B2C Marketing Funnel Understanding the Differences and Selecting the Right CRM

Introduction

CRMs (Customer Relationship Management) are essential tools for businesses to manage their sales activities and customer relationships. However, not all CRMs are suitable for every business. There are significant differences between B2B (Business to Business) and B2C (Business to Consumer) CRMs in terms of functionalities, features, and use cases. It is crucial to understand these differences before investing in a CRM system that aligns with your business needs. In this article, we will explore the distinctions between B2B and B2C CRMs, why they are designed differently, and how to select the best CRM for your B2C business.

Understanding B2B and B2C CRMs

B2B companies primarily sell their products and services to other businesses rather than individual consumers. These businesses often have a smaller target audience and fewer contacts to manage. For example, an IT services company or a corporate insurance provider falls under the B2B category. A B2B CRM is designed to handle fewer leads and focuses on nurturing relationships with these leads over a longer sales cycle.

On the other hand, B2C businesses sell directly to end-users, such as restaurants, e-commerce stores, or hospitality businesses. These businesses typically deal with a larger volume of leads and have a more lead-based approach. A B2C CRM needs to handle a high volume of leads from various sources and support sales and marketing activities like calling, campaign management, and lead management.

Key Differences Between B2B and B2C CRMs

To better understand the differences between B2B and B2C CRMs, let’s compare their key functionalities, requirements, and purposes:

Number of Leads

• B2C CRM: B2C businesses deal with a higher volume of leads, requiring a CRM with better lead management capabilities.
• B2B CRM: B2B businesses typically have fewer leads to manage, making it easier to handle with a CRM designed for contact-level management.

Lead Management

• B2C CRM: B2C CRMs focus on lead-level management, treating each person as an individual identity.
• B2B CRM: B2B CRMs require contact-level management as there may be multiple contacts within a single company. They often have an account hierarchical structure.

Lead Generation

• B2C CRM: B2C businesses generate leads from multiple sources, such as email, social media, and PPC ads.
• B2B CRM: B2B businesses have fewer lead generation sources, often relying on purchased leads or a limited number of sources.

Lead Journey

• B2C CRM: B2C leads have a more complex journey, coming from multiple sources and traversing various paths before becoming actual leads.
• B2B CRM: B2B leads have a comparatively simpler journey, either bought or generated from a few sources.

Sales Cycle

• B2C CRM: B2C businesses have shorter sales cycles and require the ability to trigger repeat purchases from leads.
• B2B CRM: B2B businesses have longer sales cycles, necessitating the long-term management of leads.

Marketing Campaigns

• B2C CRM: B2C CRMs require complex trigger-based drips and workflows for marketing campaigns.
• B2B CRM: B2B CRMs commonly use 1-1 email campaigns as their primary communication channels.

Purpose Served

• B2C CRM: B2C companies typically want a CRM that combines marketing and sales operations in one platform, including CRM, marketing automation, and lead management.
• B2B CRM: B2B businesses primarily use CRM for sales management and sales performance tracking.

Call Volume

• B2C CRM: B2C businesses often deal with a high call volume and require proper telephony integrations to manage phone calls effectively.
• B2B CRM: B2B businesses generally have a lower call volume, making it easier to manage.

Customer Support Requirements

• B2C CRM: B2C businesses often have a high volume of customer service requests and require integrations with customer ticketing systems, chat platforms, etc.
• B2B CRM: B2B businesses typically have fewer customer support requirements, especially if they are not in the SaaS industry.

Proposal Management and Invoicing

• B2C CRM: Proposal management and invoicing are not as important for B2C businesses.
• B2B CRM: B2B CRMs often include proposal management and invoicing features as they are essential in the B2B sales process.

Call Center Software Integration

• B2C CRM: B2C businesses with large call center teams may require integrations with call center software to manage their operations effectively.
• B2B CRM: Call center software integration is not mandatory for B2B businesses.

Tracking Customer Activities

• B2C CRM: B2C CRMs focus on tracking various customer data, including contact information, purchases, website clicks, social media engagement, etc.
• B2B CRM: B2B CRMs may not prioritize tracking all customer activities as they typically have limited activities to track.

Repeat Buyers

• B2C CRM: B2C businesses often have a large number of repeat buyers, making it challenging to track them on a personal level.
• B2B CRM: B2B businesses can handle repeat buyers on a personal level due to their lower volume.

Building Relationships

• B2C CRM: Building relationships with customers in B2C businesses can be challenging due to multiple factors and external agents involved.
• B2B CRM: B2B CRMs are primarily used to manage customer relationships, which is relatively simpler.

Role of Emotions

• B2C CRM: B2C purchases are often driven by emotions, necessitating proper tracking and management of emotional aspects.
• B2B CRM: B2B purchases are typically less emotional, so tracking emotional aspects is not as necessary.

