Software and technology choices are crucial for company growth and development and should always rely on business needs. For this reason, it might be challenging to decide between ERP vs CRM. Both systems automate processes and boost profits but deal with different tasks and purposes. While ERP is primarily used for finance and accounting, CRM enhances customer-facing business workflows. In this article, we are going to focus only on CRM.
Almost every marketing team and sales representative in today’s world has utilized customer relationship management (CRM) technology at some time in their careers. Having all of your customer’s data in one place is really valuable since it saves you from trawling through various systems to locate the information you want.
What is CRM?
A CRM is a database that handles client connections and the data linked with them, such as habits, purchases, activity, customer service history, and so on. CRMs go far beyond keeping contact information, acting more as a record from the beginning of the relationship with the client to the present stage of the relationship.
CRM technology is designed to dive deeper into your client base, knowing who, how, what, and why can help you foresee their requirements and offer answers swiftly via marketing automation. When consumers come first, they get the most satisfactory experience, which means they will return.
This brand loyalty results in key return consumers, who notify their friends in the school parking lot and write about it on social media. Customers are now performing your marketing for you. Brilliant!
CRM vs Pipeline CRM
CRM (Customer Relationship Management) is a broader term that encompasses various strategies, practices, and technologies aimed at managing and improving customer interactions and relationships. CRM encompasses not only the sales aspect but also customer service, marketing, and support. It involves collecting, organizing, and analyzing customer data to enhance customer satisfaction, retention, and overall business performance.
Pipeline CRM typically refers to a specific type of CRM system or software that focuses on managing and tracking sales pipelines. It helps businesses organize and monitor their sales activities, such as lead generation, deal tracking, and customer interactions throughout the sales process. Pipeline CRM systems often provide features like lead management, opportunity tracking, sales forecasting, and reporting specifically tailored to sales teams.
How to Use CRM?
CRM software may be a strong and dependable tool for enterprises. It encompasses anything from what potential client does the first time they visit your website to how long they look at a sales proposal you gave them. When you’ve finished developing your CRM, it’s time to put it to use.
Recruit your Sales Team
Your data will be more accurate and complete if everyone uses your CRM as soon as feasible. Because adding users is the most critical stage in setting up a CRM, it should be the first step. Make a list of the benefits of utilizing a CRM, such as how it will help your salespeople close more transactions, to demonstrate that they are worth the investment. If salespeople aren’t convinced of the CRM’s worth, it will be used only infrequently. One of your best-selling books should be able to speak for you. If she uses the CRM effectively, her employees will naturally follow her lead.
Configure your Preferences
Your CRM should demonstrate your sales process. The buyer journey is divided into three parts: lead, opportunity, and customer. For this to work, you must be able to finish each step. Spend a few weeks monitoring and evaluating how potential consumers acquire your product or service if you don’t understand how your sales process works.
How long does it take to complete a deal from the time you first meet with a salesperson? Assume your sales process consists of four steps: “Connect,” “Qualify,” “Demonstrate,” and “Close.” Each transaction should have its own phase in your CRM pipeline. You’ve now established a sales procedure that all of your salespeople can adhere to.
After that, save your data with custom properties. There will already be “properties” or “fill in the gaps” about your prospect.
CRM includes information such as phone number, email address, creation date (the day they entered your system), city, and so on. Most firms want to keep an eye on a variety of topics. “Billing ID,” “Time zone,” “Product purchased,” or “Global office location” can all be added. Create these attributes before importing any data into your CRM. Finally, if you utilize a different currency, you need to alter the default currency in your CRM.
Add Contact, Business, and Contact Information
You are not the only one who uses a CRM or a spreadsheet to keep track of your prospects and possibilities. By uploading a CSV file, you may import this data into practically any CRM. Ensure that each spreadsheet column corresponds to a CRM property so that data can be readily transferred between your old and new platforms.
Assemble your tools
Your customer relationship management system should serve as a centralized storage location for all marketing, sales, and overall customer satisfaction data. You will not be required to write in-depth about your prospects and clients. Consider this approach if you integrate CRM with our Marketing and Sales. Leads that have filled out a form had a conversation with a representative, or done something significant on your website will be added to your CRM list. If they meet the requirements, a salesperson will contact them.
If the lead needs additional time, the marketing team may give guidance on how to complete a task. Its performance has also significantly enhanced. We offer a well-known platform for marketing task automation. Use solutions that already integrate with your preferred CRM, or use Zapier to link them. You could, for example, use Zapier to transmit Google Form entries to your CRM.
Create a dashboard for your account.
It would be beneficial if you had a complete picture of how your team is performing in order to provide them with appropriate guidance and direction. The beneficial assertion is that there is something called a CRM dashboard that can be customized to meet your specific requirements. You may choose which data appear on your dashboard based on your sales goals and how you operate. If your team intends to sell more of product X this month, knowing how many units of product X were sold in comparison to product Y may be useful. If your representatives have activity metrics, consider adding a column at the end of the day for “completed activities.”
Utilize Reports
The more time your salesmen have to sell, the better. It is for this reason that sending out regular email updates is a smart idea. Our sales staff receives an email every morning with a stack rating based on the previous month’s sales, upsell and cross-sell revenue, and net revenue. Using this daily digest makes salespeople more competitive and provides them motivation to work even after they’ve hit their targets. Consider sending an email that includes the rep’s new and finished activities, emails sent and received by the broker, calls made by the broker, transactions won by the representative (indicated by number or value), and the rep’s retention rate.
