Today’s post on The Methodology Blog is from Denise Speer, founder and owner of c3-indy. As a marketing specialist and entrepreneur, she is a strong advocate for Customer Relationship Management software in assisting the sales process. To her, it “increases efficiency while being indispensable in delivering high-quality customer service”.

You may have heard the term “CRM” tossed around and may even know that it pertains to customers, but do you understand the value, efficiency and increased sales that it could bring to your business? 

CRM is an acronym for “Customer Relationship Management” and it is a database tool designed to help you keep track of information, conversations, and relevant communication with your customers and contacts.  If the customer/contact data is accurate, the customer and product/service segmentation set wisely, and the activities recorded accurately in a timely manner, a CRM package can increase efficiency to the sales process while being indispensable in delivering high-quality customer service, new business, repeat business and referrals.

You might be wondering: “Why do I need a CRM to keep track of my customers?” You might as well be asking “why do I need a typewriter to create letters?” The answer is that strictly speaking, you don’t need a CRM. However, just like a typewriter, a CRM can dramatically improve your productivity and help your business become cleaner and more organized.

Not only does the recorded information become your “memory”, but the segmented data can be analyzed and leveraged to determine where future marketing dollars should be focused.  The data can be divided into categories essential to your business such as geography, product/service type, and source of business.  This segmentation allows for targeted communication to those it is the most applicable, making staying in touch easy for you and more applicable to them along with increasing productivity of your entire team. 

A CRM usually contains the ability to send personalized, mass, and/or targeted emails, labels and communications by using the database options.  Accessing the database enables quick response time versus manually selecting recipients, manually creating mailing labels, and requiring repetitive tasks in other environments.  Overall, a CRM should save you time while making your company more money.

Denise Speer is owner of c3-Indy a company specializing in innovative marketing techniques for consumer-based businesses.  She is a 1995 graduate of Indiana University, Bloomington. www.c3-indy.com

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