crm - what is it and why bother?

CRMWhat is it & Why bother?

CustomerRelationshipManagement

Anything that helps you manage your relationships with potential, existing or past customers…

Before it was called CRM

It was good old fashioned customer service

Using ‘old school’ minimal tools

• Typewriters

• Scraps of paper

• Asking customers to confirm bookings by letter

• Missing alarm calls

• No targeted direct marketing or effective data management

Then we discovered a brilliant new technology called….

The Post-It

Back to basics

• Prospects– Capture prospect data

– Mailshots / e-shots

– Recording conversations / interactions

– Producing / tracking quotes / proposals

– Conversion to customers

• Customers – Keep customer notes and call logs

– Important dates

– Managing relationships

Customer Relationship Management

Awareness

Interest

Desire

Customers

Prospects

Action

Contacts

Companies

Opportunities

Conversion

Pipelining

Tasks

Events

Interactions

Data

CUSTOMER LIFECYLE

Direct marketing

E-Campaigns

Telemarketing

Networking

Opportunity management

Tracking

Follow up

Business Processes

Sales Processes

Service Delivery

Project Management

Invoicing

Support Systems

ENABLESCRM

“Moments of Truth”

Is it for you?

• Benefits– Better management of data means better marketing

– Better internal communications

– Better relationships means increased sales and happier customers

• Not suited to– FMCG / small value, hit and run sales (eg Smarties)

• Suited to B2B and B2C companies where there is– A long ‘courtship’ in the sale

– Higher value contracts

– A long-term relationship

But it is all too complicated!

• There are hundreds of software packages– I have spent weeks on software evaluation (for myself and clients)

• Cost

• Usability

• Functionality

• Keep it Simple Stupid– Insightly is brilliant (I am not on commission!)

• Free* version (up to three users)

• Simple

• Effective

*Low cost if you want integration with Google Apps / Outlook

Insightly.com

• Real benefits for SME marketing– Task management

– Contact management

– Sales reminders

– Sales pipeline / opportunity management

– Note taking

– Project management

– Lead tracking / reporting

Check out the features and sign up for a free trial at:

https://www.insightly.com/features/

First Steps / Top Tips

• Think about your own ‘sales workflow’ for different

products or services

• Be systematic (it does take discipline)

• Don’t try it all at once – see which bits work for you

• Go for the low hanging fruit

– Save time / improve admin

– Improve your marketing data

– Improve internal communications

– Provide better service