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Why You Should Integrate Marketing Automation with CRM Software

By Steve Stroz on Jun 18, 2018 3:00:00 PM

Businesses can integrate their CRM software to work with their other marketing programs and applications. One of the benefits of the software is that it will twist and bend to fit your marketing process, and not the other way around.

Marketing automation is now in just about every digital marketing platform. You can use marketing automation to access data and analytics about your target market, send personalized messages to a large audience, and take care of simple, yet essential marketing tasks.

Moreover, you can integrate marketing automation with your CRM software (ACT!, HubSpot, Salesforce, Zoho). For best results, businesses will use both of these aspects to improve their marketing and contact management.

A recent Business 2 Community article talks about integrating CRM software and marketing automation. The article explains how the two are separate but work well with each other:

"The more you understand your customer, the more targeted and strategic you can be in your communications. Tools provided by marketing automation can capture relevant data pertaining to your target audience, like how online visitors reached your website, which pages they visited (and for what duration of time), at which page they left, and where they went next."

Marketing automation provides businesses with a whole new well of data and analytics about their target market. Businesses can use this information to carry out more effective marketing campaigns.

In addition, they can also give this information to sales representatives to improve their customer relations. Sales representatives will learn more about their clients' behavior, interests, and purchase history.

Marketing automation is now a cornerstone of digital marketing. Many businesses already incorporate it into their marketing strategies to get data and analytics related to their target audience. To get even more out of marketing automation, you can implement it with CRM software and improve your customer relations.

To talk more about CRM software, or anything else, please contact us. Thanks.
Topics: ACT! CRM Zoho HubSpot
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Security and Contact Management Software

By Steve Stroz on Jun 14, 2018 3:00:00 PM

When businesses evaluate contact management software, they typically consider its benefits. With contact management software, businesses can organize their client base, get access to new data and analytics, and give their sales representatives a better chance at finalizing sales with customers.

But there's one crucial aspect that businesses forget to consider all too often. Now, consider once more the fact that contact management software helps you tremendously by organizing your clients (ACT!, Hubspot, Salesforce, or Zoho). Who else would love to have access to that information? What would happen if your client list were to somehow get copied or stolen?

We're talking about security, or course. When you use contact management software, there's also a risk of someone else stealing that data. If your competitors get access to your data and analytics, then what was once a huge benefit would suddenly turn into a colossal blunder.

And that's why you should always ask about security before using contact management software. Here's what a recent Forbes article has to say about the level of security contact management software provides:

"Security is a much more complicated idea for contact management, and this is where many systems have gotten stuck. Do you advocate an open model – where everyone sees everyone else’s data – or something really closed, where you can only see someone’s data given the right combination of a public and private key or other multi-factor auth?"

This doesn't mean that you should avoid contact management software at all costs. The benefits are still the same, but you just have to make sure that the software has adequate levels of security.

Contact management software can have a big impact on a company's sales. But if that software is insecure, then it represents an alarming risk that could destroy a business. Before using contact management software, always ask about its security.

To talk more about contact management software and security, or anything else, please contact us. Thanks.
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What Went Wrong with Implementing Your CRM Software?

By Steve Stroz on Jun 10, 2018 3:30:00 PM

We often stress that how you implement CRM Software is just as important as the quality of software itself. You can purchase the best CRM software available, but if you don't integrate it with other applications and train your employees how to use it, it won't have a big impact on productivity.

We're drawing attention to this matter since we've seen it happen with so many companies. When there's no dramatic increase in productivity, business owners tend to blame the software. But oftentimes the problem stems from the implementation rather than from the software itself.

A recent LinkedIn article explains that implementing CRM software isn't easy. According to the article, if companies don't implement CRM software correctly, it will comprise its functionality.

"CRM implementation and adoption is not trivial and requires extensive engagement with all stakeholders to deliver the optimal result for the business and all stakeholders. I have experienced personally and continue to witness, CRM projects put at risk because initial functionality works then suddenly stops working – for a plethora of reasons."

There are two things you have to concentrate on when adopting CRM software. First, you have to integrate it with other applications. CRM software (ACT!, HubSpot, Salesforce, or Zoho), for example, is much more effective when it's used alongside social media and email platforms.

The other side is training employees so they know how to take advantage of the software. If sales representatives have access to CRM software but don't use it to research clients, they won't improve their sales process at all. Employees have to learn to incorporate the software into their everyday tasks.

