Best CRM for consultants

As a consultant, managing multiple clients, projects, and deadlines can be challenging as your practice grows. A Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system designed for consultants can help you stay organized by tracking client interactions, managing project timelines, and automating follow-ups—all from one platform. With the right CRM, you can streamline your workflow, improve client communication, and focus more on delivering value to your clients.
In this blog post, we’ll explore the best CRM options for consultants like you, highlighting tools that will help you manage your clients more effectively and scale your consulting business.

Why you need a CRM

As a consultant, you're busy managing client relationships and internal operational processes. The right CRM system can help you streamline your operations, manage client relationships, and drive business growth.

Challenges without a CRM

Managing a consulting business without a CRM can lead to numerous challenges.

• Disorganization: Difficulty in tracking client interactions and consultant activities.
• Missed opportunities: Inability to follow up on leads and prospects effectively.
• Inefficient processes: Manual data entry and fragmented workflows.
• Lack of insight: Limited visibility into consultant performance and client satisfaction.
• Inconsistent communication: Uncoordinated messaging leading to client confusion.

Benefits of a CRM

Fortunately, the right CRM can help you address these challenges and provide more benefits.

• Centralized information: All client and consultant data in one place for easy access.
• Enhanced efficiency: Automated processes and streamlined workflows.
• Improved customer relationships: Personalized interactions and timely follow-ups.
• Better decision-making: Data-driven insights and analytics.
• Increased sales: More effective lead management and conversion tracking.
• Consistent communication: Coordinated messaging across the team.

How to boost your consultants' efficiency with a CRM

There are a few ways a CRM can help you with your operational efficiency as a team, and to support your every day work flow. Below we've rounded up the top use cases for one.

1. Map your process

Defining and tracking the stages of your consulting process is crucial for seamless operations. A CRM tailored for consultants allows you to create customized pipelines that reflect your unique workflow. This ensures that every step, from initial contact to project completion, is meticulously documented and easily accessible.

2. Lead qualification

Assessing and qualifying leads is essential for maximizing your consulting efforts. Utilize CRM tools designed for consultants to score leads based on predefined criteria such as industry, budget, and decision-making authority. This helps prioritize high-potential clients and allocate resources more effectively.

3. Outreach and follow-up

Automating outreach and follow-up activities can save consultants significant time and effort. Implement automated email and LinkedIn campaigns through your CRM to maintain consistent communication with leads and clients. Personalized templates and scheduled follow-ups ensure no opportunity slips through the cracks.

4. Nurture existing client relationships

Effective strategies for following-up at the right time is game changing. A CRM designed for consultants allows you to segment your client base and tailor marketing efforts accordingly. Use data-driven insights to identify opportunities for additional services, enhancing client satisfaction and increasing revenue.

How to evaluate and choose a CRM

With a lot of CRMs to choose from, it can feel overwhelming if you're unsure where to start. To help you with your decision making process, we suggest using the following tips as a foundation and making changes to them according to your specific requirements.

1. Define your requirements

Before you start shortlisting what CRMs you want to try, it's important to identify the key features that will streamline your operations and enhance client relationships. Look for functionalities such as contact management, project tracking, and automated follow-ups. Ensure the CRM can integrate with tools you already use, like email marketing software and calendar apps, to create a seamless workflow.

Key features of a CRM for consultants

• Automated processes: Streamlines tasks by automating repetitive workflows.
• Contact enrichment: Automatically finds Leads, Customers email addresses and contact information, enhancing efficiency.
• Structured pipeline: Tracks Leads, Customers through defined stages, ensuring process clarity and effectiveness.
• Email sequences: Increases communication efficiency with follow-up templates and automated sequences.
• LinkedIn connection: Seamlessly imports Leads, Customers from LinkedIn and tracks conversations within the CRM.
• Reporting & forecasting: Provides essential data analysis and predictive insights for better planning.

2. Budget considerations

While selecting a CRM, balance the cost against the potential return on investment. Affordable CRM solutions for consultants should offer essential features without breaking the bank. Consider the scalability of the CRM, ensuring it can grow with your consulting business. Look for options that offer flexible pricing plans, so you only pay for what you need.

3. Selection process

Choosing the right CRM vendor involves thorough research. Start by reading reviews and testimonials from other consultants. Request demos or trial versions to get a hands-on experience. Evaluate the vendor's customer support and training resources, as these can be invaluable when getting your team up to speed.

4. Get a demo

Once you have shortlisted a few CRM platforms, take advantage of free trials to evaluate their compatibility and effectiveness. Compare features, ease of use, and customer support. Gather feedback from your team to ensure the CRM meets everyone's needs. Make your final decision based on which platform offers the best combination of features, support, and value for your consulting business. Get started with a demo of folk to see how it can streamline your consulting operations.

