Just curious, what sales CRM’s are other free agents using to track their clients and sales?
I’m using Pipedrive and LOVE it. I find it’s a very simple, affordable CRM with all the tools you need and none of the extra fluff. Other CRM’s are better for big businesses, but Pipedrive is perfect for independent workers. It integrates really well with Zapier so I’ve been able to automate a lot of my sales process e.g. when a deal is “Won” I set up client onboarding tasks in Asana.
You’re welcome! I’m slightly biased, I’ve been using Pipedrive for years and so I became one of their certified partners. I now consult to companies to help with account set up, training, automation etc. It’s funny, I’m helping a lot of clients which from other CRM’s like Hubspot, etc. to Pipedrive as most people find it a lot easier and more affordable.
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I love Daylite (made by Marketcircle). It works on Mac and iOS, so if you’re on PC or Android it’s not an option. One of the great things about Daylite is how well it integrates with Apple Mail. I run a small business and also work as a consultant for a larger company. I track everything in Daylite - contacts, projects, opportunities, calendar/appointments, email. It can manage tasks too - but I use Omnifocus for that. Daylite can work for teams - but I’ve never used it that way. If you’re on Mac/iOS, Daylite is definitely worth checking out.
Has anybody tried Cloze? I’ve heard a couple people mention Pipedrive. Is that still worth looking at?
I have what started as a “side hustle” that has grown to be more than a side hustle and it’s time to find a better tool than the combination of duct tape and bubble gum I’ve been using til now. I’m told Salesforce has something that may fit my needs, but I would imagine it would be overkill in a lot of ways. Thanks!!
I use Zoho CRM, it is not the best looking but has a ton of automation and scripting features. It is also apart of Zoho One which includes all of the other Zoho apps, this can make CRM even more powerful by using Zoho Analytics which is their equivalent to Power BI
@pianoxcape, I’m testing out Daylite, and wonder if you have any tips for using Omnifocus and Daylite together? I need the CRM functionality of Daylite, but don’t want to move my project management out of Omnifocus.
Thanks, I’ll take a look. Every time I get into Daylite, I think “this is too much.” Then about every six months I think, “I need something like Daylite.”
Hi David,
Update from my message last year. Over the past 12 months I actually moved EVERYTHING (including my task management) over to Daylite. I enjoyed OF, but didn’t want to pay yet another subscription if not needed. Anyway, Daylite made a couple big updates recently for their iOS version (particularly adding email handling) which make this indispensable at the office and on the road. The great thing about this program is the way it links everything - contacts, appointments, emails, tasks, projects, opportunities - everything can be linked and cross referenced. It can seem overwhelming as you get your workflow set up, but once you do, I find it to save me tons of time and headache. It’s fully integrated in the apple ecosystem which makes everything work smoothly. Are you still using DL? Would enjoy hearing an update… Cheers,
Oh, forgot to mention - I use the Zapier integration with Mailchimp - when someone subscribes to my newsletter/blog, they are automatically entered in Daylite. Also, I have a plugin on my wordpress site which signs up customers to my Mailchimp automatically - and this triggers the Zap to Daylite which enters their contact and purchase information automatically. Cool stuff those Zapier links. - Gary
At work, we use Oracle CRM On Demand for everything. Insanely expensive, but powerful and extremely well supported. Works well on my MacBook and iPad (through a browser).
That all sounds great. Yes, I’m also using Daylite, but not to the extent you are. My sales process is most concentrated in summer, and I was using it a lot as a CRM then. The information is still there when I need it in the future, and I’m looking forward to having that.
I’m still using OF3 as a task manager. I need a lot of its complexity, so it will probably always be a part of my workflow. But I do use Zapier to get CRM-related tasks from Daylite into OmniFocus. And I hadn’t thought about using it for something related to Mailchimp, so I will probably take a look.
I really appreciate your following up on this. It has brought some of these issues back into my mind after they’d slipped away during my day-to-day work over the past few months.
Do you use Daylite for email on iOS? I installed it but never went any further than that.
Yep - I’m now using Daylite email feature on iOS as well. This has been a game-changer for me when I’m on the road (which is a lot). I used to flag email (in Apple Mail), and wait to link to DL when I’d get back to my iMac at the office. Now, I can do everything from my iPad. There are a couple quirks - like when trying to attach files, but overall it has been a positive experience.
I’m interested in this but have seen two problems. One is that you end up with two tasks one in each of OF and DL. The other is that zapier doesn’t let you pull a hyperlink from thé said task or item in daylite which would be much more efficient.
What is your workflow exactly if you dont mind sharing? Do you duplicate your client/project structure across both or just keep a list of “daylite” tasks in OF?
