Which CRM is right for your business—and what will it actually cost?

Video Transcript

Iva Ivanova: You're paying for a CRM every month, but leads are still getting lost, follow-ups are inconsistent, and your team keeps going back to spreadsheets. Did you choose the wrong software, or is something else going on?

Welcome to KizilCo. I'm Iva Ivanova, and today I'm joined by Nicholas Kizilov, Founder and Principal of KizilCo, a marketing agency based in Philadelphia. Nicholas, let's help business owners make sense of CRM.

Nicholas Kizilov: Thanks, Iva. And that opening question is a good place to start. Before changing software, I'd want to understand what happens to a lead after it enters the business. Who takes responsibility? What's the next step? Where does the process break down?

Iva Ivanova: For someone who's still using a spreadsheet, what should a CRM actually do?

Nicholas Kizilov: CRM stands for customer relationship management. It connects your contacts with the conversations, tasks, and sales opportunities around them.

You should be able to open a record and understand what the customer needs, what you've discussed, and what happens next. When those details are scattered across inboxes and people's memories, a CRM becomes very useful, even for a small team.

Iva Ivanova: Let's get to the question everyone asks. Which CRM is the best?

Nicholas Kizilov: I'd need to know more about the business before recommending one. How do you attract customers? How long does a sale take? How many people work on it? What needs to happen after the sale?

A local service company booking appointments has different priorities from a manufacturer managing distributors, quotations, and deals that take six months to close.

Iva Ivanova: So how does the company's strategy affect that choice?

Nicholas Kizilov: Say your goal is to turn more advertising inquiries into appointments. I'd prioritize lead capture, quick assignment, booking, and follow-up.

If you're expanding into larger business accounts, I would look more closely at company records, multiple decision-makers, proposals, approvals, and forecasting.

If repeat business drives your growth, renewals and customer handoffs become important. Define the result you're trying to improve, then choose the capabilities that support it.

Iva Ivanova: Okay, let's put some names to those options. When would you consider Zoho?

Nicholas Kizilov: I'd consider Zoho for a business that needs configurable sales processes and wants to manage costs carefully.

Zoho CRM offers pipeline management and automation, with more advanced process controls available depending on the edition. The wider Zoho ecosystem is also worth evaluating if you need accounting, customer support, or marketing tools.

The detail to check is the package. Zoho CRM, CRM Plus, and Zoho One have different scopes and licensing conditions. Compare what your team would actually use.

Iva Ivanova: What about HubSpot? A lot of business owners hear that name first.

Nicholas Kizilov: I would put HubSpot on the shortlist when connecting marketing and sales is a priority. For example, a company generating inquiries through content, forms, and campaigns may want those activities connected to its sales records.

HubSpot has free CRM tools, which can be useful for getting started. As requirements grow, check the paid products, seat types, automation features, and contact tiers.

One important distinction: storing a contact in the CRM and treating that person as a marketing contact have different billing implications.

Iva Ivanova: Salesforce has a reputation for being an enterprise platform. Is that a fair way to think about it?

Nicholas Kizilov: Salesforce also offers entry-level products for smaller businesses. I would look closely at its more advanced editions when a company needs extensive customization, approval processes, detailed permissions, and complex reporting.

For that kind of implementation, I would also ask who will administer the system. Someone needs to manage changes, support users, and maintain the data. That ongoing responsibility belongs in the decision and the budget.

Iva Ivanova: And where does GoHighLevel fit?

Nicholas Kizilov: I'd consider HighLevel for an agency or service business that wants lead pipelines, booking calendars, funnels, and customer communications in one platform.

Imagine a business running ads, booking consultations, and following up by email or text. That's a workflow worth testing in HighLevel.

Its pricing approach is also different from many CRMs: it advertises unlimited users and contacts on its platform plans. Usage charges and add-ons still need to be included in your estimate.

Iva Ivanova: Let's talk numbers. What are some starting prices?

Nicholas Kizilov: For some U.S. dollar examples at the time we're recording, Zoho CRM Standard is advertised at fourteen dollars per user, per month with annual billing. Salesforce Starter Suite is twenty-five dollars per user, per month. HighLevel Starter is ninety-seven dollars per month for the platform with monthly billing. HubSpot offers free CRM tools alongside paid products.

Those are entry points with different capabilities. For a fair comparison, price the same team, the same workflows, and the same expected usage. Confirm the current quote and billing terms before committing.

Iva Ivanova: What costs do business owners tend to overlook?

Nicholas Kizilov: Setup, data cleanup, migration, integrations, training, and ongoing administration. Depending on the platform, there may also be charges for marketing contacts, email, text messages, calling, AI features, or onboarding.

I'd ask for a first-year estimate and an ongoing annual estimate. Then I'd model what happens if the team or contact database doubles.

That gives you a much clearer picture of affordability than the advertised monthly starting price.

Iva Ivanova: Could someone simply start with a free plan?

Nicholas Kizilov: Yes, if it supports the work they need to do. A free plan can help a small team build consistent habits around contact records and follow-up.

Before committing to it, test the next requirement you expect to need. That might be automatic lead assignment, a second sales pipeline, or a particular integration. Find out which upgrade would unlock it and what that upgrade costs.

Iva Ivanova: You mentioned integrations. If a CRM says it integrates with my website or email platform, can I assume everything will sync?

