Profit Magazine “The 7 Best Ways to Build your Business Now!”
In last months Profit magazine there was an article that really helps me when I’m consulting companies on the real value of a CRM solution. In the business strategies section the article on “The 7 Best Ways to Build your Business Now!”, adopting CRM software is one of the big reasons they give to help businesses grow now. In the article they cover some key CRM value statements like:
- “Most entrepreneurs now recognize that “building deep customer relations will lead to sustainable long-term grow””
- “CRM software can help you centralize client data, automate customer service processes such as status reports or email campaigns, and alert you when you’re behind schedule”
- “(CRM) it’s cheaper and easier to use than ever before, making it an attractive investment for entrepreneurs”
- “Two-thirds of Canada’s Fastest Growing Companies use CRM software”
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Good food for thought!
Richard Bolton
Source: Profit Magazine November 2007 “The 7 Best Ways to Build your Business Now!” by Kim Shiffman
Is there real value in centralized customer data? There certainly is……
I had the chance to attend a seminar last month featuring Donald Cooper (a la Cooper Hockey Equipment, www.donaldcooper.com). It was a fantastic presentation, with examples of Donald’s real world retail experience. The seminar was geared to focus SMB’s on “How to sell more, manage smarter, grow your bottom line….and have a life!”. One keeper that I took away from Donald’s presentation was, when you’re creating a new business, “What are you committed to create?”. Donald’s answer, your creating “a growing, sustainable, profitable and ultimately saleable business”. The reason I think this is a powerful statement is the end result “ultimately saleable business”. So circling back to the value of customer data in any size business, if your creating an ultimately saleable business, then your centralized customer/client data has huge value. When ultimately selling your business any business evaluation process will ultimately review the goodwill relations with your customers/clients, your number one asset. Conclusion, keep a well manage customer/client database that tracks all interactions = CRM!
Richard Bolton
Centricity360 Software Consulting
Donald’s “Quote of the Month”
“If the place that you order pizza delivery from over the telephone knows more about you, your buying habits and your preferences than you know about your customers, you don’t know enough about your customers.”
Source: Donald Cooper’s October 2007 Business Newsletter
