One clear advantage of having a CRM is that you can access centrally located customer data. 74% of CRM users say that their CRM system offers improved access to customer information.
Sales professionals can be very resistant to CRM implementation at first as it seems like a lot of challenging work and can be a little disruptive to their current processes. However, being able to have instant access to historical sales data to include contacts, past opportunities and customer buying patterns means that key intelligence from your pipeline will always be available to your team.
This intelligence is super important because as well as improving customer experience, it allows the sales team to follow up on leads quickly with every bit of relevant information about the client they may need.
Here’s our three TOP ways in which you can use your CRM data to improve your sales pipeline.
#1 Nurture your leads
Your CRM should keep a record of all interactions with current and potential prospects. Companies that consistently nurture their leads generate 50% more sales-ready leads at a 33% lower cost which means the opportunity to follow up is crucial to their success.
Some form of lead scoring criteria is very useful in allowing sales professionals the opportunity to prioritise leads depending on how likely they are to close. Using SET, each user has a feature that allows you to give each opportunity a confidence percentage. As the saying goes, time is money and in sales there is often a lot of time being wasted chasing unrealistic opportunities.
#2 Accurate sales forecasting
Not every CRM system offers the same functionality so making sure you speak with different vendors about your specific needs is a vital part of selecting the right CRM for your employees and company.
When selecting a CRM make sure you choose a system that comes with good analytics and reporting features that can help you predict sales growth, show conversion rates and a clear path of the prospect’s journey through the sales pipeline.
Data from your CRM is more likely to make your sales forecast accurate and reliable which is vital if you want to motivate your sales team to reach optimistic yet achievable targets. SET will increase your sales team’s productivity and make your sales process more efficient which will then contribute to the continued growth of the company.
#3 Work smarter with integration
As written in a previous blog, CRM integrations can go a long way in assisting a sales team to remain focused on the right thing at the right time. For example, email, calendar and marketing integrations can automate previously complexed tasks, removing the need for painful manual data entry across multiple platforms.
For sales professionals having data from their CRM at their finger tips at all times means they can follow up on time sensitive leads and avoid missing valuable opportunities. So, in a nutshell, having access to sales data in real-time is extremely valuable.
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