CRM – user's Blog!

February 6, 2018

Insightly CRM Meets Artificial Intelligence

Let’s start with the numbers and the major problem we face as sales people… or practically anyone who schedules lots of meetings. Sales people spent 20% of their time doing CRM, administrative, and report related tasks in 2015, according to the report State of Sales Productivity.

Of that 20%, we can imagine much of that time comes from scheduling customer meetings. Having had experience as a “sales hunter” closing long-term, six figure software sales, I confess that scheduling meetings with customers was a time intensive part of my sales process. Whether you’re an accountant, personal coach or CEO of a Fortune 500 company, you probably feel the same way I do. Scheduling meetings is time consuming but needs to get done. Period.

I’m going to help you shave down this 20% number with artificial intelligence Insightly CRM integrations for scheduling meetings in-person or via email.

Scheduling Meetings In-Person

First, let’s learn about NLP (natural language processing)?

Here’s a gif to explain…

via GIPHY

NLP allows programs to understand human language as it’s spoken or typed like shown with the Insightly Slack Bot. You may have already used tools such as Siri and Google Assistant, which also rely on NLP too. With our integration we’re going to integrate NLP technology with Insightly’s business card scanner to quickly schedule meetings in-person.

Let’s pretend we’re meeting a new customer at the Hard Rock Cafe Networking Mixer…

SUSAN

Hello, John pleasure to meet you.

JOHN

Nice to meet you too. Hey! My friend told me you do

fundraising for nonprofits. Can you help me with a project?

SUSAN

Of course I can help you. What’s the project about?

JOHN

We’re looking to build an animal shelter uptown

and we need help with funding. Here’s my business card.

Maybe we should schedule a meeting, so I can give you all the details.

SUSAN

Great! Let’s schedule the meeting right now.

It will take less than a minute. Do you have your calendar on you?

JOHN

Why yes I do… give me a second to check my phone.

John opens his calendar app to look for an available time slot.

While John is checking his calendar, Susan opens her Insightly mobile app and starts scanning John’s business card.

JOHN

I am available next week on Tuesday from 10am till noon.

Let’s meet here. Does that work for you?

Susan confirms time slot on her calendar.

SUSAN

Yes, that works for me.

Susan switches back to Insightly and clicks the voice to text button.

SUSAN

Meet with John from 10am to noon next tuesday at the Hard Rock Cafe in Phoenix, Arizona.

Susan clicks Save to Insightly.

SUSAN

Perfect! You’ll get an calendar invite soon with all my contact details too.

JOHN

Wow! You weren’t kidding when you said it would take less than a minute to

schedule a meeting. You’re really on top of things Susan.

As you can see there is no long list of fields to complete using various apps, the conversation barely skipped a beat, and best of all… you made a positive impression with your new customer.

Interested in integrating NLP technology with Insightly’s business card scanner?

Watch my Business Card Scan + Scheduling All-in-One Setup Tutorial

I imagine the next big tech advancement for this use case is wearing smart glasses to monitor your conversation and schedule meetings automatically. This would require zero human intervention on your part and only the customer would need to tell you when they’re available. The customer wouldn’t even need to give you their business card because facial recognition and data mining technology would scan the customer’s face to find matching contact information online. While we’re a few more years away from having this technology, scheduling in-person meetings will meet your needs for the interim.

Scheduling Meetings via Email AI

Moving onto scheduling with AI (Artificial Intelligence)… First, what is AI?

According to Wikipedia, AI is applied when a machine mimics “cognitive” functions that humans associate with other human minds, such as “learning” and “problem solving”.

Since we’re using AI technology to schedule meetings (or interact with humans), this technology will also rely on NLP and there’s a new AI tool for scheduling meetings that does exactly this. The AI scheduling service is called “Amy” by X.ai.

Here’s a video demonstrating how Amy (and her twin brother Andrew) learns your preferences, solves problems by working out scheduling conflicts, and takes NLP to a whole new level!

As stated on their pricing page, Amy will save you on average 10 hours per month scheduling meetings. That’s a lot of time, but as a CRM Consultant I’m still not satisfied…

If we look at Amy’s and Insightly’s processes, we still have three more activities we can delegate to robots:

Reduce time spent delegating tasks to Amy by using Insightly’s email templates. The email template insert fields will give Amy everything she needs to know about your contact(s), in order to schedule meetings as fast as possible.
Automatically sync your event activities to your CRM using Insightly’s Google or Microsoft Exchange calendar sync.
Amy’s not ready to send event reminders or integrate with conferencing platforms yet, so we’ll add automation tools like Zapier to give Amy a helping hand.

Interested in adding AI to Insightly CRM?
Watch my AI Scheduling Assistant for CRM Setup Tutorial

About the Author:

Micah Feldkamp is an Insightly Hero & CRM Consultant specializing in Insightly software implementations.

January 11, 2018

4 CRM Resolutions for the New Year

The New Year brings with it a renewed sense of hope and optimism.

Will this be the year you land that record-setting contract? Does expansion into adjacent markets represent a growth opportunity for your company? Will that “pet project” you’ve been toying with for years finally become a reality?

Business owners across the globe are wrestling with questions exactly like these. Some even go as far as setting resolutions, committing themselves to specific deadlines and outcomes.

If you’re still mulling a few resolutions of your own, your CRM might not be the first thing you think of. In reality, setting a few CRM-related resolutions might be exactly what you need.

Here are four CRM resolutions worth considering.

Resolution 1: Consolidate

In today’s web-based world, it’s easy to spread your business activity too thin. For example, your inbox houses your most important customer interactions. Project-related information is all over the place, ranging from team members’ hard drives to shared document repositories. And, of course, your pending deals are tracked in your CRM.

Without a single go-to reference point, it’s difficult to properly align resources and develop realistic plans. To make even the most basic business decision, you may find yourself checking several overlapping systems. Granted, you’ll never find a single software application that serves every business need. (If you do, please let me know!) Therefore, the next best option is to consolidate as many data points into the tool that you use most: your CRM.

Here are a few thoughts for consolidating around your CRM:

Revisit Unused Features:

If your CRM offers tiered pricing plans, is it possible that you’re paying for features that aren’t being utilized? If so, could these features eliminate the need for other third-party apps? As an example, some Insightly users are surprised to learn that all plans include project management features (at no extra charge). Aligning project management and sales initiatives could yield additional economies of scale, improve delivery, and make an impact on customer satisfaction.

Consider Upgrading:

There’s no law that says you must remain on the same CRM plan forever. Unfortunately, many business owners are quick to deploy additional apps (with overlapping functionality) – rather than simply clicking the “upgrade” button. Upgrading usually comes with an upfront cost, but it could save you countless dollars in frustration later on.

Identify Out-of-the-Box Integrations:

Your CRM is never going to replace the need for your invoicing software or document collaboration platform. For those third-party tools your company just can’t live without, it may be possible to get the best of both worlds. Many CRMs, including Insightly, offer out-of-the box integrations with a variety of popular software applications. Although your team will still need to log into and maintain multiple systems, they’ll at least enjoy the benefits of a more information-rich CRM.

Build Your Own Integrations:

Thanks to webhooks and innovative API services, such as the Zapier platform, your team can build custom CRM integrations with minimal coding knowledge.

Resolution 2: Simplify

Consolidation is a logical first step, but it’s matched in importance by your next resolution: simplification.

Remember, a CRM offers minimal value to your business if it creates confusion and chaos. Although there are countless records being managed by your CRM, it’s wise to continuously and proactively seek a more simplified data structure.