In order for CRM software to be effective, you have to implement it correctly. If you've already purchased CRM software and are underwhelmed by its impact, then you should try training your employees or integrating the software with your other applications.

To talk more about CRM software, or anything else, please contact us. Thanks.
Topics: ACT! CRM Zoho HubSpot
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The Most Common Issues with Contact Management Software

By Steve Stroz on Jun 7, 2018 7:15:00 PM

Before implementing contact management software, it's just as important to know what you shouldn't do as it is to know what you should do. Most businesses that purchase contact management software are happy with their decision because they take the time to implement it correctly.

Other companies, on the other hand, aren't so patient. Rather than training employees and teaching them how to use contact management software like ACT!, HubSpot, Salesforce, or Zoho, they just throw it at them. These companies never fully utilize the software because they never implemented it correctly.

A recent LinkedIn article explains what exactly businesses shouldn't do regarding contact management software. Here's a list of why some businesses don't have success with it:

Failure to define your customer experience strategy
Failure to design with sales, service and support staff being the primary internal ‘customers’ and users
Failure to integrate social selling and marketing automation
Failure to embed sales methodology and sales process.
Failure to configure to be a deal management and sales coaching platform.
Failure to integrate as the single source of truth for the entire customer lifecycle
If you've purchased contact management software and were expecting a bigger impact, then you might want to check the list above. More likely than not, the problem stems from one of these failures.

What most businesses don't understand is that contact management software affects the entire company. It's not just something that sales representatives should refer to before speaking with clients. Marketing teams and managers should also look at the software often.

Most problems that businesses face with contact management software are easy to solve. All you have to do is look back at the implementation of the software and see if you skipped any steps. Even if you're past that point, there's always time to go back and fix what's wrong.

To talk more about contact management software, or anything else, please contact us. Thanks.
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3 Major Tactics to Improve Your Customer Retention Using Your CRM Software

By Steve Stroz on Jun 5, 2018 5:00:00 PM

Let’s face it, customer retention is a hot objective for any business model. In fact, it is far easier (and cheaper) to retain an existing customer than it is it gain a new one. Repeat customers are essentially the “bread and butter” to creating residual income and a reputable source for word of mouth advertising. In what ways can you improve your customer retention to maintain these loyal buyers that have a huge impact on your overall bottom line?

The good news is that your CRM software (like ACT!, HubSpot, Salesforce, and Zoho) has the features to help you create an exceptional customer service experience through being proactive in handling customer concerns, keeping your customers happy, and influencing them in a way that they write rave reviews about you on their social networks.

The following are 3 tactics you can implement in your customer service model to boost customer retention.

#1 Be Engaging

Now that your web-based CRM system is integrated with your social networks and email software system, you can engage with customers much faster in addressing complaints, concerns, or even feedback. Take advantage of this feature to be more interactive and involved with your followers. It just shows that behind the company name you are indeed a real person who genuinely cares about the customer.

Here are a few tips to becoming more responsive with your customers:

Reply promptly to complaints with a plan of action of what you will do to correct the issue (or direct them to someone who can)
Try to answer each question/comment…even if it’s a simple “thank you”
Ask questions to get feedback on a certain topic to create involvement
Send birthday wishes …these gestures can make a lasting impression on how your customers view their relationship with you

#2 Delivering Outstanding Customer Service

There’s a lot that can be said in providing incredible customer service. However, the best kind of service is creating a unique, personalized experience that is catered to that individual customer. You know, the kind of treatment that makes someone feel special because you’ve gone out the way to discover their exact needs and pain solutions.

You can deliver amazing service by:

Ensuring your sales force has mobile access to CRM when meeting face-to-face with customers so the details are readily available for retrievable
Having a system in place that all sales members input accurate customer information as it is given to them for fresh, up to date records
Using CRM to email customers when there is an open case regarding an issue or complaint…this keeps customers in the loop on the status and progression
Segmenting high-value customers using groups or list features within your CRM so it is visible to your entire sales team

#3 Reward Team for Excellent Performance

Customer service and retention essentially begins with your sales team. Your CRM system can keep track of individual team members, tracking information such as production, revenue, complaints handled, engagement, etc. Use these numbers to reward your team on a regular basis to keep them motivated and excited about the vision of your business.


Creativity goes a long way with developing staff incentives! In addition to, a great suggestion here is to have ongoing training in the area of customer retention. All sales members (and anyone who has interaction with customers) should be familiar with these strategies to be utilized fully for business objectives.