Loyalty Programs

• B2C CRM: B2C businesses often focus on loyalty programs and referral programs to drive customer loyalty.
• B2B CRM: Loyalty programs are less common in B2B businesses.

Social Engagement

• B2C CRM: B2C businesses place a high emphasis on social engagement, requiring social profile tracking and behavior tracking.
• B2B CRM: Social engagement is less important in the B2B buying cycle.

Viral Quotient

• B2C CRM: B2C campaigns often have a high viral quotient, requiring a CRM robust enough to handle a high volume of data.
• B2B CRM: B2B campaigns typically have a lower viral quotient, resulting in less data volume.

Users

• B2C CRM: B2C businesses often work with agencies and require transparency and the capability to handle different types of users.
• B2B CRM: B2B businesses usually do not involve agencies or have easily manageable agency relationships.

Customization

• B2C CRM: B2C CRM products are often standard and may not offer extensive customization options.
• B2B CRM: B2B CRM products are often more customized to cater to specific business needs.

Selecting the Best B2C CRM: A Checklist

When selecting a B2C CRM, it is essential to evaluate several factors to ensure it meets your business requirements. Consider the following checklist:

1. Coverage of Requirements: Does the CRM cover most of your business requirements?
2. Customization and Integration: Does the CRM offer customization or integration with third-party apps to fulfill any unmet requirements?
3. Scalability and Flexibility: Is the CRM scalable and flexible to accommodate your business growth and changing needs?
4. Customer Support: How good is the CRM vendor’s customer support? Are they responsive and reliable?
5. Reviews and Reputation: Does the CRM have positive reviews on reputable sites like G2, Capterra, etc.?
6. Implementation Time: How long does it take to implement the CRM system?
7. Compliance: Is the CRM software GDPR and/or HIPAA compliant if required for your business?

The Best B2C CRM Software for 2024: LeadSquared

LeadSquared is considered the best B2C CRM platform for high-velocity sales teams. It offers comprehensive sales execution, digital onboarding, and marketing, process, and field force automation solutions. With a strong user base of over 200,000 worldwide, LeadSquared provides the following key features:

1. Reports and Dashboards: Gain insights into your sales performance through intuitive reports and dashboards.
2. SmartViews: Access accounts, leads, opportunities, activities, and tasks in one place with LeadSquared’s proprietary SmartViews feature.
3. Lead Management: Effectively manage and nurture a high volume of leads from various sources.
4. Advanced Search: Utilize an efficient internal search engine to segment customers based on various criteria.
5. Telephony Integration: Seamlessly manage phone calls with proper telephony integrations.
6. Workflow Automation: Create customized workflows with LeadSquared’s drag and drop workflow automation builder.
7. Sales Execution: Utilize LeadSquared as a complete sales execution platform for your B2C business.

B2C CRM Case Studies

To showcase the capabilities of LeadSquared, here are a few case studies of B2C businesses that have benefited from using the platform:

1. BYJU’S: BYJU’S is a leading global e-learning platform with millions of registered students. They use LeadSquared for capturing leads, student activity tracking, engagement, sales tracking, and reporting.

2. PSYCHē: PSYCHē is a mental health therapy platform connecting people with the right therapists. LeadSquared has helped them improve speed-to-lead, track clinicians across the country, and manage contacts, leads, lists, and campaigns effectively.

3. DSR Leasing: DSR Leasing is a highly-rated car lease expert. They use LeadSquared for multi-location lead distribution, capturing inbound calls as leads, phone call tracking, and monitoring sales funnel, people, and revenue.

B2C CRM Comparisons

While searching for B2C CRMs, you may come across popular names like Salesforce, HubSpot, Infusionsoft (now Keap), and Zoho. However, LeadSquared has received positive feedback from customers who have used these platforms before. Here’s what they have to say:

• Salesforce: LeadSquared offers similar functionalities to Salesforce at a fraction of the cost, making it a more cost-effective choice for businesses.

• HubSpot: LeadSquared provides all the necessary functionalities of HubSpot, Marketo, and Act-On at a lower cost, making it an attractive option for businesses.

• Infusionsoft (now Keap): LeadSquared offers real automation, website tracking, and CRM capabilities in one platform, making it a preferred choice compared to Infusionsoft.

• Zoho: LeadSquared’s ease of integration and cost-effectiveness made it a better choice for businesses compared to Zoho CRM.

Conclusion

Selecting the right CRM for your B2C business is crucial for effective sales and marketing operations. Understanding the differences between B2B and B2C CRMs is essential to ensure the chosen CRM aligns with your specific business requirements. LeadSquared emerges as a top choice for B2C businesses due to its comprehensive features, scalability, and positive customer feedback. By carefully evaluating your business needs and considering the checklist provided, you can make an informed decision and optimize your B2C marketing funnel with the right CRM system.