Help! I Think I Need a CRM!

HELP!

“I Think I Need a CRM!”

“Things are happening so fast, I think I’m starting to miss opportunities.”

Is this you?

(It’s actually a good thing.)

That’s okay!

? ? ?

If you’re missing opportunities, that means you

have opportunities.

“HMM… GOOD POINT.”

If you want to

your business…

GROW

… these are the opportunities you’ll need to capitalize on.

$ $ $

Believe it or not…

This is a really common problem, and there are LOTS of tools designed to help you solve it.

“SO WHICH ONE IS THE BEST?”

It depends.

For lack of a better term, we tend to classify these, and other very different solutions as…

“CRMs”

… so the answer depends on what you want to get from them.

“I WANT A PONY

.”

If you’ve had a bad experience with something called a CRM, it may have been because you were using the wrong kind.

SIMPLE PROBLEM+BAD EXPERIENCE

COMPLEX CRM

MacBook Pro

THE DIFFERENT CRMsKINDS OF

“LET’S REVIEW

.”

TYPE #1 :

BIG CRMs

Why use a BIG CRM?

BIG CRMs

$$$ + WORK = POWER

If you have a complicated problem, and a lot of time and money to spend on it,

BIG CRMs can solve it.

$$$ + WORK = POWER

Common uses of BIG CRMs :

• huge amounts of data (like huuuuuge amounts)

• connection to really old legacy systems you already own (ERPs, etc.)

• extremely unique, highly complex sales processes

• compliance with government or security regulations

Common complaints about BIG CRMs :

! ? !• too difficult, and

generally awful to use

• very difficult to change or customize

• VERY expensive, often requires consulting help

• designed for an IT dept., not a business user

TYPE #2 :

smaller CRMs

smaller CRMs

The same basic idea as with BIG CRMs, but much easier to configure and customize.

Less power, less pain.

So what’s wrong with a small, general purpose CRM?

“I don’t want to set up a CRM. I just want to grow

my business!”

smaller CRMs

SURPRISE! Not everyone needs a general purpose CRM.

“… OH, NOW YOU TELL ME.”

TYPE #3 :

industry-specif ic CRMs


• If you’re, say, an optometrist, your sales process may be very similar to other optometrists.

• In that case, why not get a CRM that is specifically designed for people in your industry?


If something is described as:

“The CRM for __________s”…

… you are probably talking about an industry specific CRM.


the good things the bad things

• often pre-configured to do actual work-related things right away

• fewer features that aren’t relevant to what you do

• designed to be used by someone with your skills and experiences

• often expects you to operate just like every other person in your industry

• more likely to take you for granted as a customer because you’re “supposed” to use it

• great for doing what it’s designed for, probably useless for anything else

“That’s great, but does it do __________?”


TYPE #4 :

feature-specif ic CRMs

“I KNOW WHAT I WANT.”

Sometimes you just need your “CRM” to do one important thing really well.


Like manage sales pipelines…

… or send mass emails.

General purpose CRMs may technically be able to do it, but rarely with the power and options of a dedicated tool.


GREAT FOR MAILING LISTS. GREAT FOR PIPELINES.

PLUS:Feature-specific tools usually allow you to connect to other applications — so you can get the best of both worlds. Just remember — the costs of multiple services can add up quickly.

“But wait — I don’t need features. I just want to get better at communicating with potential customers.”


TYPE #5 :

e-mail clients as CRMs

“SERIOUSLY!!!”


What about when your primary mode of customer interaction is through email?

Why not just use your favorite email client?


Why not just use your favorite email client?

• you already own it (free!), and probably know how to use it

• it’s specifically built to do what you want — send email

• it’s often integrated with your phone, your computer, or even your company already

• rules, folders, and power features make clients surprisingly flexible

• built for email itself, as opposed to actual customer interaction or management

• difficult to work at scale; everything requires some manual work

• doesn’t connect to other channels (social, most CRMs)

• easy to miss important things in a crowded, ordinary inbox

the good things the bad things


Email clients are great places to start working smarter.


… but you will probably OUTGROW them over time.

“OH DEAR.”

TYPE #6 :

social CRMs

social CRMsHow do different systems think about your customers?

EMAIL CLIENTS

GENERAL PURPOSE

FEATURE SPECIFIC

each entry is a…

each entry is a…

each entry is a… email address

piece of data

(depends on the feature)


Social CRMs are built on the assumption that the things you need to keep track of are living,

breathing human beings.

“SEEMS PLAU

SIBLE.”


The whole idea is to give you a better picture of the person behind all that data.

“SEEMS PLAU

SIBLE.”

… often aggregate information from popular social networks to build profiles for people in your database.

social CRMs “Look at my cat.”

#iwanttomove

“I work in Sales.”

This is great for understanding people you want to know — but it doesn’t actually build a connection with you.

{MARIA SMITHWORCESTER, MA

AGE : 41

• CAT LOVER• WANTS TO BUY A HOME

• SALES MANAGER

“GREAT, BUT

WHO

THE HECK A

RE YOU?”

limitations of social CRMs

TYPE #7 :

Contactually

“HEY, I KNO

W

THOSE GUY

S!”

Contactually

MacBook Pro

What does Contactually do?

Contactually is designed to help you build better relationships through quality, consistent interaction.

It does this by not only organizing the people you know and tracking your interactions with them, but …

… by managing how you interact with them over time. (LAPTOP NOT INCLUDED)

Contactually

What is Contactually for?

generating referrals

managing follow-‐ups

automating regular communication MacBook Pro

Contactually

What is Contactually not for?

• managing inventory

• project management

• mass-‐email campaigns

Contactually

Plays well with others…

BIG CRM

(for business data)(for 1 on 1 relationship

management)(for email campaigns)

Contactually

Plays well with others…

smaller CRM

(for transaction history)(interaction history,

sales pipeline)(for everyday

communication)

Contactually

Sales Pipelines

… and includes “CRM-ish” features like :

Contactually

Calendar Integration


Contactually

Custom Programs


It’s easy to go down the wrong path with something that doesn’t work for you.

Don’t overcommit.

• Try these tools yourself; if they’re impossible to try without buying, they probably aren’t very good.

• Be wary of CRM “experts”. There are many ways to solve your problems, not just the ones that make those people money.

• Keep your business goals in mind. “Having a CRM” is not a goal you really need to meet — instead, think about things like “growing revenue” and “losing fewer leads”.

We think the best way to learn is to just try something, especially if it’s free. But hey, that’s us.

Still need help?

• Visit us online to read more. We have lots of great stuff about CRMs, better business practices, and more at blog.contactually.com.

• Watch a video demo of Contactually. It’s on our site, and shows you how to get started with our favorite CRM.

• Sign up for a free, no-‐risk 30 day trial. Try Contactually for yourself. It’s easy, and we’re here to help.

http://blog.contactually.com

Contactuallywww.contactually.com

http://www.contactually.com

Help! I Think I Need a CRM!

Business

Transcript of Help! I Think I Need a CRM!