We need a CRM

“We need a CRM”

At some stage in the life of a company, someone is going to say those words.

Sometimes it’s the boss, sometimes it’s the marketing guys, sometimes it’s customer service, occasionally it’s IT.

Usually, it’s whoever is suffering the most as the company goes through growing pains.

Don’t just nod, ask “Why?”

“We need more leads.”
“We need more sales.”
“We need to manage our service queues better.”
“We need to provide customer support.”
“We need to solve disconnects between our internal systems and processes.”

Ok, so then ask, “How will a CRM achieve that?” – and persist with the questioning until you get to the nitty gritty.

A CRM is not a silver bullet.  Simply switching the thing on and paying for licences will not solve the problem.   And you don’t need a massive basket list of organisational wins to make it work.

Think 80/20 – have a small list of problems that if you can solve them right now, will give you leverage.  Have a couple of big, well-understood, immediately compelling reasons to purchase a CRM, and be really clear on how a CRM will solve those problems.

Focus on those.  Invest in some expertise, then make it happen.  Evolve from there.