How can your data structure be “simplified”? Here are a few tips for starters:

Set a Master Vision:

Do you have a vision for your CRM? What defines a lead? When should they be converted to opportunities? What information should be fed (or not fed) in from your other apps? Take an hour or two to storyboard this with your management team. Doing so will prove valuable as you consider other simplification strategies.

Merge Duplicates:

Does your CRM make it easy to identify and merge duplicate records? If not, how will your team stay on top of this important issue? Maintaining multiple records for the same person or entity is highly distracting, thereby detracting from your team’s overall productivity.

Clean House:

I would wager that at least 10% of the records in your CRM could be deleted without harming your business. Don’t believe me? Try this exercise. If you’re using your CRM to track your to-do list, sort your tasks by due date. Now, look for items that are more than a few days past due (or have no due date at all). I’m sure you’ll find at least one task out of ten that’s already been completed. Or, you may find an idea or two from long ago that is now irrelevant. Keeping outdated records only clouds your ability to hone in on what truly matters.

Revisit Your Admin Settings:

Is your tagging structure out of control? Would adding a few custom fields enhance how your team organizes its records? Study your use cases and revisit your CRM admin settings often. A simple adjustment or two could dramatically simplify your data structure – and make your end users happier.

Set Ground Rules:

In what circumstances should your team utilize a project record instead of a simple task? How frequently should your sales staff update the probability on their deals? These are all good questions that, if answered and documented, will help your organization become more successful.

Resolution 3: Sequence Smarter

Now that your CRM contains the right information (no more, no less), it’s time for the fun part: sequencing.

All things being equal, there’s only so much work that can be done. It’s therefore incumbent that you leverage your CRM to determine what should be worked on first, second, third, etc. In other words, which projects and prospects represent the greatest impact to your bottom line.

Let’s look at a few sequencing tips:

Automate Your Sales Priorities:

Not all leads and opportunities are created equal. Likewise, not all sales reps are as gifted as your top-grossing agent. Does your CRM offer automated workflow rules that could reduce friction in the lead delegation process? Could some basic lead assignment rules pay big dividends with minimal effort?

Categorize Your Projects:

As a business owner, you never run out of ideas. That’s a blessing, but it can also be a curse – especially when deciding what your team should tackle first. Staring at a huge backlog of product and service ideas can make everyone feel overwhelmed. A logical first step might involve the categorization of your projects into subgroups. Categorizing by customer segment, department, or product type could provide the clarity necessary to make more informed sequencing decisions.

Make it Visual:

Whiteboards are particularly useful for mapping out innovative processes. The same is true for sequencing your company’s strategic initiatives. A Kanban-style board, such as the one below from Insightly, can be tremendously helpful for deciding what to do next. It also offers a bird’s-eye view of what has already been done (or what is currently in progress).

Resolution 4: Build in Accountability

Most New Year’s resolutions fail for one key reason: lack of accountability.

As January and February start to fly by, the temptation is to lose sight of your goals. After all, you have existing customers to keep happy. New priorities can wait – right?

Without the right accountability structure, you may find your goals no further along in October than they are now. You need an accountability plan, and you need to build it into your CRM.

Here are ideas for doing that:

Be Specific:

“By June 1, 2018, we will have the new product available for beta testing. We will also have ten of our top customers ready to test it for us.” This type of explanation would likely serve as an effective starting point for a project description. Based on this, your team can then get to work and coordinate the related tasks, events, and milestones. (Bonus tip: Be sure to link all subsequent records back to your master project!)

Set Reminders:

Just because a task has been assigned (with a due date), it doesn’t mean it will actually get done. Remember, not every team member lives and breathes your CRM. Create another layer of accountability by ensuring tasks are set to automatically remind users via email. The “I didn’t see that task” excuse just became a nonfactor.

Let Your CRM Track the KPIs:

Does your current CRM allow you to build customizable reports? If so, can you bookmark them or save them for later? If you’re not sure, spend time to fully understand which KPIs can (or cannot) be easily tracked. In the product launch example mentioned above, a listing of all items linked to the master project might be especially beneficial. Once created, should you set the report to arrive in your inbox weekly? monthly? The answer might depend on your meeting cadence and aggressiveness of timelines.

Here’s to a Productive 2018

Your CRM is destined to play a crucial role in achieving this year’s business resolutions. By setting aside time to be more strategic with your CRM in 2018, you may be surprised at the many great things you can achieve.

Matt Keener is a marketing consultant and President of Keener Marketing Solutions, LLC. Matt specializes in content marketing and strategic planning, having helped numerous Saas (software as a service) companies and other small businesses worldwide. Read more of Matt’s work, get his book, or connect on LinkedIn.

December 20, 2017

CRM Gift Guide for Your Sales Reps

Your sales reps add a ton of value to your business.

With your sales department playing such an instrumental role, you might want to consider giving them an extra special gift this holiday season. No, I’m not talking about a premium subscription to the ‘jelly of the month’ club. I’m talking about turbocharging your CRM. Give your sales reps the full suite of tools they’ve been asking for.

Here are a few CRM gift ideas that are sure to be a hit at this year’s company holiday party.

Gift Idea #1: A More Visually Appealing Pipeline

Sales reps spend most of their time following up on individual leads and opportunity records. To ensure that your sales team is always working on the most important deals, you’ve probably built custom views and reports in your CRM. This is a great start, but it’s easy for reps to feel overwhelmed. A never-ending list of names and organizations is hard to get excited about. It can also make it difficult (if not impossible) to see the bigger picture, which directly impacts their motivation.

A more engaging pipeline could be exactly what your reps have always secretly hoped for. But, how can you deliver a more visually appealing pipeline? One option would be Insightly’s innovative Kanban-style sales board.

Unlike most pipeline tracking platforms, which offer nothing more than a “snapshot” of the status quo, Insightly’s Kanban view allows your team to create, edit, and convert deal cards on the fly. Instead of drilling down into each lead or opportunity, making adjustments, and then clicking “back,” records can be modified without leaving the master Kanban view. In addition, cards can be moved to the next (or prior) pipeline stage with a simple drag and drop.

A Kanban approach to sales offers several tangible benefits. At a practical level, record editing is significantly expedited. Perhaps even more importantly, it offers an at-a-glance overview of what should be worked on first. And, to be honest, it’s just more fun than a boring lead list report!

Gift Idea #2: A Conversion-Friendly Signature Line

Have you ever calculated the total number of emails sent by your sales staff each year? The numbers might be astounding.

Here’s a quick, back-of-the-napkin example. Let’s say that you have a dozen sales reps and each one sends 30 emails daily. Now, multiply this by 260 work days, and you’re rapidly approaching 100,000 emails. Check out my math:

12 sales reps

x 30 emails

x 260 work days

______________

= 93,600 emails

That’s 93,600 unique touchpoints with your best prospects. You’ve already invested significant effort perfecting your marketing newsletter templates – why not also give your reps a more consistent (and conversion-friendly) signature line for outbound sales emails?

Most CRMs offer customizable signature lines. For example, Insightly makes it easy for you to include staff photos, add custom hyperlinks, and modify the HTML code. Of course, it’s best to provide staff with a standardized template for making these edits (that’s where your gift comes in). If this sounds like something your reps would appreciate, think through these questions as a next step:

Who would develop the HTML code for the signature line template?
Do we need to bring in a professional photographer if we plan to use headshots?
Is now also a good time to adopt an online appointment scheduling tool?
Should we have a graphic designer mock this up before handing it off to be coded?
Would incorporating our company logo into the signature line be beneficial?
What special offers or programs (such as a referral program) should we link to?
Which UTM parameters should we utilize so we can track signature line clicks?

