Advantages of a CRM: three steps to help you find the best one
Posted: Thu Dec 05, 2024 4:58 am
There are hundreds of tools listed in Capterra’s CRM software directory alone, not to mention the market as a whole. Available features range from simple real-time data management to full business process automation, and from free to costing hundreds of dollars per month.
The three steps outlined below will help point you in the right direction so you can evaluate the key benefits of a CRM and start building a list of options. These will encourage you and your sales team rather than exhaust them.
1. Ask yourself if you really need a CRM tool
Before you incur another monthly expense, make sure that investing in a CRM is the right step forward. For starters, make sure you don’t buy a customer management system before you have clients.
A popular early tool for managing customer and prospect belgium whatsapp number data information is the humble spreadsheet, and there are plenty of useful Excel dashboard templates to help you when you're in that early stage of business. However, there will come a time when they just won't work as well anymore, and this is where a CRM comes in handy.
Here are some possible reasons:
Your team has grown and too many people are editing the same spreadsheets
The time it takes to maintain relevant information has increased substantially
Spreadsheets are no longer a secure way to store sensitive customer data
Get organized with your free Excel sales funnel template
Do you want to simplify the way you manage sales opportunities? Download this free sales funnel template and try it now.
Work email
Send
Your data is processed in accordance with our privacy notice . You may unsubscribe at any time.
Once you reach the ceiling of Excel's core benefits and it becomes more of a burden and a waste of time on repetitive tasks, it's time to turn to something a little more advanced.
The benefits of a CRM for relationship and data management are numerous, including the fact that it requires less manual work and is a much more secure way to manage valuable customer data automatically.
2. Do your homework before you start looking for a CRM to buy
Once you're sure you need a CRM, figuring out which one best fits your needs and budget can seem like a daunting task, but the key is to start with some internal analysis.
Before you get overwhelmed by the dazzling features and all-in-one promises made by CRM market leaders, start by segmenting the daily functions that you and your marketing and sales team perform. Once you do that, you need to break them down into categories based on the function and tools you’re using.
For example, managing registration forms and searching for new customers on the web would fall under lead generation and business opportunities. Another example would be updating spreadsheets and using the data to create forecasts, the implementation of which would fall under the category of administrative work.
This will help you navigate the value propositions and product pages of different CRMs and direct you to those that are most suitable for your needs. Plus, you’ll get a solid overview of the tools that manage all facets of your and your sales team’s daily tasks.
The three steps outlined below will help point you in the right direction so you can evaluate the key benefits of a CRM and start building a list of options. These will encourage you and your sales team rather than exhaust them.
1. Ask yourself if you really need a CRM tool
Before you incur another monthly expense, make sure that investing in a CRM is the right step forward. For starters, make sure you don’t buy a customer management system before you have clients.
A popular early tool for managing customer and prospect belgium whatsapp number data information is the humble spreadsheet, and there are plenty of useful Excel dashboard templates to help you when you're in that early stage of business. However, there will come a time when they just won't work as well anymore, and this is where a CRM comes in handy.
Here are some possible reasons:
Your team has grown and too many people are editing the same spreadsheets
The time it takes to maintain relevant information has increased substantially
Spreadsheets are no longer a secure way to store sensitive customer data
Get organized with your free Excel sales funnel template
Do you want to simplify the way you manage sales opportunities? Download this free sales funnel template and try it now.
Work email
Send
Your data is processed in accordance with our privacy notice . You may unsubscribe at any time.
Once you reach the ceiling of Excel's core benefits and it becomes more of a burden and a waste of time on repetitive tasks, it's time to turn to something a little more advanced.
The benefits of a CRM for relationship and data management are numerous, including the fact that it requires less manual work and is a much more secure way to manage valuable customer data automatically.
2. Do your homework before you start looking for a CRM to buy
Once you're sure you need a CRM, figuring out which one best fits your needs and budget can seem like a daunting task, but the key is to start with some internal analysis.
Before you get overwhelmed by the dazzling features and all-in-one promises made by CRM market leaders, start by segmenting the daily functions that you and your marketing and sales team perform. Once you do that, you need to break them down into categories based on the function and tools you’re using.
For example, managing registration forms and searching for new customers on the web would fall under lead generation and business opportunities. Another example would be updating spreadsheets and using the data to create forecasts, the implementation of which would fall under the category of administrative work.
This will help you navigate the value propositions and product pages of different CRMs and direct you to those that are most suitable for your needs. Plus, you’ll get a solid overview of the tools that manage all facets of your and your sales team’s daily tasks.