If you’re a business owner, your CRM and business platform isn’t just software. 

It’s your digital headquarters, the heart of your entire business.

Choose the wrong one, and your business could end up in cardiac arrest.

But HOW do you know which CRM platform is the RIGHT one???!

In a booming tech market full of platform choices, white-label software resellers, hype-driven affiliate marketers, and pretty pastel ‘Insta’ dashboards with zero infrastructure behind them; this article gives you the RED-FLAG LIST of things to audit before you choose any software for your business to protect your operations, your money, your reputation and your future.

It also gives you the MUST-CHECK ‘GREEN FLAGS’ to look for when picking your platform too.

I’ve been in business as an ed-tech and business tech consultant for 20 years, and seen too many amazing business owners get scammed or let down by shiny platforms that lure in business owners with insta-pretty ads and one-time pricing offers - BUT which have absolutely NO infrastructure, security, support or expertise behind it all.

Please take the time to do your due diligence and check the following critical items against the CRM and course platforms platforms you are considering BEFORE you jump on any sales calls with anyone.

This isn’t a sales pitch. 

This is your founder-to-founder warning, a battle cry to shop smarter, and a checklist that should be used as your safety net to pick a platform that can actually support your business and your customers long into the future.

The RED FLAGS To Look For When Picking a CRM or Business Platform

For the safety, security and success of your business - here are x serious red flag WARNINGS that you need to look out for when picking a platform to run your business.

🚩 RED FLAG 1: It’s a Start-up Business (less than 3 years old)

Everyone has to start somewhere, but when it comes to YOUR business security, pick a tech company that has made it through the brutal start-up stage. 

In most countries, this means more than 3 years of trading.

Over 90% of businesses fail to make it through the first 3 years, and in the tech industry, over 63% of businesses don’t even make it through the first year.  

Therefore, it is CRITICAL that you choose a tech platform provider that has proven to have what it takes to not only survive beyond the test of the ‘3-year start-up phase’, but who has actually seen growth and market domination in that time too. 

If the platform you are considering is run by a ‘I quit my day job and started a tech company in my maternity leave’, babe - YOUR business is at risk.  

Because there’s absolutely no historical proof of infrastructural strength, long-term expertise or sustained success to safely support your business. 

🚩 RED FLAG 2: They Are Not Formally GDPR Data Protected

Wanna get sued for mishandling your clients’ private data?

No, didn’t think so. That’s why this tech-check is non-negotiable…

When you're choosing software to run your business - whether it’s for managing clients, storing customer information, sending marketing emails, hosting your online courses, or processing payments - you need to ask a critical question:

“How is my data being protected - and does this platform meet the GDPR standard for data security and privacy?”

This is ESPECIALLY important if the platform you are choosing is a reseller of another software, or built on a third-party platform.  

Eg many SaaS softwares today are built on top of SaaS platforms like ‘GHL’ and use generic phrasing like ‘The platform we are built on adheres to this’ - but this is not enough. 

You MUST also ask:

“Has YOUR version of the platform under your company name, got a legally signed contractual Agreement, with YOUR company name on it, that shows that you have a process for managing customer data in alignment with GDPR requirements?”.

If the answer is no, your business, and your reputation, could be exposed to massive legal risk.

GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) is a strict privacy law from the European Union designed to protect personal data. 

Even if your business is based in Australia (or anywhere outside of Europe), GDPR still applies if you collect or store data from anyone in the EU or UK in your account.

More importantly, GDPR has set the global standard for how personal information should be handled, so using a platform that has considered this is a critical step in your platform selection process.

Here’s the kicker: if the platform you’re using or considering mismanages customer data, it’s not just their problem - you’re legally responsible too.

You could face:

😱 Data breaches that damage your brand and customer trust

😱 Legal penalties if you’re found to be using non-compliant systems
😱 Loss of clients who expect their personal information to be handled in alignment with global standards
😱 Costly migrations down the track when you realise your current software doesn’t meet these standards

Basically, if your software isn't protecting customer data properly, you are the one who pays the price - financially and reputationally.

