Because CRM is so new, few have coherent strategies, said Nick Hewson, CRM expert and head of Hewson Group. Architecting strategic solutions is still quite difficult. This presents resellers with a conundrum. On paper, CRM's rewards are high. Software licences for small business packages start at about 400 per seat for basic marketing functions.
Margins are usually above average.
Added-value extras such as consultancy, integration and support add between 100 per cent and 200 per cent to the bill. Because CRM systems are built up gradually, and clients' needs can change quickly, the amount of repeat business is high. For some vendors it increases by more than a half. Rates of return can be remarkable, said Richard Hardie, strategy partner manager for servers at Bull, Vantive's systems integrator partner. Return on CRM investment can be proven very quickly.