As most business owners know, it costs much less to
maintain good relations with your current customer base and keep them coming
back than it does to market to a new demographic and win new business. At the
same rate, it’s more advantageous for companies to turn their prospects into
customers than it is to find new prospects. A customer relationship management
(CRM) database can be the key to keeping those current customers and prospects.
The key to keeping a CRM database well maintained is in ensuring that the data is clean, accurate and valid. It doesn’t matter how strong your CRM system is if your data isn’t useful. How can you maintain the integrity of your CRM database?
1. Get the Hard Information Right
Hard information should be the easiest to get, but without it, your content information will be completely flawed. It should be a priority to get the first and last name and physical address. If your contact isn’t willing to give you the physical address, you will have failed to get the hard information. At a minimum you need to obtain the ZIP code, which will allow you to group your contacts geographically.
The key to keeping a CRM database well maintained is in ensuring that the data is clean, accurate and valid. It doesn’t matter how strong your CRM system is if your data isn’t useful. How can you maintain the integrity of your CRM database?
1. Get the Hard Information Right
Hard information should be the easiest to get, but without it, your content information will be completely flawed. It should be a priority to get the first and last name and physical address. If your contact isn’t willing to give you the physical address, you will have failed to get the hard information. At a minimum you need to obtain the ZIP code, which will allow you to group your contacts geographically.
2. Segment Your Contacts into Relationships
Most CRM distinguishes between actual customers and prospects you hope you’re nurturing toward customers. Getting the most out of your CRM includes segmentation tools that allow you to distinguish these prospects and customers into more identifiable groups. You should know by your CRM database if a contact is an advocate, a builder, an owner, etc. You can also separate these individuals into suspects, meaning you have their names, but it was due to something other than their express interest in your product/services.
3. Give Your Contacts a Grade
Most lead qualifying tasks are a subjective process, which makes it difficult to give leads a grade or rank based on how productive they might or might not be in the sales cycle. With a better system, sales reps can embark on a better qualifying process. One way to approach this is to establish how long it takes for a prospect to agree to an appointment. For instance, a prospect that schedules an appointment within three months would get an A. The prospects who take a year or longer to progress in the sales cycle would get a D. You can also give grades to prospects who have been called or emailed and haven’t responded or the one who responded and said, “not interested.”
4. Give Your Sales Reps a Mobile Tool
The best way to get to know your prospects and customers is to give your salesforce reporting tools that they will use to fill your CRM database with useful information. Since the salesforce is a mobile group, give them a mobile CRM app that will be easy for them to use from their smartphone or tablet computer. Front Row Solutions makes an app that gives sales reps the ability to file a sales report in under a minute. Contact us today and get connected.