❗Make Sure They Have a Data Protection Agreement in Place With Their Data Storage Provider

Getting GDPR Data Protection Agreements in place with primary infrastructure providers in tech is an expensive and rigorous process, which is why almost all CRM and software businesses don’t have it.  

But at Tekmatix, we went through the hard yards to obtain this essential Data Protection adminitration process, to align with global standards for Data Protection. 

Getting certified wasn’t just a box to tick. It involved:

• Extensive audits of our systems and processes

• Proof of how we protect, store, and manage personal data

• Documentation of how we respond to data requests or breaches

• Ongoing monitoring to ensure we stay compliant as rules evolve
  
  

We did this to give you complete confidence that when you're using Tekmatix, your business is operating in line with the highest data protection standards in the world; and so that you can assure your customers that you are using a platform that takes care of their information. 

If you want to confidently say: “I use a platform that aligns with the world’s highest data protection standards”, then you want to choose Tekmatix. 

When you’re using Tekmatix, you’re not just operating professionally, you’re reassuring your clients:

“Your data is safe with me. I take your privacy seriously. I run a professional, trustworthy business.”

That’s a message that builds loyalty, trust, and longevity.  We’ve got your back. 

*Note: While Tekmatix operates in alignment with GDPR infrastructure and processing, you remain responsible for your own compliance with privacy laws in your region. This article is not legal advice, and Tekmatix is not responsible for your own entity’s compliance. For specific compliance guidance, please consult a legal professional.

🚩 RED FLAG 3: The Founder(s) Lack Long-Term Tech, Automation and Business Development Experience 

If you can’t find at LEAST 5 YEARS of demonstrable expertise and experience of the Founder(s) in teaching, coaching and leading in the topic of tech, automation and business - you’re building your business on the back of an industry newbie, and that’s high-risk. 

You must ensure that the founder(s) have expertise, experience and evidence of long-term history in the tech, ed-tech, automation & business development industry if you want to be supported by a platform that understands you, and can provide real solutions and support for your growth.

Check the following:

• Can you verify who the founder is?

• Do they have a track record of delivering in this industry - or is this their latest or brand new online hustle?

• Go check their LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook, website, and Google.

• How long have they been teaching or working in tech strategy, automation, CRM implementation, or business development?

• How many public pieces of content have they published on these topics and for how long do the posts and content go back?

• Do they have video proof of them teaching these topics to proove that they are experts that can help you?

If there’s no historical content… there’s probably no real expertise.

You want to choose a platform that is built on the leadership backbone of genuine expertise if you want to have the highest chance of success flowing into your business too.

If you can’t see any history of them teaching, leading, coaching and consulting in tech, automation, ed-tech and business development - it doesn’t exist.

You’re trusting your business with them. 

Don’t do that based on pretty logos or a perfectly aesthetic Instagram ad.

Do it based on evidence of their experience, and proof of the Founders real expertise to be able to support you and your growth.

🚩RED FLAG 4: It’s Just a plain White-Label Software Being Re-Sold ‘As-Is’

The business selling the platform is just an ‘entrepreneur’ reselling an ‘as it comes’ Software, rather than a company that has heavily invested in development, customisation and hiring in-house support staff around that base software.

What is a white-label software?

As an increasingly common example, lots of individuals, marketers and small business owners are re-selling ‘GHL’, which is like the ‘Wordpress’ of the software world.  Essentially, they just put their own logo on the dashboard and sell it to you, with NOTHING else in or around it.

Essentially, its base features and dashboard behind the scenes all look very similar (just like the backend of all Wordpress websites do), but NOT all businesses that use the same software, offer the same features, services, support and experience.  

Are two businesses that both use Wordpress the same? No.

Are two businesses that both use ActiveCampaign the same? No. 

