CRM programs have been around for a long time, but many sales teams have been slow to adopt them. Maybe it's time to consider a few of the benefits.
1. Save Time
A CRM automates a lot of the usual time-devouring tasks, giving salespeople more time to do what they are actually paid to do: namely, sell to prospects. More time spent in front of potential customers (instead of shuffling paper) means more sales, which makes everyone happy.
2. Look Professional
Which do you think looks better to a prospect: a salesperson who keeps all their information in a computer database and can pull up vital details immediately, or one who keeps their information on Post-It notes and has to scramble for ten minutes just to find the scheduled appointment time?
3. Save Money
Sure, the more impressively arrayed CRMs can cost a lot of money. But if you don't need quite that much technology working for you, it's easy to find less expensive or even free alternatives. And just think how much you'll save on Post-It notes if you're putting all that information into the computer instead.
4. Convenient
If the whole sales team is using the same CRM, then it's easy to share that information as needed. Most CRMs allow you to develop templates for phone scripts or frequently used emails, and the team can share these templates. Many CRMs even support mobile devices, so you can access all that information from your iPhone or enter a few quick notes right from the prospect's office.
5. Secure
What happens when the nightly cleaning crew accidentally throws out someone's Post-It archive? With a CRM, information is usually stored either in a central database or in the CRM provider's system. At the very least each salesperson can back up copies of their individual databases to another computer.
6. Faster Lead Generation
A good CRM can help immensely with lead generation. For instance, many CRMs can integrate with website and social media campaigns, sending leads from these sources directly to the appropriate salesperson. That means the sales team is spending less time cold calling and more time working warm leads, which tend to be far more fruitful. And by tracking each salesperson's activities, it can keep lead lists up to date – so that you don't have five different salespeople calling the same lead.
7. Simplified Goal-Setting
By pulling all the data together into one place, CRMs make it easy to track performance both within and across the team. CRMs can also bring all this information together into reports that help with forecasting. Having this level of analysis available makes setting the next period's goals much easier... and makes it more likely that these goals will align with reality.
