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Financial Services Marketing Insights: A Marketing Compass
What we now call “marketing” began long before the name was coined. In the mid-1800s, traveling salesmen dressed “snake oil" and other tonics in fancy packaging and extolled their virtues to a gullible public. New marketing applications soon...
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When Thomas Edison’s light bulb finally burned for 45 straight hours he said, “If it will burn that number of hours now, I know I can make it burn a hundred.” What does this have to do with internet marketing? Everything. You see, if...
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Profitable Growth Is Everyone's Business - A Book Summary
This article is based on the following book: Profitable Growth Is Everyone's Business "10 Tools You Can Use Monday Morning" By Ram Charan Published by Crown Publishing Group, 2004 ISBN 1-4000-5152-5 198 pages The days of ruthless downsizing and...
Six Components Of A Good E-Commerce Site
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Selecting Sales Tracking Software For Your Small Business

Your buddy at the barbecue tells you how the new Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software which they recently installed at their company has revolutionized their sales tracking and sales management.

He waxes lyrical about no more sales leads slipping through the cracks; a much higher close rate on sales inquiries; more precise and cost effective marketing campaigns; improved productivity and customer service levels; vastly improved reporting and so on.

Great! Sounds like a sales tracking CRM solution is just what the doctor ordered for your company. You have been getting by using Microsoft Outlook to manage your database of sales prospects, follow-ups, notes, profiles etc. but it's starting to prove woefully inadequate.

Only problem is his business is in an entirely different industry sector to yours, with a much bigger IT budget to boot. Their CRM solution seems like an unattainable dream for your small business.

So now what? A quick search for CRM on Google returns 26,600,000 results! Whoa! So you narrow your search query to Small Business CRM only to get 6,260,000 results. You then put "Small Business CRM" in quotation marks which yields 29,300 results. But now the fun really starts..

You realise there are hundreds of CRM, Contact Management, Sales Force Automation and other Sales Tracking software tools to choose from. Each of these tools sports a dizzying array of features, some of which won't apply to your business.

To confuse matters even further, you notice some of these applications are Web Based CRM (sometimes referred to as Hosted CRM), or Open Source CRM. Others are the more traditional Customer Relationship Management software tools you are already familiar with. Yet others are embedded within MS Outlook, but with an added CRM component.

Many CRM packages now cater for certain industries. That is, these software solutions may have been customized, or had specific


add-on's developed, for specific industries. One of these tailored solutions might be suitable for your particular small business.

Which of these CRM apps should you download to evaluate? How should you evaluate them?

Many at this point realize that they need a more thorough evaluation of their requirements so as to enable them to put together a Request For Information (RFI) or Request For Proposal (RFP). This will be of tremendous benefit if they decide to call on the services of a CRM consultant to fast track the important decision of selecting and implementing a tailored CRM solution suitable for smaller businesses.

This should be your kicking-off point. Sit down with all your staff and co-operatively draw up a list of all your CRM specifications. Keep it broad - you can always narrow down the options later. And be sure to involve your staff - ensure everyone has an opportunity to contribute.

From this informed position you are far more able to choose the correct sales tracking/CRM solution for your small business and will see marked improvements in productivity levels and sales. After all what has not been measured, remains undefined. What is undefined cannot be improved. There are specific criteria that you and your CRM consultant need to fulfil. Build your wish list, meld it with reality and build it into your business.


About the Author: Perry Norgarb has specialized in Small Business CRM and Sales Tracking Software solutions for the last 15 years. Find out more about CRM and sales automation for small businesses at: http://www.smallbizcrm.com You are free to re-publish this article as long as this bio box and copyright remain intact and links live. © 08 September, 2005.

Source: www.isnare.com

 

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  • 10 critical questions to ask before hiring a consultant

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  • 11 secrets to leadership in sales

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  • 3 steps to turning ok sales into unbelieveable results

  • 5 tips for savvy use of your home equity line of credit

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  • 8 procedures to take control of sales and marketing

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  • assumptions the hidden sales killer

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  • building an email marketing list

  • businesses should specialise not generalise

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  • cash flow management

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  • celebrating successes the power of compliments

  • characteristics of high performance teams

  • coaching for success

  • commodity sales prospecting ‹¨« how to stand out from your competitors

  • communicating value

  • conducting business through b2b e marketplaces

  • confessions of a reluctant saleswoman

  • create a positive upbeat can do workforce and dazzle the customer with your caring

  • creating your internet marketing plan

  • crm for beginners customer relationship management basics

  • crm sfa that accelerates sales the sales process integration approach

  • customer service and call center outsourcing whats the buzz

  • dialogue the four dialogic principles for successful communication

  • does your business need a toll free 800 number

  • doing business online private b2b exchanges

  • domain name and web hosting hell

  • dont shoot the sales team

  • do you feel overwhelmed running a web business try this

  • do you have a picture of your customer

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  • education and outsourcing 2 ways to improve your business

  • einstein definition of insanity

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  • financial services marketing insights a marketing compass

  • finding rest for the direct sales company mom

  • first the key to successful sales

  • five dirt cheap ways to increase sales in your cleaning business

  • five strategies to strengthen your companys financial management

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  • forecasting and surviving a layoff or downsizing

  • gaining business intelligence

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  • good bye bobby knight and all the sales managers like you

  • grants loans free credit cards and credit repair the whole truth and nothing but the truth

  • hiring and retaining good employees

  • hiring the best sales athletes

  • how to beat the 80 20 rule in sales performance part 1

  • how to beat the 80 20 rule in sales performance part 2

  • how to build a repeat client base in automobile sales

  • how to create multiple revenue streams for your home business

  • how to create your own successful and profitable affiliate program

  • how to cut duty cost and increase profit as an importer

  • how to decrease profits without really trying

  • how to define your companys sales job part 1

  • how to define your companys sales job part 2

  • how to easily increase your profits

  • how to enhance quality in your business

  • how to find an investment advisor

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  • how to maximize account penetration and jump start sales

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  • how to meet quality standards with iso 9001

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  • hunters and gatherers are you serving both their needs

  • hurdles to cross cultural business communication

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  • increase sales in your home business with these 10 simple ideas

  • increase your income through international trade

  • increase your influence increase your sales

  • increase your pipeline deploying the cost effective sales team

  • increase your sales by 30 using internet collaboration networks

  • increasing sales with customer interaction points

  • index

  • industry pro interview expanding your market reach for more sales

  • internet marketing vs forex currency trading

  • introducing a mystery shopping program employees

  • investors avoid these 5 common tax mistakes

  • iso 9001 compliant program steps to build

  • is it time to hit the reset button on your sales department

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  • leveraging open source technology

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  • organization tips how to set up your database

  • outsourcing not just for big business

  • overcoming barriers to sales

  • overcoming sales objections for small business networks

  • overcoming small business networks sales objections

  • part 1 of 5 how pipe dreams can become realities

  • part 1 of 5 on the home business set up guide

  • part 2 of 5 how pipe dreams can become realities

  • part 2 of 5 on the home business set up guide

  • part 3 of 5 how pipe dreams can become realities

  • part 4 of 5 how pipe dreams can become realities

  • part 5 of 5 how pipe dreams can become realities

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