The back-end or base software under a company does NOT reflect the features, service, support or experience you will get.  

It's the customisation, investment, leadership, in-house team, experience, add-ons, plug-ins, training, community, compliance, security and MUCH more that differentiates one business from another - not what tools it uses as part of its infrastructure. 

Therefore, there is nothing ‘wrong’ with buying anything through a reseller - you just need to check that you’ve picked the right reseller. Which is what this whole article is about. 

Choose the wrong reseller, and you could find yourself facing losses in more than just time and money.  

Instead, choose a platform that has built an entire agency around a software and invested significantly in providing you with more than JUST a plain tool that comes with nothing other than cuter colours.

🚩 RED FLAG 5: It Has Limited Customer Support

They don’t have 24-hour customer support, and they don’t have an in-house team of customer and tech support staff to take care of you. 

The last thing you want when you start on a new platform, is to be left to figure it all out on your own, or have nobody to help you when you get stuck.

With lots of small businesses and solopreneurs reselling white-label software - very few of them have the resources or infrastructure to hire support staff and provide you with support services.

🚩 RED FLAG 6: There Is No Onboarding When You Start

Getting started on a new software can feel overwhelming, and getting help with all of your initial account set up such as connecting your domains, connecting your emails, setting up your email sending, connecting and syncing calendars and getting your payment gateways working is something that you should NEVER have to do alone.  

If the platform you are choosing doesn’t have onboarding support, you’re going to struggle to even get started.  

🚩 RED FLAG 7: They Have No Public Customer Community

No community group for their users? Red flag. 

Business is already lonely enough. You don’t want to feel isolated in your tech too. 

Platforms that don't have a public community are either trying to hide public conversation about their brand, hiding complaints (that users always share in the user communities first), or are trying to hide that they have embarrassingly low customer numbers. 

Platforms without a community group don't care about your sense of belonging, open communication and peer support. 

Humans need a place to belong, and at Tekmatix we care deeply about you feeling supported, connected and able to be part of real-time open conversation.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/tekmatix/about

🚩 RED FLAG 8: They Don’t Have a Trademark

Trademarks are a critical part of business protection. If you want your business to survive, your providers need to be commercially bulletproof too.

If the software you are choosing to use does not have a registered trademark on the name of the brand itself - you could be setting yourself up on a platform that is legally unprotected.  If they get shutdown over a Trademark claim - so does your business.

🚩 RED FLAG 9: There’s No Training Course or Guided Education

If your provider hasn’t created their own educational content to support you - they don’t care about your success and don’t have the capacity to educate for your continued growth and development.

Paying for a tool you can’t use properly - because there’s no support, training course or daily education assistance - is fruitless. 

🚩 RED FLAG 10: They Have Lock-in Period Contracts 

Nobody wants to get trapped into a subscription that they can’t cancel.  

If the platform you are choosing locks you into a fixed minimum term period that you have to ‘wait out’ if you want to leave - walk away.

🚩 RED FLAG 11: They are offering a one-time payment lifetime deal

There is a very big tendency for business owners to chase the cheapest option, rather than the best option - and this results in having to re-do things, re-build things and re-start things all over again when they realise that the cheapest, usually means ‘the least effective’.

In the software market, there are a lot of ‘pop-up players’ who enter the market just to make a quick buck as fast as possible, then shut down and run with the cash before they have to deliver. 

Could you run your business 24 hours a day, without any money coming in to pay for your overheads? 

No. 

Neither can any other businesses.  So when you see software platforms offering a single, one-time-only payment, you have yourself a major red flag. Nobody can provide support services, maintain servers, cover operational costs and stay compliant when no money is coming in. 

What we’ve seen happen in this industry over the past 5 years, is new SaaS agencies open, offer one-time payment deals, limit the features to the absolute minimum and then shut down the company before they have to deliver any major services.  As a final insult to the innocent customers that thought they were getting a ‘deal’, the sham company then ‘sells’ the customers to another agency in return for ongoing monthly commission.  