Nicholas Kizilov: I'd test the exact information you need to move. Does the connection create contacts? Update existing records? Transfer deal stages? Work in both directions?

Imagine someone unsubscribes in your email platform. You need to understand how that preference is reflected elsewhere.

Also decide which system controls each important field. If two systems keep overwriting the same information, your team will struggle to trust either one. Check sync delays, error handling, and how failures are reported.

Iva Ivanova: Give me an example of useful automation. What would you set up first?

Nicholas Kizilov: I'd start with a clear, repeatable process.

Someone submits a request on your website. The CRM checks for an existing contact, records the source, assigns the inquiry to the right person, and creates a follow-up task. If that task becomes overdue, a manager gets an alert.

Then test the exceptions. What happens if the customer replies, books an appointment, or already has an open deal? Those details help prevent duplicate work and awkward follow-up messages.

Iva Ivanova: And AI? Should that influence which CRM someone chooses?

Nicholas Kizilov: It can. I'd ask the vendor to demonstrate one task that matters to your team, such as summarizing a conversation or drafting a follow-up.

Then check the accuracy, the data it can access, the review controls, and the cost. AI features may require a particular edition, an add-on, or usage credits.

I'd judge the feature by whether it reliably improves that task. Clean records and clear processes still need attention.

Iva Ivanova: What if the software has everything the company needs, but employees barely use it?

Nicholas Kizilov: I'd watch them do their actual work. Where do they get stuck? What are they entering twice? Which required fields can they realistically answer?

Start with the information needed to move the sale forward. Train people using familiar situations: a new inquiry, a missed call, a proposal, a follow-up.

And managers need to use the CRM in their own reviews. If every meeting still depends on a separate spreadsheet, employees have little reason to keep the CRM current.

Iva Ivanova: Suppose a business already has a CRM and is unhappy. Should it switch?

Nicholas Kizilov: First, diagnose the problem. Poor configuration, disconnected tools, and unclear responsibilities can sometimes be fixed within the existing platform.

If an essential requirement can't be met at a sensible cost, switching may be justified. Before moving, test a sample of the data. Check contacts, companies, deals, notes, activities, and the relationships between them.

Keep a backup, check what can be exported, and verify that the new system preserves the information your team depends on.

Iva Ivanova: How long should an implementation take?

Nicholas Kizilov: Scope determines the schedule. A small team with clean data and a straightforward pipeline has a much smaller project than a company connecting several departments and systems.

I'd divide the work into stages: define the process, configure a pilot, test it, train the team, and roll it out.

Each stage needs a clear result. For example, can a real inquiry move from the website through assignment and follow-up without someone fixing the process manually?

Iva Ivanova: Once it's running, how do you know the CRM is worth the investment?

Nicholas Kizilov: Establish a baseline before the rollout. Then track a few measures connected to your goal: response time, completed follow-ups, conversion rate, sales-cycle length, or renewals.

If you're assessing financial return, compare additional gross profit and credible time savings with the full cost of the system. Allow for other changes, such as increased advertising spend.

That helps you see where the CRM is contributing and what still needs improvement.

Iva Ivanova: Before signing a contract, what's the most useful thing a business owner can do?

Nicholas Kizilov: Ask for a demonstration using your own sales process. Bring a sample inquiry and follow it through assignment, contact, quotation, and reporting.

Have the people who will use the CRM try it themselves. Ask the vendor to identify the exact plan and add-ons needed for that workflow.

You'll learn much more from that exercise than from a presentation full of features you may never use.

Iva Ivanova: For someone listening who still isn't sure which CRM to choose, is there an easy way to get started?

Nicholas Kizilov: Yes. We have a CRM Builder on the KizilCo website that currently covers forty-eight CRM platforms.

You can answer a few questions about your business and requirements to get recommendations, or choose a platform directly if you already know what you want.

Then you build your implementation package, selecting the services you need, such as configuration, data migration, automation, integrations, and training. You can review the estimated implementation price right on the website. CRM software subscriptions are purchased separately.

Iva Ivanova: And once someone has put that package together, can KizilCo handle the implementation?

Nicholas Kizilov: We can. We start with your strategy and sales process, then configure the system around the agreed requirements. That can include organizing customer data, setting up pipelines, connecting your tools, building workflows and reports, and preparing your team to use the CRM.

Iva Ivanova: What happens after launch? Can you help manage and support the CRM over time?

Nicholas Kizilov: Yes. We also offer ongoing CRM support, technical assistance, and administration.

Depending on your support plan, we can help with user access, troubleshooting, data quality, workflow adjustments, integration checks, and updates to reports and dashboards.

As your business grows, we can add pipelines, improve automations, connect additional tools, and train new employees. Regular reviews can help identify where leads get stuck and where the system needs to adapt.

We agree on the work your business needs, whether that's regular monthly management or help with a specific improvement.

Iva Ivanova: Where should people go to try the builder?

Nicholas Kizilov: Visit kizilco dot com, open CRM, and choose Build Your Own. You can explore the options, get guidance on choosing a platform, and build an implementation package around your needs.

Iva Ivanova: Nicholas, thank you. We'll include the direct CRM Builder link with this episode.

And to everyone listening, what's your biggest CRM challenge: choosing a platform, controlling costs, or getting your team to use it? Tell us in the comments.

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