Growing your business is difficult. When you’re trying to scale your company, every sale counts — and so does every client. At a certain stage, tracking all of your leads and customers in spreadsheets and emails just doesn’t cut it anymore. Things start to fall through the cracks; opportunities for upsells and renewals get overlooked; and important clients don’t get the attention they deserve. It’s time for a CRM. But if you’re a small business, you might be wondering: how and when do you know if you’re ready to take the leap? Here are 4 signs that it’s time.
You’ve outgrown your existing sales “process”
Spreadsheets. Emails. Post-It notes?! When you first started out, it was enough to just be making sales. (Maybe, like us, you didn’t even have a dedicated sales team!) Your process probably formed organically out of necessity, and you stuck with it because it was working well for the time being. But the bigger your company gets, the less feasible it becomes to have your lead and client information spread across different formats. What’s more, when you’re serious about growth, it’s not enough to be reactive — you need to start putting the process and strategy in place to become proactive about collating, managing, and nurturing leads. You need a proper process. With all of your sales-related information — leads, opportunities, renewals, client info — in one place, a CRM can give you valuable insights about where you need to focus your attention, help you to quickly identify any bottlenecks, and enable you to maximize your successes.
You’re leaving money on the table
It’s hard to hear, but it’s true. Without a centralized view of your whole sales lifecycle from beginning to end, you’re almost definitely leaving money on the table. Whether it’s because potential leads are going unworked, deals are slipping behind, or upsell and cross-sell opportunities don’t get spotted in time, losing visibility = losing money. Using a CRM gives you a snapshot of how things are progressing right now — but it also helps you to prepare for the future. The forecasting feature in Teamwork CRM lets you identify whether you’re on track to hit your monthly targets, or if you need to double down on your efforts in any given period to ensure you hit your goals.
Your salespeople are ready to take the lead
Sales is a delicate process. Every client has unique needs and requirements, and the journey from initial lead to closing the deal is never the same twice. Your salespeople need to be empowered to make the right call, and informed enough to know what that is in every situation — and they also need a CRM that’s flexible enough to support their needs. The right CRM takes the hassle out of managing leads and contacts and autoprioritizes deals so each salesperson can identify the critical areas that need their attention at any given time. And with customizable Activities, they can make sure they always take the right next steps.
You want to build better business relationships
As your company grows, you need to start thinking about the quality of your deals, not just the quantity of them. A sale shouldn’t just be a one-time transaction; rather, it’s an opportunity to create a lasting, mutually beneficial relationship with a client — hopefully for years to come. With a CRM, you can see the full history of every salesperson’s interactions with a given client or company. Did another sales rep have more success with a different strategy? Has your point of contact changed? Keep your customer’s information and preferences on file to create one mega-network, and start developing your ultimate individualized playbook for better, stronger relationships. Ready to take that leap? Teamwork CRM has everything you need to help your sales team bring clarity to chaos and close more deals. Why not try our 30-day free trial to see for yourself? Already a Teamwork customer? Enable your free trial of Teamwork CRM directly from your Teamwork Projects or Teamwork Desk account.