This guide is for small business owners interested in using CRM software to organize their client information, close more sales, and better serve their existing clients. We’ll cover what a CRM package is, it’s basic features and functions, and how to know if using CRM software will benefit your business.

1. What Is CRM
Software?

2. Short for Customer
Relationship Management

3. CRM software is a collection of tools to help
organize your interaction with clients.
CRM software allows you to build a custom database of client
information, which you and your employees update as you find leads,
negotiate offers, land sales and handle customer service.

4. CRM Software
Homepage

5. Is CRM
Software Right
For Your
Business?

6. Has your way of organizing things
started to get out of hand?
A CRM system can centralize information for you and help you
be more productive. CRM software can help you coordinate
and supervise activity.

7. A CRM system can
also help you
Keep on top of your
organization giving you insights
into employee productivity, help
you forecast sales, decide which
marketing programs are
working and more.

8. Why you may not
want a CRM
•The monetary costs. A good CRM
software will run you anywhere between
$10 and $150 a month per employee.
•It takes time to get the CRM software
setup and train your employees to use it.
You also have to say on top of people to
make sure they are using the CRM
correctly

9. Why use a CRM?
First off, it lets you store
information on a more
accurate and consistent basis.
In other words, it offers higher integrity of data. Not only do you
have a standardized way of entering customer and sales
information, but it keeps it in one place.

10. Why use a CRM?
Also, by recording all your
customer information on
a single platform, you get
REAL DATA instead of
anecdotal reports.
By keeping a log of daily tasks, sales and customer
satisfaction, you can track the actual progress of your
company, as well as the progress of individual employees.

11. Why use a CRM?
With real data you
can track the
Effectiveness of
Marketing Strategies.
How many customers are using a coupon you distributed? Or,
how many were referred by your ad? With real customer data
you can figure out exactly what’s working and what isn’t.

12. Can CRM software help a one
person company?
Maybe. The advantages of CRM
software tend to be greater the more
people you add to the system.
However, some CRM companies,
including our recommended option
Insightly, offer limited capability free
versions of their software for self
employed individuals.

13. Keep it Simple:
Why Many CRM Rollouts Fail
Business owners or managers sometimes focus too much on the
advanced features and neglect the basics. This over complicates
things for their employees, and makes it less likely that they are
going to use the software at all. If no one uses the CRM software,
then the advanced features don’t matter.

14. CRM Software
Basics

15. The 4 main building blocks are:
1. Contacts - Current or potential customers if
you are a B2C business, or individuals at a
particular firm you are trying to sell if you are a
B2B business.
!
2. Organizations - For B2B businesses to keep
track of the companies they are selling into, and
the individual contacts they have at that company.
If you are a B2C business you will probably not use
this function.

16. The 4 main building blocks are:
3. Opportunities - Used to track potential sales
and keep a record of past sales.
!
4. Tasks - Make note of any interaction (phone
call, writing a proposal, sending an email etc) you
have with your contacts and schedule tasks for the
future.

17. The real strength
of CRM software
Is the interconnection
of the four.
For example, when you search an individual’s name, you’ll find
their associated organization, sales opportunities (past and
present), a log of all conversations you’ve had with them, and
the tasks you have scheduled for them in the future.

18. CRM Software on the
Individual Level

19. If you are like most
non CRM users
You probably have your customer
information scattered across a
variety of different applications
including email, address books
(both online and offline), and
spreadsheets.

20. A CRM software gets all your client
information
Including contact info, notes on past discussions, and reminders to
follow up into one central place. It basically works like an advanced
address book and task manager.

21. Insightly CRM
Contact Page

22. You can create tasks
And link them to the individuals involved. Afterwards, you can add
notes on what was discussed and, if need be, set a reminder to
follow up.

23. Most CRM software will also let you track
potential and closed sales.
Each time a client expresses interest in your product, you can create a new
opportunity and link it to the contact. Within that opportunity, you add
notes, create tasks and set a probability of closing the deal.

24. CRM Software on
the team Level

25. All these benefits:
Storing customer information, setting tasks, tracking past
interactions and sales opportunities - compound themselves
when you have multiple employees using the same CRM
software.

26. Each employee at your
business
Can have their own account
with personalized tasks and
opportunities. However, as
they add client and sale
information, it will go to a
singular database.

27. Insightly Task
Description

28. Picture of a Team with a computer with a computer
If you work in a team
CRM software can be a great way to stay organized and build on
each other’s work. But note that it’s only as strong as the data
that’s entered. If employees neglect to use the software
regularly, the data won’t have any use.

29. This is why it’s extremely
important to choose the
right software.
You want something that has all the
right features AND is simple and
intuitive enough to actually be used.
You can check our comparison
guide to find out which platform is
right for you.

30. Management /
Reporting Level

31. If you do oversee a group of employees,
CRM software offers you tools to manage their work, track their progress
and estimate earnings. Through the software, you can divide employees
into teams with different levels of access.

32. Assuming your employees stick to
the software and enter data properly
You’ll have quick access to the following insight, on the individual,
team and company-wide level:
• Productivity – Who is finishing their tasks? In what
amount of time and with what results?
• Effectiveness – Who is the best at serving clients
and/or closing deals?
• Pipeline – What’s the probability of closing each
sale? And thus, what earnings can you forecast for the
company?

33. Insightly Reports

34. CRM software has
numerous benefits
That you can take advantage of on
multiple levels. However, it’s important to
keep in mind that the software is only as
strong as the data that’s entered.

35. If your employees
aren’t motivated
to use it
Or if they find it too confusing,
the software won’t do you much
use. Stick with a platform that
handles basic functions reliably
and intuitively.

36. Which CRM Software Do We
Recommend?
Click Here To Try For Free

37. Which CRM Software Do We
Recommend?
Click Here To Try For Free

38. Which CRM Software Do We
Recommend?
Click Here To Try For Free