Gift Idea #3: A Library of Vetted Email Templates

Working in sales can sometimes feel like the wild west. Everyone is digging for the same gold, and there isn’t a moment to lose.

Continuing with this analogy, your sales team wants to spend more time panning for gold; unfortunately, too much of their time is spent on other activities (such as responding to email and composing new pitches). How can you help them free up time and find more gold nuggets?

This gift idea might be the perfect solution for your situation: a library of vetted email templates.

Now granted, your longest tenured reps already have their “go to” email templates. But, what about the new hires you’ve onboarded in 2017? Chances are, they’ve had to reinvent the wheel and start from scratch.

With a CRM like Insightly, creating a library of sales templates is simple. Just click the big red button and add your template. Once created, each new email template is automatically shared with each user on your account.

For the sake of discussion, let’s imagine your team struggles to cross-sell existing customers. Give the gift of simplified cross-selling with an optimized series of email templates. Here’s how:

Create a diagram with the optimal follow-up pattern.
Identify how many emails are needed.
Work with your top cross-selling team members to craft the ideal messaging.
Run the content past your editorial manager or content team (grammar counts!).
Create the email template(s) in your CRM (Tip: Use a logical category structure).
Show your team how to make the most of your creative gift idea!

Want to know if your gift is being appreciated? If you’re using Insightly, you’ll be able to see how many times each template has been sent, delivered, opened, and clicked.

Gift Idea #4: Lead Assignment Rules (without Drama)

“Why does he get all the big leads?”

Ever heard one of your sales reps mutter something like this? It’s definitely an annoying question to deal with. You do your best to be fair, but there’s always someone there to question your judgment. Sadly, with a manual lead assignment workflow, it’s difficult to escape.

An automated lead assignment workflow can reduce turf wars and improve relationships among staff. As an added benefit, you’ll also remove one additional bottleneck from your sales pipeline. No more waiting on a manager to review and delegate leads. Let the power of AI (artificial intelligence) do the “thinking” for you.

For example, if you’re a Pro or Enterprise Insightly user, you can build lead assignment rules to immediately assign new leads. Mix and match (using “and/or” logic) a variety of criteria, such as:

City
State
Zip code
Company size
Lead source

You could also go with a pure “round robin” rule that rotates lead assignments evenly over time. Either way, by automating your lead assignment rules, you’ll be out of the drama.

After all, who could blame a robot for being unfair?

(On second thought, maybe this gift idea is more intended for you!)

Gift Idea #5: Post-Order Automation

Your sales team loves selling. It’s what they do best.

Here’s what they don’t like: dealing with the many post-sale details.

Currently, after a deal closes, your order fulfillment team takes over and begins tracking delivery in a spreadsheet. This works to a certain extent, but your sales reps inevitably get pulled into countless internal discussions. Much of the information that is needed resides in your CRM, but your fulfillment team finds it easier to pester the sales staff.

It’s time to draw a line in the sand and expect greater post-sale efficiency. How? For starters, your fulfillment team needs to trade in its spreadsheet for a more robust project management system. If you’re already an Insightly user, you’ll be pleasantly surprised to learn that the system also offers a built-in project tracking tool. There’s no additional charge for using this feature, and, sales records can be seamlessly converted to “projects.”

Depending on your fulfillment model, your team can harness the power of milestones and pipelines to ensure an ideal customer experience. You could also consider mixing in workflow automation rules to further cut down on administrative back and forth.

Best of all, your staff will have access to the “full story” of each customer’s journey. Sales notes, emails, attachments, conversations, and other important information remain fully intact when the record is converted to a project. This allows your fulfillment team to get the answers they need – without bothering your reps!

Give the Gift of Efficiency this Holiday Season

Your sales reps have ambitious goals for 2018. To make this a reality, you must continuously find new opportunities for optimizing their time. Committing to a more streamlined CRM setup could be one viable path.

So, before you stock up on novelty mouse pads or coffee mugs this holiday season, consider the gift of a more efficient CRM. Your sales team will love you for it!

October 9, 2017

6 Signs It’s Time to Switch from Spreadsheets to a CRM

Your business is doing well. Sales are up and clients seem happy.

In the back of your mind, however, something has been bothering you lately. It’s your sales process. Since opening your doors, you’ve always relied on spreadsheets for managing the pipeline. Leads in one spreadsheet, customers in another. You even have spreadsheets to track tasks, projects, and revenue forecasts.

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” you tell yourself. But, something in the back of your mind still wonders. Do you have a broken sales process and just not know it?

In this post, we’ll explore six signs that it’s time to get off of spreadsheets.

1. Your Team Does More Admin Work than Engagement

“Keeping busy” isn’t a guarantee for success. In fact, spending too much time on the wrong things can actually lead to failure.

You obviously know this, as evidenced by the growth of your company. But, as you objectively examine your sales process, is it possible that your team is working on the wrong things – at the expense of customer engagement? If you’re like most companies using spreadsheets, these administrative tasks might consume too much of your staff’s workday:

Scrolling through hundreds of rows to find the right record
Keying in every new lead by hand
Moving closed-won leads to customer tracking sheets
Deleting or archiving closed-lost leads
Building and testing custom filters for segmentation purposes
Reformatting row and column sizes
Deduplicating overlapping records
Fumbling with chart wizards to generate meaningful business intelligence
Troubleshooting the inevitable formatting issue
Training new hires on what to do (or not to do!)

Clearly, your team has good intentions. They’re trying their best to make your spreadsheet-based system work.

As I’m sure you’ve already realized, there is a distinct opportunity cost to such an approach: less time selling and more time on busywork. Do you really want your top reps spending so much time on data entry?

Probably not.

2. Records are Always Inaccurate

Your business depends on accurate and timely information. As each moment passes, your data becomes less reliable. Some of this is natural – circumstances change rapidly in today’s marketplace. However, some of the dependability issues are caused by your spreadsheet-driven workflow.

Do any of these sound familiar?

Typos: It’s difficult to close a deal when you have inaccurate contact information. A mistyped email address or phone number creates another unneeded disruption to your follow-up process. Unfortunately, spreadsheets are breeding grounds for typos. So many cells to update in so little time!

Accidental Overwrites & Deletions: Stop and ask yourself this question: What exactly is a spreadsheet? Obviously, it’s a digital file consisting of rows and columns. There’s also a good chance that it’s a shared repository, accessible by your entire team. Keyword here being “shared.” The moment you share a file (on your network drive or via the cloud), you expose yourself to accidental overwrites and deletions. Granted, some cloud-based services allow you to track (and roll back) changes. Even then, knowing which version to restore is itself a chore.

Double Record Entry: What happens when a lead talks to two or more of your team members on the same day? Double record entry, that’s what. Since it’s impossible to keep your contacts in alphabetical order (given the nature of sales), some reps are less diligent in checking for existing records. It’s often easier to just add a new row to your spreadsheet and move on.

Formula Issues: Not everyone is a spreadsheet wizard like you are. To make sure everything in your spreadsheet works right, you’ve built in all kinds of complex tabulations and display formulas. As your team adds and edits records, things have been known to break.

3. You Have No Idea What Some Reps Do All Day

Most of your reps are rock solid. There are a couple, however, that you’re not so sure about.

Take Billy, for example. Billy rarely gets into the office before 9 am. (He claims to be “networking” at his favorite breakfast hangout.) After spending an hour or two “catching up on emails,” it’s already time for lunch. After an hour-long feast, Billy finally picks up the phone and appears to be making calls. He always forgets to update the deal tracking spreadsheet, which frustrates you to no end. Although, even when Billy remembers to update the sheet, he rarely provides much substance.

