The right Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system catapults success. However, not every CRM works well for every industry or use case.
This is particularly true when looking for the best CRM for distributors and wholesalers. Many, if not most, CRM platforms work best for B2B software companies. They require complex development support to work well for wholesalers and distributors. They all purport to have simple tools that work for everyone, but it's common to find that they don't work out of the box as needed. A special level of frustration finds you when you have expensive software that's too complex to use and only piles up digital dust.
But in a perfect world, a CRM for distributors will be the game-changer you need to streamline operations, manage customer relationships, and drive higher sales volume. The right one makes all the difference. Here's a comprehensive guide to help you find the best CRM for distributors and wholesalers and assist you in making an informed choice.
Distributors operate in a complex business environment. Managing relationships with suppliers, customers, and sales teams requires precision and coordination. A CRM optimized for distributors easily handles these complexities for you. It enables distributors and wholesalers to track customer interactions, manage sales pipelines, and create strong communication lines across the supply chain. It will help distributors make strong business decisions, improve customer service, and improve their ability to appropriately act on real-time data and insights. It will create a centralized hub that enhances sales and operational processes, creating new efficiencies that allow sales to boom.
Wholesalers face unique problems, dealing with large inventories, innumerable SKUs, and complex sales cycles. A CRM for wholesalers must simplify these processes. Handling inventory, SKUs, and customer data with ease is the minimum. Wholesaler-specific CRMs should streamline operations and improve sales efficiency with order tracking and inventory management tools. The right CRM enables better forecasting and demand planning so wholesalers can make the right decisions about product availability. With thin margins common, a CRM built for your business model is necessary to increase profits and growth.
One of the first things to consider when looking for a new CRM is the number of users on your plan and the cost per user. Costs can quickly climb when you have large sales teams, support teams, customer service teams, and more that need access to it. Determine who needs access early so you're not surprised by the cost of the seats you need.
You'll also need to evaluate how scalable the CRM is as your business grows. Some CRMs offer tiered pricing based on the number of users, while others charge a flat rate per user. Consider your team size and future growth plans to ensure you choose a CRM that fits your budget and can scale with you as your business expands.
A CRM must integrate with your existing technology stack. There's no benefit to having disjointed systems that do not connect. It undermines the point of a CRM as their big calling card is becoming the hub for your sales and operations processes.
Look for a CRM that offers out-of-the-box integrations with the tools you already use, such as ERP systems, email marketing platforms, inventory management tools, and accounting software. CRM adoption often fails because it does not connect to other systems and increases needless complexity to current processes.
Some CRMs come with many pre-built integrations, while others may require custom development. Consider what tools you currently use and ensure your CRM can connect with them without extensive customization.
You should consider the learning curve for your team as well. Apprehension is a natural response to adding new systems and processes. An intuitive interface with minimal setup time significantly reduces the friction of adoption. CRMs that require extensive customization or have a steep learning curve may delay and potentially block your return on investment. This leads to the next point.
Arguably, the main reason many CRM adoption attempts fail at companies is that they do not realize how extensive development work is to have it work properly. Adoption failure rate estimates range from 18% to 69% (perhaps even 90%).
In a demo, you typically have an expert that makes using the product easy. More importantly, they have demo environments pre-built for virtually every use case and industry. This means it looks nearly perfect out of the box when the reality is you'll receive access to a platform that has none of this set up for you.
It is particularly common for some of the largest CRM vendors. You'll have 3 solutions to set it up properly:
The larger or more complex your business, the more expensive it will likely be to get your CRM up and running.
However, CRMs still exist that work almost immediately. Often, the best CRM for distributors and wholesalers might be a lesser-known product. One that does not have a huge legacy of code running it, making it harder to customize. Many out-of-the-box CRMs allow for the customization most wholesalers and distributors need.
Weigh the pros and cons of each option—while a customizable CRM might offer more tailored features, the added time and cost of setup and maintenance should be carefully considered.
