If your business goals include differentiating yourself among other consultants, increasing your income, or expanding your services, offering a CRM solution could be the key to a successful 2010. Once considered a luxury reserved for large enterprises, CRM software has become a critical component for success that is accessible to all businesses. CRM provides firms with reliable & centralized data, competitive marketing advantages and improved client satisfaction. Offering a CRM solution that integrates with QuickBooks is an easy way to leverage your expertise as a business owner and a CRM user into a complete service offering. Your clients will thank you for helping them put the right CRM in place – the key ingredient to managing and growing a successful business.
What is CRM (Customer/Contact Relationship Management)?
Businesses need to have their customer, prospect and vendor (Contact) information that is complete and up-to-date readily available. This information must include details on pending and past business transactions, sales inquiries, communications, as well as any issues and how they were resolved. Firms used to consider this type of centralized and comprehensive information source a desirable option. Now it is considered a business necessity. As the speed of business increases and the amount of information grows, businesses are forced to do more and compete effectively with even fewer resources – making CRM software a critical component for success.
Benefits to Your Clients
A CRM system is only as valuable as the information it contains, and the ease with which the information can be accessed when needed. That being the case, a good CRM must be well designed and easily navigated. A CRM system becomes the source of knowledge that tells you your most valuable business sources and where to focus your marketing efforts. Whenever you pick up the phone or engage an email, your CRM system becomes your information hub; it’s where you go to immediately know who it is you’re engaging, how you know them, what they were promised, what was delivered and even know if there is a balance due on the account. With a good CRM, businesses can expect to increase sales, reduce costs and improve cash flow. Once all Contact information is centralized, the CRM provides business continuity and makes information a truly valuable business asset. Hosted CRM adds the advantage of being accessible at anytime and from anywhere.
When a CRM Solution is designed to be fully integrated with both Outlook and QuickBooks, the CRM system becomes all-encompassing to the data that matters from communications, to operations to finance. No one needs a case study to tell them that it’s time-consuming and even frustrating to search for a particular email or document. When the CRM system integrates with Outlook and also has a Document Management capability, the contact record becomes the only place to look for client-related emails, documents and notes. Likewise, when a CRM system properly integrates with QuickBooks, bi-directionaly and at the transaction level, it provides everyone in the organization visibility to the data they need without giving them access to the books. Sales and Management will then have up-to-date account information and up-selling opportuntities without waiting for periodic reports. CRM empowers firms to respond to Contact requests and sales opportunities with great speed and efficiency, regardless of whether they are a small business or the largest, most well-staffed corporation
Benefits of Offering CRM to your Clients
Expanding your product offering to include CRM solutions is a natural way to build a foundation for stronger and more lucrative business relationships with your clients. You will be able to leverage your expertise as a business owner and a CRM user into a complete service offering that will differentiate you among others. When you provide your clients with a CRM solution that integrates with QuickBooks, you build upon your existing relationship with them as they turn to you for an overall business solutions.
The benefits of offering CRM do not stop with the original sale; your clients will return to you with repeat business as they will often ask for additional services to compliment their new all-encompassing business solution. Whether you provide the additional services directly or refer them to specialists, your bottom line will be positively affected when you tap into the multiple streams of CRM income. Firms that add CRM to their product line benefit from additional license sales, renewable support plans, and a number of other services (including installation, consulting & best practices, data integration, data conversion, training, deployment planning & implementation, custom reports and custom programming).
Conclusion
CRM can provide any firm with a competitive advantage and improved customer/client satisfaction – two things that are particularly important to grow your business. Consider being the one that introduces these benefits to your clients by offering an integrated CRM solution. Reap the benefits as their firms grow along with yours!
About the author:
Naseem Saab, President & Founder of DPS Consulting and Results Software, is passionate about helping businesses succeed! Naseem is a recognized pioneer in the CRM industry and office automation technologies. In 1986, Naseem developed and launched Results CRM as an integrated business solution that helps businesses centralize their data, streamline their operations and improve their business relationships. Naseem is a national speaker and published author on CRM topics including business growth strategies, office automation, virtual offices, boosting sales and gaining a competitive advantage. For more information, visit http://www.Results-Software.com or call (800) 713-7013.
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