Billy does seem to hit his quota each month – but barely. You’re sure that if he would just apply himself more, he could achieve so much more.

Sadly, there’s not much you can do for Billy. At the moment, he only seems accountable to one thing: that is, his monthly quota. Even if you did assign other milestones for Billy to achieve, there’d be no great way to track them.

Alas, poor Billy will continue to drift along as a mediocre sales rep, and you’ll keep wondering why he’s not more motivated.

4. It’s Painful to View Your Pipeline

“I’d like to see open opportunities for our top-performing product, broken down by city, state, and sales rep.”

In a perfect world, you’d ask for things like this. In reality, you know this type of request would be nearly impossible to fulfill. The data is probably available, but making sense of it all is a completely different story.

Why? Here are just a few reasons.

Data Overload: Consider your lead tracking spreadsheet for a moment. That sheet has so many rows and columns of data that just opening it stresses you out. Alternate mailing address? Check. Sister’s married name? Check. Favorite golf course? Check again. But, where are the fields you really need, such as projected close date, probability of close, and product interest? Just finding the right data points can seem like more effort than it’s worth.

Pivot Tables Galore: The fun doesn’t stop once you’ve identified the correct rows and columns. If you’re comparing more than a couple data points, you’ll probably have to brush up on your pivot table skills. Have fun with that!

New Sales vs. Upsells: Since your data is siloed in separate spreadsheets, you’ll likely need to merge multiple data sets to get the answers you seek. After all, selling to existing clients is just as important as winning new business. Your pipeline should deliver a 360-degree view of your sales activity – not only demand for a specific audience.

5. Your Forecast is Always Wrong (Big Time)

A sales forecast should be more than just an accountability guidepost for your sales team. As a business owner, you need a relatively realistic view into the future as to ensure:

Payroll is met
Supplier invoices and bills are paid
Proper staffing changes are implemented to accommodate forecasted demand shifts
The right mix of equipment and tools are in place
Your production team feels like they’re kept in the loop
Existing customers still feel highly satisfied

No sales forecast is ever perfect, but it sure would be nice to get close once in a while! As you know all too well, spreadsheet-based forecasts can be notoriously errant.

A major cause for this inaccuracy involves accessibility of the sheet itself. Perhaps you’ve saved the pipeline spreadsheet out on a network drive. Or, perhaps you maintain a shared Google Sheets file. Either way, it’s practically impossible for your team to provide updates while on the go. (Have you ever tried to update a spreadsheet on your mobile device?) Unlike a mobile CRM, your spreadsheet-based system requires users to be physically in an office and using a computer. During busy weeks, several days may pass before reps have time to make updates.

How can you build a reliable forecast when sales information is stale by at least a few days? You can’t – it’s that simple.

6. Everything Just “Feels” Disorganized

Even if you could miraculously make sales spreadsheets work in your business, there’s one thing they definitely can’t do: organize all of your sales collateral.

I’m talking about:

Proposals
Quotes
Invoices
Presentation decks
Customer business cards
Brochures and whitepapers
Technical drawings
Spec sheets
Email histories

Most likely, you’ve created additional shared drive folders and inbox tags to organize this type of information. One folder for quotes, another for invoices, etc. That’s certainly better than nothing, but I’m sure it’s still a chore to find the right file – especially when you need it quickly.

Wouldn’t it be nice to have everything indexed by customer, lead, or prospect? For example, with Insightly, you can easily build links between a contact and all related correspondence and files. Working on a deal that’s gone through multiple proposal iterations? With Insightly, you’re able to get a full picture of how the relationship has progressed. There’s no need to dig through countless folders and inboxes – it’s all right there at your fingertips.

Even better, Insightly integrates with the industry’s top inboxes and document apps, making it even easier to find and organize your important sales information.

Time to Switch? I Think So

Let’s be honest – your spreadsheet-based system isn’t holding up its end of the bargain. It’s time you at least considered switching to a cloud-based CRM system.

DOWNLOAD OUR FREE EXCEL SALES TRACKER TEMPLATE to easily import your contacts into Insightly.

With the availability of free CRM platforms like Insightly, what are you waiting for?

October 5, 2017

Putting the Relationship Back into CRM

Find out what enterprises can do to go beyond sales force automation to create profitable and sustainable relationships.

Since its inception in the late 90’s, the proponents of Customer Relationship Management (CRM), and its community, have been promising a new nirvana of customer centricity. They have been working hard to build software platforms and social technologies to engage them, educate them, analyze their buying behaviors, entice them to purchase and then support them in solving their problems post-sale. But what has CRM really done to make the customer’s experience better than ever, and how has it helped businesses to grow by cultivating customer relationships over time?

Gartner, defines Customer Relationship Management as “the business strategy that optimizes revenue and profitability while promoting customer satisfaction and loyalty. CRM technologies enable strategy, and identify and manage customer relationships, in person or virtually. CRM software provides functionality to companies in four segments: sales, marketing, customer service and digital commerce.”

This definition of CRM clearly does not place the “relationship” at its core. While not inaccurate, it clearly considers the customers as something about which to strategize and optimize for profitability, rather than someone with whom to build a lifetime, personal relationship — arguably the key to long term business success. Tony Kavanagh, CMO of Insightly, explained, “Unfortunately, Gartner’s clinical definition of CRM is the spirit in which most businesses to date have built their customer relationship management systems and processes, using technology as a substitute for the care and attention that every customer expects. Moving forward this will not be good enough.”

Setting up for recurring sales

Sales force automation technology does a great job of converting leads into sales. However. the availability of an ever-increasing number of higher quality alternatives and the ease with which to access them, are placing greater demands on enterprises to cultivate lasting relationships driven by customer needs rather than commissions. The relationship part of CRM needs to address what happens after the money has been collected as much as before.

To address this gap, CRM data needs to facilitate project delivery and improved customization. Project delivery involves tracking the customer engagement with products services after the fact. In an enterprise sales context, this means looking at the timeline, customer satisfaction, trouble tickets in a way that is fed back into the sales cycle. This requires more than just a technology integration, but with empowering sales staff with the processes and mindset to follow up after a commission check has been cut.

When future industrialist Henry Kaiser first came to Washington state in 1906, he offered to be a salesperson for one of the area’s hardware stores. He was initially turned down when the manager said they had enough salespeople. Kaiser countered with an offer to focus on outside sales. He spent his days on construction sites and got to know the needs of the areas contractors, rather than selling products. Mostly he just helped short staff project managers find plumbers, electricians, and carpenters they needed to finish buildings. In short order, he was outselling the rest of the sales people combined as these happy contractors ordered the parts needed for these jobs from him.

Bringing customer insight across channels

It can be challenging creating this level of engagement across multiple touchpoints in a customer relationship. The goal is to make every customer feel like they are the only one, whether there are tens or tens of thousands of them. But customer interactions tend to be orchestrated across multiple channels such as sales calls, support requests, and project collaboration via web, email, chat, text. Customers can get easily frustrated if they feel like they starting from scratch.

Leading enterprises are starting to pursue a new style of engagement called moment marketing that engage customers across channels in a consistent and highly customized manner. The idea came from the mass consumer marketing space, but the concepts apply to enterprise engagements as well. The basic principle is to move from a predefined user journey or sales process to a style of engagement that matches a customer’s needs.

Forrester analyst Joe Stanhope explained, “It starts by bringing these channels and data together where you can mine it with a single customer profile. You start to understand more about your customers. You understand how they have interacted and where they have interacted to personalize engagements and create more relevance for your customers across these channels.”

