A CRM is a customer relationship management, that operates digitally keeping all pertinent info about your clients and prospective clients in the same place.
According to Success With CRM Consulting, a CRM will create:
A 10 percent increase in gross sales revenue per sales representative each year for the first 3 years
A minimum 5 percent increase in win rate for forecasted sales during the first three years
A minimum 5 percent improvement in the quality rating provided by customers
AND
A minimum 5 percent decrease in general and administrative cost of sales during the first three years
Use your CRM effectively
CRMs are effective, IF you avoid the common pitfalls in the launch.
- Establish clear goals. If you do not have a clear plan or purpose for the CRM, like any other process in your business, it will not function properly.
- Confirm broad executive support. Executives need to embrace the use and see the value and importance of the CRM. If the top of the company undermines its usage, other staff members will adopt the view it is not important.
- Thorough and complete training for all users. With any new technology, all employees must be trained so that they understand how the software operates AND how it helps them in their position.
- Remember human interaction is still a must. A CRM does not replace interacting with your clients directly, it makes it easier to find the solutions to their problems and keeps you abreast of the most current information regarding the client.
- Plan the launch and use a test group of employees in all departments and clients to gain feedback on how useful the CRM is, any wrinkles that need to be ironed out, and how customers feel about the interactions post-implementation.
Selecting the right CRM
The “right” CRM is:
- Tailored to your industry
- Provides thorough and complete training
- Offers partner implementation to have a clean transition to using the new technology
Launching your CRM is a great way to improve managing your sales leads and client information – if you use it properly. Go get your whole team on board, create clear CRM objectives, and launch that CRM!