Success with your CRM is not in the technical specs.
It’s how your staff apply your basic business process and how it’s maintained in your CRM system.
Think about it. Your CRM is a computer database which reacts to your commands. It builds data because you input data. It even makes assessment about what to do with that data, based on the types of information and the priority you provide when building that database.
It all comes back to the simple formula of people, process and technology.
You need the right people in your business to carry out the tasks. They need engagement and they need to feel they have the time tools and product to carry out their sales mission.
They need a unique-to-business process they can follow. They need it to be streamlined, they need it to be counted on. And management needs to be able to follow that process and understand where any individual contact is in the sales pipeline. That process should identify top performers on both the staff and client side and provide information to build analysis and reporting not only to govern decisions of the day but provide valuable insight into the future.
And when you have an airtight repeatable business process, you can mirror that structure into your CRM structure. The CRM only has the data input to work with. Staff need to understand and value the necessity for clean up-to-date data entering the system.
That all brings us back to the importance of people.
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) isn’t a computer program – it is good fundamental business process aided by an efficient computer database.
Gartner forecasts the CRM market to be worth $ 36.4 billion in 2017. That’s double the value just five years ago. The widening of markets, the deepening of competition and the complexity of customer needs has made CRM an essential part of day-to-day business operations.
And a necessary tool to make engaged staff that much more efficient.
Rick McCutcheon is a Dynamics CRM MVP with expertise in sales process design, social selling and CRM strategies. Rick has been involved in the CRM industry since 1990 as a company founder, senior executive, reseller, industry association board member, educator consultant and professional speaker. He is the creator of the Full Contact Selling (FCS) methodology for Dynamics CRM. He can be reached at rickm@fullcontactselling.com.