Which CRM you pick matters less than whether your team is still using it in six months. Most CRM projects do not fail technically — they fail because nobody enters anything.
So the selection process starts somewhere other than where most people begin: not with features, but with your sales flow.
Want a second opinion before deciding?
Describe your sales process to us and we will suggest two or three suitable options — with no vendor commission involved.
Step 1: Write down your flow before you look at software
On a sheet of paper, list the stages from first interest to closed sale.
A typical example: Enquiry → Contact → Quote → Negotiation → Close.
Next to each stage, note who does it, how long it takes, and where deals currently get lost. That sheet is your specification. Without it, every demo will look impressive.
If you are not yet clear on what a CRM solves, start with what a CRM is.
Step 2: The eight criteria that matter
| Criterion | What to check |
|---|---|
| Speed of entry | How many clicks for a new contact? Above three and nobody will bother |
| Mobile use | Salespeople are not at a desk |
| Integrations | Email, phone, website form, accounting |
| Reporting | Can you see the pipeline without exporting to a spreadsheet? |
| Local language and support | Ask what hours they answer |
| Data export | Complete, in a standard format |
| Per-user pricing | What happens when you double in size |
| Update cadence | An abandoned product is a risk |
The first criterion is the most important and the most neglected. A CRM that takes two minutes per entry will stay empty.
Step 3: What to ask in the demo
Demos are designed to impress. Take control with five questions:
- “Show me my flow”, not the sample one. With your stages.
- “How long does it take to add a contact from a phone?” Ask them to do it in front of you.
- “What does it not do well?” A serious vendor has an answer.
- “What costs extra?” Integrations, users, storage, support.
- “How do I leave?” How you export your data if you stop.
And one test worth more than all of them: ask for a trial account and put ten real customers into it. You will know within an hour whether it works for you.
Step 4: The real cost
The price on the vendor’s page is the start, not the total.
| Component | Indicative range |
|---|---|
| Subscription per user | €12 – €80 per month |
| Setup and configuration | €500 – €3,000 |
| Data migration | €300 – €1,500 |
| Integrations | €200 – €2,000 per connection |
| Training | €300 – €1,000 |
For a team of five, the first year usually lands between €2,500 and €8,000 in total. The second year drops to the subscription.
Watch the per-user model: if you plan to add people, cost it at the size you are aiming for, not the size you are now.
Want a cost comparison for your team?
Tell us how many people will use it and we will send a three-year calculation.
Step 5: Migration without chaos
Moving the data is where these projects stall.
- Clean first. Duplicates, dormant contacts, wrong numbers. Do not migrate rubbish.
- Move in stages: active customers first, history afterwards.
- Keep the old system running for a month, read-only.
- Appoint one owner who answers the team’s questions.
- Measure adoption in week four: how many people actually use it?
The fifth is the real success indicator. If fewer than half the team are using it after a month, the problem is not the software — it is the process or the training.
The five mistakes
- Choosing on the feature list. You will use 20% of it.
- A system far too large for your team. Complexity kills adoption.
- No email integration. A CRM that cannot see your correspondence stays empty.
- No owner. A system belonging to everyone belongs to nobody.
- Building custom before trialling off-the-shelf. The reasoning is in custom software vs off-the-shelf.
Frequently asked questions
Is a free plan enough?
For a team of one to three with a simple flow, often yes. Check the contact limit and what gets locked behind paid tiers.
Do I need a CRM if I already have an ERP?
They are different things. The ERP runs operations, the CRM runs the customer relationship — see what an ERP is.
How long does setup take?
For a simple flow, 1–2 weeks. With migration and integrations, 4–8 weeks.
Local or international CRM?
International options have more integrations; local ones usually connect better to your accounting. Judge it on what needs to talk to what.
What if I change my mind in a year?
Which is exactly why data export sits on the criteria list from the start.
The first step
Write out your sales stages on paper and count how many deals sat in each one last month.
If you cannot answer, that is precisely what a CRM fixes — and it is the most convincing reason to go ahead.
Next step
Book a free 30-minute call with the team at The Dev Alley. We will look at your flow and propose specific options with costs.