Sales is a very powerful word. In fact, if you are a business owner, you would know that it is right up there with marketing when it comes to the level of importance. In fact, if we were to explain it in the simplest possible terms, then sales is marketing done right. It is the logical conclusion to well performed marketing practices. Yet, even for sales to happen, you would need to conduct a number of activities in what we know to be a sales pipeline.
What is a Sales Pipeline?
A sales pipeline is a series of activities that follow each other in order for the business owner to reach the end where conversions reside. From follow ups to answering queries and engaging long enough in order to involve the customer in a number of campaigns where relevant products and services might be pitched – the sales pipeline covers it all.
Yet, the question is – does the small business owner have the time to indulge in all of these activities? Also, considering the fact that the small business is relatively less organized, would the small business owner be able to supervise and assign tasks to each and every team member in order to complete the tasks to reach the end of the sales pipeline? The answer to both the questions, unfortunately, is no.
This is where the SMB CRM steps in.
What is Small Business CRM?
CRM is also known as customer relationship management. This can be a system, a process or even a platform. You can easily get this system to run for your business so that your business runs better. From organizing information to matching the right information with the right functions and then automating all the mundane functions, there are very few things that the best CRM for small business cannot do.
The small business CRM is one that would be able to get your business automated for a far reaching and engaging digital presence that leads to profitable conversions and scalability in the long run. Thus, the small business CRM can drive sales. Let us find out how.
Benefits of the SMB CRM
- Information Handling: In a business, it is not just enough to note down and save information. In order for sales to happen, one must know when and how to use that information. Plus, there are plenty of reasons why one would need to call up information. Therefore, first of all the small business CRM ensures that the information is found and saved. This can be as simple as the contact information of a prospect which can be used for an email campaign, to as complex as the preferences of that person so as to match him or her with the campaign for the most relatable and relevant product or service that he or she would be prone to buy. This information is usually matched to the right functions, allotted to the right team members so that there is a great structure in place for the team to work within.
- Better Collaboration: In any business – big or small – many people have to collaborate in order to make a sale happen. Yet, if the entire team sits down and decides on who will do what for each and every sale, that would make the conversion rate low and it would prevent growth or scalability from happening – which would also hamper the chances of an actual sale. Therefore, with the help of SMB CRM, one can easily build a framework wherein, team members get notifications for what has to be done and where they fit in when it comes to the sales pipeline. This leads to less chaotic communication and never ending meetings that do little else apart from depleting one’s energy. Plus, the automated cycle of notifications will ensure that everyone is accountable and responsible and there is a dramatic decrease in the time spent on mundane and monotonous activities.
- Timely Action: Making a sale is mostly a matter of making the right call at the right time. In order to do this, the best CRM for small business would set notifications and reminders so that no opportunity goes untapped. In the long run, this would help in ensuring that you are always on the mind of the customer, which would also ensure that there is a sorter engagement period to persuade and make a sale with that same customer.
- Seamless Customer Servicing: Before and after you make a sale, you would need to seamlessly provide stellar service to the customer. This would ensure that a sale happens in the first place and also, that a sale would happen again in the future whether you are talking about up-selling, re-selling or even cross selling. For this to happen, you would need to get the customer to receive emails and calls for follow throughs and for addressing grievances with the right information in the right place. This is where the SMB CRM steps in, so that you business gets that sale – every single time.
- Integration: One of the most important things we need to do in order to initiate the sales pipeline and then to close the sale, is to engage with the customer. This could include building a digital presence that goes a long way in keeping you in the heart and mind of the customer. The SMB CRM would ensure that you integrate all your platforms on this system in order to do the same.
- More Revenue: This is a no brainer since you will be able to close more sales in less time thanks to the automation that is offered by the best CRM for small businesses.
Meet Deadlines: With the CRM for small businesses, you would be able to meet all your deadlines for various functions and activities with automated channels and notifications. This will help you close deals and make sales in a far better way.