These simple yet valuable tactics will certainly help improve your customer retention, thus sustaining a loyal customer base and steady residual income. Please contact us for additional tips and tactics on more CRM strategies to retain your customers in your business.

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Approach Contact Management Software Empirically

By Steve Stroz on Jun 1, 2018 3:00:00 PM

There are many guides out there today telling you how to purchase the right contact management software. These articles often stress choosing software that's sold by a reputable vendor or buying based off of your friend's own personal experience. Some guides will even tell you to purchase the same contact management software that your competitor has if it worked for them.

Now, these indicators aren't necessarily wrong. The best contact management software for you might be sold be a reputable vendor, recommended by a good friend, or used by your competitor. But at the same time, none of these automatically mean that the software will be right for you.

You have to accept that your business is unique and what works for you might not work for anyone else. Conversely, what works for others may not be effective for your business.

What you should really do is come up with a way to empirically evaluate potential contact management software (ACT!, HubSpot, Saleforce, Zoho). According to a recent LinkedIn article, this is a better way to purchase something as opposed to blindly following other people:

"The CRM that’s best for you and your business should be based off of the careful definition of your operational requirements, not vendor hype, golf buddies, frenemies, free trials, or any other silly reason. If you find yourself falling prey to these, get back to evaluating empirically."

The reason you should choose a contact management software based on your own evaluation is because your management style, sales process, and customer service are all unique.

There are many articles and blogs telling business owners to buy contact management software or CRM software based on what other people are doing. But in reality, it's better to decide for yourself based on your own empirical evaluation.

To talk more about contact management software, or anything else, please contact us. Thanks.
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Where to Start Improving Your Marketing Process

By Steve Stroz on May 25, 2018 3:00:00 PM

So what are the things you should focus on in your marketing plan? It's all about finding your target audience and articulating a specific need that they have. Your goal is to convince consumers that your product or service fits that specific need.

A recent Business 2 Community article walks you through the steps of planning a marketing strategy:

"Plan your marketing using a strategy-first approach to clearly identify your target market, define your positioning and create an identity. Discovering your target market or ideal customer is a foundational element of getting any business on track. Your marketing requires a positioning strategy for success. You’ve got to carve out a mental position in the mind of your target market or ideal customers."

These are just the basics, and they were established decades ago. The new factor businesses need to focus on is technology. Marketers now have more tools than ever at their disposal. What counts is how you use them and incorporate them into your marketing process.

CRM software like ACT!, HubSpot, SalesLogix, and Zoho, are popular solutions for marketers. Sales representatives use it on a daily basis, but marketers can learn from the information and data it collects. With CRM software, you can find out:
•Patterns in clients' behaviors.
•Which demographics buy which products
•How often clients return for repeat orders
•Who your loyal clients are

With this information, you can optimize your marketing process. If you find out that your target demographic is a little younger than you expected, then you can start to incorporate more social media in your marketing efforts. Whatever you find out from CRM software, you can use it to improve your marketing process.

To talk more about your marketing process, or anything else, please contact us. Thanks.

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Why Sales Representatives Are More Affected by CRM Software Than Anyone Else

By Steve Stroz on May 21, 2018 3:00:00 PM

 

Make no mistake about it, CRM software, like ACT!, HubSpot, Salesforce, and ZoHo, will make its biggest impact on your sales team. Your sales representatives will have to change their daily routines to incorporate the software.

And that's not a bad thing. Instead of relying on memory to prepare for a client meeting, sales representatives will be able to refer to the data collected by CRM software. So instead of thinking "I think he likes to buy X product during this time of year," they'll know that a specific client places an exact order on the third Friday of every month.

A recent Small Business Trends article talks about the impact CRM software makes on sales teams. According to the article, the software makes sales representatives more effective at closing sales:


"With CRM, your sales team will be effective at attracting prospects, closing sales, generating qualified referrals and managing existing customer relationships. Your business will grow in revenue by utilizing a CRM application that helps you track sales activity, lead generation and customer status — capitalizing on the data management power CRM delivers."

Now, we should also mention that this is only the case if the CRM software is implemented correctly. If it's not, then sales representatives won't make it a habit to refer back to the data. The software will be there, but no one will use it to its full advantage.

If you implement CRM software correctly, however, your sales representatives will be more informed and better equipped than ever. Once your sales increase, you can start to focus on the other uses of CRM software, like its role in a marketing campaign.

To talk more about CRM software, or anything else, please contact us. Thanks.

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