So, you are ‘Brick and mortar’ business owner. Marketing your business on a budget is a must-do, especially if you are just starting out. And when it comes to software choice it’s not necessarily an easy option. Here’s what SMB.guru has got to say…
Accepting payment both online and offline
This is what you should be thinking in the first place. Even if you start as ‘Brick & Mortar”, online customers are your next target. Luckily, there are a number of payment options that work for both, so you can keep all your transactions organised in the same place.
Best Future Facing Choice — Stripe
Stripe is fast catching up with Paypal as the most widely used online payment system, and although you can’t accept real world payments directly using Stripe, it integrates with many mobile card reader apps, so you can easily use Stripe for both online and real world purchases. It also comes with its own analytics and reports capacity, making it a good all-in-one option.
Charges: 2.4% plus 20p transaction fee
International charges: +2%
Choosing the CRM for a sleek start
Probably the toughest question you would face, excerpt for how to find clients. What stays true for all times, CRMs or Sales Management Software are made by developers, not business people. And this is why we all keep asking the same question: how do I fit in their design?
We bring you two best options: first if you mostly stick to old style business, second — is a go-go option for the small but ambitious.
Best no-nonsense
Tracks is probably the most no-nonsense of all CRMs we have seen. It offers a single drag-and-drop interface for sales pipeline management, with customisable email prompts to make sure you keep on top of targets and can see at a glance your progress week by week. In addition, they offer integration with Google apps, Highrise, and Freshbooks
Pricing: from $16 per user per month
Best go-go option
Pipedrive is great for the small business with a worldwide view. The interface is available in multiple languages and currencies, perfect if you operate in more than one country! It features a smart visual sales pipeline, and timeline views that promise to facilitate sales management at all levels. Pipedrive is great as for absolute beginners, as well as those with a bit more tech know-how – it is highly customisable, with API access for those who need it, and simple but intuitive report generation for those who don’t.Pipedrive is one of the leaders when it comes to app integration, boasting compatibility with almost 30 different apps, so whatever you need to do, chances are, Pipedrive can slot right in!
Pricing: $12 per user per month.
Email marketing — shooting fish in a barrel
Now that you have figured out how to track orders and receive payment, you may want to think about capturing leads. And you would start from email marketing.
Collecting details and targeting an audience that has proven they like your product should be like shooting fish in a barrel. If you’re unused to email marketing, especially moving from a physical storefront, the amount of programs on the market and technical know-how required can be overwhelming.
Best Low-Cost Automation
Our favorite low-cost option in the category, GetResponse is very reasonably priced for lots of juicy features, such as landing page creation, sophisticated workflow automation, and split testing. There is no cheaper way to get these features for your business, especially for small volume plans.
GetReponse has the best automation capabilities in this guide, and allows split testing of up to 5 factors instead of MailChimp’s two. Autoresponders triggered by user actions can save you time while increasing conversions. Our choice for the company who quickly wants to dig into premium features at a low cost, and an 18% discount is available for annual plans.
Pricing: From $15/month for all features, $45/month for 5 000 subscribers.
Free Trial: 30 days