Five essentials to ensure CRM success for small business

You might have probably seen infographics and read blogs about the wide number of things that a CRM can do. Despite its enormous potential, some of the small business owners couldn’t reach their business goals.

It is easy to blame and form an opinion about a CRM. But what about the business owners? Were they on the right path? Did they take the perfect decisions?

You can’t unlock the door without the right key. Similarly, you can’t expect returns when you have invested in the wrong solution.

Each CRM is designed uniquely and has a different purpose. Some might be too complex while others might have a simple interface.

Some are designed for large-scale enterprises, while there are few tailored for small businesses. They are even divided into different types like operational, analytical, strategic and collaborative CRM. For ensuring CRM success, few things need to be done right.

Crucial components for success with CRM software for small business

CRM has the potential to increase revenue by 41% per sales personnel. This positive statistic implies the effectiveness of a CRM system. But, to experience this, you need to take the perfect decision and choose the best fit for your organization. It is surely not an easy task, but it isn’t even an impossible one.

Follow these simple steps to ensure CRM success for your small business:

1. Plan the implementation

“Every minute you spend in planning saves 10 minutes in execution; this gives you a 1,000 percent return on energy!” ― Brian Tracy

Investing in a CRM solution is a big decision; so ensure you plan it well. The implementation of a CRM is being undertaken to address a specific issue. Therefore, elaborate on the issue.

• What is it that’s stopping you from embracing growth?
• Involve your sales teams and see where they are facing problems.
• What changes can improve their sales performance?
• Conduct gap analysis and find the missing pieces.
• See where you are now and where do you aim to be.
• Which part of your sales could better with a CRM system?
• Find out what kind of CRM do you need to overcome the problems.
• Which features of a CRM can help in addressing the issues?
• Create a timeline and budget for implementing the CRM.

Take note of everything you need or discuss to ensure you don’t miss out on anything during the CRM implementation process.

2. Pay closer attention to your processes and data

For CRM success, the data and processes should be accurate. There might be a few things that you wanted to fix from long but couldn’t due to lack of time.

Give attention to those processes and data before moving forward. Find out how can you make your processes better. Do the necessary amendments in real-time. Your processes should be cutting-edge.

Moreover, your data needs to be clean and relevant. Otherwise, there is no point in investing your time and budget in a new solution. You will just end up stuffing the system with unnecessary data.

Relevant data is the key to achieving growth with CRM. Only keep the data that is important for your organization and remove the rest. Don’t be in a hurry while doing this task or you might end up deleting the useful information. Eliminating the noise makes CRM implementation more successful.

3. Vendor consideration

Once you have analyzed your gaps and identified your problems, make a list of vendors that can help you in addressing those issues. But, make sure you ponder over all the factors while doing that.

Most of the solutions have a hidden cost attached. Some vendors don’t include the necessary sales features in the basic plan. You’ll have to pay more to get the advanced features.

Therefore, I had asked you above to find the features you need for your small business. Based on that, select a solution that gives you all those features at a cost-effective price.

Don’t follow the crowd blindly and opt for a popular CRM system. Such CRM solutions are expensive as they are designed for large enterprises.

You’ll just end up paying for the features you don’t need for your business. Research and find out the CRM that can help a small business grow. Read the reviews about the CRM on various review sites before settling for one.

4. Try the solution

Most of the CRM vendors offer 15 or 30 days of free trial. So, make the most of it and try the CRM system to explore its various features. See if it is the right system for your business. Find out how it can benefit your sales team.

Evaluate the system; see if it has the qualities you are looking for. If you get stuck anywhere, then connect with their support team and discuss the concerns with them. Clear all your doubts and take their help where needed.

5. Look for an easy to use & simple CRM

Sales teams have a lot on their plate. They don’t have time to learn new technologies. If the CRM is complicated, they won’t show much interest in it. So, for CRM success make sure you choose a solution that’s easy to use.

Every sales rep wants to minimize their work and increases their productivity. They will willingly accept the software that isn’t difficult to adapt. Plus ensure that it provides round the clock support. So that your team gets the help they need, to use the CRM efficiently.

Wrapping up

A CRM should be smartly designed to help you. But even you need to put in a lot of effort.

CRM implementation is a crucial decision. So, take it wisely. Research and explore everything.

Choose the best CRM that is tailor-made for small businesses. Salesmate is one such CRM. This intuitive CRM is an all-in-one solution for a small business. Using this smart CRM, you can manage all aspects of your sales efficiently.

It helps you in managing your deals, analyzing your performance and tracking all your outbound emails. With the help of Salesmate CRM, you can not only track your sales cycle but also maintain long-term relationships with your clients.

Moreover, it allows you to integrate with various third-party tools to work with more functionalities. This advanced CRM comes with a built-in virtual phone system so that you can manage your calls and sales deals from one platform. Maximize your efficiency and close more deals with this all in one sales solution.