3 tips for implementing a CRM

At this stage, it's time to get excited to fully personalize your brand new CRM. To help you make the most of your implementation stage – we suggest keeping the following tips front of mind.

1. Import your data in your new CRM

Transitioning to a new CRM requires importing your existing data seamlessly. Most CRMs allow you to export your data as CSV files from your current system. Ensuring a smooth data import process minimizes disruptions and helps maintain continuity in your consulting business. This way, you won't have to add things manually.

2. Create your first pipeline

Setting up your first pipeline is a critical step. Design your pipeline with stages that reflect your consulting workflow, such as "Initial Contact," "Needs Analysis," "Proposal Sent," and "Project Onboarding." Tailoring these stages to your specific processes ensures that your CRM aligns with your operational needs, making it easier to track progress and manage client relationships effectively.

3. Onboard your team

Effective CRM implementation involves getting your team on board. Provide comprehensive training sessions to ensure everyone understands how to use the new system. Highlight features that will enhance their daily tasks and demonstrate how the CRM can improve client management and project tracking. A well-trained team will maximize the benefits of your CRM, leading to increased efficiency and better client outcomes.

The 5 best CRMs for consultants

1. folk

folk is a modern CRM platform for managing contacts, workflows, and relationships, offering customizable pipelines, AI-driven tools, and integrations to enhance deal management and prospecting.

Key features

• Contact enrichment: Automatically enriches contact details by finding emails and LinkedIn URLs, enabling efficient outreach without manual data entry or additional costs for email services.
• Contact management and sync: Bring all your contacts from multiple inboxes and social media accounts such as Instagram, X, and more together in one place.
• Sales cycle and pipeline management: Manage leads and keep an eye on your sales cycle without having to switch context. Use custom segments to keep organized.
• Notes and reminders: Create notes collaboratively and assign reminders to colleagues so the right person can follow-up when the time comes.
• folk on the go: Take folk with you on your iOS or Android phone, or tablet. View contacts, create notes, and more with a fully responsive app.
• LinkedIn integration: Seamlessly import contacts from LinkedIn and Sales Navigator to leverage your network in folk, and use templates for quicker, streamlined communication.
• Mail merge and email sequences: Full email sync compatible with Gmail and Outlook with access to templates, and tracking features, enabling users to manage all communications directly from the CRM.
• AI-powered features: AI tools assist in managing contacts and relationships, automating routine tasks, and suggesting actions to improve productivity.
• Integrations: folk integrates seamlessly with over 6,000 apps, including Gmail, Zapier, and Make, allowing users to centralize their workflow and reduce manual data entry.

Pros

• Ease of use: folk is praised for its intuitive interface, making it accessible even to non-technical users with quick onboarding and a minimal learning curve.
• All-in-one: folk streamlines your workflow by allowing you to import contacts from LinkedIn, automatically find their emails, reach out through customizable email sequences, and track interactions in a pipeline, eliminating the need for multiple tools and saving time and money.
• LinkedIn integration: Seamlessly import contacts from LinkedIn, track conversations within folk, and use templates for quicker, streamlined communication.
• Full personalization Custom fields, pipelines, dashboards, automation and workflows.
• Permissions control: Have control over what each user views and can edit.
• Integrations: folk integrates seamlessly with over 6,000 apps, including Gmail, Zapier, and Make, allowing users to centralize their workflow and reduce manual data entry.

Cons

• Reporting: Currently lacks reporting features, but there are plans for future implementation.

Price and plans

You can try folk for free with a 14-day free trial. After that, a monthly or annual subscription plan is as follows

• Standard: $20 per user, per month.
• Premium: $40 per user, per month.
• Custom: Starts from $60 per user, per month.

2. HubSpot

HubSpot CRM is a user-friendly, scalable platform offering integrated tools for managing sales, marketing, customer service, and operations efficiently.

Key features

• Marketing Hub: Includes email marketing, ad tracking, landing pages, and lead generation tools, essential for capturing and nurturing leads.
• Sales Hub: Provides deal tracking, pipeline management, sales automation, and reporting, which are crucial for managing client relationships and closing deals.
• Lead scoring: Prioritize leads with predictive scoring to improve sales efficiency and focus on high-potential clients.
• Service Hub: Offers customer service tools like ticketing, live chat, and knowledge bases, ensuring excellent post-sale support and client satisfaction.
• Operations Hub: Syncs and automates business processes across different systems, streamlining operations and saving valuable time.

Pros

• User-friendly interface: The intuitive design makes it easy for consultants to navigate and utilize the CRM effectively.
• Comprehensive free plan: A robust free version includes essential CRM features, perfect for small consulting businesses just starting out.
• Seamless integration with marketing tools: Integrates smoothly with marketing, sales, and service hubs, creating a unified platform for managing client relationships.
• Automation capabilities: Powerful automation tools for tasks like email marketing and lead nurturing save time and enhance productivity.
• Customizable dashboard and reports: Create tailored dashboards and reports to track key metrics and gain insights into client interactions and business performance.

