All sales teams want the same thing… SALES! To get sales you typically need a marketing plan that generates “sales leads.” This is where the CRM (customer relationship management) comes into the picture. Keeping track of all the leads generated, assigning ownership, identifying the source and ultimately measuring success can be very difficult if reps are using sticky notes or individual spreadsheets.
If your job is in marketing or sales, here are some CRM best practices to simplify your job and keep your leads from slipping through the cracks:
1. Capture leads effectively
Make sure all leads are being captured and that you are gathering all of the information you need to build useful reports. If the leads come from a digital source, automate the import process. Manual import by reps is time consuming and increases the opportunity for errors. In most cases, all of the leads and data you’ve previously collected in spreadsheets can easily be imported into your CRM, so you’ll have all of your leads in one place.
2. Know your lead sources
Find out where your leads come from specifically. Create specific lists of sources from all marketing channels so you can measure the ROI. Avoid categories such as web lead, call-in, walk in, advertising, social, etc. If you have a successful marketing plan the same leads may engage from different directions. Most modern CRMs allow for multiple sources.
3. Assign leads
Assign your leads to sales reps to make sure all leads are contacted as soon as possible, and so that you don’t have multiple sales reps working the same lead. From here, managers can truly measure and help develop productive pipelines for their teams while creating accountability for marketing dollars that have been spent.
4. Nurture your leads
One of the main causes of poor lead performance is lack of lead nurture. Not all leads are ready to “buy now.” In the current information age, buyers have the ability to research multiple options. In many cases, you need to follow up with prospects and deepen relationships over time to get the results you desire. Many modern CRMs offer additional tools and automation to crate drip campaigns and marketing workflows to continually engage leads until the time is right.
5. Run reports for data
Don’t ask your best sales person their opinion about a lead source. If they don’t have an actual report, the information is anecdotal at best. Rely on DATA! If you have taken the proper steps, dashboard reports will prove the value of both the sales leads and reps working them. Reports will tell a much more accurate story.
This post is intended to promote the use of CRM tools and share best practices within the development, home building, and real estate industry. PrivateCommunities.com is set up to feed leads from our site directly into most CRM tools.
Here is a list CRM platforms we currently work with (but are not limited to):