Every relationship is unique

Quick sales are great for the bottom line in the short run, but are easy targets for upstart competitors. Longer lasting relationships require developing a far deeper appreciation of customers as individuals that goes beyond the traditional views of firmographics, demographics and purchase history.

This could include understanding:

the complex organization hierarchies in which they work every day;
the business partnership they have built;
their professional affiliations and associations;
personal preferences;
opinions; and
other signals expressed on public forums and social media.

Kavanagh said “All these insights, together, help businesses paint a clearer picture of who their customers truly are, allowing them to tailor how they more effectively communicate with their customers over their lifetime, ultimately forging stronger relationships.”

This requires bringing in a more complete view of a contact’s communications history, key relationships, events and tasks, social profiles, sales opportunities and project involvement. Enterprises can leverage this data to employ unique relationship graph engines and complex algorithms to automatically capture the links between contacts, organizations and the business relationships they share and use these insights to build detailed and multifaceted social profiles of their customers. In the long run this kind of approach not only build lasting business, it also strengthens the bonds of professional engagement and nurtures customers for life.

George Lawton is a journalist based near San Francisco, Calif. Over the last 15 years he has written over 2,000 stories for publications about computers, communications, knowledge management, business, health and other areas.

March 30, 2017

5 Tools Your Nonprofit Needs to Thrive in 2017

Are you ready to make 2017 your best fundraising year ever? Want to reach more people, target a wider base of donors and get your message heard far and wide?

Nonprofits face growing challenges–limited government funding and corporate sponsorship, a widening pool of competition, and higher needs among underserved populations make the work of nonprofits seem ever more difficult. Over the past few years many nonprofits have found that, in order to reach their goals they have to stop thinking like for-profits (although, it doesn’t hurt to incorporate a few of their best practices) and start playing up their unique strengths.

Nonprofits are the do-gooders and the changers in the world. Their impact stories touch hearts and change lives. Different than selling cars, insurance, or widgets, nonprofit don’t sell anything tangible. Instead, they give others the opportunity to make a difference. They help people pool together their money toward furthering a cause.

Even in a challenging landscape and with large goals, nonprofits have access to many tools at their disposal to help them be successful. Most nonprofits require gifts management system, the ability to send letters, a calendar to track grant deadlines, and the ability to process proposals.

As we move toward a more mobile-friendly society, nonprofits need to keep up with competition, so their voices can be heard and they can reach their supporters. Building on community connections, stewardship and “friendraising” is just as important as fundraising when it comes to furthering their cause.

Donors will shy away from hard-to-navigate websites. One of the primary goals of any nonprofit should be making donating as easy as possible.

So what are some of the top tool your nonprofit needs to thrive in 2017?

A CRM

If you’re still relying on spreadsheets to track your contacts, potential donors and community connections, it’s time to move forward! Adopting a CRM can seem daunting, especially when staff time is limited, but using a product like Insightly is simple, easy and intuitive. Once your employees see how they can share information, integrate with existing programs they already use and generally simplify their lives, they will be on board.

A CRM helps you steward your donors and keep track of all of the connections you’ve worked so hard to build. No more will contact information laps or slip through the cracks. No more will you be embarrassed because you forgot some key information about an important contact. You will be able to manage all of the information simply, easily and in one place.

Mobile Fundraising Tools

Donors are become increasingly comfortable with mobile giving. There are a number of options you can use to help simplify donations, even allowing donors to “text” in their gift or receive updates and alerts from your organization.

At the minimum, mobile-optimization of your website is critical, and your donation button needs to be front and center. If donors can’t find out how to support you, they will look for another cause to take their gift. Make it easy for them by offering online giving options, donations through Paypal, or using crowdfunding platforms like GoFundMe and Donorschoose to encourage support. Don’t forget to set up a wish list for donors who prefer to give in-kind rather than money.

Video

Video is a game-changer for nonprofits. With all charitable organizations it’s about the story, the message and capturing the impact of support on your populations. Your story is vital to your cause. If you’re using tools to help you do more good, and spend less time on administration, you should use that time to learn and work on your video and media presence.

Video enables you to share your story in an eye-catching way that connects with your volunteers and supporters in a way that other forms of media just can’t do. You don’t need to spend on fancy equipment, as many tablets and phones now offer video capabilities on par. Still, spending some time to learn software editing options and understanding how to shoot and compose quick video and share it with an audience can be a huge boost for nonprofits.

Social Media

Social media is still critical for nonprofits, and so many just don’t have the time to keep up! Optimize social media for donor stewardship and to share your message with your target audience. Social media can be a great tool to share the stories of your volunteers, network with others who might need your vital services, and of course, connect with supporters.

One of the keys to managing social media is to only bite off as much as you can manage–you don’t need to have Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and LinkedIn. Pick one or two platforms, your staff is most comfortable with and you feel connects with your target audience. Then stay consistent with your posting. Responsiveness is critical (the “social” part of social media), so make social media a priority but keep it manageable.

Design Software

Design is important when it comes to grant proposals and logic models. When a foundation or funder has tons of proposals to sort through, having an eye-catching piece can really make your proposal stand out. Having consistent branding and following best practices can help give your organization an identity that will resonate with your target audience.

You don’t have to be a graphic designer or spend major dollars on hiring someone with professional design skills. Many programs can be accessed only for free or very little cost. Canva, PicMonkey and other design programs help take your proposal and look from “basic” to “standout”. Use design elements to beautify your marketing materials, your website and for graphics you share on social media.

With a few simple and cost-effective tools, you can ensure that your nonprofit will have the best year ever in 2017. Use a few smart strategies to stretch your time and software investments and enable your staff to really succeed in a polished and professional market. You do great work–use helpers to work smarter, not harder.

At Insightly, we offer a CRM used by small and mid-sized businesses from a variety of verticals. Learn about all of Insightly’s features and plans on our pricing page or sign up for a free trial.

Share love, share Insightly: Refer Insightly, Receive a reward.

March 28, 2017

How to Feed the Buzz Machine

Turn It Up Tuesday: Tips from Insightly to Take Your Business to 11

Welcome to Turn It Up Tuesday, where we bring you 4 weekly tips—a tip on running your business, a tip on using Insightly CRM, a tip on improving your sales, and a tip on improving your life. Enjoy this week’s tips!