Cons

• High cost at higher tiers: Pricing can become expensive as you move to higher tiers, which may be prohibitive for small consulting firms as they scale.
• Limited customization in free plan: Free and lower-tier plans have limited customization options, which can restrict flexibility for growing consulting businesses.
• Email marketing limits: The free plan restricts the number of emails you can send, which can be a drawback for consultants with larger client lists.
• Complexity in advanced features: Some advanced features have a steep learning curve, requiring additional training for effective use.
• Additional costs for add-ons: Many useful features come as paid add-ons, increasing the overall cost for comprehensive functionality.

Price and plans

HubSpot's CRM suite on an annual subscription is as follows.

• Starter: $15 per user, per month.
• Professional: $450 per user, per month.
• Enterprise: $1,500 per user, per month.

3. Salesforce

Salesforce is a robust CRM platform for large enterprises, offering tools for sales, marketing, service, and analytics, with extensive scalability.

Key features

• Customization and scalability: Salesforce is highly customizable, allowing consultants to tailor the platform to their specific needs, including custom fields for leads and customers, and scalable solutions that grow with your business.
• Advanced analytics and reporting: Salesforce offers powerful analytics tools that provide valuable insights into client data, helping consultants make informed decisions and optimize their strategies.
• Mobile accessibility: With a robust mobile app, consultants can manage their CRM on the go, ensuring they have access to critical client information anytime, anywhere.
• Integration capabilities: Salesforce integrates with a wide range of third-party applications, enabling seamless data flow and enhancing productivity for consultants.
• AI integration: Salesforce Einstein provides AI-driven insights and automation, helping consultants identify opportunities and improve client engagement.

Pros

• Comprehensive feature set: Salesforce offers a wide range of features covering sales, service, and marketing, making it a powerful tool for managing client relationships.
• Highly customizable: The platform can be tailored to meet the specific needs of consultants, allowing for custom fields, objects, and workflows.
• Scalability: Salesforce is suitable for consulting businesses of all sizes, from solo consultants to large firms, with the ability to scale as your business grows.
• Advanced analytics and reporting: The platform provides deep insights into client data, helping consultants make data-driven decisions.
• Strong community and support network: Salesforce has a large, active user community and extensive support resources, including forums, tutorials, and expert consultations.

Cons

• High cost: Salesforce can be expensive, especially for small consulting businesses, with high licensing fees and additional costs for customization.
• Steep learning curve: The extensive feature set and complexity of Salesforce may require significant time and training for consultants to become proficient.
• Complex setup and customization: Initial setup and customization can be challenging and often require expert help, adding to the overall cost.
• Overwhelming for small teams: The robust features of Salesforce may be overkill for smaller consulting teams, leading to underutilization of the platform’s capabilities.
• Integration complexity: While Salesforce offers extensive integration capabilities, integrating it with third-party applications can be complex and require technical expertise.

4. Pipedrive

Pipedrive is a web-based CRM for small businesses, offering lead management, automation, email integration, and customizable pipelines to optimize sales.

Key features

• Lead and deal management: Centralized tools to manage leads and customer data, interactions, and sales pipelines, helping consultants act quickly on opportunities.
• Sales automation: Workflow automation to handle repetitive tasks, such as lead routing, follow-ups, and email sequences, allowing consultants to focus on closing deals.
• Email integration: Full email sync, templates, and tracking features, enabling consultants to manage all communications directly from the CRM.
• Advanced reporting and analytics: Real-time data analytics and custom reporting tools to track sales performance, forecast revenue, and gain actionable insights.
• Customization and security: Options to customize pipelines, fields, and user permissions, with robust security measures to protect client data.

Pros

• User-friendly interface: Known for its intuitive and visually appealing interface, making it easy for consultants to navigate and manage their sales pipelines.
• Sales pipeline focus: Specifically designed for managing sales pipelines, offering a visual approach that helps consultants track deals and activities effectively.
• Customization: Allows for a high degree of customization, enabling consultants to tailor the platform to their specific processes with custom fields and workflows.
• Affordability: Offers competitive pricing, making it accessible to small and medium-sized consulting businesses without sacrificing essential CRM features.
• Automation features: Includes automation tools that help streamline repetitive tasks, such as sending follow-up emails and moving deals through the pipeline, saving time and boosting productivity.

