Speaking of apologies, I am sorry to all of you for my almost three-week absence. I’ll be honest. I feel like I am getting in a little over my head. I have landed lots of new clients, and, on top of that, I am still trying to keep my house clean, my family fed and happy, AND I am in charge of membership for my twins’ club and we just had about six ladies have babies in the last six weeks. SHEESH.
So what helps me maintain a modicum of sanity? Staying organized. And how do I do this? Well, with regard to sales, it is called CRM. I won’t name names, but it rhymes with Balesforce.com.
And here’s what I want to know. Are you using a CRM solution? If not, how in the HELL do you keep your prospecting straight?
What’s that? You’re NOT keeping your prospecting straight? Or, are you simply not prospecting? Either way, you would NOT be alone.
So many of us prospect in fits and starts that, in truth, it is mostly just a colossal waste of our time. We call once, don’t hear back, get offended and move on. Well, sorry kids, but that is not gonna cut it today. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again—prospecting takes consistency, commitment and a concerted effort on your part.
Any type of CRM will help you immensely. I don’t care if it’s Salesforce, Microsoft’s version, or some other one—you need this. It will feel painful at first. Anything new and unfamiliar will. But I promise you that if you embrace this tool and use it, you will ask yourself in three months, “How did I EVER do my job without this?” And the answer just might be, “Not very well.”
The sales and support people at those vendors are very helpful and will advise you on what you need. Or, you can ask colleagues—even competitors—what they are using. And you can even ask me for some help. Now, I won’t work for free, but I will work for shoes, organic berries, or Wonder Pets DVDs.
When I started selling on the early ’90s, my CRM system was a box of 3x5 cards, categorized by geographic territory, and two binders containing my client data. Today, there is just no excuse for having your organizational system involve Post-it notes, your CSR and a fading memory.
Get with the program, man! A CRM is not at all expensive and is actually really fun to use. Salesforce has a chatter function that works a lot like Facebook and allows for collaborative communication among your colleagues. I think I’ve made my point for today.
Get a CRM system. Get one today...Please.
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- Business Management - Marketing/Sales
Blogger, author, consultant, coach and all around evangelist for the graphic arts industry, Kelly sold digital printing for 15 years so she understands the challenges, frustrations and pitfalls of building a successful sales practice. Her mission is to help printers of all sizes sell more stuff. Kelly's areas of focus include sales and marketing coaching, enabling clients to find engagement strategies that work for them and mentoring the next generation of sales superstars.
Kelly graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in Political Science and, among other notable accomplishments, co-founded the Windy City Rollers, a professional women's roller derby league. She is also the mother of two sets of twins under the age of ten, so she fears nothing.