Why You Need to Rethink CRM

Regardless of how much it's touted as "the next great solution," the idea of adopting a new system or way of doing business is almost always a turn off. Let's get real honest here, and admit that we're looking for an easy fix - not something that requires any significant learning curve, training time or instruction manuals.

In that way, we're just like our customers - wary of something new.

Perhaps that standard trend is the reason why so many companies avoid the CRM train. Sure, you want to save time in your sales process - but is paying a bunch of money - and spending a whole lotta energy - learning yet another system really going to do that? And, will that extra time and effort truly translate into a higher profit margin?

We Promise; Today's CRM Software Really Does Save Time

Of course you want to save time and make extra money? Who doesn't? In most scenarios, though, that's an empty promise. In the case of today's CRM options - we're here to tell you - it's the real deal.

The first customer relationship management software emerged in the 1980s with the goal of simplifying contact management. By the 90s, companies had taken that original conception and expanded upon it. Today,CRM systems have 30+ years of improvement and development behind them - and the results of this evolution are worth investing in.

While that doesn't mean you'll get to sit back and not do work, this ultimate generation of CRM allows you to work much smarter - and faster.

Find the CRM That Truly Delivers

Odds are, you're already familiar with the basic idea of how a CRM benefits sales and marketing teams. But not all of them are created equal. If you really want to save time in the sales process, you need to find and invest in a CRM system that truly delivers on that aspect of the promise.

• It provides data-based stats that get you to the heart of the matter much faster when interacting with prospects and clients, and that allows you the opportunity to forge deeper and more personal engagement with prospects and clients.
  
  
• The right CRM syncs with existing automated marketing systems, populating the data fields for you. Yes, that's right. We said, it populates the data fields for you - saving hours and hours of valuable time.
  
  
• Pre-populated data fields minimize data entry mistakes, reducing the chances of losing new or existing lead trails. You'll reclaim time spent working as a sleuth to figure out whatever happened to disappeared contacts. You know, like "that one guy, from New Jersey, who was asking about Product X...you remember he had a daughter who graduated from the same university as your niece...shoot!...what was his name?!?!?"
  
  
• It finds good fit prospects for you using highly-specific search-based algorithms. You put in the traits, needs, and profiles of companies that would benefit from your products and services, and the CRM will get to work. It scours the internet searching for companies that fit the bill, and provides you with a searchable database so you can get super-specific.
  
  
• Effective content is right at your fingertips whenever you need it. How many times have you written the same thing in different ways over the years? It's that message that seems to strike a client chord every time? Now, those effective content pieces and email templates will be saved so you can pull them up, quickly personalize them for specific clients and be done.

These bullet points are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the ways modern CRM solution will save time in your sales process.