Cons

• Limited advanced features: Lacks some of the more advanced CRM features, such as extensive marketing automation and AI capabilities, which are available in other platforms.
• Basic reporting in lower tiers: The reporting and analytics features in the basic plans are somewhat limited, requiring upgrades to access more in-depth insights.
• No built-in email marketing: Does not include built-in email marketing features, requiring users to integrate with third-party email tools for such functionality.
• Limited customer support hours: Customer support is not available 24/7, which can be inconvenient for consultants operating in different time zones or needing immediate assistance.
• Price increases with add-ons: The cost can increase quickly when additional features or integrations are added, making it less cost-effective for growing consulting firms.

Price and plans

Pipedrive's annual subscription plan basis is as follows.

• Essential plan: Starts from $24 per user, per month.
• Advanced plan: Starts from $44 per user, per month.
• Power plan: Starts from $79 per user, per month.
• Enterprise plan: Starts from $129 per user, per month.

5. Zoho

Zoho is a CRM system with a strong sales focus. It has journey orchestration, sales process management, and workflow automation features. There's also something for marketing teams, including event management and customer segmentation.

Key features

• Sales automation: Automates sales tasks like lead management, deal tracking, and follow-up actions.
• Customizable dashboards and reports: Allows users to create and customize dashboards and reports for in-depth analytics.
• Multi-channel communication: Integrates with email, phone, social media, and live chat to manage customer interactions.
• Lead and contact management: Manages customer information, tracks interactions, and segments contacts for targeted campaigns.
• Workflow automation: Automates routine tasks and processes to improve efficiency and reduce manual effort.

Pros

• Affordability: Zoho CRM offers competitive pricing with various tiers, making it accessible to small and medium-sized businesses as well as larger enterprises.
• Customization: Extensive customization options allow businesses to tailor the CRM to their specific needs, including custom fields, modules, and workflows.
• Integration with Zoho suite: Seamless integration with other Zoho products (like Zoho Books, Zoho Projects, and Zoho Campaigns) creates a comprehensive ecosystem for managing different business functions.
• Multi-channel communication: Zoho CRM supports email, phone, social media, and live chat, enabling businesses to manage all customer interactions from a single platform.
• AI-powered features: Zia, the AI assistant, provides intelligent insights, predictive analytics, and task automation, helping to improve sales and marketing efficiency.

Cons

• Steep learning curve: The extensive customization options can be overwhelming for new users, requiring a significant time investment to master the platform.
• Complex setup: Initial setup and configuration can be complex, particularly for businesses without technical expertise or dedicated IT resources.
• User interface: Some users find the interface to be outdated or cluttered compared to other modern CRM platforms, which can affect usability.
• Performance issues: Occasional reports of slow performance, especially with large datasets or complex operations, can hinder productivity.
• Limited third-party integrations: While Zoho integrates well with its own suite of products, integration with third-party applications can be limited or require additional effort.

Price and plans

Zoho's free plan is limited to three users. After that, if you're after more features or seats an annual subscription plan is as follows.

• Standard: $20 per user, per month.
• Professional: $35 per user, per month.
• Enterprise: $50 per user, per month.

Conclusion

Choosing the best CRM for your consulting business is a strategic decision that can significantly impact your efficiency, client relationships, and overall growth. Whether you opt for the all-in-one capabilities of Folk, the comprehensive tools of Hubspot, the robust features of Salesforce, the user-friendly interface of Pipedrive, or the affordability of Zoho, each platform offers unique benefits tailored to different needs and budgets. Evaluate your specific requirements, consider your budget, and leverage free trials to find the CRM that aligns best with your consulting processes. Streamline your operations and enhance your client management today by exploring these top CRM solutions. Try folk for free here.

Need a helping hand? Use our free tool to find your perfect CRM match.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do consulting business use as a CRM?

Consulting businesses often use CRMs like folk, Hubspot, Salesforce, Pipedrive, and Zoho to manage client relationships, streamline workflows, and enhance productivity. These platforms offer various features tailored to meet the unique needs of consulting firms, such as contact management, automated follow-ups, and detailed reporting.

Do I need a CRM?

Yes, depending on the complexity of your process. A CRM can significantly streamline your operations, improve client relationships, and provide valuable insights into your business performance. If your consulting business involves managing multiple clients, tracking interactions, and handling follow-ups, a CRM can be a game-changer.

How much does a CRM cost?

CRM costs vary widely, typically ranging from $15 to $1500 per user per month, depending on the features and scalability. For instance, basic plans for small businesses might start at around $15-$20 per user per month, while more advanced solutions for larger enterprises can go up to $1500 per user per month.

Does folk’s CRM respond to consultants needs?

Yes, folk’s CRM is well-suited to consultants' needs. It offers an intuitive interface, seamless LinkedIn integration, customizable pipelines, and AI-driven tools that enhance contact management and streamline workflows. These features make it easier for consultants to manage client relationships and improve efficiency.