Dubsado: Is It Right For You And Your Business?

Not sure if Dubsado will work for your specific business? Trying to learn all you can about the CRM to see if it’s a good fit, here I talk about how I decided Dubsado was the CRM I chose for my photography business | She Is Moxie

FYI - some of the links in the post are affiliate links. I only promote products that I actually use and love though! By clicking the links you’re helping me fund my book obsession, so my Kindle and I thank you :)

You've been looking at a lot of CRM's lately. So many that they seemed to have all morphed into one big headache, haven't they?

All of them promise to help your business and streamline your systems but so far all you're seeing is a list of features and hours of work - with no guarantee of success and even less idea if this CRM will work specifically for your business!

I get it - I felt the same way when I was wading through the trenches looking for my unicorn. The CRM to beat all CRM's. The CRM that will rule them all.

(Sorry… released the inner nerd there a bit 😊 )

And you know what I found?

Lots of CRM's but none that would 'rule them all'. Not because they aren't great but because each CRM has different uses and what you get out of one is directly proportionate on what you put into it.

Plus what you need it to do.

“What does that even mean, Sam? I just want a freakin' system that works for me and doesn't cause me extra work!”

I hear you - but before you go off to find 'the one' it's best to figure out what 'exactly' you need your CRM to do.

Do you need a place to keep track of your clients? Send contracts and invoices as well as emails? Do you need a CRM that will automate most of your emails and client communication while still letting you add in your personal touch?

Do you need a system that will give you accounting features? Time tracking? A way to show your galleries? Lead capture?

Your CRM’s features will all be dependant on your business and your specific needs.

So it's always best to work out what you need before you go looking. Otherwise you're going to get overwhelmed quickly with the variety of choices.

In my case, I made a list of features and prioritised them.

For example - must have, would like but not essential and extra features that would be lovely but I don't expect.

In my ‘Must Have’ - lead capture (a way to automate someone entering my system/sales funnel), ‘Would like but not essential’ - bookkeeping (I prefer to do my bookkeeping in a dedicated bookkeeping system). ‘Would love but don't expect’ - a way to proof my album designs.

See how what you need is based upon what you are looking for in a CRM?

I can pretty much guarantee that no CRM will have every single feature you are after. So you need to work out your non negotiable’s and go from there.

Dubsado was that choice for me.

After working my way through a variety of CRM trials, I finally landed on one that worked for me and my business.

::Hallelujah::

In fact I had worked my way through most of the CRM's that are specifically geared toward photographers without finding one that I liked for how I run my business and within the budget I had.

Then I turned around and fell in love with Dubsado. A CRM that has a broader clientele than just photographers.

So... is Dubsado right for you?

Let's go through some criteria that may help you decide if Dubsado will be the right fit for you:

You're an entrepreneur/small business owner who deals with the majority of the work in your biz yourself (though Dubsado has team features now too)
You need a way to send clients contracts, invoices, questionnaires etc online
You have a general workflow that you run through for every client
You need the ability to access it while you're travelling or away from your computer ie on your iPhone or iPad
You want to be able to automate parts of your business while still giving your clients high quality customised service
You'd like a way to track your sales and expenses
Online payments are important to you
You want the ability to customise your forms so that they are 'on brand' for your business
You'd like a central hub (client portal) for your clients to be able to access any of their forms and questionnaires without digging through their email

So... will Dubsado work for you?

It’s already working for a lot of photographers and other businesses are using it successfully too. Here’s just a quick look at some of the businesses currently using Dubsado at the moment:

Photographers
Stationnaires
Designers
Coaches
Doulas:
VA's
Planners

But again - I highly recommend trying the system out for yourself and seeing if it will be the right fit for how your business runs.

There are so many ways you can use this system and I can't speak highly enough of it but only you know exactly what you ‘must have’ in your CRM.

So take it out for a test drive and see for yourself. Stop asking everyone and their mother which system you should use and get out there and start testing them.

I guarantee you, it’s the only way to know for sure.

And the best thing is - you can test Dubsado out for as long as you want - for FREE. They have a really cool trial system where instead of a time limit of 14 days or a month to test the system, you get the first 3 clients for free instead.

That’s right, you can run through your whole process from start to finish for as long as you need as long as you don’t go past 3 clients in the system.

So go on - try it out and see if it’s the right fit for you.

And if you sign up through my link or use the code: sheismoxie, you get either 20% off your first month or 20% off your first year depending on the plan you choose.

(Full disclosure: all the Dubsado links in this article are affiliate links but I'm completely in love with this system and I wouldn't promote it otherwise.)

Already using Dubsado? Tell me your favourite features in the comments below.

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