advertorial
february/march 2017 business edge
Are you ready for a CRM System? Ok, that sounds strange coming from a company that sells its own CRM solution, but hear me out. I can tell you honestly that, unless you can set aside some time to get your strategy right, there is really no point.
deliverable objectives that pay dividends both financially and emotionally.
that can give you measurable goals to make sure it continues to earn its keep.
How, exactly, is that CRM solution going to do those things for YOUR business?
I’ll start with an example. When you go on holiday, you do a lot more than just buy some swimming trunks and a snorkel and hope for the best.
Why?
But if you aren’t willing to take the time to review your needs and focus internally on what you need to do, there’s no point in buying a CRM system.
You plan, decide on the best time of year for everyone, and consider hotels and resorts. Will the location and hotel be good for the whole family? Or is it more of a romantic getaway? How will you get from the airport to the hotel? What will you do when you get there? How much money should you take? There are a whole host of questions you ask and plans you need to make. Your holiday strategy will become a blueprint for you and your family’s two weeks off, so you want to make sure you get it right.
So why isn’t it the same when you’re buying a CRM system for your business? So many times we hear how a business needs a CRM system, but when you dig a little deeper and actually look at the plans behind the decision, there are no clear objectives or goals. Of course we all want “more sales” or “increased profit” or “better efficiency.” We even use phrases like these in our own mission statement: “Increase your sales; make more profit; grow your business.” But so what?! CRM is more than a system, it’s an approach to how you run your business. A CRM system should be a corner stone of your business strategy with achievable goals and
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When you start out looking for your new CRM solution, you first need to look at exactly why you need that system. Who in your business is going to use it? What do they need it for? How will it fit it with what they’re already doing? Once you’ve answered this, however, you’ve only got the barest outline of how your system will be configured. There are more questions to answer.
What? Now that you know why you need a new CRM, you have to think about the goals you want to achieve with it. What are these goals? What will you use to measure whether or not you have met them? With some clear objectives and ideas for metrics to gauge your progress, you’ll be able to flesh out that rough configuration outline with key points and goalposts.
If you aren’t sure what you do best, where you can do better, and get some targets set to measure your improvement, your CRM system won’t really be working for you. You’ll just be paying money out for something that is only half fulfilling its promise. Sure your sales might increase and people might be working a little more efficiently, but you’ll never know if it is down to the CRM system or just coincidence. Trust me, I’ve seen enough CRM implementations start off without clear goals that end up struggling and occasionally failing to know that taking this time is always worth it. If you have any questions about OpenCRM, please get in touch. I would love to hear from you. Find us at www.opencrm.co.uk or drop us a line at hello@opencrm.co.uk
How? With this more detailed blueprint, you’ll be able to speak with your CRM provider to go through what you need the system to do and the key attributes your system will need to be logging. This blueprint will give your account manager something to build on. They will be able to work with you to go even deeper into the details of how your CRM system will function and how your team will utilise it. This will give you a system that is tailored to your business and
www.sussexchamberofcommerce.co.uk
tel: 01444 259 259
Graham Anderson, is the CEO and founder of OpenCRM, one of the UK’s leading customer relationship management systems.