This is an introduction to what a CRM is and isn’t…
Why CRM? Why Should You Care?
By Deidre Hughey
It took me until January of 2006, but I finally broke down, went against my mantra and took the plunge to join the 21st century with the purchase of a cell phone. I know it probably sounds crazy to you. Why did it take me so long? How could it be that a salesperson and mother of two did not own a cell phone?
Simple answer…I had a hard time believing that it was a necessity.
I did not see the value that people placed on a device that prior to its existence, we all seemed to function just fine. In fact, if you asked someone in the mid 80’s if they owned a mobile phone, they would have told you that they just didn’t see the need.
This is the typical response that I get when I ask people if they have a CRM. In fact, I have listed the most prevalent responses to my inquiry:
“What’s a CRM?”
“I seem to be getting along just fine without a CRM.”
“I know I need a CRM, but I don’t know enough.”
CRM is an acronym for Customer Relationship Management and is a software solution to help manage and streamline the sales, marketing and customer service functions. A true CRM will manage a total 360-degree view of your client from suspect to prospect to account to follow-through and the maintaining of customer loyalty.
Why should you care? Because a CRM that has been implemented into a company successfully offers the following functionality:
However, keep in mind that a CRM is not…
You must understand your sales process first, have a company philosophy and sales strategy in place and then implement your CRM or it will not be money well spent.
The next few months will be dedicated to examining the strengths a CRM can add to your company, what you should look for in your search for the right software and what the stages of implementation are once you have found the right system for you.
I promise, once you have successfully implemented a CRM into your company, you’ll be repeating after me: I can’t imagine my life without my cell phone or my CRM…
~
Deidre Hughey , partner at Dancing Elephants Achievement Group of the Carolinas, is a speaker, writer and sales trainer. Her mission is to teach business owners and salespeople how to be successful without compromising their ethical standards. For more information, please visit www.saleselephant.com or send an email to Deidre@deagsales.com .
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Shook out the cobwebs and made me remember some things that I had stopped doing.