Year: 2017

Best Tips For Small Business For Buying CRM This Black Friday

Black Friday and Cyber Monday that falls on 24 November (Friday) and 27 November (Monday) respectively this year, are the two biggest spending days of the year for the U.S markets. As retailers are struggling to meet the shopper’s desires for providing them unparallel holiday promotions and smart retail experience on this holiday season 2017, here are a few awesome tips that you must know if you are thinking about buying CRM for small business in the next few days to come.

Best Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deal to buy your CRM that falls on 24 November (Friday) and 27 November (Monday) respectively this year, are the two biggest spending days of the year for the U.S markets. This implies that there is a massive opportunity for small business, to capitalize on this seasonal frenzied buying spree and generate a huge increase in sales.

According to research, most small business views a small increase of sales on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, without much additional efforts, since more than 55% of consumers plan to pay a visit to stores on these two days of the year.

In a report published by National Retail Federation on holiday spending in 2013, it was found that 20-40 percent of yearly sales for small and medium businesses take place in the last two months of the year, and this trend is on a rise.

With Black Friday 2017 just around the corner, big deals are continuing to pop up on most of the US’s biggest retail online sites, as of today. According to TechRadar the most sold and some of the greatest tech products on discount this year are Samsung Galaxy S8, PS4 Pro, PlayStation VR and CRM platforms. This is to name just four tech products of many.

Massive sale discounts on flat-screen TVs and laptops are also pretty typical deals that run on Black Friday and Christmas. These flashy and awesome for the consumer’s deals work on businesses that have big margins or even small businesses those who can justify breaking even to acquire new customers since they are aware that their average customer makes multiple purchases during the later part of the year.

As most people use, different social media and web research before purchasing online, it has been found by Salesforce that while 74% of consumers search the website, 43% checks their emails, 38% look into social media promotions and 36% gets motivated to buy using the retailer’s mobile apps.

As retailers are struggling to meet the shopper’s desires for providing them unparallel holiday promotions and smart retail experience on this holiday season 2017, here are a few awesome tips that you must know if you are thinking about buying CRM for small business in the next few days to come.

Ease of use

Like any other software, you need to train yourself and your employees to use the CRM platform. Hence to save yourself the frustration and headache, choose the CRM which has a simple user interface and does not require much of a learning curve. The best way to be sure about this is to use a test or demo of the CRM software and find out whether it fits your taste.
Customizability

As there is no one-size-fits-all CRM solution for small business or even for large enterprises, customization of the CRM software is the key to getting the most out of your customer relationship platform. Choose a CRM, which can be customized according to your business’s unique needs. Apart from feature customization, you need to also look into the extending capabilities of the CRM by using plugins, extensions, templates, themes, and other add-ons to completely tailor the CRM to your business DNA.

Third-party integration

Make sure that the CRM that you buy is compatible with the applications that you already use in your office. CRM that integrates with all types of third-party software (like POS system, accounting, call management and others) helps to streamline all your data through different areas of your business without having to switch between different software.

Niche-based

Is your business specialized in a certain niche or industry?
Many specific CRMs are specially designed for finance, retailers, real estate, restaurants, legal, academic institutions and more. Hence, if you are in a niche-based business primarily choose a CRM that fits your industry before selecting the one that does not.

Cloud-based

As a small business owner, avoid those that describe them as “on-premise” CRM and choose a cloud-based CRM software. Since, using a cloud-based CRM, you can get access to your CRM data anytime and from any device with an Internet connection, without being forced to access information from the location or device in which the CRM software is installed.

Mobile access

Choose a CRM solution in this year’s holiday season new deals that can be accessed from your tablets and smartphones. Having this functionality in your CRM, aids in letting your sales and support team keep up with their work even on the go.

Security

As CRM software is one of the core systems for your business operations, choose a CRM platform, which has stringent security measures to prevent cyber attacks and more importantly data loss.

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Takeaway

CRM solutions do not just help businesses to track information and boost sales but also helps in allowing your sales and support teams to become more efficient in their jobs.
We guess this article on CRM buying tips for Black Friday 2017 sale is sure to help you with considerable information to make your Holiday Season 2017 Customer Relationship Management software for small businesses purchase a runaway success this year.

