CRM Blog

November 2010

Set yourself apart with CRM software

Friday, November 19, 2010

Every company makes clients feel important during the sales cycle, but enhancing and building upon those relationships with CRM software is what sets companies apart.

With the customer service module from a CRM sofware application, you can:

  • Offer superior customer service and increase the capacity of requests.
  • Record product defects and resolutions
  • Understand customer needs. Use reports to track common support issues and evaluate customer needs.
  • Assign tasks to team members.
  • Share information easily.
  • Use workflow to resolve issues
  • Resolve support issues accurately and efficiently with a shared knowledge base of articles.
  • Impress your customers with a consistent message that your entire organization delivers.
  • Provide reports for management

Smart companies realize that the customer relationship is actually just getting started after the sale is made. Just imagine the flawless service you'll offer your customers with CRM software.


Creating Leads with CRM software

Friday, November 12, 2010

Prospecting, the skill that all good salespeople need but few make the time to do. Being good at prospecting is part skill, and an even larger part effort. Without a sincere and dedicated effort and a good CRM tool in place it will not be successful.

Some very simple way to generate leads quickly with CRM include:

  1. Ask clients to introduce, not refer you to another colleague who can use your services. This build instant credibility and will make the prospect more willing to hear what you do. The rapport building stage has already been set when this takes place. Use your CRM tool to keep track of these prospects.
  2. Find a fit. If your product intertwines with that of another company, let them know. You can share contacts via your CRM software because your product helps one another, they don't compete.
  3. Revive old leads with your CRM system. New buyers could be in place, budgets increased and that tough decision maker may finally be ready to buy.
  4. Create a 'pull' effect. Generate some type of activity, free giveaway, or idea that will keep them asking for more. A free teleseminar, free cd offer or a sales tip of the day are just a few ideas.

By utilizing these methods in combination with your other prospecting approaches and CRM software you should never have a dry pipeline. Remember, you should never stop coming up with new ways to find business. Prospecting is a critical component to your sales success. If you don't put the effort in, the results will be obvious.


Entering CRM Information

Friday, November 05, 2010

When any company begins to evaluate a CRM system and they review their entire CRM strategy. With a proper evaluation of a current systems and appropriate planning for the future, companies can make sure their CRM initiative is successful.

If there is one thing you need to always keep at the top of your list - ease of use is it. Your CRM system will be useless if no one enters the information you want to track, if data isn't entered because it takes your users way too much time to perform these tasks or if you're not quite tracking the appropriate data to actually benefit your company. It's really quite simple, if your users don't see how a CRM system will benefit them - it won't.

CRM users need to see and understand value. If your CRM users don't get why they need to enter certain information in their CRM system, your data will likely suffer. The success of your CRM initiative is going to be extremely dependent upon the value its users believe their efforts will produce. Users will always ask themselves, how will my CRM system make my job easier, save me time, and possibly make me more money? You should be able to immediately answer such questions.

If your users are convinced that their CRM system will make their job easier and saves them time, you will be able to collect the exact information you are seeking. Many users that have never had experience with a CRM system are amazed as to how much time a good CRM system will save them. Instead of fumbling through note cards or a database that doesn't provide much useful information, their CRM system can give them any needed information about prospects and customers in one click.

Once a company executes a great CRM strategy with a CRM system to match, they wonder how they ever did business without it. Along with the proper direction on your CRM initiative, you can make sure your CRM system will produce the success you're working for.