How a CRM Helps Sales
Every business wants to sell more. The most common use for a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system is just that: to help sales.
This usage is so central that many systems and vendors have a unique name for it: Sales Force Automation system, or SFA for short. (Because technology always needs more acronyms.)
Here are five key ways a CRM (or SFA) can aid your sales staff in identifying, responding to and closing sales opportunities.
Gain Customer Insight
A CRM centralizes key customer information that helps sales identify when to act. Vehicle Specialties uses their CRM to show sales reps account revenue history for the past 24 months. With visibility into buying patterns, reps know when a particular account is becoming less active and can then reach out to identify and respond to a developing issue.
Organize Leads and Opportunities
A CRM provides a place to capture information about potential customers and specific deals. One CRM client automatically brings leads into their CRM from their website and an industry-specific list provider, sorts the leads by services requested and how hot/cold they are, and then assigns them to specific sales reps to follow up. The CRM becomes a dashboard for new potential sales.
Manage Sales Activity
With an abundance of relevant customer and sales information, it makes sense a CRM would provide tools to schedule calls and meetings for customers, leads and specific deals. Communication history is organized, accessible and related to the specific contact or lead. Sales teams can quickly see what’s been done for and said to a contact, so reps aren’t tripping over each other. And reps can make sure nothing is falling through the cracks.
Automate
SugarCRM can automate activities as well. One CRM client ranks their accounts by revenue (A is the highest volume, D is lowest). If a sales rep hasn’t recorded a call to an A account for two weeks, the CRM automatically schedules a call. The CRM schedules a call for a D-ranked account if no contact has been made for 3 months. The automation and ranking ensures every type of account receives appropriate attention, and fewer opportunities are lost.
See Your Sales Pipeline
This can be a main driver for sales management and even individual sales reps who want to know what’s in their hopper and where an extra push may be needed. A pipeline dashboard chart can give an at-a-glance picture of potential revenue in the pipeline, either for a single rep or for entire teams. Clicking into a sales stage will display specific sales opportunities in that stage. Clicking on a sales opportunity will display the detailed information and all associated activity. Deals don’t get lost. If deals stall, reps and management know it and can identify and address weaknesses in the sales process.
Know of other key benefits of a CRM for sales? Share your thoughts below.
If you’d like to know more about a CRM, visit our CRM page or give us a call.
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