InTents December2022/January 2023 - 37

Peter Drucker, the grandfather of
business management, once said, " The
true business of every company is to make
and keep customers. " CRM systems are
designed and used to make this mantra a
living reality for all members of your team.
However, CRM software systems
can be dificult to use and understand
when the broader context of customer
centricity is not clearly demonstrated by
owners and managers.
Is a CRM system imperative? No, you
can carry on like you do now. Nobody has
to do this. But if you are frustrated with the
antiquated way you execute your business
processes, and you ind yourself envious
of the slick digital tools your competition
is using, then it's a good indicator you're
ready for this digital transformation.
Prepare properly for implementation
Everyone knows that a large-scale home
renovation is a big deal. It interrupts
your life and creates stress. And when
a reno is over budget and takes longer
than expected, the only thing that pulls
you through is the vision of how great
it's going to be once it's done.
This is what a CRM implementation
is like. Work gets interrupted and
anxiety levels rise. Once a CRM system
is in place, everyone will say, " This is
amazing. We'll never go back to the old
way. " But the journey to the inish line
can be bumpy.
This is why it's critical to clearly deine
CRM worklows and the transformation
they represent.
Different CRM systems are designed
for different business processes.
Knowing what you want is key. Knowing
how to avoid biting off more than you
can chew is why you should hire a
professional consultant.
Here is a list of what a CRM can handle:
* Core functions
* Marketing
* Quoting
* Invoicing
* Communications-email
* Calendar/scheduling
* Extended functionality
* Supplier tracking
* Purchase orders
* Accounting
* Project management
How to choose the right CRM
When choosing a CRM software platform,
consider the size of your business, the
number of employees and your yearly
revenue. And keep in mind that you don't
need a sledgehammer to swat a ly.
Salesforce is by far the biggest name in
the CRM industry. It's an enterprise-level,
sophisticated CRM system designed
for 500-plus users in one organization.
However, I think it would be overkill for
a company with 1-99 employees. For
small to mid-size businesses, there are
more suitable CRM systems available at
more reasonable prices.
The CRM industry was worth $58
billion in 2021. Its business model, which
is known as " software as a service " or
SaaS, is that you rent the software and a
slick user interface that makes data entry
easy and generating reports a breeze.
For many businesses, a digital transformation
is a necessity due to the pressures
of competition. But don't be hasty with
your decision. Consider hiring someone
who has already worked in a digitally
transformed environment to bring this
experience in-house. And consider getting
some professional advice outside of
the software salesperson's spiel. You'd
get a second opinion before any major
surgery, right? SaaS software sales is aggressive
territory, so as always, caveat
emptor-let the buyer beware.
Bernie Doyle has more than 20 years of CRM
implementation experience focusing on the
construction, engineering and design industries.
You can contact him at salesnerds.com.
InTentsMag.com 37
You need to
think of CRM
implementation as
major surgery on
your business.
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InTents December2022/January 2023

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