CRM Data cleanup is a tedious task, but it has to be done to keep your funnel going or else you’re going to end up with no new leads, a database full of stale contacts, and missing out on new vital information on your existing customers.
You want to stay on top of it in order to be able to constantly improve and expand your list of leads. So, we have compiled a list of simple tips on how you can do so.
Updating and Cleaning
Regular updating of your contact database is a must to retain and add relevant information about your customers. However, if you’ve already accumulated a large database, the hardest part is always how and where to begin the updating process, especially with the ones that have become cold contacts or haven’t reached out to you for any services again. So, here are some tips that will help you in updating your contacts.
Conduct a Search
Don’t forget that Google is your best friend. The first instinct with an existing contact is to just simply call them and follow-up, right? Yes, but before you place that call, make sure that you visit their website first and check out if important information such as their phone number, address, and even the team members are still the same and displayed on the site. Look out for any announcements they may have made in their blog posts, etc. Once you’ve collated enough updated information, then go ahead and ring them up. The company will highly appreciate the fact that you’re up-to-date with them.
Call Cycling
Elaborating on the vein of calling your contacts, this should also be something that should be done regularly, and that includes all your contacts and not just your favorite ones that also constantly keep in touch with you. Avoid any of your contacts to go cold and distant as that will only make it harder to pick up where you left off with them in the future. If you have some trickier customers, it’s best to make scheduled calls with them at least every six months.
Just like trusty Google, LinkedIn is also definitely the social media site to turn to aside from their official websites. Since it’s a social media platform for professionals, you will find more information on their LinkedIn profiles such as the kind of team they’re part of, what their office culture is like, current projects they might be working on, behind-the-scenes information, and the list goes on.
Another advantage of following them on LinkedIn is that you can find out who your contacts directly report to which gives you insight as to who the main decision-maker or key influencer is in the company the next time you reach out to promote your service and/or product.
Overall, make it a priority to connect with your contacts and follow them on LinkedIn so that you stay updated, connected, and build a lasting business relationship with them.
Email Marketing
The emails that you send through your CRM can supply you with valuable feedback For every campaign that you conduct, it will give you a report on its success which is especially helpful because that way you will know whether your prospects opened the email you sent them or not and also if they opened the attachments inside of it. Another neat thing about CRM is it also tells you which contacts are still active and which ones are not via their bounce report. Once an email bounces back, you instantly know that you have to check through your records to make sure the company is still active or where they may have moved, and from there on you can start forming a new contact at the existing company.
Expanding
Gaining more customers is something many businesses struggle with. It takes a big strain on time and money to effectively do it. So, if you’re struggling with expanding your database, here are some tips on how to do it on a budget:
Strategic Network
Your plans should always be goal-oriented. That means that you take time to hang out where your customers and prospects usually are whether that may be in person or online. If you want better results, we suggest you do both. This is a very personal approach that serves three main purposes: staying up to date with the latest industry trends, gaining access to people who may be interested in your products and services, and most importantly personal connection.
Strategic Alliances
Look out for businesses that offer complementary products or services that you could grow your contact reach instantly. Many small-business owners can’t manage to do everything on their own (and it isn’t ideal to do so either), so having a strategic business partner allows you to work together in a more efficient manner and with shared resources.
Referrals
This simple tactic never fails, but it’s also easily the most overlooked one. The key to ask for referrals is the perfect timing, and usually, the perfect time to ask for referrals is after a sale, receiving good reviews and feedback pertaining to your products and services, and while being in correspondence with your customers and/or prospects.
Regularly create and send out newsletters so as to stay in touch with your current customers and if they enjoy your content and find the information interesting and relevant, they won’t hesitate to share that with others as well.
Follow-up
If you slack in following-up your leads, they will eventually become stale, and you don’t want that to happen.
So, the next time when you go to a networking event, try to strike up conversations with new people and when you exchange business cards, write down some details on the back so you can use that information when you do your follow-up.
When calling a referral or a person you met during the networking event, instead of interacting according to a script. Do your research on the people you are going to contact beforehand and just have a bullet point list of the things you want to refer to during the conversation.
And there you have it! We hope that you found these suggestions, albeit simple ones, helpful when you’re due for another contact record updating. Should you have any questions or want to share some of your own tips, don’t hesitate to leave a comment.
