Which of the top 10 CRMs is best for your business? Gene Marks

You're looking for a CRM system for your company. But you're not quite sure what you need. You're faced with a plethora of options. You read analytics about the best CRM systems, like the recent 360Quadrants report, and you're still unsure?

So, let me help you figure it out. My company implements CRM software, including some of the products listed below – Salesforce, Zoho, and Microsoft Dynamics. These are our favorite products, but the fact is, I'd just as soon sell each of the CRMs listed below. We simply don't have the bandwidth to do it all. If you work with the right people and partners and are willing to invest, any of the top ten CRM products listed in the 360Quadrants report will be a great fit for your business.

However, that doesn't mean there aren't differences that influence this choice. Clients will likely disagree with my opinions below. But when potential CRM buyers—mostly from small and medium-sized businesses—consider these options, I recommend the following.

Freshworks - You want a CRM in a suite of business apps.

Freshworks is part of a trend (see also Zoho) of companies offering CRM modules as part of a suite of apps that their customers can fully rely on to run their businesses. For example, Freshsales is a CRM app from Freshworks, and the company also offers other modules that handle everything from customer support and analytics to project management and collaboration.

HubSpot - You want a strong marketing app with CRM capabilities.

If so, HubSpot is an excellent marketing automation app for small and medium-sized businesses with CRM functionality. We recommend it to clients with marketing managers in leadership roles and strong internal marketing resources to leverage this. If you don't have a marketing department or at least one employee dedicated to marketing, this is likely not the best option for you.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 – You want Microsoft.

If a client tells me they're only buying Microsoft, that's always my first recommendation. It makes sense to integrate a Microsoft-developed CRM application into your existing Microsoft environment, especially if you want to use Office, Outlook, and other Microsoft tools in your business.

Nimble – You want Microsoft, but you can't afford Microsoft.

The price of Dynamics 365 may be too high for small companies. Then welcome to Nimble. Nimble works great with social media and communications. But its strongest (and most recent) advantage is that it's a simpler and more user-friendly solution for small (up to 10 users) companies that need a Microsoft-focused solution. It's currently the only CRM application for small businesses sold through the Microsoft partner channel, aside from existing CRM offerings aimed at larger companies.

Pipedrive – You need a sales tool.

Pipedrive is the anti-CRM suite. Instead of trying to please everyone, this app genuinely helps salespeople close more deals. There's no accounting, marketing automation, project management, or help desk. It's all about sales. It has excellent sales and lead management capabilities, as well as powerful reporting tools, making it a great fit for clients who need a modern sales automation tool to help them increase revenue.

PipelineDeals - You need a sales tool, but you don't like Pipedrive.

See Pipedrive. But if you're not sold on it, this app, like its close competitor, is also focused on sales funnel management. Like Pipedrive, it integrates with many other cloud apps, includes plug-and-play workflows, and developer tools for creating more specialized processes.

Salesforce - You don't want to get fired.

Salesforce is the BMW of CRM systems. Salesforce has a huge community of loyal fans, integrations with virtually every app, and strong brand recognition—you're unlikely to be criticized for choosing it. Unless you need all its features. That's the catch: Salesforce can be expensive. But if you're willing to pay higher monthly fees, consulting costs, and development costs, Salesforce can achieve everything you need.

Zoho—You like Salesforce, but you can't afford it. You're a small company that's unlikely to use 80% of Salesforce's features. You want to expand your CRM system to include accounting, project management, HR, and other business functions, and you'd like to do it all on a single platform, if possible. Zoho is the best choice.