	Create New Leads Simply by Scanning Business Cards
	Networking events, trade shows, and expos have one thing in common: they’re particularly good at filling your briefcase with dozens of new business cards. In fact, if you’ve attended an event in the last few months, there’s a decent chance that you still have a few cards to organize. For a busy professional like you, manually sorting and keying in prospect data isn’t high on your priority list (as evidenced by your jam-packed briefcase). Luckily, if you’re on a paid Insightly account, there’s a nifty feature that you need in your life. Insightly allows you to scan business cards, thereby creating a lead or contact record. Here’s how it works. Launch the Insightly mobile app. From the app’s menu, tap “contacts” or “leads” (in this example, we’ll imagine that you’re adding a new lead). Tap the “+” symbol and select “scan business cards.” Your camera will launch, allowing you to take a photo of the card’s front side. Once you’re satisfied with the photo, click “next” to continue. Add additional details and adjust the record’s settings. To finish, hit “save.” Once your card is successfully transcribed and added as a new record, you’ll receive an email from Insightly. Goodbye manual data entry!
	Drive More Buzz to Your Booth
	Most companies attend at least one trade show per year. It could be a small event in your community, or it could be a highly anticipated expo in Las Vegas. Regardless of the event’s size, prudent companies take pre-event action to create buzz. What are some tactics for driving buzz at your booth? Here are a few ideas: Booth offers: Pens and folders are fine, but what can you give away that your audience will love? An exclusive free trial? A really wacky gift that your competitors would never dream of? You might even consider hosting a drawing (just be sure to play by the rules). Free tickets: Some event organizers will provide exhibitors with a limited number of tickets to distribute. Take full advantage of this opportunity. With ever-increasing attendance fees, your customers might really appreciate free admission. Targeted email blasts: A tasteful blast can go a long way to stir up buzz. If you’re attending a show in Indiana, sending an announcement to all Hoosier business owners (and possibly those in surrounding states) could work nicely. This can be especially effective when combined with the aforementioned offers. Email signature lines: Think about how many emails your team sends each day. Why not use the real estate in your signature lines to promote an upcoming event? Be sure to point out your booth number and link to an informational page. Example: Stop by our booth 100 at CRM2017. Click here for free tickets (Note: This is a fictional event).
	Don’t Skimp on Your Shoes (& Other Convention Tips)
	Trade shows might be good for your bottom line, but they’re probably not great for your health. Sure, you do get a lot of steps in, pacing from one exhibit to the next. Unfortunately, the floor is hard, the lighting is bad, and the food – well, let’s just say baked salmon isn’t on the menu. How can you have an event that’s both beneficial for your business and body? Here are a few simple ideas. Don’t skimp on your shoes – Seriously, you’re going to be on your feet for at least ten hours a day. You want something professional, yet comfortable. Something that cushions, yet has a thick and sturdy sole. Invest in the extra-thick floor padding – If you’re exhibiting at a larger event, you usually have an upgraded floor pad option. Do it, your joints will thank you later. Avoid the snack bar – Many convention halls also host concerts, sporting events, and monster truck festivals. The food options can, therefore, be less than desirable (unless you’re hosting a private buffet for clients, which gets pricey). Eat breakfast and supper outside of show hours and bring a healthy lunch for midday. Go outside – A breath of fresh air can be exactly what you need. Your eyes will also appreciate a break from the sterile fluorescent lighting! Make your next conference the best one yet. Spend time designing a plan that shows off the best version of yourself!
	Develop a Post-Event Sales Strategy
	Despite your best efforts, trade show leads are usually the most expensive to acquire. Think about it – there’s a lot of cost that goes into exhibiting: exhibitor fees, travel expenses, hotel rooms and food, promotional items, and the value of your (and your staff’s) time. After the dust settles from an event, the real work truly begins. You need a post-event sales strategy to deliver return on investment. Here are a few suggestions to consider: Develop a process for getting all lead information into your CRM. Using a business card scanning tool can expedite this process. You should also try to tag or categorize leads by the specific event. Once the leads are in your CRM, make sure each one has an assigned lead rating. This can help you prioritize your next steps, rather than staring at an endless list of newly created lead records. Draft an action-oriented follow-up email that can go out to your prioritized leads. Whether you use a prebuilt CRM email template or you allow your sales reps to craft their own messages, following up within a week of the event is crucial. For those leads that do not engage as a result of the initial email, follow-up calls may be appropriate. An activity set is also helpful for keeping your sales team on track. As leads convert (or fall out of the pipeline), circle back and estimate the effectiveness of your efforts. Did the event result in new business?

Would you like to share your tips with Insightly customers? Send them to us! If we use one in our weekly feature we’ll send you a $10 Amazon Gift Card! Contact us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, or send us an email.

Share love, share Insightly: Refer Insightly, Receive a Reward.

About the author: Matt Keener is a marketing consultant and President of Keener Marketing Solutions, LLC. Matt specializes in content marketing and strategic planning, having helped numerous Saas (software as a service) companies and other small businesses worldwide. Read more of Matt’s work, check out his book, or connect with him on Linkedin.

March 27, 2017

How to Keep Your Employees’ Skills Fresh

Are your employees reaching their full potential? Is your office running at max capacity, using the latest tools and technology at your disposal?

Chances are, even in the most efficient and tech-savvy offices, there is still room for improvement. Chance are also, it’s not the fault of your employees!

Small business owners often require their staff to wear several different hats. They run on shoe-string budgets. Whether it’s a startup or a mom-and-pop company, time is precious. Employees need to be efficient, flexible and willing to roll with new tasks and challenges.

So the question is, as a small business owner, are you keeping your employee’s skills fresh? Are you giving them the opportunity to really shine? Are they using skills they are naturally suited for, and successfully tackling new technology?

No matter the industry there are a few ways you can keep your employee’s skills fresh and up-to-date.

1.Train them on SEO Basics

SEO–Search Engine Optimization is becoming a basic skill on the small business front. What it means in the simplest language is “wording content so Google can find your company’s site”.

There are many people out there who will offer to “optimize” your site, one-time for you for a big fee. While you might need some expertise and help to get started, having internal help going forward can save you time, energy and stress, especially if you’re regularly adding dynamic content to your website.

Google’s (and other search engines) web crawlers and search tactics are always adapting and changing. SEO isn’t a one-time fix. Content can be boosted by current events, by news, and as the face of business changes. Training your employees on the basics will help them keep your company’s content on the forefront of web-searches (and make sure your customers can find you!).

2. Foster Web Development Skills

Similar to SEO basics, web development skills can mean the difference between outsourcing simple updates and being able to quickly resolve things in-house. In the long run having some basic web-development skills will help your employees feel more ownership over your site and better connect with your customers. This is particularly important for eCommerce businesses.

Your employees don’t have to be fluent in HTML or know how to build a website from scratch, but giving them a chance to learn basic updating skills can help your company stay on top of concerns, troubleshoot and quickly create content when the need arises.

Many employees can quickly learn the basics with online-tutorials and classes. You can also find one-on-one trainers to spend a day of professional development training your office with the basics. As a small business owner, you should also have a handle on how to develop your web presence.

3. Encourage Social Media Savvy

Most employees are familiar with social media from a personal perspective, and it’s easy to become complacent or assume they already understand everything about social media for business (a different beast). Encourage your employees to read industry-specific publications, sign up for webinars and training and become familiar with social media best practices that apply to your office.

Social media is a way to connect with your customers and engage with potential customers and your community. It’s imperative that you present a professional front that’s in-line with your brand and voice. Having a rogue post on social media, or unprofessional posts can really frighten customers away and even offend them.

Encourage employees to follow a simple social media protocol when it comes to engaging with customers. Have strong branding guidelines, and a grasp of your target audience will help employees stay on the same page when it comes to updating your social media and connecting with customers and clients.

4. Familiarize them with Software

So you have a CRM, billing and invoicing software, communications tools like MailChimp, calendar programs, scheduling, project and task-management systems. Great! How many of your employees actually know how to use all of the software tools at their disposal?

Chance are, your employees aren’t using your software to full capacity, and you’re losing out on time and productivity in the process. You can learn more about your CRM by visiting Insightly Help Center for a full list of training videos and webinars. Many of your company’s software providers will offer support and assistance.

While training your employees on the full-range and capacity of your software programs seems like a time-consuming endeavor, it can really boost your office efficiency. Your employees will feel confident and may even come up with great new solution and ways to solve problems.

5. Make Training Fun and Relevant

We’ve all sat through training that was boring and less-than-inspiring. Rather than forcing employees to snooze through another training session, encourage them to get involved with hands-on-learning and find fun, and creative ways to make training exciting.

Webinars, and videos are often more engaging than lectures, and employees can learn at their own pace as it aligns with their schedule. If you have to do in-depth training, offer breaks, snacks, and chances for your employees to get up move around and have some fun.

Make up incentives and challenges to help your employees feel enthusiastic about their training. Give them a chance to share their knowledge with other employees and take ownership of their new found skills.

