FAQ: What is a CRM? (Customer Relationship Management)
You’ve heard of “CRM”- you may have even signed up for one, but you don’t know how to use it effectively. We see this problem all the time with small businesses.
What is a CRM?
CRM stands for Customer Relationship Management. It is a form of managing contact with all contacts- future customers, current customers, past customers. A good CRM will allow your business to manage all contacts along with the data and information associated with those contacts.
How do I use my CRM more effectively?
If you’re using a CRM now but don’t think you’re getting your money’s worth (or your time) from it, it might be because you aren’t using it well.
In order to get the most out of a CRM, first of all we suggest pairing it with your marketing automation. With an integrated CRM + Email Marketing tool, any leads from email marketing will link back to your customer profiles, and any tags in your CRM will help you send more effective emails. The two can be used separately but, like peanut butter and jelly, they’re just better together.
Another tip is to be glued to your CRM! Ironic, since most people using a CRM probably need to get off your computer and talk to someone face-to-face, we know. But if you ever forget to add a new contact to your CRM, you could miss an important lead. If you get a lead but forget to take notes on your opportunities, you may never follow up. This is why CRMs are so important. Having a good, integrated CRM tool is like having a hands-off personal assistant (that never takes vacation!)
Sales managers should be the first on the CRM bandwagon because a good CRM allows managers to see a dashboard and stats of their entire team. Good reporting helps managers mark sales goals, identify problems, and make the most of leads. In Salesmanna a manager can see what each salesperson is accomplishing throughout the week, month, or quarter. At any point the sales manager can gauge profit and sales goals from the dashboard reporting. These tools in the hands of a great manager can take any business from good to great.
Salesmanna’s basic plan is the CRM without Marketing Automation. Here is what we offer:
- Track new leads
- Nurture current leads
- Keep records of conversations, calls, or emails
- Email contacts directly from your contact book
- Use tags to easily sort through contact lists
- Search & filter through your entire contact list
- Integrate with Salesmanna’s Marketing Automation tool to send email campaigns
- Customize the fields that appear with each contact
- Add contacts to lists for easier campaign and newsletter sending
Check out what we have to offer and let us know if you have any questions!