Category: CRM Blog Posts

Just because you’re a small business owner, it doesn’t mean you have small goals. In fact, many small businesses have colossal goals. All large companies started out small, so why is your business any different?

A CRM makes it easier for small business owners to achieve big goals. However, as any business owner will tell you, your CRM doesn’t magically build itself. Even if you have picked a CRM that is easy to use, getting the maximum value from your CRM takes a combination of skill sets. There’s big-picture planning, content writing, technical inputs, list management, and data analysis – to name a few. You can either do it all yourself (and hope for the best), delegate internally, or hire people to make up for your busy schedule and/or lack of know-how.

In this article, I’ll offer tips for breaking up your CRM admin into digestible chunks – and how to staff up without breaking the bank.

Why Do You Use a CRM in the First Place?

Stop and think about why you implemented your CRM in the first place. You likely were hoping to achieve one or more of the following:

•    Close More Deals – Improve your tracking processes and increase the probability of closing more business.
•    Improve Customer Relations – What does CRM stand for in the first place?
•    Increase Efficiency, Decrease Oversights – Using spreadsheets, email or notes to track deals is inefficient and prone to errors.
•    Achieve More Goals – The name of the game is to close more deals with less effort. CRMs are designed precisely for that.

Everything you do with your CRM should align with these goals. However, if you’re a one-person shop, you may not have the time or know-how accomplish everything in your CRM. Sure, many CRMs targeted towards small businesses are intuitive and easy to use, but, intuitive still doesn’t add more hours to your already busy schedule.

What Skills Are Necessary to Maximize Value from Your CRM?

Many CRMs offer a free package to start with and then offer premium plans for a fee.  This is great because you can upgrade to more features when your revenue stream justifies the expense. But even if you’re on the free plan, there could be a ton of advanced functionality you may be missing out on simply because you’re too busy to set it up (for example, opportunities, customizing your pipelines, andtags). How much business are you losing because of this?

Let’s imagine for a moment that you did have more time to dedicate. Here are the skills you’d probably need to have on-staff (or in your head):

•    General overall architect – Someone who can see the big picture and help determine the ideal structure or layout for your CRM.
•    Callers – Who will be making outbound calls? Only You?  Sales reps?  Managers?  Customer Service reps?
•    Assistants – Who will follow up – set follow up tasks, follow up events and in general make sure nothing slips through the cracks?
•    Technical resources – Data mapping and importing, pipeline configuration, and report customization are just a few of the more advanced or technical aspects of using a CRM.  (Depending on capabilities, the general architect may also be able to help here.)
•    Copywriters – If you’re sending mass emails out from your CRM, are your current sales emails converting? If not, perhaps it may be time to either rework the content internally, or bring in an expert to tweak the verbage.

You might be saying to yourself, “Sure, I’d love to extract even more value from my CRM. But I don’t have the time, and we certainly don’t have the budget to hire someone to manage this for us.”

How to Staff Up Quickly (Without Breaking the Bank)

In a nutshell, here’s a framework for staffing up with outsourced CRM experts who are both affordable and experienced.

1.    Assess your needs – 20 minutes – Download this free outsourcing guide to assess your company’s needs.
2.    Sign up for a free outsourcing account with oDesk or Elance – 10 minutes
3.    Post a job for free – 15 minutes
4.    Drill down and find a specialist or two – 30 minutes
5.    Interview the applicant(s) – 1 to 2 hours – Most virtual interviews are done via Skype, Google Hangouts, or phone.
6.    Set an hourly max or budget and make the hire – 10 minutes

Now, of course when making any hiring decisions, there are a lot of factors you need to take into consideration. If you do decide to outsource a portion of your CRM administration, you may find thesefree outsourcing resources useful.

Get More from Your CRM

You use a CRM because you desire to achieve more goals for your business. Isn’t it time you thought about building scalability from your CRM? If so, outsourcing some or all of your CRM administration may be a wise decision for your business.

About the Author:  Matt Keener is a marketing professional, specializing in marketing strategy and efficient, cost effective outsourcing best practices.

Sometimes making sales isn’t about the major efforts you make; the little things often create just as big an impact. Here, we look at 15 ways you can build your relationships and close more sales.

1. Offer a Free, No-Strings-Attached Consultation

People are often suspicious about those free consultations, but make it clear in your marketing copy that your aim is to help prospects. If they decide to work with you, great. Otherwise, they’re armed with free information they didn’t otherwise have. And be true to this! Don’t use this ploy to lure in unsuspecting prospects, or they’ll run away.

2. Share Your Contact’s Content on Social

If you’re connected to your contacts on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, et cetera (and you should be), make a point of sharing their content or responding to their updates. Everyone likes a little attention on social media.

3. Answer the Phone with a Smile

People have come to expect recorded operators or mechanical customer service voices. Delight them by answering the phone with joy. You’d be surprised how positively people respond to a pleasant voice.

4. Send More Targeted Emails

These days, technology helps us do more than send a blanket email to everyone. Now you can send a customized email with links to products each subscriber cares about. And with our integration with MailChimp, you can ensure each lead gets the most targeted email.

5. Wish Them Happy Birthday

Whether it’s on their Facebook wall, via email, on the phone, or in person, a simple birthday wish can go a long way. Consider sending a special discount or free offer via email for that special day.

6. Buy Them Coffee

Set up a coffee date — again, no strings attached — so that you can pick the brain of your prospect and see what makes their business tick. You’re not trying to sell, but the information you glean can help you not only better market to that lead, but also target your sales efforts to all leads.

7. Comment on Their Content

If a contact has a blog, read it and comment on it. Show that you’re paying attention. Consider writing a roundup post on your own blog and feature some of your favorite prospects’ posts.

8. Get Smarter

It may seem a strange way to nurture your pipeline, but the more you know, the better service you can be to potential customers. Stay sharp on your industry by attending conferences and reading books, blogs, and magazines. That way, you can catch even the biggest curveball a contact throws you.

9. Always Call a Contact by Name

We don’t always say the name of the person we’re speaking to, but when we do, they pay attention. Sprinkle your contact’s name into the conversation, and see if he doesn’t perk up.

10. Stay in Touch, Even if You Never Make the Sale

Let’s say you nurture a sale until you’re sure you’ll close it…only you don’t. That’s no reason to drop the contact completely. You may not know the reasons why she didn’t buy (maybe she got sick or busy), but if you create an opportunity and then check in a few times a year, you might win that sale down the road.

11. Be a Connector

If you have two contacts who you think would benefit from working together, connect them. Or share a great blog post with a contact. There’s nothing but altruism in this effort, but people will appreciate the fact that you’re thinking of them.

12. Create Other Ways to Work Together

You could invite a contact to be interviewed on your podcast or blog, or attend your conference or webinar. Buying from you shouldn’t be the only way they can get to know both you and your brand.

13. Invite Them to Your Office

If it’s not necessary for clients to visit your office, invite potentials anyway. Give them the tour and introduce them to everyone. Your goal here is to show them the behind-the-scenes and make them feel a connection to your brand.

14. Take Notes on the Small Stuff

If, during a call, a contact mentions he’s headed to Aruba for vacation, or that his son just won his Little League tournament, make sure you pay attention and maybe create a calendar entry to remind yourself. After that vacation, send a quick email asking how it went. Or send a note of congratulations on that game. When you pay attention to the details, prospects take notice.

15. Never Stop Trying

You don’t have to be pushy to build a relationship with a prospect. Just continue paying attention and finding new ways to connect.

Keep ultra-connected with everyone on your contact list, from prospect to repeat customer with Insightly. Sign up for a free account or a 14 day trial on our paid, premium plan.