6. Help Them Find Their Niche

Not every person is good at learning every new skill. Your salespeople might be wonderful at connecting with customers, but learning about SEO and web design might bore them to tears. Analytic employees might love to build information and add tags, fields and categories in your CRM, but might not enjoy social media.

Find the natural aptitudes of your employee base. In a small office, you all might have to tackle some jobs that are challenging or uncomfortable, but you should be able find the best fit for every task.

Play on strengths and discover what your employees feel enthused about. Rather than trying to fit a square peg in a round hole, let your employees guide you toward the things they really enjoy and feel good doing. When they are working on tasks they enjoy, they will bring their best work to the table.

Even small business owners can find the time to build up skills and keep your employees’ skills fresh. You don’t have to have a huge training budget or massive amounts of time. Use the tools at your disposal and find ways to help your team shine!

At Insightly, we offer a CRM used by small and mid-sized businesses from a variety of verticals. Learn about all of Insightly’s features and plans on our pricing page or sign up for a free trial.

Share love, share Insightly: Refer Insightly, Receive a Reward.

March 22, 2017

9 Things Holding Back Your Inbound Marketing

“Why are we not getting more leads from our website?”

Have you ever asked yourself this question? For a results-oriented business owner like yourself, simply getting a straightforward answer can even seem impossible. Everyone you talk to has an opinion, but no one can provide a definitive solution.

In my experience, there are nine common issues that business owners face when it comes to inbound marketing. In this post, I’ll share what each one means for your business.

Disconnected Sales & Marketing

As we’ve discussed in previous articles , sales and marketing are related – yet two entirely separate disciplines. Yes, they should go hand in hand, but unfortunately, that’s often not the case.

Unless you’re proactive, you may hear the following complaints or questions:

From your sales staff:

“Marketing is a waste of time and money.”
“The leads we get from marketing never call us back.”
“What does the marketing department actually do all day?”
“Why should I spend time on all these marketing reports?”
“The marketing team needs to move faster.”

From your marketing staff:

“The sales staff doesn’t like us.”
“Sales reps don’t communicate very well.”
“Why are inbound leads being ignored?”
“We feel disconnected from the customer.”
“Our content could be much better if sales would share feedback once in a while.”

How can you avoid such dissent from bubbling up in your organization? The first step is to take control of the situation. Don’t just assume that sales and marketing departments will naturally align on their own. If your goal is to improve your inbound marketing, you must make this crystal clear to all team members. Then, it can be wise to start a cross-functional team (comprised of sales and marketing leaders) whose shared mission is to facilitate a healthy, ongoing line of communication.

An Unmanageable Website

Even the largest of companies can have surprisingly terrible websites. (In fact, over the years, I’ve observed that there’s often an inverse relationship between company size and website quality.)

If your gut tells you that your website needs an overhaul, you’re not alone. Beyond your intuition, what specific factors contribute to an unmanageable website? Here are some signs that you’re dealing with one:

You can’t log in and make changes (at least not without calling a developer for help).
Your website hasn’t changed (or has changed very little) in a year or two.
When you look at your website, it makes you feel kind of queasy.
You don’t have a blog – and, even if you did, you wouldn’t know how to add a post.
It takes several seconds for any of your webpages to load – even on the fastest of Internet connections.
Your site isn’t responsive (in other words, it looks bad on a mobile device).
Very few leads originate from your website.
When you look for your company on a search engine, your domain is nowhere to be found.

Do any of these sound familiar? If so, perhaps it’s time you considered an upgraded web presence. As you formulate your plan, just remember that a website is more than a digital brochure. It also needs to be flexible and functional for your business needs. Partner with an agency that brings together a mix of graphic design, technical, and marketing know-how.

Poor Content

Even if you have a manageable website, it doesn’t mean that anyone will be able to find it. In fact, a beautifully designed website with little or poor content is destined for page three (or worse) of the search results. Search engines will only recommend your site to your intended audience if you use detailed, strategically targeted content.

How can you create better content for your website? Try these simple ideas:

Think Like Your Customers: What would you search for if you had never heard of your business? Try to be as specific as possible. Jot down a few keywords that come to mind. For example, if you’re a fitness repair company, your customers are likely dealing with a specific equipment-related issue. So, targeting words like “broken treadmill repair services” or “rowing machine maintenance” could yield positive results. To validate your assumptions, you might also try using a keyword research tool (there are many free and low-cost research tools to choose from).

Set Some Minimum Standards: I usually tell clients that effective articles contain at least 400 words and maintain a natural flow. Sure, you want to work in the occasional keyword, but do so casually. Also, be sure to define best practices for structuring your URLs and meta tags. Search engines use this information to properly index your content.

Make Content Part of Your Routine: Writing a blog article may seem like a lower priority. However, each new article is actually a piece of real estate your business can claim in the search engines. To beat the competition, find creative ways to capture and produce content ideas. For example, dictating into your phone (while on the go) can be an efficient way to get started.

Ineffective Calls-to-Action (CTAs)

We live in an increasingly nonpersonal ecosystem. People prefer text messages to phone conversations. They opt for one-click eCommerce rather than a local store clerk. The same is true for your website. Don’t assume people want to call you on the phone.

A call-to-action (CTA) is usually a button or hyperlink on your website, directing a visitor to take action. Offering a variety of well-crafted, strategically located CTAs can increase engagement and help you convert more visitors to leads.

What are some good CTA examples? Of course, it can vary by business model and niche. Here are a few quick examples:

Software companies

Free 30-day trial
Request a demo
Chat now (online chat)

Insurance agencies

Free quote
Request a call
Talk to an agent

Handyman services

Free on-site estimate
Ask a question

What CTAs make sense for your business? Once you’ve answered this question, design a landing page for each call-to-action. Then, as you craft compelling content, link from each article to the correct page. You might be surprised at how this simple step lifts your web marketing ROI.

Too Many Generalists

Many marketing professionals position themselves as a “jack-of-all-trades.” Social media plan? No problem. Relaunch a website? I’ve got it. Design a brochure from scratch? No worries.

To market your business in today’s competitive online environment, you need a diverse set of skills. Although there’s an important place for marketing generalists in your company, you also need a team of go-to specialists. These might include:

Graphic designers
Web copywriters
PHP / .Net developers
CMS consultants
Social media experts
Technical writers
Email marketing specialists
Video producers
Animation specialists
Marketing strategists
CRM consultants
Project managers

An effective marketing manager will gladly pull such resources together, rather than doing it all alone. By combining the collective genius of generalists and specialists, your team is much more likely to arrive at a robust web marketing program.

Don’t let your “marketing guy” (or gal) convince you otherwise.

Sloppy Inbound Lead Management

In time, an effective digital marketing plan will start to bear fruit. More people will begin to discover your website and calls-to-action, leading to a greater volume of inquiries. You may go from very few inbound leads to dozens within months (depending on your niche).

Be ready to handle the surge in activity; there’s nothing worse than turning away (or ignoring) new business that you’re not ready to handle. Here are a few suggestions.

Connect to Your CRM: Many CRMs (including Insightly) offer a web-to-lead feature, allowing you to seamlessly capture inbound requests as new lead records. If you’re already using a different form software or plugin, check to see if you can create an integration.

Enable Follow-Up Automation: Countless studies have shown that leads lose interest shortly after leaving your website. Consider enabling autoresponders that go out within moments of each form submission. Before enabling such a feature, spend time crafting a compelling, helpful message that adds value to the recipient. Prospects will appreciate the personalized service (and probably won’t realize it’s an automatic response).

