Posts for "CRM"

There’s no way around it- there’s no such thing as the perfect CRM. What works well for one company might be disastrous for another, and what feels fresh to one manager might seem stale and bloated for another. But jumping from one CRM to another isn’t always an option, and sometimes you don’t need a complete overhaul, just a few new perks to liven up your CRM! The sales-focus for CRM is trending towards automation right now; taking care of the menial tasks of finding, entering and managing information and items to free up your sales team to do more of ... READ MORE

The ideas, concepts and themes around big data have matured over the past couple of years from a vague buzzword, to a must-know topic for management. It seems like everyone now is required to provide their own opinion, view or strategy on big data, regardless of whether big data is relevant to their business goals, or whether they actually understand it. There is no denying big data has become mainstream, or that it is now a ‘big deal’. What is perhaps most important is how it can generate value for specific markets and businesses – especially in the mid-market where business ... READ MORE

Organization and time management are key in real estate sales, like they are with many other professions. But REALTORS® have lots of details to think about, and so much going on all at once, that sometimes things fall through the cracks. Well, that’s one of the reasons real estate customer relationship management (CRM) systems exist – to help you get and stay organized. Here are five ways a real estate CRM will get you more organized:   1. Transaction and Contact Management A real estate CRM makes managing all of your listings, buyer, sellers, real estate leads, and business-to-business referral sources quick and easy. ... READ MORE

In the recent Gleanster Research paper, “The New Rules of Digital Engagement,” analyst Ian Michiels discusses the evolution of data, and offers suggestions for managing marketing data. “While it may not be a key line item in your marketing budget, big data has the potential to profoundly impact the way marketers justify investments in technology and optimize marketing execution,” says Michiels. Today customer data is the number one catalyst for big data initiatives – and marketers have the most to gain from better use of customer data. “Big data” has a lot of blurry definitions. Wikipedia says: “...a collection of data sets ... READ MORE

I read recently that the main point of multi-channel marketing is to stimulate interest that leads to a personalized email conversation with a prospect. If all roads lead to email, then your lead generation and sales success still very much depends on executing every aspect of your email marketing campaigns with skill and creativity. Your call-to-action is particularly important. Our partner Litmus provide a service that lets you preview your email messages on 30+ email clients and mobile devices. Litmus published a infographic titled “Designing the Perfect Call to Action” which provides smart points about making your email call to action ... READ MORE

The search for new customers is an expensive business. So why not invest your resources into building a lasting and profitable business relationship with your existing customers? The answer lies in delivering an unparalleled level of customer service. According to a National Federation of Independent Business Study, having good customer service ranked higher in assessing business success than either having a price advantage over your competitors or having a unique and valuable product or service. If you simply sell a quality product at a reasonable price, you are just like 95% of all other businesses out there doing what you do. ... READ MORE

For many companies, customers are the lynchpin of success. But are you really making the most of these critical relationships? UserVoice wants to get you out from behind the help desk and in front of customers with a suite of tools designed to encourage engagement and yield valuable, actionable data from support interactions. We chatted with founder and CEO Richard White about how Reddit inspired a new breed of customer support, and why UserVoice is poised to blow traditional help desk solutions out of the water. What was your primary goal in building UserVoice? What was the “ah-ha!” moment where you ... READ MORE

Start with the basic features At the start, your sales team does not have to adopt the full spectrum of features that your CRM offers. Let them start using the basic, intuitive features of the CRM such as creating or importing leads, logging customer correspondences, and creating tasks specific to prospects. These features are usually those that have similar counterparts in traditional customer relations management. Offer training and tutorials that are easy to consume According to a Neochange survey, only less than 10% of CRM users reach an acceptably effective usage of a CRM. This shows how CRM adoption can introduce a steep ... READ MORE

Salesforce.com’s stock climbed more than 170 percent in the past three years. And with a valuation reaching $24 billion and annual revenue of $2.8 billion, I’d say they’re doing something right. In this article we’ll explore the software as a service (Saas) business model that Salesforce.com uses and how you can apply aspects of it to help grow your business. But before dive in and explore three areas of the SaaS business model let’s first look at the most popular business models for software companies: Freeware Freeware (Ad Supported) One-Off Pay Up Front (Free Upgrades) One-Off Pay Up Front (Pay for Upgrades) Software as a Service (Recurring ... READ MORE

You have collected a list of email addresses, and you’re now ready to start mailing. Or so you think. Before you rush to the finish line and click “send,” there are a few questions that you must ask yourself before you get into deep water with your Email Service Provider or become flagged as a spammer by major ISP's. By starting at the top of the flow chart and winding your way down, you will determine whether or not you are ready to pull the trigger. Click here to view the original article and view the full-size chart So, where have you landed? 1. ... READ MORE