Building sales can be a day at the beach if you do it right
After years of hard work, you�d like a vacation. Maybe even that snorkeling trip to Cozumel you�ve been promising yourself since the day you went into business. But you can�t. And business isn�t the vacation it once was either. You put in all that hard work to get your business off the ground, but it hasn�t gotten easier, especially when it comes to finding new customers. And you aren�t getting any closer to dipping your toes in the ocean than you ever were. The good news, however, is the trip is still possible. And so is a business that runs like a dream. You just need to stop spending so much time chasing business and let it come to you instead. The solution is to create marketing systems that work over and over again to fill the pipeline with prospects and convert more of them to customers. And don�t forget the most important part � to get better at managing your existing customers. They�re the solid gold of your business. One of your best tools for an integrated selling and customer management system is CRM � customer relationship management software that does it all, so you don�t have to. Just plug it in, sit back and let the automated processes reap better results than you ever managed during those 20-hour days. Because, after all, we don�t want to lose sight of that sandy beach. Let�s take a closer look at life with a good CRM software program. In order to fill the lead pipeline, you need to create marketing and selling systems to attract new clients. In a virtual environment, this means you enter your lead information into the software and let it generate pre-written emails and letters for follow-up. With all that plum marketing, you�re sure to make sales. Without a system, however, that might be as far as you get � you make the sale and then the client is history. Which means you�re wasting one of the most valuable resources a small business has � the relationship. Studies show that 80% of your sales will come from 20% of your customers. Hence, it�s easier to build revenue with follow-up than by finding new customers. To maintain the customer relationships and take advantage of the power of referrals, use CRM to create client systems that automatically communicate with your customers. For example, after each sale, the software can send follow-up pieces requesting referrals, testimonials and can, based on the clients buying history, up-sell and cross-sell your company�s other products. Bottom line, don't try to do it all. Use software to work harder so you can hit the beach. In fact, using CRM, especially if your company is customer-focused, allows you to not only work less but get BETTER results than you ever did on the fly. Your customers consistently come to you, rather than you having to chase them down.
