Not just for the big guns! Why your small business needs a CRM

Customers are the bread-and-butter of any business and happy, loyal ones are a key ingredient of success. Managing relationships with them is vitally important and a CRM is the best way to organise your business’s interactions. Many feel like getting a CRM is too much effort or too large an investment. This is not the case. We can help you set one up with no fuss and at prices tailored for tight budgets. Call us now on (+61) 0429 966 184.

CRM provides the backbone for many large corporations, but many small businesses are putting off, or even rejecting, implementing these systems. They feel like CRM’s are for big corporations or they feel they are getting by just fine without it. And they may be doing just fine but they could be doing better. CRM software, like Vtiger, can automate, ordinarily time-consuming tasks, help generate leads, and make sales strategies more effective. And this is something any business owner, including small business owners, can benefit from.

CRM funnel

When thinking about how to convert customers into sales, a sales funnel is a common marketing concept used. This process comes in four stages.

The awareness stage

This stage is when the potential customer becomes aware of the business and what it provides. Mediums like social media or email marketing will often be utilised to draw leads over.

The interest stage

This stage is when the potential lead expresses an interest in the product or service you are providing. They may follow you on social media or potentially give their contact details in exchange for something like an ebook or a webinar.

The decision stage

This stage is when the customer makes an active decision to make use of your product or service. They may start to compare you with your direct competitors. In this stage they may now wish to speak to a sales representative, get a quote or trial the product.

The action stage

Congratulations. If you reached this stage you were successful. This stage is when the customer decides to become a buyer and purchase your product and service.

As you can imagine the number of people dwindles with each stage but when done correctly you can maximise the conversion rate and a CRM can be an important part of that. A CRM funnel helps improve your understanding of your buyers’ behaviours and needs. It helps you distinguish between customers at different stages, figure out the right time to introduce a product and identify both unprofitable and highly profitable customers, which helps you avoid wasting your marketing and ensures you optimise your return. With a CRM you can significantly boost your sales, so if you’re interested in growing your business, it’s something you should definitely be thinking about.

Email marketing

Regardless of who you’re trying to reach, a focused email campaign, can help create a more personal touch to your emails.  This will result in more emails opened and more sales. Emails can be sent automatically based on a trigger, like the prospects birthday approaching or their subscription nearly expiring. CRM software can ensure that you never miss an opportunity to build relationships with your customers or send that important notice.

Additionally. you can see how your campaigns performed. Did the subject line lead to a high open rate? What kind of people clicked on it? You can see who engaged and what was relevant and use that information to drive engagement into the future. Having a constant record of customer interaction, both with your company directly as well as with campaigns, allows you to know what is piquing the interest of your customers. This means you can reach out to them with more targeted communications.

Project management

82% of small and medium business owners say that having all their business data on one platform is important. Combining CRM software with project management software is one way to do this. Many find this greatly improves productivity levels as it allows customer concerns to be quickly addressed by translating them into requests or tickets and potentially even into employee workflows directly.

Improving the customer experience and simplifying business processes is high on any businesses priorities and is a positive for everyone involved. Customers get their needs met more quickly, and business teams become happier and more productive. As such, these positive customer experiences should be closely connected with your project management operations.

Vtiger: CRM for small businesses

They say that for every $1.00 you invest in a CRM you get $8.71 back. This is up from $5.60 in 2011 which just shows the growth potential possible in the future. So can you really afford not to do it? Especially when getting CRM software doesn’t have to be a huge upfront expense. Vtiger is a CRM that was specially designed with small businesses in mind. It’s highly affordable and tailored to suit limited and strict budgets in order to help your business get a leg up. It’s an all in one system that aids with a wide variety of functionalities. With adept project management and email marketing components you can streamline your processes and gear your business for growth.

If you want a Vtiger CRM programmer we are here to help. Our software, ihub, is a Vtiger based CRM system and we can help you keep track of your customers from their very first contact. Our system provides marketing and sales management as well as project management and workflow automation. We will take care of any Vtiger CRM upgrades and then

If you’re interested in growing your business a CRM is a necessity. A 2017 marketing report indicates that revenue received from CRM software is set to more than double by 2025 and will only get more widespread in years to come. So don’t put it off any longer and get one set up today! Enjoy happier customers and more streamlined processes.

If you need help or consultation with Vtiger CRM installation or upgrades, or if you need any SEO, Web Development, or Online Marketing, please contact us at sales@somsweb.com.au or give us a call on (+61) 0429 966 184