Hey, there! As of March 2023, HoneyBook has rebranded, which means they are updating a lot of terms and phrases we frequently use throughout our blog posts. That doesn’t change anything below; it just means you’ll see some different terminology from us moving forward. For more details, we have a breakdown of the changes in this blog!
It’s a question so many business owners ask when they’re ready to get their business more organized:
Do I need a CRM or a project management tool?
If you’re not all that familiar with either of them — or understand how they can help your business — the question becomes all that more daunting. Not to mention all the free trials and overwhelming ads you get that say, ‘Try this one!’ (‘No, try this one!’) when you’re not even sure what these systems and tools do.
So, where do you even start? And how do you know which one is right for your business?
We’re breaking down the differences between CRMs and project management tools so you can continue to grow and sustain your business — all while staying organized.
In simplest terms, a project management (PM) tool is a digital to-do list. When businesses first come to DaSilva life for organization solutions, we typically suggest starting with a PM tool if you don’t already have one. Why? It quickly helps you manage and organize all of your tasks, projects, and deadlines in a more streamlined, efficient way.
On top of that, though, a PM tool can also help you with things like:
✔️ Setting due dates
✔️ Assigning projects to team members
✔️ Communicating with clients
✔️ Managing + executing projects
✔️ Task Management
✔️ Project planning
If you’re someone who likes to separate client, business, and personal tasks, a PM tool can help keep all of these in order, too.
PM tools we love: ClickUp & Asana
[CLICK FOR 15% OFF CLICKUP FOR LIFE]
A CRM — which stands for customer relationship management — stores all current, previous, and potential client data. As your business grows, we recommend implementing a CRM so you can cultivate stronger relationships with your clients and grow your prospects even more.
A CRM also helps you manage:
✔️ Contracts
✔️ Invoices
✔️ Scheduling
✔️ Payments
✔️ Emails
✔️ Track Leads + Sales
✔️ Workflows
✔️ Strategies
✔️ And more!
Also, with a CRM, you can set up workflows, which help keep all of your documents and communications polished and organized. In other words: You never have to leave your CRM (or use another tool) to draft contracts, invoices, and emails.
As a result, you can streamline (and automate!) virtually all of your business management tasks while keeping your clients impressed every step of the way.
CRM tools we love: HoneyBook + Dubsado
[CLICK HERE FOR 50% OFF HONEYBOOK]
If you’re still having a tough time deciding which tools are best for your business, here’s one final way we like to describe each:
A project management tool is like an online business manager who helps run the back end of your business to keep everyone on track.
A CRM is like a virtual administrative assistant, who helps with scheduling appointments, sending emails, and executing simple and clear workflows.
Bottom line: PM tools and CRMs work in different ways, but can ultimately help organize and grow your business for you, so you can focus more on crushing your goals.
Ready to see for yourself? Take a minute or two to connect with us, then together, we’ll find the best solution for you and your business!
[TELL ME WHAT YOU NEED HELP WITH]
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