Role of CRM and Customer Experience in the wake of Retail Apocalypse

The so-called retail apocalypse 2017 has become so ingrained in the U.S markets, that now the fear-evoking term has found its own space in the Wikipedia entry. However, many have criticized this type of doomsday description, blaming media for exaggerating the trouble, as U.S retailers also announced more than 3,000 store openings in the first quarter of FY 2017. However, retailer chains have also said that 6,800 retail brick and mortar establishments would close this year, in spite of believed we have stepped on a time when there is sky-high consumer confidence and unemployment is historically low as the U.S economy is keeping on growing, and so has all the ingredients needed for a retail boom.

The so-called still continuing retail apocalypse has become so ingrained in the U.S markets, that now the fear-evoking term has found its own space in the Wikipedia entry.

However, many have criticized this type of doomsday description,  as U.S retailers also announced more than 3,000 store openings in the first quarter of FY 2018.

Since we have stepped on a time when there is sky-high consumer confidence and unemployment is historically low as the U.S economy is keeping on growing, so normally stating, USA has all the right ingredients needed for a retail boom.

According to a report by Frost & Sullivan’s Stratecast, in the wake of retail apocalypse 2017, it has been projected that E-commerce will account for nearly 18% of the total retail market in the U.S by 2025.

Comparing E-Commerce stores and Brick and Mortar retailers, it has also been discussed in the said report that Brick and Mortar retailers have an advantage over the online stores, which lies in their ability to offer customers a personalized experience. However, for this, Brick and Mortar retailers should immediately adopt an end-to-end solution that uses state-of-art and cutting-edge technology like CRM platform to make personalized services cost-effective and more focused on customer experiences.

The report also advised that this cannot be attained with erratic and unconsolidated point-solutions, where dissimilar technologies are enforced to fit together. But, what Brick and Mortar retailers need now is a well-integrated solution like a converged CRM platform, which provides a 360-degree view of the customers to encompass all aspects of the shopper continuum, which can only enable Brick and Mortar retailers to compete and dominate the retail space.

Moreover, when big retail chains close stores, this apparent blow can also be a blessing for small business owners, as many shoppers will gravitate to a smaller store, which will enhance the small and medium retailer’s skills for providing far superior personalized customer experience.

Using a converged CRM for small business, retailers can now easily integrate marketing, sales, billing and support related activities inside a single platform.

While states like West Virginia, Illinois, Ohio, and Michigan is facing the hardest hit, as retail employment are going down, many states such as Arkansas, Nevada and, Florida, those who has only relied on the retail industry for their job growth, will feel more pain as the fallout deepens in the years to come.

So what is it that small business owners of Brick and Mortar stores need to do in order to create an exceptional experience for their customer?

All you need to do for this is to be proactive, put yourself in your customer’s shoes, and walk a purchase mile with them.

In a research study done by inContact, it has been revealed that more than 87 percent of adults in the U.S want to be contacted proactively by any business establishment or a company.

Here are 7 key points to get started with CRM and customer experience for small business brick and mortar store owners those who are keen on adopting CRM for small business (like ConvergeHub), to wade through this turbulent times.

  1. Keeping in touch.
  2. Listening to customers’ needs.
  3. Creating personal relationships.
  4. Offering what customers really want.
  5. Providing attentive and quick support.
  6. Maintaining an ongoing dialogue.
  7. Keeping up with the customer needs.

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Conclusion

In a gist, in the technology-dominated today’s’ world, just stop thinking that you control your retail shop’s customers, but believe that it is your customers who control you.

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Therefore, the call of this hour is to adapt yourself quickly and provide exceptional customer experience with the help of CRM software, before the retail apocalypse digs deeper and it gets too late.

How to Effectively Convince Your Employee on a Brand New CRM

At last, you have found the right one- the SaaS product that will surely change everything. From its friendly interface to flexible features to its customization options and extensive integration, this software could not be any better for you and your team. However, there is one big barrier standing between you and your dream SaaS CRM platform: your employee. Your employee controls the budget, which obviously means that you need to prove this software is worth the investment, to your boss.

At last, you have found the right one- the SaaS product that will surely change everything. From its friendly interface to flexible features to its customization options and extensive integration, this software is the best option for you and your team.
However, there is one big barrier standing between you and your dream SaaS CRM platform: your employee. Your employee controls the budget, which obviously means that you need to prove this software is worth the investment, to your boss.

