Free CRM software

[flyingjase]

I've just started up a product distribution business as a side line to my main business. As a start up the budget is limited, very limited!

I’m trying to source an application that can do 2 things:-

1. Create a database of potential sales contacts that I can log information against and possibly send email marketing to

2. Retain a central repository of manufacturers with their prices and product offerings that can be searched against.

Can anyone recommend a cheap (ideally free) product that can do this? As the business grows I may need to export the data to a more advanced application so don’t want something that locks the data in.

Many thanks

Jason

[silent k]

You could try using either SugarCRM or vTiger, they are free open source CRM products but you need to be pretty technically clued up to set them up correctly or you'll have to pay someone else to do it for you.

You could also try Salesforce.com, they do a cheap single user version. One thing you do have to watch is that you make sure that you can get your data back out again. As with the basic editions of Salesforce.com I don't think you can't export your notes out again.

Alternatively, the company I work for develop our own web based CRM product as well, we could probably do you a cheap deal if you were interested? Drop me a PM if you like, or if I can be any help.

[bingbong]

Try highrise there is a free version for the first 250 contacts, after that you can upgrade to bigger plans, pricing starts at $24 a month.

[jamesuk28]

DotProject is free

[jamesuk28]

As is Drupal and Typo3 you could adapt PHPCoin as well or run an extension from Joomla / mambo which is also free

[bga]

I use Zoho CRM for this sort of thing. We pay for it as we have more than 3 users but we track all prospects, contracts, AR etc from it.

http://crm.zoho.com/crm/login.sas

[Alec]

YHM

[10 Pence Short]

flyingjase said:

I've just started up a product distribution business as a side line to my main business. As a start up the budget is limited, very limited!

I’m trying to source an application that can do 2 things:-

1. Create a database of potential sales contacts that I can log information against and possibly send email marketing to

2. Retain a central repository of manufacturers with their prices and product offerings that can be searched against.

Can anyone recommend a cheap (ideally free) product that can do this? As the business grows I may need to export the data to a more advanced application so don’t want something that locks the data in.

Many thanks

Jason

What you want is a simple database.

You could create what you're asking for in Microsoft Access in half a day at the most.

[Kinky]

Don might be able to give some guidance. I'd certainly make a point of dropping him an email.

K

[Leondrums]

Sage Act - approx £100 (you can get it from PC world) or direct with sage.

Used it for last 5 years, very easy, allows importing/exporting of data etc...

[silent k]

Leondrums said:

Sage Act - approx £100 (you can get it from PC world) or direct with sage.

Used it for last 5 years, very easy, allows importing/exporting of data etc...

Out of curiosity do you know if you can export notes out of Act easily now? I know when I was working with a customer on a previous version, you had to buy another tool to be able to export your notes back out again.

[Leondrums]

not sure - never tried!

Exporting data into excel (fields and content) is easy enough though!