There is nothing more important to business growth, and sales, than that of the relationship between customer and the business.
Relationships truly are crucial, and as a business grows, there comes a time when you will need help to manage these relationships to ensure everything is maintained as best as possible. These relationships could be fresh, and you could be trying to entice them to use your products and services. Or, they could be existing, and you may need a way to look for cross sale opportunities, or a way to know when you last communicated with this customer – and a CRM system will help you to do that.
CRM simply stands for Customer Relationship Management. At the time of writing this article, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of CRM options available. At C3 Sales and Consulting, we have used some of the biggest and popular CRM systems on the marker, and we are always willing to offer advice. If you currently are shopping around, be sure to get in touch with us and we will gladly give you some ideas and recommendations.
There are so many benefits to using a CRM system, and whether you are a sales person, or a business owner, if you are not currently using a CRM system then you are quite simply losing money.
In this short article, I want to share with you my five top reasons why you should start using a CRM system. Please note however, trying to cram all of the benefits into just five was a tough ask and I reckon this could be extended out to 19 reasons!
Attracting Customers
One of the key benefits to using a good CRM system is to keep a check on the progress of new and incoming customers.
Sales processes differ between business to business, and the customer journey from introduction, to presentation, right through to the sign up will differ too. However, keeping a check on where customers are in the journey is crucial to ensure that leads are not lost, to ensure enquiries don’t get cold, and to ensure you follow up with people whom you have presented to.
Managing Relationships
With relationships being key to sales, one of the best ways to manage relationships is to communicate. When you have one, two or three customers, it is easy to remember when you contacted someone, and what was said. However as your customer base grows, it can be easy to forget when you last spoke with someone.
A good CRM system will remind you when you last spoke with someone, what was said, and can even remind you to contact people if you haven’t spoken with them for a long time.
Cross Sell Opportunities
There is a lot of money to be made in cross selling, or even upsetting opportunities. If you invest in a good CRM system, you can quite clearly and easily see what products/services someone has, and what they could be interested in.
Planning and Plotting
Good sales people and business people spend a lot of time thinking and plotting. Using a CRM system will help you to do just this. Whether you want to set up a new sales campaign in a certain geographical area, or whether you want to target specific sectors with a specific product; using the right CRM system will help you to run certain reports to help you to plan and to plot.
Mindspace
Finally, one of the best reasons to use a CRM system is to get thoughts out of your head, and into a system. This will free up your headspace, and to ensure nothing is ever forgotten.
Although this may seem like a simple benefit, it is one to never overlook. Investing in a CRM system should help you to free up time, and will fundamentally give you more time to actually sell.
As mentioned earlier on in this article, if you ever need help or advice in picking out a CRM system to suit you and your business, C3 Sales & Consulting are always here to help.