It might sound easy, but do not overlook this step. When evaluating CRMs, consider what your business specifically needs. For example, if you're dealing with a large number of SKUs, you'll want a CRM that offers robust inventory management features. If you aim to accelerate deals and improve pipeline visibility, look for CRMs with strong sales forecasting and pipeline management tools. You might want to track inside sales activities and customer interactions. Many, if not most CRMs, support this use case.
If you have an outside sales team, know that most CRMs do not readily support their work in a way that enhances, rather than blocks, efficiency. A CRM for distributors and wholesalers typically will need this feature. Outside sales CRMs enable rep tracking, territory management, route optimization, delivery tracking, and more. They're built with the field in mind.
Know what you want your CRM to accomplish, and be weary of any vendor claiming to master everything for everybody. It's not necessarily that they cannot. It's that there will either be compromises on certain features or that they can make it all work but with massive development (and costs) needed.
Distributors and wholesalers often have large outside sales teams. This makes access to a strong mobile app a necessity. Your sales reps need to access customer data, update records, plan routes, and manage their pipelines on the go. A CRM with a robust mobile app allows your team to stay connected and productive no matter where they are. If it's clunky and essentially just a website turned into an app, there's a strong likelihood it will get in the way and your team will not use it.
A good mobile CRM should also sync data in real-time, ensuring everyone can access the latest information, whether in the office or on the road.
This is often the most overlooked part of the CRM acquisition process. When getting a CRM, distributors and wholesalers need to factor in the ongoing costs beyond the initial purchase fee and annual subscription fee. As mentioned earlier, these may include additional features, integrations, maintenance, and customer support costs. Make sure to budget for these recurring expenses to avoid surprises.
Watch On-Demand RepMove CRM Demo.Now, we'll discuss top vendors to consider when looking for a CRM that suits your needs. This is not a comprehensive list, as there are nearly too many strong options to consider. But these 5 will suit the majority of wholesalers and distributors.
Who It's Made For: The grandaddy of the CRM world, Salesforce powers many large enterprises and businesses that require extensive customization and advanced features.
Benefits: Highly customizable, vast features, and robust integration capabilities, tried and true.
Downsides: Expensive, complex, and challenging to implement without expert help.
Who It's Made For: HubSpot is ideal for small to mid-sized businesses looking for a CRM that integrates well with marketing tools. It makes customization easy and works well out of the box.
Benefits: User-friendly, strong marketing automation features, scalable, many feature packages from sales to operations.
Downsides: Compared to more robust CRMs (like Salesforce), limited customization can become expensive as you scale. The cost of adding new features and increasing certain record limits can add up quickly.
Who It's Made For: Pipedrive is great for small businesses and sales teams focused on pipeline management.
Benefits: Simple, intuitive interface, affordable, strong focus on sales pipeline management.
Downsides: Limited features outside of pipeline management, less suitable for complex sales processes.
Who It's Made For: Zoho is designed for small to mid-sized businesses looking for an affordable and customizable CRM.
Benefits: Cost-effective, customizable, integrates well with other Zoho products.
Downsides: Can be overwhelming due to the wide range of features, and requires time to learn and set up.
Who It's Made For: RepMove is built specifically for outside sales-driven organizations, suiting distributors and wholesalers particularly well.
Benefits: Robust outside sales tools (tracking, notes, route planning, territory management), top-rated mobile app, user-friendly interface, works well out-of-the-box, simple customizations, constant updates and new features, massive integration network, transparent and affordable pricing.
Downsides: Less robust customizations than some competitors, not built for inside sales first organizations, younger company might not suit those with preferences for established brands.
Ultimately, we're confident RepMove is the best CRM for distributors and wholesalers because it solves outside sales problems specific to these industries. It combines the best features of a mobile sales route planning app with those of a traditional CRM without compromises that slow down field reps. With its focus on ease of use, mobile accessibility, and real-time data syncing, RepMove enables your team's efficiency and ability to close deals and maintain strong customer relationships—all at a price point accessible to any business. If you're a distributor or wholesaler looking for a competitive edge, RepMove is the clear choice.
