When a business puts together a strategy for their sales, there are many aspects that need to be given attention to in order to maximize profit in the shortest amount of time. Because of this, businesses can sometimes struggle with deciding what strategies they should be prioritizing, and which ones they can put less of a focus on. If you’re unsure of where that attention should be for your business, it’s time to let you in on a little secret: that CRM should be at the center of your sales plan, no matter where you are in the cycle.
Here’s why:
It’s One of the Most Affordable Types of Marketing
Today, businesses spend a lot of money on marketing. Whether it be through rebranding a product or paying for Facebook ads, it’s all costly. Spending so much money on all of this can be a bit preemptive, too, as one can never really know how those investments will pan out over time. Therefore, it’s important to find ways to expand your marketing strategy, without needing to take such a huge risk financially.
This can be done through your CRM strategy. It’s a known fact that good customer service doesn’t need to cost a thing. Once customers are satisfied (or even better, delighted), they are very likely to refer your business to others. And, with the way social media and review websites have taken over, this can be a great way to market your business essentially for free.
You’ll Know Which Leads are Worth Focusing On
If you’re having even the slightest growth in your business, then you probably already have a good idea about which leads have been successful and which ones have fallen short. Any person can gauge easily what strategies are working and which ones need improvement. But, instead of going back to the drawing table altogether, don’t get too discouraged; you just need to keep doing what you’re doing well — and, if you take a second to think about what that is, you’ll realize quickly that it’s your CRM.
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So, when you look back on your successful leads, what was it specifically that you did right? Did you spend more time talking with someone before making a sales pitch? Did you provide a lot of value to someone for free via your content strategy? Or, did you give them incentives to join, like a discount or sign-up promotion?
It doesn’t take a marketing expert to see what all of these things have in common!
Because Without a Great CRM Strategy, Nothing Else Really Matters
It’s obvious why CRM needs to be the center of your sales plan. Customers are the sole driver of profit to your business. Without them, your business wouldn’t even exist in the first place. They are the ones in need of your products or services, and if you can’t make them feel special, they aren’t going to give you the time of day.
Having good and reliable customers can only be achieved when you prioritize your CRM above everything else. While it may seem that other aspects of your business need attention, CRM is truly the root of all of those other things — from your marketing to your content strategy, to your website’s accessibility, etc.
It’s Easy to Prioritize CRM with Email Marketing and Marketing Automation
In addition to CRM being the most affordable form of marketing, it can also be the least time-consuming. Because you can easily incorporate a solid CRM strategy into your email marketing, you can give your customers what they want in a click of a button. From sending welcome messages to shopping cart reminders, or birthday discounts, they should drive that content completely. This will give momentum to your business and keep the sales cycle going.
Luckily, creating all these emails is a walk in the park with marketing automation. Putting your customers at the center of every email you send out is simple. Set everything up how you want to well ahead of time. Then, automate it so you can go about business without needing to check your computer all the time. When you’re done, take a look at your reports. If you made sure that CRM was the focus of each email marketing campaign, it’s likely you’ll see positive results.