Your CRM
There are tons of reasons why you should have a CRM. In this article I’m going to share a high level overview as to why I think they are important. I will also give you some examples as to how they can be used.
What is a CRM?
Let’s start by addressing what a CRM is. A CRM stands for Client Relationship Management system. A CRM is used to track and manage client journeys, to manage client data, to communicate with clients, to record communication, to assist in the selling of products or services, to be able to retarget existing clients and so much more.
CRMs aren’t exclusive to any one industry but you may find that some are geared more towards specific clients.
Some examples include:
Hubspot
Sales Force
ZOHO
WillSuite (for the legal industry)
Why use it?
Reporting and KPIs
Manage leads - to help a flow of prospects to clients
Segmenting - be able to understand your audience, pull data and assist with marketing
Cloud-based client management - (easy to share data internally) and be able to access data anywhere
Auto-sequencing - Automated communication can be schedule to help build client trust, to answer prospect queries, and to have a consistent journey
Managing a client sales pipeline - automatically tracks where a client is within a journey
Task Management - automatically create tasks for key members of your team
Improve relationships with customers - build automatic communication into a client journey including links to reviews etc.
Build a loyal customer base and create good experiences - Hubspot talk about delighting clients and have tools to help you with interactions.
Import and Export data - get data at your fingertips as and when you need it.
Capture leads from web forms effortlessly - integrations with your website means you don’t have to double-key data.
Some examples of where businesses should use a CRM
A plumber needs a CRM. Here is why…
A plumber often has transactional relationships with clients. “I need you to fix a leak”. Store their info in the CRM, create invoices in your CRM, track payments and know your client. Then, when they come back and want you to service their boiler every year, they are in your system. Invoicing is easier, you can send reminders to them, you know where they live and their details are in your system and life will be so much easier. Lastly, when you quote for a job, you can track the ‘quote’, follow up automatically and manage the ‘lead’.
A Law Firm needs a CRM
Client management is key to a law firm. There was a law firm who recently sold for £62 million and they built their business on transparent fixed fees. This could be easily tracked in their CRM. They could keep in contact with clients through their system, could see who was dealing with their case, progress could be a updated when needed and the firm could pull reports on what departments were performing the best.
