Leveraging your CRM system

I came across an interesting article by Ronald Lang, the CEO of Majestic Consulting Group, where he offers readers an insight to and offers recommendations for leveraging your company's CRM system to maximize your client base. What Ronald Lang touches upon in the article are often key points that early-stage companies overlook and sacrifice in order to gain and further develop market share or mind share (a common term these days).

.........New customers come at an extreme premium today, so focusing on existing clients is more cost-effective and are often more receptive to hearing your offerings, especially if it can be a positive impact to their business.

If your business is primarily a product-based sales operation, Lang offers these 3 recommendations:

1. Are there products you have sold to a client in the last three years that have new accessories or a new model (or discontinuation of the current model)? – if so, this is a golden opportunity to setup a presentation with the client.
2. Reinforce your support commitment, response time and quality assurance.
3. Have you done well selling into one or more areas of the organization? If so, it is time to map out the rest of the organization and key contacts with each division. Connect with each of them and/or get referrals and introductions.

If your business is primarily a service-based sales operation, Lang offers these 3 recommendations:

1. Have you done a customer survey lately? If not, put together a survey that should take no more than 5 minutes to complete. The questions should focus on the quality of service you are providing. Its also a good opportunity to inquire about other services they may require or would perceive to be of value-adding to their business operations.
2. Are your customers using competitive services along with yours? If so, find out how happy they are with them and see if there is an opportunity to add greater value to their business.
3. If you offer services that your clients use frequently look to offer them a services agreement for a year at a discounted rate. This will provide you predictability and consistency over the next 12 months.

These are just a few simple recommendations to leverage your CRM system to maximize your client base. But, just a few simple steps to further leverage your CRM system can make a profound impact on your sales.

Australian Chris