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We've dropped another episode of the Business Journey Podcast today! And it's one I'm really excited about. Today, we're comparing CRMs for mini-sessions. What's a CRM? It's a client management system that helps you track client's progressions, as well as sends documents, and emails. Specifically, we're going to compare Honeybook, Dubsado, and Session for mini-sessions. Before we dive in though, I want to remind you that it's almost mini season! And as you're getting ready to plan, I know that sometimes it can feel stressful to plan a theme and hope it books. I've taken the guesswork out of picking a theme for you with my freebie that's ALL about 12 proven mini-session themes! Grab it today.

Which CRM should I use?

I'm asked this question all the time by students! Should I use Honeybook or Dubsado? And really, it's a super personal choice for you and your business. But, today I'm going to break down some differences between the softwares so that you can make an educated decision on which is best for you. I used Honeybook for a year and I currently use Dubsado, which I love (if you haven't figured that out already). There's also another software out there called Sessions that was built for mini-sessions! I learned early on that it just wouldn't do everything I need but it might be worth a trial for you. To me, the discussion is really between Honeybook and Dubsado. But let's talk about them all!

Session

Session is $19/mo. currently and is literally designed for people who aren't super tech-savvy. No shame in that! It's pretty streamlined and easy to set up, which is nice. Right away, it helps you set up a date for your sessions, set up a way for them to pick dates, and has built in reminders for your clients. So that's pretty nice! But depending how involved your client experience is, you may not be able to add everything you need – like me, I like to add in a client experience guide and I couldn't do that. The booking link is super streamlined for your clients and easy for them to sign up but overall it's a super basic system. If you have an involved workflow, you'll want to look at Honeybook or Dubsado.

Honeybook

Honeybook is currently $30/mo. (20% off with my code!). I used it for a year and really loved it. Honeybook is very user-friendly and beautiful, but wasn't quite as powerful (yet) as Dubsado. In Honeybook, you can build your own workflows and customize them much more than Session. So that's a plus! One thing I do love about Honeybook is their workflow pipeline. You can quickly see where someone is in the process of their session with you (signed contract, paid, etc.). Honeybook also has the ability to run reports and look at data, which Session does not. But, the one thing I don't love about Honeybook is their scheduler. Unlike Session or Dubsado, when you have someone sign up for a session through their calendar, you cannot trigger a workflow. So there's some extra work on your end to finish setting that up. To me, that kind of defeats the purpose of automation. But there's lots I DO like about their software!

Dubsado

A few dollars cheaper than Honeybook, Dubsado is $28/mo (and I have a 20% off coupon for them, too!). Like Honeybook, you can customize your own workflows which is amazing! But the customization doesn't stop there. Dubsado also allows you to customize that pipeline so you can easily see where clients are in the booking process. Additionally, you can actually build a step into your workflow that will move the client's project down the line (like to the editing “bucket”). I'm ALL about automating whatever I can! Dubsado's triggers for the workflow are also more robust – with more options. Ever have a client not fill out a questionnaire and wish you could remind them? Dubsado can! And when it comes to scheduling mini-sessions, you can trigger workflow steps like contracts and invoices, so you don't even have to do a thing when someone signs up. PS – if setting up a workflow like that sounds super overwhelming, I've got something for you: my Dubsado Workflow! It shows you every step in my workflows and helps you set it up, too!

On the down side, sometimes Dubsado can feel a bit clunky compared to Honeybook. Occasionally it is slow to load and doesn't always look as nice as Honeybook. If Honeybook ever adds more options for automations, I may switch back. But, just a quick note about that!

To recap…

Basically, if you aren't super tech savvy and need something simple, go with Session. Honeybook is great for full sessions where you can automate most steps. If you want a lot of options for customizations and the best automation options, Dubsado will be best for you! No matter what, you can make any CRM work for you in any stage of business. A CRM is going to look much more professional than just Google docs or something like that. There's always cheaper options too, like Shootproof, when you're first starting – so just start somewhere small and grow from there!

Links Mentioned in the Episode:

+ Honeybook Discount Code

+ Session Discount Code

+ Dubsado Discount Code

+ Shootproof Free Trial

+ 12 Proven Mini-Session Themes

+ Dubsado Workflow 

Topics Discussed:

Session (3:03)

Honeybook (5:24)

Dubsado (8:24)

Recap (12:44)

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