Nevertheless, your pitch will be much more convincing if you can back them up with appropriate proofs.

Shawn Sieck, Executive Vice President of the multinational software company Intellectsoft, recommends asking these 3 most vital questions to each sales representatives: “What’s your pipeline look like? How focused are you in your outreach efforts? How well are you tracking your present opportunities?”

Once you have these questions answered, you can map them to the CRM’s specific features.

Next, get relevant feedbacks from the companies that are already using your desired CRM. Most SaaS product websites will have a “Customers” page. Pick a few companies on that list and ask them what they liked or did not liked and what results they have registered after implementing CRM in their organization.

You can also ask for references from your desired CRM firm, and make them introduce you to current customers, but remain aware, they will only introduce you to the happiest ones.

 Prepare a cost-benefit analysis

Explaining to your employee how much time, money, and effort this Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) product will save for your team, will have a large impact in convincing your superiors about the benefits of buying this platform.

With the data that you have already gathered in the last step, figure out in approximation how much you are losing without the SaaS product. For an example, you can maybe estimate that each person will close 25% more deals with a new CRM. Therefore, if your average deal size is $3000, and your sales team makes 30 deals per month, you can explain to your boss that your company is losing $7500 every 30 days if your company does not buy this software.

Next, calculate, how much the software will cost to your company and account for the money you will lose while your team moves to this new platform.

Finally, give your employee the ROI.

In fact, if you invest on CRM, the investment that you initially make upfront will pay off in customers that you will keep longer and so this SaaS platform will ultimately prove more profitable for your company.

Develop an implementation plan

When it comes to purchasing a new product, inertia often holds us back. Therefore, before your employee signs off on a new CRM, you need to frame out a solid action plan.

Here is what you must consider:

  • How will this new tool work with the ones you already have in your office?
  • If the new tool is replacing another legacy tool used in your office, how will you phase out the old one?
  • When will training and onboarding take place?
  • If training is going to interfere with your team’s daily activities, how will you make up for the drop in production and revenue?
  • Who will be involved and who will lead the project?

As CRM is a complex purchase, you must always have required thought and foresight before integrating, onboarding, and adopting the software for long-term benefits your organization.

Present to your employee

Now, once you have received the quotes from sales team and customers, estimates on costs and savings, and on your implementation plans, you are ready to present your final evaluation report to your employee.

How you do, your presentation, however, will depend on what you know about your employee. Do they like detailed presentation with careful planning, or will they be more comfortable and receptive to a casual conversation over lunch? Are they more inclined on ‘gut feelings’ or they always zero in on stats and data for their decision making?

By customizing your approach accordingly to your boss’s style, you will surely increase your odds of success.

If the meeting goes and ends by giving you a go-ahead- that is awesome. However, most likely from my experiences, your employee will say, “I’ll think about it”.

In this case, it is time to take your next step.

Rally internal support

Making your boss and employee understand that there is a strong demand for this CRM, will mostly make your employee more likely to go for it.

Actually, managers must know the CRM system as much as the reps as they are going to be living with it every day. For if it is not an enjoyable experience for them, no one will get the value they want out of this system.

With this thought in your mind, go back to your stakeholders, initiate talks with them, and ask them if they would be open to sharing their thoughts with the members of your company’s management team.

It is also a good idea if you can ask your employee as to what his or her reservations may be. It can always be that your employee may be concerned about the reliability of your choice, or how expensive and how secure are your suggestions. Once you know what is holding your employee back, you can always take the help of your office managers or colleagues and figure out how you can address the issue.

Move to Plan ‘B’

What if, your employee, even after all your endeavors still does not bite?

Firstly, you can move on, for you never know if your employee will come back after a few months or a year and announce that he or she has been thinking all along and now he or she is ready to buy and try a CRM.

Secondly, you propose a trial run. Most CRM like ConvergeHub offers 14 days free trial so that you can try out all the features and test whether the CRM fits your organization without any cost.

A trail helps you to compare your preferred CRM solution directly against your existing system to find and apple-to-apple view of the impact.

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So briefly, tell your employee that you understand about X and Y, before the final decision is made, you would like to perform a trail, so that by the end of the fortnight, when your company sees a growth in its productivity (along with revenue), your employ might finally be convinced of buying a CRM.