Hold Your Sales Team Accountable: Some people are just stuck in their ways. I’m not saying this is the case with all of your reps; but, there’s a good chance some are at least skeptical of web leads. Create accountability by closely monitoring lead reports in your CRM. For greater clarity, you might even enable an automatic report that shows up in your inbox each morning.

Conflicting Lead Quality Data

Speaking of skeptical team members, your sales team may be telling you that inbound leads are much colder than the “normal” deals they’re working. This is helpful information, but it’s largely anecdotal. You need a way to actually measure the quality of incoming leads.

Get the answers you need by diving into your CRM. For example, if you’re an Insightly user, you might create a custom lead report containing the following criteria:

Lead name
User responsible
Lead source
Lead status

If, after filtering by source, you see that most web leads are stuck in “open – not contacted,” you may be dealing with a workflow or training issue. Are certain sales reps accidentally overlooking inbound leads? Or, do they not understand where to look in your CRM? Perhaps enabling email alerts would improve the situation?

On the other hand, your reps may have a valid point – especially if most web leads are quickly disqualified after creation. If this is the case, should you consider revisiting your web copy and calls-to-action? Perhaps your website needs a slight repositioning to more closely align with the sales process.

Ignoring Web Analytics

Your CRM isn’t the only place you should look for marketing insights. In fact, many businesses make the mistake of overlooking a wealth of data housed in their web analytics software.

Sure, most businesses at least go through the motions and enable an analytics package (such as the extremely popular Google Analytics service). Unfortunately, few take the time to dive in and get the most from it.

I could talk for hours on this subject. However, in the interest of being concise, I would simply pose the following questions. If you don’t have answers to these questions, it’s time you did.

How often do you personally receive web analytics information?
Does your company track “goals” (such as form submissions, chat sessions, etc.)?
Are your “goals” logically structured?
What is your goal conversion rate?
On average, how many visitors does your website receive?
What percentage of visitors are returning? …new?
What is the top referring source of new visitors?
Which landing page is most effective at converting visitors to leads?
What is your process for using web analytics data to shape your inbound marketing strategy?

Start with those questions, and you’re likely to come up with a dozen or two of your own.

The Next Emergency

If you’ve ever worked in the corporate world, you may have heard someone say, “The first things to get cut during a downturn are marketing and human resources.”

You’re obviously not a mega corporation. But, there is a thread of truth to this in your own business. Despite your efforts to make web marketing a priority this year, you always get pulled into the latest customer drama or crisis.

I wish I had an easy solution to this problem, but alas, I don’t. I would simply advise that you use your calendar strategically and proactively incorporate new marketing initiatives into your routine. Unless you’re motivated to improve your online footprint, there will always be something more pressing to grab your attention.

(Of course, hiring a marketing consultant – like me (shameless plug) – could also help hold yourself accountable. I’m just saying….)

Develop a Plan of Action for Your Inbound Marketing

Here’s the good news: inbound marketing (like most aspects of marketing) is an iterative process. Whether you’re struggling to develop compelling copy or dealing with poor lead management, there’s always hope that tomorrow will bring new efficiencies.

Try not to get overwhelmed. Rather, accept the situation you’re facing today and look for incremental enhancements. Give preference to solutions that will add the greatest value for the least amount of effort (or resources).

Try a few things, monitor the results, and continuously adjust. You can do this!

link to my article “How to Avoid Turf Wars Between Your Sales & Marketing Departments”

At Insightly, we offer a CRM used by small and mid-sized businesses from a variety of verticals. Learn about all of Insightly’s features and plans on our pricing page or sign up for a free trial.

Share love, share Insightly: Refer Insightly, Receive a reward.

March 20, 2017

8 CRM Integrations to Utilize More in 2017

Now that we’re well into the new year, it’s a good time to think about how you’re using your CRM. Are you making use of all the integrations that help streamline your workflow? Or, are you missing out on their full potential? Take a look at these valuable integration options so you can make the most of your software and watch your business grow.

Office 365

Microsoft Office 365 is the cloud version of the Office programs, available for a monthly fee. Documents can be stored on your local machine, or in the cloud, allowing you to work anytime, anywhere, on any device, including tablets and smartphones. Plans start at $10/month, ($8.25/month for annual commitments) and include: Outlook, Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and OneNote. PC users can also get Access and Publisher. Integrations with your CRM allow you to include documents in projects and share with other members of your team.

Because not every business uses Office 365, most CRMs, including Insightly also provide integrations with GSuite; the GDrive Apps that you can access for free, like Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Forms.

OneDrive

Microsoft OneDrive is included as part of the Office 365 experience. It’s a file sharing platform that makes it easy to share large files with one or more people. With this integration, you can automatically store project files in the cloud, and have them shared with anyone who’s on the project. It’s worth noting Insightly also integrates with Box and Dropbox, two other widely cloud storage platforms. This way, no matter which one you choose to use in your business, you’ve got an integration that will make your life easier.

Zapier

If you’ve got a paid Zapier account – plans start at $20/month – then you can create a lot of your own integrations and build workflow automations to increase efficiency and save time. Because Zapier works with more than 500 apps, you can force any number of integrations that aren’t directly available through your CRM provider.

Send your Gravity Forms contacts to Insightly, or create new contacts from new Gmail emails. Create Trello cards from new tasks. Create new opportunities from your email subscribers. Using Zapier, you’ll never have to worry about manually importing or exporting contacts, opportunities, or tasks again. Your zaps can be up and running in seconds, and save you countless hours over the course of a year.

Quickbooks Online

Unless you’re a professional bookkeeper or accountant, you know what a hassle it can be to track business income and expenses. Once you integrate the two platforms, you can view records and copy information between the two systems. You can link your Quickbooks information to organizations, projects, opportunities, or contacts. It helps you keep track of which contacts are bringing in the most money, and which ones are costing you the most money.

Hubstaff

If you need to track time spent working on a project – either on a project by project basis, or for hourly tracking – Hubstaff makes it easy. You can automatically track time on each task, assign priorities to users in your CRM, and push those to user desktops. You can see screenshots of what members are working on, ensuring they’re staying on task, and get in-depth reports of time spent on tasks.

MailChimp

MailChimp is an email marketing software that grows with your business. It’s free for up to 2,000 subscribers. This integration allows you to export leads and contacts from your CRM to your MailChimp lists, and import your subscribers as contacts. You can view campaign statistics, and update member information with your CRM data during export.

Microsoft Flow

Microsoft Flow is another task automation option. At this time, there are just over 100 apps that can be connected to automate processes and tasks, including Basecamp, Dropbox, Chatter, OneDrive, MailChimp, and many more applications you use.

The more integrations you can use with your CRM, the more efficient your workflow can become. Yes, it will take some time to set everything up the way that makes the most sense for your organization, but once that initial setup is done, it will make operations a breeze.

At Insightly, we offer a CRM used by small and mid-sized businesses from a variety of verticals. Learn about all of Insightly’s features and plans on our pricing page or sign up for a free trial.

Share love, share Insightly: Refer Insightly, Receive a Reward.

Scheduling Meetings In-Person

Scheduling Meetings via Email AI

About the Author:

Turn It Up Tuesday: Tips from Insightly to Take Your Business to 11

Create New Leads Simply by Scanning Business Cards

Drive More Buzz to Your Booth

Don’t Skimp on Your Shoes (& Other Convention Tips)

Develop a Post-Event Sales Strategy

1.Train them on SEO Basics

2. Foster Web Development Skills

3. Encourage Social Media Savvy

4. Familiarize them with Software

5. Make Training Fun and Relevant

6. Help Them Find Their Niche