What Should I Expect From my CRM?

Is your sales team spending too much time on data entry?

Keeping good records is a crucial part of any sales process. But so is efficiency. At the end of the day, you need to maximize the time your team spends on calls and closing deals.

One key to maximizing your efficiency? A customer relationship management (CRM) system. Streamline your sales process, and organize valuable information so it’s easily accessible for your team.

There are countless CRMs out there today, though, and it’s easy to get lost in a sea of too many options. Plus, CRMs are complex - it’s what makes them so powerful, but it’s also what makes the right CRM so hard to find.

Our best advice? Do your research. And make sure that at minimum, your CRM meets these three requirements:

1. User Experience

Having a CRM that is easy to learn and use means your team can hop in to the system and catch on right away. Implementing a new software shouldn’t have to be a headache, so leverage “try before you buy” options to see what works best for you and your team.

2. Configurability

Beyond providing a great user experience, implementing a CRM that has the ability to pull in granular levels of information for your contacts means the right information is always at your sales team's fingertips.

When you’re looking for a CRM, map out the information your reps need. Then, look for a CRM that gives them access to this information in one single hub. You’ll eliminate double entry, so your sales reps can stop hopping from platform to platform, and spend more time selling every day.

What common mistakes should you avoid when setting up your CRM? Here’s a list of the 10 most common mistakes people make with the HubSpot CRM, plus how to avoid them.

3. High Quality Reporting

When choosing the right CRM for your business, finding one that will give you necessary reports should be at the top of your list.

Whether you need to track overall revenue, or see how each individual rep is performing, getting the data and analytics you need is critical.

Reports give you the insights you need to push accounts through the sales funnel. What metrics do you need? Make sure your CRM offers metrics like:

• Quota tracking
• Emails sent
• Calls made
• Meetings set and completed
• Opportunities
• Deals won/lost

By having expectations of what you’d like to see from a reporting standpoint in your new CRM, you’ll be able to narrow down your choices, and find the CRM that’s best for your business.

Which CRM is Right for You?

At the end of the day, you don’t need the “right” CRM. You need the CRM that’s right for you.

So, when you’re looking for a CRM, make sure you have a list of additional things you want from your CRM. Maybe you want a specific capability from your CRM developers. Or, you need specific integrations. Or maybe, you want a dedicated support and implementation team to walk you through your implementation.

Whether you’re implementing your first CRM, or looking for help optimizing your current system, Denamico can help. We offer a variety of CRM Consulting services to set you up for success. Schedule your consultation today.