Insights · 6 min read
CRM for a small business: buy one, build one, or fix follow-ups first?
By Gnaneswar Kalinga, founder, MarketRun · Updated
The short answer
If you get a handful of leads and one person follows up, a shared sheet or a ready-made CRM is enough. The usual problem is not the CRM but missed follow-ups, especially for leads that arrive on WhatsApp. Connect WhatsApp to the CRM you have, or build one, when several people follow up, leads arrive from many places, or your sales steps (site visits, bookings, payments) do not fit the tool. At MarketRun, automation around an existing CRM starts from ₹50,000 setup plus from ₹30,000 a month; a custom CRM starts with a two-week sprint from ₹50,000 that ends in a fixed quote.
What a CRM actually does
- Keeps every lead in one list, wherever it came from: calls, WhatsApp, your website, ads, property portals.
- Gives each lead an owner and a status: new, contacted, qualified, closed.
- Reminds the owner when the next follow-up is due.
- Shows the boss what is pending without asking anyone.
Is Excel a CRM?
For one person and a few leads a week, a shared sheet works. It breaks when several people follow up, when leads arrive on WhatsApp and never reach the sheet, or when follow-ups are missed because nobody opened it that day. One owner on r/IndiaBusiness said a lightweight follow-up reminder would be more useful than a full CRM. For many small teams that is true.
Is Zoho a CRM tool?
Yes. Zoho CRM is one of several ready-made CRMs sold by subscription in India. A real-estate owner on r/IndiaBusiness listed the ones they evaluated: LeadSquared, Groweasy, Zoho, TeleCRM and NeoDove. Try two or three on your own lead list before you choose. Prices vary by vendor and number of users, so compare them on their own pricing pages.
Real-estate teams: what is different
- Leads come from many places at once: portals, ads, hoardings, referrals, WhatsApp.
- The key step is the site visit, so the CRM must book and remind for visits, not just log calls.
- Several salespeople share one pool of leads, so assignment and response time matter.
- Buyers ask the same project questions again and again: price, size, possession date, location.
A post on r/indianrealestate was titled 'Most real estate agents are losing hot leads on WhatsApp'. Whatever CRM you choose, check that WhatsApp leads land in it automatically.
Buy, connect or build
| Option | Fits when | Starting cost with MarketRun |
|---|---|---|
| Ready-made CRM | Your sales steps match the tool; a few users | none from us; the vendor's subscription |
| Connect WhatsApp and reminders to your CRM | The CRM is fine, but WhatsApp leads and follow-ups slip | from ₹50,000 setup + from ₹30,000 a month |
| Custom CRM | Your process (site visits, bookings, payments, channel partners) does not fit any tool | sprint from ₹50,000; first version from ₹5 lakh |
| Answer common questions automatically | Buyers ask the same questions all day | AI receptionist, from ₹50,000 setup + from ₹30,000 a month |
Want this as a written scope for your project?
Get a written scope and quoteStarting points, not quotes. Prices exclude taxes.
What we have built ourselves
Our Forms App, in build, turns every form response into a lead with a status (new, contacted, qualified, closed), notes and an owner, on an Android app and a web dashboard. Our WhatsApp Gateway, live on our own number since September 2026, gives a team one shared WhatsApp inbox on the official Cloud API. A custom CRM uses the same pieces.
Questions to ask any CRM vendor
- Will you import my real lead list during the trial, not demo data?
- Do WhatsApp leads arrive automatically, on the official WhatsApp API?
- What does it cost per user, per month, as the team grows?
- Can I export all my data if I leave?
Sources
- r/IndiaBusiness: CRM for a real-estate business (LeadSquared, Groweasy, Zoho, TeleCRM, NeoDove evaluated)
- r/IndiaBusiness: budget CRM integrated with WhatsApp, auto-assigning leads
- r/IndiaBusiness: do you track WhatsApp leads or manage them in your head?
- r/IndiaBusiness: struggling with missed leads and follow-ups
- r/indianrealestate: agents losing hot leads on WhatsApp
Questions people ask
Is Excel enough as a CRM?
For a handful of leads and one person, often yes. It starts to break when several people follow up, when leads arrive on WhatsApp, or when follow-ups are missed because nobody saw the sheet.
Which CRM is best for beginners?
The one your team will actually open every day. For beginners that usually means few fields, a mobile app, and WhatsApp leads arriving on their own. Try two on your real leads for a week before you pay.
What is lead management software?
Software that collects leads from every source, assigns each to a person, and reminds them to follow up until the lead is won or closed. Most CRMs include it.
Will CRM be replaced by AI?
Not the record-keeping. AI is starting to do the typing around it: logging a WhatsApp conversation, drafting the follow-up, answering the common questions. A person still decides what to send and who to call.
How much does a real-estate CRM cost?
Ready-made CRMs charge a subscription, usually per user, so compare vendors on their own pricing pages. A custom CRM with us starts with a two-week sprint from ₹50,000 and a first version from ₹5 lakh. Connecting WhatsApp to the CRM you have starts from ₹50,000 setup.
Real estate CRM banwane ka kharcha kitna hai?
Ready-made CRM ka mahine ka subscription hota hai, jo users ki ginti par depend karta hai. MarketRun mein custom CRM do hafte ke sprint se shuru hota hai (₹50,000 se), aur pehla version ₹5 lakh se. Agar aap apna CRM rakhkar sirf WhatsApp leads aur reminder jodna chahte hain, to setup ₹50,000 se.