“To Be Seen As The Best CRM for Client Services Businesses Using Xero”
Connectably finally puts an end to the pain of disconnected sales, marketing and finance processes in your client services business.
Until you’ve run a client services business as a coach or consultant, accountant or marketing agency, home servicing business or support organisation, it’s difficult to appreciate how challenging it is to manage core business processes in silos of disconnected software, isn’t it?
You end up wondering why business often feels over-complicated by technology, and frustrated that your sales and marketing software doesn’t run as seamlessly as Xero manages your bookkeeping and accounting.
We don’t have all the answers
‘Fully automated marketing’, ‘set it and forget it’, ‘make money whilst you sleep’, or frankly anything with the word ‘hack’ in it…. for the majority of businesses, this kind of language is both unhelpful and unachievable because our businesses involve real people we interact with.
Right from the start, I can tell you honestly and frankly that “We don’t have all the answers” at Connectably. In fact, any software company that does pretend to have all the answers to your business’ problems doesn’t have a true perspective of running client services businesses.
However, although Connectably is a relatively new company (launched in March 2018) it is born of years of experiences implementing other people’s CRM and automation software, primarily Infusionsoft (now called ‘Keap’), which is a really powerful product – in the right context and with the right training and support.
Before founding Connectably, I implemented Infusionsoft with more than 250 small businesses (and continue to do so occasionally), so I’ve had a good insight into seen what other software (not just Infusionsoft) does and doesn’t do. Although my career has always had a degree of software development thread through it, I’ve also been a client services business owner for over twelve years.
So we have a good number of answers of what small businesses need and do not need, what they have a desire to achieve, and how they’d like to run their businesses in a joined up way.
To experience part of that thought process, it takes just one look at the Connectably Features page.
Simpler, Quicker, More Connected Business
“Simpler, Quicker, More Connected Business” is our mantra at Connectably. We’re obsessed by simplification of the technology around sales and marketing processes.
Because as you have no doubt discovered as you’ve searched for the right software over the years you’ve run your business, infinite choice does not equate to simplicity, nor speed, nor well-connected.
Connectably provides you with the service connections you need to focus on and be organised with the workflows that matter in your business.
Client-services focus
Connectably operates in a very different market and comes at the problems of a client services business in a very alternative way to the way that the an Infusionsoft, Hubspot, Ontraport, or ActiveCampaign would do so. Connectably is built from its very foundations to be a CRM for Xero accounting software users.
What’s a ‘CRM’?
The lines are becoming increasingly blurred, aren’t they?
Connectably does both what you or I might have heard described previously as ‘CRM’ (customer relationship management) and marketing automation.
But I’d argue that these days, good CRM needs to do marketing automation anyway, and to be a good marketing automation product you need to have good CRM element to your software as well:
- Hubspot has a suite that does both brilliantly well but is accused of becoming expensive quickly. It’s often considered a solution for those small businesses getting towards the ‘M’, the ‘medium’, part of the ‘SME’ marketplace.
- Infusionsoft (now ‘Keap’) does segmented marketing automation very well. It can become expensive from a total cost of ownership perspective if integrated extensively with other products, like Xero, or payment services it doesn’t support and require 3rd party integrations.
- ActiveCampaign and Drip do (email) marketing automation well but are widely considered more limited when it comes to traditional CRM.
- Mailchimp is possibly the world’s leading email marketing platform but needs to be integrated with a CRM system to manage contacts effectively.
Connectably is positioned as providing a simple, quick and better connected alternative.
So why is Connectably’s approach different?
Well, the majority of the online marketing software industry starts with a lead, usually a web enquiry. Their models work towards getting that lead to take a next action towards working with you, usually via automated email marketing, segmenting activities as the lead progresses.
Connectably, however, starts at the opposite end of the funnel: with first focus on making sure the sales transaction and delivery of the service works effectively. Integrating with Xero, and managing workflows as first priority, Connectably starts from the premise of focus on integrated and seamless business systems. Because when you run a client services business, wasted time is your most expensive cost; it’s a missed opportunity to make more revenue doing what you do. Filling your funnel with leads isn’t usually the first priority; you do need leads, but they’re not the most critical part of your sales, marketing and business operations.
Working back from the sale, Connectably is focused on all the engagement activities that lead to that sale – working backwards:
- having simple and secure online order forms so you don’t have to chase manual invoices;
- being able to quickly produce professional quotes and proposals;
- being able to have prospects book time for the sales / enquiry meeting directly into your diary;
- being able to manage your sales pipeline with simple to manage workflows;
- being able to run simple automated marketing, combining sending emails, physical mail and set follow-up tasks;
- having a simple contact management system that works on desktops, tablets and mobiles allowing you to share insights on prospects and customers with your team and not let opportunities slip through the cracks, and at the very start of the enquiry;
- being able to capture leads on your website, or add them straight into the software via simple contact add forms or file uploads.
Simply put: with our core target market – client services businesses who use Xero accounting software – we’ve tried to address a lot of the common challenges that you face using business software with Connectably.
First things first: what’s a client-services business? Am I in the right place? Is this for me?
If you’re a current or future Xero accountancy software user where you get paid on a recurring basis or via projects and packages for your work, then Connectably is probably a good fit for you. Connectably is a great fit for these two types of business:
- ‘helping services’ businesses: coaching, consulting, accounting, marketing, support services, or;
- ‘home-services’ businesses – flooring, cleaning services, plumbing / HVAC, gardening and landscaping etc
The other important factor in determining if you’re a good fit is your attitude to serving your clients. Compared to your peers, do you take a more professional approach than the vast majority to the way your market and deliver your services? And quite possibly, already charge more, or aspire to charging more for your services than most do?
If these descriptions summarise ‘you’ well, then you may well be in the right place. I’d encourage you to take a look at our ‘Features’ page to discover more about the way Connectably helps businesses like yours and things to look out for as you make your decision.
I appreciate that time is scarce for any business owner, so thanks for finding the time to visit our site today.
If I can help further, please don’t hesitate to jump on the chat that you can access via the green button at the bottom right of the page. It’s often me picking up those enquiries…
Speak later,
Gareth
Gareth Everson
Founder, Connectably
Simpler, Quicker, More Connected Business