Companies must have tools that differentiate them from their competitors in a globalized market like the current one. Therefore, defining a sales and CRM strategy will be essential to materialize the strategy into business results.
CRM technology is supported by three main pillars: software, processes, and people. Its implementation involves the automation of processes and improvement of efficiency. And a CRM is designed to record, manage, and analyze customer interactions at every stage they can be found. This means having valuable and useful information for the entire organization.
Sales Strategy and CRM: 7 Key Aspects of Implementing it
A CRM software facilitates customer management and internal management between partners. Although, the sales and CRM strategy is directly related to the existing corporate strategy.
The benefits are many and varied: knowledge of the market, understanding of customers, loyalty, and segmentation, among others. In addition, relational marketing comes into play, and with a CRM, we can have 360 knowledge of the user.
Analyze Your Sales Process in Depth
For a CRM to be effective and help automate and improve processes, one must study a sales process first. How do you communicate with the client and with the team? At what stage is the sale process? Does it have the necessary characteristics to be effective? It will help a lot that this whole process is well documented and thus be able to define the aspects you want to improve and focus on.
Identify the Features you Need
Today’s CRMs are highly configurable, and the chosen tool must be adapted to the company’s needs. At this point, it is necessary to determine the functionalities the CRM must solve, from the most technical to the most operational.
Map the Sales Process
Once the objectives have been established, the next step is to organize the ideas and create a flowchart for each process that will develop will develop. Most of the available information will be incorporated into this scheme, identifying those responsible for each area, deadlines, behaviors, and possible results.
Trust an IT Partner
Assuming from the organization itself, the implementation of a CRM can be a costly and laborious process due to the lack of technical knowledge or the time needed to manage a project of this type. Therefore, a consultant with consolidated experience in the sector can help the company select the CRM that best suits and offer the necessary advice to optimize business processes and translate them into the tool.
Choose a Scalable Tool
When choosing a CRM or another, there are several aspects to consider. Among them, and one of the most relevant is that it is a scalable tool that allows the integration of all the organization’s processes. In addition, once the first version has been implemented, it may detect other needs in the medium and long term. Just as teams adapt, CRM must grow with them.
Involve the Teams
Implementing new systems and tools may lead, in some cases, to reluctance on the part of the teams. For this reason, it is essential to involve the different areas before and during the project’s development. They know better than anyone the needs that need to be covered to provide good ideas and solutions. In the same way, it is important that they also know the benefits that it will bring them.
Training all users during the implementation process will be essential for correctly developing the tool. You have to consider different keys, not only the ability to handle CRM software.
Develop a Project Plan
As indicated above, both the strategy and the knowledge of the different teams must establish a project plan. It must include a schedule with the different milestones. In this way, the people involved will be able to plan, and those not so linked to the project will know when they will have the new technology.
The benefits of implementing a CRM system are diverse both outside and inside the company. Internal processes will improve the organization of contacts, more accessibility, and simplify the sales process.
Outside the company, it translates into improved customer service. Several studies confirm that customer satisfaction increases by 45% thanks to this technology. If there is better attention and communication, the recommendation and repetition of the service will also be better.