5 Annoying Things in Salesforce That Nutshell Solves for You
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Despite being the CRM market leader for large companies, Salesforce.com suffers from a number of quirks that make it less user-friendly than CRM solutions designed for small business sales teams.
Before we dive into them, let’s take a look at the differences in pricing between Salesforce and Nutshell and unveil the true cost of Salesforce to your business.
Nutshell vs. Salesforce: A pricing comparison
When you examine the figures, it’s easy to see why Nutshell is praised as one of the most cost-effective CRM platforms on the market. Take the following breakdown, for example.
What you’ll spend in the first year for an Enterprise CRM with Marketing
Annual license cost for a 10-person team
Pricing gathered from Hubpost.com and Salesforce.com
Email Sequences & Campaigns
Implementation costs
Source: BacancyTechnology.com
Full-time admin salary
Source: Talent.com
Live phone and chat support
Source: Salesforce.com
Fully functional mobile app
Source: G2.com
Data storage
One-click dialing and call recording
Year 1 Total
Let’s assume the average of the optional fees and one level of overage for 6 months of the year.
Year 2 and Beyond Totals
This assumes you don’t grow as a company and add more records…
$18,000
($150/user/month)
$34,680/year
(For up to 50,000 contacts level)
$10,000
(“one price fits all”)
$6,000 to
$38,400/year
(available, but not required)
$0
$0
$1,100/month
for going over 1 million total records
$50/month for 1,000 minutes
(3,000 minute limit)
$91,580
$78,580
$9,480
($79/user/month)
$4,680/year
(For up to 50,000 contacts level)
$0-$1,500
(available but not required)
$0 to
$18,000/year
(available to customers, but in no way required)
$0
$0
$0
unlimited storage at no extra cost
$0
On Pro plans and above
$23,910
$23,160
$19,800
($165/user/month)
$19,800/year
(For up to 50,000 contacts level)
$75,000 – $200,000
(has many factors)
$96,687/year
(if you’re lucky)
$5,940/year
(30% of software license)
$3,000
($25/user/month of software license)
$1,500/year
for every 500MB after the first 10GB ($125/month)
$3,600+/year
($30/month/user and an additional $15/month for every 1,000 minutes logged)
$284,452
$146,952
See how Salesforce pulls a bait and switch with their pricing model. Check out the real price of Salesforce.
5 frustrating Salesforce misses that Nutshell resolves
Here are five annoying things in Salesforce that you won’t find in Nutshell.
1. Needing to convert Leads into Opportunities.
In Salesforce, you have to convert Leads to Opportunities once they become qualified. For deals with multiple influencers, that means converting multiple records and often doing a bunch of merging and cleanup afterward. Nutshell doesn’t split up deals into Leads and Opportunities—we just call them Leads—so you don’t need to spend the extra time converting records from one stage to another and you can see your entire pipeline in a single report.
Compare Nutshell vs. Salesforce at G2Crowd.com
2. Leads that aren’t attached to Companies.
With Salesforce, you can’t associate Leads with Accounts (only Opportunities can be associated with Accounts). So, if you’re working on a deal that has multiple influencers, it’s impossible to keep track of all the people you’ve been in contact with at that Account when using Leads. You can also easily end up with duplicate records or multiple people from the same company calling on the same prospect. In Nutshell, all deals are associated with companies.
3. Search that doesn’t work.
The Salesforce search tool is picky about syntax. For example, if an Account is called “The Acme Co.,” a search for “Acme” will not find it. Is your sales manager thinking about adopting Salesforce? Time to learn some Boolean search operators! Fortunately, Nutshell’s search is a lot more forgiving. Type in any part of a company or person’s name, and Nutshell will immediately find it in the database.
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Which CRM has the features you need?
Our interactive worksheet compares the benefits offered by Nutshell, your existing contact management solution, and any other CRMs you’re currently evaluating.
4. That Save button!
Nutshell autosaves changes you make to a contact, company or deal, so you don’t risk losing all your work. With Salesforce, you have to remember to click the Save button every time you update a record—or else. How is this still a thing?
5. Endless training.
Unlike Nutshell, Salesforce is notoriously unintuitive. Unless there is a dedicated Salesforce admin on staff who does a great job with onboarding or your company pays for training, it’s the reps’ responsibility to learn the complicated platform themselves. Nutshell knows that sales reps aren’t software experts, which is why ease of use is our top priority. And when you just need some extra help, we provide free live support for all users and automatic data imports from your current CRM (even during free trials!).
Nutshell vs. Salesforce: How is Nutshell different?
Nutshell vs. Salesforce: Frequently Asked Questions
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What are the hidden costs of Salesforce that small businesses should know about?
Beyond licensing fees, expect platform update fixes ($105,000−$450,000 annually), mandatory admin salaries ($96,687/year), API overage charges, data storage fees ($125/month per 500MB), third-party app subscriptions, and extensive training costs. Most businesses see their actual costs multiply 3-7x their initial quote within five years.
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How difficult is it to migrate from Salesforce to Nutshell?
Migration is surprisingly simple. Nutshell directly imports Salesforce’s .zip backup files, transferring contacts, companies, leads, activities, and custom fields automatically. The process typically takes just a few days with our free migration support, and you won’t need to manually re-enter data.
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Do I really need a dedicated Salesforce administrator?
Yes, Salesforce’s complexity typically requires a full-time admin for user management, customization updates, and troubleshooting. Without one, your team faces productivity losses and system errors. Nutshell’s intuitive design eliminates this need—your team can self-manage with minimal training.
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Can Nutshell handle complex sales processes like Salesforce?
Absolutely. Nutshell offers custom pipelines, automation workflows, advanced reporting, and integrations—everything needed for sophisticated sales processes. The difference is we’ve streamlined these features to be powerful yet accessible, without Salesforce’s unnecessary complexity.
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How long does it take for sales teams to become productive in Nutshell vs. Salesforce?
Nutshell users typically achieve full productivity within 1-2 weeks, compared to 2-3 months for Salesforce. Our intuitive interface requires minimal training, and free live support ensures quick problem resolution. Most teams see positive ROI within the first month.
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Written by
Ben Goldstein Former VP of Marketing, NutshellReady to try
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