Are You Ready for Prime Time?

Let Insightly Remember Your Production Workflows

Did you know that activity sets can also be applied to your Insightly projects? This can be especially beneficial for things you do somewhat infrequently – but are nonetheless still important.

For example, let’s say that your company provides technology consulting services. Every month or two, clients inquire about your website security audit service. In the past, you’ve tracked the audit process in a simple spreadsheet. For each new client, you just clone your previous report and start from there. Although this approach has worked fairly well, you find your staff regularly using outdated templates or forgetting important steps.

Bypass the frustration by centralizing your process with an Insightly activity set. Here’s how to set it up:

1. Open your activity set dashboard (click here)
2. Create a new activity set. Be sure to check the “for projects” box.

3. Edit your newly created activity set and begin adding tasks (or events).

4. Customize each task with the necessary details.

5. Once you’ve added all your tasks (or events), apply the activity set to your next project!

Integrate Sales and Project Management into a Single Ecosystem

Although thousands of users rely on Insightly’s project management features, the software is probably best known for being a great CRM. In fact, some customers continue to use third-party project apps despite using Insightly for sales management. While there’s nothing wrong with this approach, there could be a better way.

By unifying all project and sales activities into a centralized ecosystem, you gain a number of tangible benefits, such as:

• One database to maintain – rather than two
• Single point of login for your staff
• Ability to convert won deals to projects
• 360-degree view of each project (from initial lead generation to completion)
• Fewer to-do lists to keep organized
• Potential cost savings (one subscription vs. two)

So, if you’ve thought about ditching your third-party project system, what steps should you take? Consider these suggestions before hitting the “cancel” button:

1. Which users still need to be added to Insightly (non-sales staff?)
2. How can we transfer existing work to fit a pipeline or milestone model?
3. Do we have project templates that should be transferred as new activity sets?
4. How many recurring tasks will need to be transferred?
5. Do we rely on other third-party integrations that also need to be moved?

Moving everything to one cohesive system is likely to provide greater clarity for you and your staff. Just be sure to make a transition plan and stick to it!

Recognize Your “Prime-Time”

To stay ahead of your clients’ needs, you probably find yourself working long (and intense) workdays. In the winter months, it’s not uncommon for you to be in your office during all daylight hours. (Pretty depressing, huh?)

If you’re like most professionals, there’s a good chance that your productivity (and attention span) fluctuates as the day drags on. And, although you never let clients notice, you’re certainly aware of the problem.

For example, John is usually on his second cup of coffee by 10 am, which makes his to-do list no match for him. Unfortunately, by 1 pm, he often experiences a significant drop in motivation. This can be bad news, especially when he has several important tasks that require significant brainpower.

Although John can’t magically make his day shorter, he can try studying his work patterns. It doesn’t take much analysis for John to realize his “prime time” is from 8:00 until 11:00 am. What should John do to maximize his prime time?

For starters, he might try packing that period with work that is time-sensitive and/or challenging. Instead of spreading such tasks across the never-ending day, John could guarantee that his most productive hours are spent on what matters most. For the remainder of his day, John might do that which does not require “prime time” focus. (Of course meetings and other obligations can throw a wrench into this plan.)

So, what’s your “prime time”?

Create Predictability in Your Pre-Sale Process

The client wants a proposal. Sounds good, right?

To win the sale, quoting and presentations are necessary evils. Creating the necessary documentation can consume considerable internal resources (namely, man-hours). This is especially true if your team has free rein to build their own proposals from scratch.

Step up your game by leveraging activity sets in your pre-sale process. In doing so, your CRM could automatically create and assign the following tasks:

• Submit opportunity details to the quoting manager
• Make a copy of the approved proposal template (link to the document)
• Build the presentation deck (include pricing info from the quoting department)
• Submit proposal to management for approval
• Send the package to the prospective client
• Follow up with the client for a yes or no

What other repeatable processes could your sales organization streamline with activity sets? Here are a few other possibilities:

• Client invoicing
• Lead list importing
• Sales report creation
• Trade show preparation
• Expense report creation

Ready for a more predictable approach to sales management? Start by identifying that which your sales staff does regularly. Then, leverage the technology that you already use to do it even better!