
Do not use a
Small Sample Group
The IT Person Has
Other
Commitments
Our Trainer is on
Vacation
It’s Our
“Busy” Season
Today’s Payroll or
We’re Slammed Now
What Could Possibly Go Wrong?
Unfortunately this is what I see over & over again. The project fails.

15. C
C
C
C
P
P
P
P
They bring new ideas
to the table.
The understand the
jargon & “buzz
words.”
They are really good
at getting things
done.
They are willing to
lead the charge.
They know very little
about your day to day
business operations.
They know very little
about your day to day
business operations.
They may lack
technical skills or
knowledge of
business principles.
They are already
overworked.
New Employee
IT Person
Admin
Assistant
Overworked GoTo Guy
Who Will Lead the Conversion?
You need to include a great cross section of ALL Employees
PROS CONS.

16. Who Should Be in Charge?
President, Owner, etc. They
need to give insight as to
what they want.
Major Stakeholder
S
They are familiar with day
to day operations
End Users
E
He/She can help get backups of
your existing data & answer some
of your IT questions
It Guy
I
They can customize the new
software, help with the
implementation, train, and help with
future issues.
Consultant
C
It Takes a Village!

17. 4
3
2
1
1
2
3
4
Do you have blanks?
Duplicates? Old activities
or system histories?
Unused fields?
Can you extract all of
your data? Do you
NEED all of your data?
Depending on the
complexity of your data
the build process may
take some time.
Larger companies normally
require two imports to
fully test their data.
Do you want to mirror
your current system
or improve upon it?
Is there a cutoff date?
Is there a place for all my data types
(Notes, Activities, “Special Nuances?”
Who is going to check the data?
Who is going to do the Training?
Cleanup & Analysis
Extract
Build & Import
Test & Train
Implementation Planning
Question: What is the gap between the Export Date & the Finished Import Date?

18. “Special Nuance”
An Infinite Loop: Having to create the same fields over and over and over again.

19. Consultant “Trainer” End User New Hires
1 2 3 4
95%
They have a wealth of
knowledge.
50%
The trainer might learn 50% of
this knowledge. They may
misunderstand something or not
take great notes. They might
make assumptions as to what
they know.
25%
They are out sick.
Distracted. Bored.
IS THIS HANDS ON?
10% at most
Poor Training
EQUALS
Bad Data
Let’s Play “Telephone Training”
AKA “Train the Trainer”
And are there training materials specific to your business?

20. Duplicates? Blanks?
Garbage?
Unused fields? Old histories,
notes or activities?
Is there a LOGICAL ORDER
for all data?
Are we mimicking the old
system or creating
something better?
When will you and your employees
receive training?
It most probably will not be
perfect on the first shot.
Check carefully!
Generally .csv format
Your CRM data will be in
multiple files
You need to map where every
piece of data will go.
Will the connections (users,
notes, companies) remain?
Data Cleanup Design
Extraction Import
Deploy & Tweaking
1
2
1
2
1
2
1
2
1
2
Implementation Stages
“What will happen to my company if this conversion fails or takes too long? What happens to my
employees’ attitude if they can no longer work?”

21. Check for data quality.
Did you over customize or do
you need to customize in a
different way?
Are the key players
reviewing the process?
Are we integrating various
systems?
Do you have training materials and a system in
place for replacing users?
Have you established reports or
other measurements to make
sure you are achieving your
goals?
Establish clear goals
Consider scheduling
Is someone training users on how to
use the new database?
Where will you turn if
questions arise?
Before During
Planning After
Ongoing
1
2
1
2
1
2
1
2
1
2
Implementation Timeline
I can convert your database over a weekend but the PLANNING & DESIGN can take months!

22. Lack of clear goals & timeline.
Input & oversight by client
Poor integration with existing products.
Over customization.
Change Management
(processes, employees)
Lack of Measurement &
Continuous Improvement
Poor Data Quality (dupes, blanks)
Unnecessary data
Insufficient Training
Lack of ongoing support.
Planning Deploying
Data Quality Training
Measurement
5
6
1
2
9
10
7
8
3
4
Avoiding Disaster
There are Many Reasons Why Conversions Fail

23. Questions?
Info@TechBenders.com
E-Mail
E
561-470-5450 x1
Phone
P
www.TechBenders.com
Website
W
linkedin.com/in/karenfredricks/
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L

24. Questions?
Info@TechBenders.com
E-Mail
E
561-470-5450 x1
Phone
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