I am sure by now you have heard of a CRM system. In case you don’t know already, CRM stands for Customer Relationship Management.
Choosing a CRM is like choosing a car to buy. You choose a car for many reasons and the features you feel are the most important greatly influences your car choice. Same is true for a CRM.
If you just want a place to store all your customer information, you can pretty much choose any CRM. To me that is like choosing a car because it has Cruze Control. Note to self – If it is on EVERY CRM then that means it is a BASIC feature.
Or what if you want a place to handle the pieces of a sales process. Note to self #2… Think Cruze Control…BASIC.
Here is where I step in…
HELLO PEOPLE!!!
If every CRM has a feature, it is a BASIC feature and you shouldn’t be jumping up and down for it and settling. Make your CRM works for you!
What I find really interesting is the C and the M are taken care of in most of the CRMs…it is the R that becomes a difference maker. The better relationship you have with your clients, the better and longer the journey will be. Think about ANY relationship you have. The ones where there is constant TWO WAY conversations are the ones that are the lasting and more meaningful relationships.
BINGO!
No matter where you are with the customer in the journey, make sure you have a relationship with that person. Communicate! Think of your closest friends. Think of the many ways you communicate with those friends. Maybe you spend a nice conversation on the phone, or you go out somewhere and enjoy yourselves. Or maybe a quick text to share something you just saw that reminded you of them.
You can do this with your customers too. And guess what. This should not stop just because you got the sale. It continues for as long as the relationship continues. And we all know as business owners that it is much easier to get repeat business and referrals from a client than getting a new lead you have no connection with.
We all know this yet it boggles my mind that many do not do this. They think right away, it is so time consuming to nurture relationships with customers or I will get to it when I have the time.
REALLY?
You can keep the relationship going by letting the customer know about…
– the steps of the journey as an active customer
– what new services you have
– the results of your other customer wins
– tips on how they can better their business/life
– benefits of a referral program you have
– checking in to see how they are doing
– booking regular meetings with them
– texting them just to check in
– leaving a quick voice message
These are just a few I thought of off the top of my head and I am sure I am missing more.
Keep that relationship going! You will see amazing results for your effort and you instantly create more value.
Oh and here is the best part… some CRMs have the ability to do ALL of the list above. You keep the relationship going and it can be done without subtracting time off your schedule.
If your CRM isn’t doing that for you…then find a new CRM.
If that is the case, let’s have a talk. I have a CRM that I use with all my clients. We set everything up and we can run it for them and maintain it.
Now THAT is what I would look for in a CRM!
Want to learn more about my CRM?
The CRM I use with all my clients really takes things to another level. Find out more by setting up a discovery call and I will show you a demo.
