Ten Reasons Your Business Needs a CRM System

1. List Segmentation

We now live in a world where technology has made it so much easier for people to communicate. We have more ways to communicate today than we did 20 years ago. We have LinkedIn, Facebook, Instant Messaging, SMS, Phones, Walk-Ins, through to other forms of communication both online and offline. All of those people in your database are wanting to be communicated with in their preferred channels. Without a CRM system, you don't have the capability to segment your data base. It all comes down to being able to segment your data base so you can tailor your sales team and your message to that audience. We refer that as being the buyer persona; the fictitious character of your buyer group. That's the power that a CRM system allows. It allows you to get away from using a spreadsheet with all of your customers in it, to now having multiple lists, list segmentation.

2. Keeping Your Sales Team on the Same Page

Making sure that everyone is following the same process. And more importantly, you are able to manage the team and give them the feedback on how they are performing on those micro steps.

3. CRMs Let You Stay In Touch

CRM tools, like HubSpot CRM, are also an easy way to keep in touch with your customers through lists. When was the last time we spoke to them? When was the last time you emailed them? Called them? It allows you to build the history, the timeline of staying in contact. It will also streamline your productivity. So, instead of having to work out; who should I call now? Or who should I call next? You have it all sitting in front of you in your CRM system.

4. CRMs Nurture Your Leads

Most significant part of any good CRM, is the ability to increase sales by; keeping organized information about potential customers, staying in touch regularly, and nurturing those leads in ways of providing them helpful content that is beneficial to them. It allows you to reach out to them on a regular basis. Again, it helps you keep that process and measure that process through the different phases of your leads.

5. CRMs Automate Your Communication

CRM systems now link with most email systems. When you are writing an email in your email system, it can be tracked and added to your CRM system. Also, this link between the inbox and your CRM system, allows you the ability for templates to be added. It opens up a whole new capability and automation to be able to send out personalized emails using templates in the sales process.

6. CRMs Keep Your Customers Coming Back

From here, you can also use CRMs to target your existing customers. If people have already bought from you, they're more likely to do it again. And this is one of the major cost savings to a business is; its much cheaper to sell to an existing client then it is to a new client. The reason for that is because you've already build trust. Its now just a process of educating them. With a good CRM system that is tracking and can see the value in what the customer has already purchased, it makes it easier and more cost effective for the sales person, timewise, to be able to reach out to those people and look at how they can identify new opportunities to sell addition products and services to your existing clients.

7. CRMs Let You Access the Matrix

A good CRM system will give you access to reporting tools for both the whole team and the individuals. To be able to track the number of emails a person made, the number of tasks they've completed, the number of meetings, the number of phone calls that a person made within the day, linked to the sales value of the products that they did have. Allows for a greater visibility and transparency across the whole team. That makes it much easier for the manager of the sales people to keep ahead of what's happening within their organization.

8. CRMs Connect to Other Services

One of the great things about the CRM systems that we see today, like HubSpot CRM and Sales Force, is they have the ability to link and interface to other systems that you have in your business. For now, most CRM systems will bring plug-ins for your website like WordPress. They will also link into your payment system, so you can keep track of the sales. They'll link to Google Drive, to your email platforms, and to Outlook. So, all of this integration helps to come together, to create a timeline, and present all of the information together.

9. CRMs Use Social Data

Quite often, CRM systems will monitor the social media platforms of your customers. So, when a sales person is ready to reach out to a client, a good CRM system will consolidate, they will check and look for any Tweets, and Facebook posts, any LinkedIn comments, that customer has made recently. These are signals that the CRM system is tracking to make it easier and reduce the time in order for the sales person to see what's been happening for that customer. What have they been doing in their world? This improves the ability to engage. When you go to connect with the customer, you have some information that you can tailor or reach out to them in a timely manner. You can relate it back to their activities that they've been doing or what's been happening in their world. Making it much easier for you to target the customer and narrow down your message even further. Helping to improve the personalization of that message.

10. CRM tools are for everyone

Gone are the days when an Excel spreadsheet is just good enough. Having a list of a few hundred, or even a few thousand, it becomes very difficult for you to be able to keep track of that timeline history. That's where using a spreadsheet is just not cutting it anymore. So, that's why we really do encourage people to really look at how you manage your customer relationship and why the need for customer relationship is a must for all businesses.