How CRM Buyers Make The Final Decision (CRM Study: Part 5)

Half of Decision Makers Will Want to Get in the Weeds on a Product Demo

Here is where a major split emerges between the types of CRM buyers in this market.

  • Nearly half (48.5 percent) of respondents told us they want to have an in-depth conversation with someone who knows the software deeply before they commit to a purchase.
  • On the other side of that equation is a cohort that only wants “a quick video demo” (29 percent) or “a brief overview of the basic features” (22.5 percent).

Sales teams, therefore, should be prepared to engage both types of buyers on those terms.

The Whole Team Will Participate in the Buying Decision

Almost all of the decision makers we surveyed (92.5 percent) said their teams would be at least somewhat involved in the buying process. In fact, in most cases CRM sales reps should be prepared to speak to the needs and concerns of a variety of stakeholders.

A big reason for this: The SMBs we surveyed said, on average, 20 people use the company’s CRM. Considering we surveyed fairly small businesses, this is a large percentage of the organization.

Only a Handful of Software Providers Enjoy Name Recognition in the SMB Market

We gave survey respondents a list of 17 CRM software providers and asked them to note which they recognized.

A majority of respondents recognized four names:

  • Salesforce
  • Microsoft Dynamics 365
  • NetSuite
  • HubSpot

The good news for less-well-known CRM vendors: Decision makers reported that name recognition is among the least important factors in their CRM purchase decisions.

By sticking with messaging that speaks to the software’s usability, features, price and customer support, and smaller CRM vendors can compete with incumbent vendors in this market.

CRM Buyers Study

Here’s how 200+ software decision-makers say you can win their business and become their CRM provider. This study explores how to attract and convert CRM buyers at small to medium size companies.

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Casey Meehan
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