How do you evaluate tools?

Based on the tool selection you've prepared here, you'll probably contact publishers, integrators and/or freelancers, and ask them to give you a demo of the tool they represent. By the time you've lined up 3 or 4 demos, there's a good chance you won't remember the first one... So it's a good idea to take notes, especially if there are several of you attending these demos.

Here's a draft benchmarking grid you can use to record your impressions:

CRM Benchmarking Grid
^{https://docs.google.com/...omo0A}

Feel free to make your own copy of this file and put your own spin on it. This will make it much easier for you to gather impressions on the spot, and thus to make the decisions that follow.