CRM software is great but merely having it and using it is not enough to take advantage of its full capabilities. There are still a lot of things that we do in order to make sure that we are maximizing the CRM that we have.
In this short article, we take a look at how we make the most out of our propriety tool, the Callbox Pipeline, and what proper lead management does to get the best results from your sales lead generation campaigns.
In marketing, we can always do more with the resources that we have.
1. Your Contacts are Related to Each Other
If you were to analyze your contacts, you’ll find out that most of them share multiple common denominators with each other and due to this you can subdivide these contacts for better targeting. Think about your contacts in terms of industry-size, revenue, and industry sub-sector and start grouping them.
Once you’re done differentiating and grouping your contacts, you can then start treating them as individualized accounts just like as you would for ABM (Account-Based Marketing). This allows you to create custom campaigns that are personalized for each “account” allowing for better engagement and precise lead nurturing activities that cater to different individuals.
ABM is especially effective when you are doing B2B transactions because it allows you to be much more precise with the way that you handle your communications with clients.
Callbox Pipeline Account View
2. The Metrics Matter
Numbers don’t lie and if you pay attention to the numbers you’ll find that there are plenty of ways that you can adjust your resources to allocate more for growing channels and change strategies for inactivity or stagnation.
Lead Score and Activity
Paying attention to the lead score – that is provided in a few CRM software choices – will allow you to check out if a contact is really worth the company’s time and effort. Sometimes you are better off reallocating your resources to contacts with higher scores.
Attribution Model
Take into account your attribution model because it will help you find out what particular touchpoints in the sales process are doing the trick. This helps determine what else you can do to make your touchpoints and other areas more efficient.
Channel Performance
It’s great to have multiple channels of acquisition but what happens when a channel isn’t performing up to speed. Just because you are visible and accessible everywhere doesn’t mean you will be able to convert. Say for instance you are running ads on a particular social media platform but then you find out that it is not doing well, you can now check if it’s because of the fact that your prospects do not lurk there.
Callbox Pipeline Reports View
3. Nurture, and then some more
You can automate all you want, but you need a solid, well-thought-out plan for nurturing clients at different stages in the pipeline. You cannot keep sending a former client the same amount and frequency of emails as your newer ones. It just doesn’t work that away.
This is another benefit of an ABM strategy when it comes to CRM because it allows you to take advantage of grouping your prospects and clients into different subcategories.
4. Stale Accounts
If the account isn’t engaging with your company anymore then maybe it is due time that you get rid of it. You cannot have stale accounts lurking around in your CRM because this causes you an issue with your metrics and the way your feedback process works. You have to be able to leverage data but the data has to be accurate as well.
5. CRM Training is Essential for Employees
At Callbox, it is crucial that everyone involved in the lead generation stage undergoes proper Pipeline CRM training or else the tool and its sales-optimized features won’t be worth it. There is a certain adoption rate that kicks in when you use something like software and it is important that everyone in the organization knows how to use it to its full extent. Think of a carpenter that can’t use the saw properly, it makes them inefficient in their roles and is basically wasting the saw’s value.
Bonus: Social CRM Works
With the ever-evolving trends in B2B marketing and with social media’s increasing adoption across the B2B space, it is time to take a better look at how you can maximize the SMM and CRM pairing. We understand that public image is absolutely important as a driving force for sales and marketing. This is why it is important to adopt a more social view of the CRM platform.
Do not be afraid to spend time experimenting with your CRM and social media. People like engaging and they also like being engaged. Social media plays well with CRM, whether it is lead nurturing across different channels or even publishing the statistics that you have to help your prospects out.
A tool is only as good as the one who wields it and if you want to be a great craftsman you have got to be able to leverage your tools properly. Be efficient and be effective in the way you handle your CRM and your sales pipeline. It will pay off in the long run.