If the platform you are looking at is offering a single-time-payment only lifetime deal, it’s highly likey that they don’t plan to be around for a lifetime. 

🚩 RED FLAG 12: You Get Charged More As You Grow

Don’t get locked into price increases as your business grows, or platforms that have basic features restricted until you ‘upgrade’ or ‘add-on’ yet again.

First know that all platforms have to pay enormous server fees, email sending fees, AI usage credits, SMS and telephone costs - these are all expenses that cannot be controlled by any platform and have to be passed onto the user in some capacity.  

Don’t pick a platform that increases your monthly subscription fee as you get more contacts, publish more products or hire more staff.  Instead, choose one that keeps their subscription plans fixed, and only charges you fairly for your actual use of consumables on a ‘pay-what-you-use’ model.  This keeps your costs down, and only paying for what you actually use - not sharing the costs of everyone on the platform. 

🚩 RED FLAG 13: They Don’t Have Any Done-For-You Tech or Migration Services

You don’t want to be left on your own trying to do big tech set-ups for a major launch or website build.  Worse - have to go through the long-winded process of hiring your own developers who over-charge, short-cut and ghost you.

Please choose a software provider that has the infrastructure and capability to support you with tech builds, tech projects, migrations and advanced tech-strategy advice from highly experienced tech experts.  

Choose Experience, Infrastructure and Security, Over Aesthetics.  

Choose Tekmatix.

Some CRM platforms are selling cuteness. Rounded corners. Pretty ‘bougie’ beige and pastel dashboards. 

The Glossy “girl boss” Instagram branding that is oh-so enticing, but does NOT in any way mean SAFE, SECURE, STRUCTURED and SCALABLE.

When you need support at 3am before a major launch? You better hope you have it.

When your business scales and needs solid infrastructure and lots more features to run? You don’t want to have to move everything to a new provider.

When you need strategic advice and guidance from experts, as well as the ‘how to’ and hands on help? Ensure you’ve got access to an entire team of highly experienced, business tech professionals who have demonstrable experience of their expertise.

When you need security, infrastructure and experience to hold up your business from a provider that has made it through ‘start up stage’ and has stood the test of time….  That pretty interface won’t help you. 

You need infrastructure. You need a team. You need experience.

You need Tekmatix.

We are owned by a tech and business training company that has been running for 20 years.

We’ve been the leading, and most-awarded all-in-one business platform in Australia for over 3 years.

We’ve helped thousands of business owners set-up and launch their business tech.

We’ve been awarded over $700,000 in Government grants to enhance and develop a unique and highly customised business platform, that goes above and beyond giving you all of the incredible features of GHL.

We are the largest GHL-based software platform in Australia.

We have over 15 full-time support staff employed to provide you with 24-hour customer support.

We have a 24/7 live chat support desk that is covered by over 60 part-time rostered tech support personnel so that you always have somebody to help you in-the-moment, around the clock. 

We’re here to help you build a business that lasts and scales fast.

Final Note

Please - whether you choose Tekmatix or not - make your CRM decision wisely.

Tekmatix came about to protect business owners from being left behind, overcharged, or unsupported. 

I’ve come from 20 YEARS of being the business owner, the course creator, the coach and consultant who had to tie endless tools together and keep paying more and more fees as my business grew - AND was left to figure it out alone with zero support.  

My team and I at Tekmatix are here to support you, train you, build for you, and grow with you.

Check everything. Trust the experts. Don’t get sucked in by style over substance.

Choose a CRM that supports your business like you’re part of the team - because with Tekmatix, it is.

If you’re ready to Love Your Tech, 📲 Book a FREE PERSONALISED demo call with one of our Teksperts, or visit www.tekmatix.com to see all of our features and watch our demo video.

Let’s build something that lasts.

Sarah x

— Sarah Cordiner

Director & CEO, Tekmatix