What is a CRM? And why do you need one?

CRM stands for Customer/Client Relationship Management. It is a software that tracks interactions with prospects & clients. From the initial lead page connection, to progress of onboarding, to invoicing, & follow-up. The right software can automate so many things for you, freeing up your time to be spent actually focusing on your clients. Now, it generally does not take the place of an email marketing software like Active Campaign or MailChimp, but they can frequently be used together.

And why do you need one?

1. Everything client related in one place

When you are launching a new business, or growing a seasoned one, simplicity is a must. You don’t want to have 5 different tabs/documents open just to keep track of 1 client. You want to see at a glance, who your client is, where they are in the sales pipeline, and how much revenue they are providing. A CRM provides all of this on one platform.

2. It’s a sustainable, scalable tool for growth

So, why can’t you do this in an Excel spreadsheet? Well, if you only ever have 1 or 2 clients, that is definitely an option. But don’t you want to grow your business? What if you have 5 prospective clients contacting you every week, and 5 from the previous week in various stages of the sales pipeline, as well as 10 active clients? That’s 20 clients you need to manage every day; checking in to see which emails you’ve sent them, have they been invoiced, consultation calls scheduled…the list goes on.

Plus, you want to be able to see how those prospects are finding you? A CRM can track all of this without you hardly having to lift a finger.

3. Better client relationships

The more you know and remember about your clients, the more your clients will know, like, & trust you. This lets you develop a much stronger connection with your clients therefore leading to up sales, referrals, and future sales. And 3 out of 4 consumers say they spent more money with a company because of a positive customer experience.

4. Increased revenue and profitability

Once you learn & use the CRM to its full potential, productivity increases, sales cycles decrease, and you have the ability to provide additional products and services to clients.

5. Automate everyday tasks

Closing the deal is never as easy as just getting a client to sign on the dotted line. There are dozens of smaller tasks that must be completed between the initial lead contact and the final signing of the contract. Forms need to be filled out, reports need to be sent, calls need to be scheduled – these extra chores are a time consuming, yet integral part of the sales process. The best CRM systems are designed to take these tasks off your shoulders, thanks to the magic of automation.