CRM buying guide

Sales technology has come a long way from the Rolodex and the post-it note.

Sales teams can now connect with leads and clients in more ways than ever before, from emails to phone calls to video conferences. All that constant communication is made possible in part by Customer Relationship Management (CRM) technology. Sales reps use CRM systems to capture every interaction, keep contact info up to date, and manage accounts of all sizes.

That’s just the tip of the iceberg. Sales teams can also use robust CRM solutions to generate new leads, automate email campaigns, and produce forecasting reports and advanced analytics.

Like we said—we’re a long way from the Rolodex and post-it note. We’ve created a CRM buying guide that covers the following key factors:

What does a CRM do?

A CRM automatically captures information about your prospects and customers, which your sales team can easily access and analyze for insights. The system saves every interaction between a sales rep and a lead or customer—each email, call, message, and presentation. It can also be used to take notes about client preferences, schedule meetings, and remind reps to send follow-up emails.

Every bit of information about a customer is accessible through the CRM, so sales reps can easily craft relevant, personalized messages for leads. This communication enables sales teams to close more deals and identify more upselling opportunities.

In short, a CRM simplifies the process of nurturing leads and maintaining strong relationships with prospects and existing customers.

While sales reps use a CRM to connect with customers, sales managers use the tool to monitor and improve their team’s performance. The tool allows managers to understand each rep’s activities, complete sales forecasting, and create data-driven reports that highlight areas of opportunity.

How do you know you’re ready for a CRM?

If you’re still trying to keep track of all your customers with spreadsheets, you’re ready for a CRM.

Even for small sales teams, manually updating customer databases is time-consuming and impractical. A sprawling collection of Excel pages, emails, and documents may have worked in the beginning, but it will be hard to sustain as your business grows. A CRM can erase hours of busy work, organize your operation, and streamline the sales process so that you can close more deals in less time.

In the past, advanced CRM systems were primarily used by big businesses with long client lists. In recent years, CRM technology has become more accessible, and organizations of all sizes are now leveraging it for significant gains.

Today, over 90 percent of North American firms with 10 or more employees use a CRM. The surge in virtual selling brought on by the pandemic has encouraged even more widespread usage. The CRM market grew 10 percent in 2020, compared to the average year-over-year growth rate of the three previous years.

Key features of a CRM system

There are many different CRM systems, and they come in varying levels of sophistication. However, there are certain features that are table stakes for any comprehensive CRM tool.

At a minimum, any CRM solution you pursue should have the following capabilities:

How to set your business up for success

Failure to plan is planning to fail. That’s especially true of CRM adoption. A new CRM system represents a major investment that will redefine your sales process, so consider your team’s unique needs before settling on a single provider.

1. Identify pain points

   Ask your sales team to share their biggest challenges and roadblocks, so you know which problems your CRM should eventually solve. Make sure reps who will have to use the software every day are involved with the vetting process, and able to give their opinion on each CRM you consider.

2. Check compatibility with your existing software

   You may be new to the CRM market, but there are no doubt many other sales tools that you’re already using. Make sure you find a CRM solution that’s flexible enough to integrate with your existing platforms, from your email inboxes to your accounting and order-tracking systems.

3. Search for a scalable solution

   Some small businesses opt for a very basic low-cost “starter” CRM but eventually outgrow its capabilities. Once that happens, it can be expensive and time-consuming to migrate all of your data to a new CRM system. If you hope to grow your business, it’s important to find a CRM solution that’s capable of scaling with your organization. Find a provider that is affordable enough for your current operation, but also has the functionality to grow along with your business.

If you’re considering a CRM provider that offers a free trial, you should take advantage of the opportunity. Just be sure to read up on the system’s features before you start your trial period so that you can get a true assessment of its usefulness and capability.

Why choose Zendesk?

Zendesk Sell is a cloud-based CRM that offers endless customizability, a robust set of features, and a flexible tiered pricing structure to fit your organization’s needs. A team that is as small as three sales reps can use Zendesk for less than $20 a month per user, while larger organizations can unlock additional CRM features at the enterprise level. And the overall total cost of ownership remains relatively low, since Zendesk is so easy to operate, from setup to ongoing maintenance.

Sell is a centralized tool for prospecting, engagement, and communication that improves the customer experience increases sales productivity, and reduces costs. The CRM’s intuitive and easy-to-configure dashboard allows reps to make calls, send emails, schedule meetings, and view deal history, all from one place. And with Zendesk’s industry-leading mobile selling app, reps can access that intuitive interface from their phone or tablet, wherever they happen to be working or meeting with customers.

Sell also offers advanced sales prospecting functionality, allowing users to generate leads from a list of over 200 million professionals. Sales teams of all sizes use Zendesk to find new prospects, enrich contact data, and create targeted lists.

Zendesk has hundreds of available integrations, so you can quickly connect your CRM to every tool that you already use, from Gmail to Outlook to Mailchimp. You can even build your own apps in Zendesk and share them in the marketplace. And if you want to take an all-in-one approach to CX, Sell can integrate with Zendesk Suite for unified data, easy collaboration, and truly seamless customer experiences.

Despite the long list of features and capabilities, Zendesk is not difficult to master. It’s a modern CRM that’s designed to be beautifully simple, providing sales teams of all sizes with an easy-to-use and conversational interface built around everyday sales activities.