Creating a winning sales process using CRM software

Having a clearly designed sales strategy is an essential foundation for any successful sales team to build upon. 

An effective sales strategy outlines the type of customers you are looking to target, and the steps needed to gain their trust and turn them from a prospect into a loyal customer. This will look different for every business, depending on the industry, nature and operational complexity.

But there are four fundamental steps a business needs to take to develop a winning sales strategy:

1. Define your target market
2. Map out the customer journey
3. Set clear goals and objectives
4. Clearly communicate your strategy to your employees.

How CRM software can support the entire sales cycle 

Customers are at the heart of any business and maintaining effective relationships with them is essential for customer retention. A CRM system can take the stress out of this process by capturing essential information on all customer and prospect activities in a single, unified location, delivering significant business benefits at all stages of the sales cycle.

Improved operational efficiency:

See an improvement in staff productivity and time management as it enables individuals to prioritise their tasks in order of importance, set deadlines and send reminders if they become overdue. So your staff will never miss an opportunity to strengthen their customer relationships.

CRM systems can reduce the sales team administrative, time-consuming and repetitive activities by automating some of these tasks within the sales process. This can include pre-populating forms and orders, generating quotes and reporting. With less administrative work, more time can be dedicated to nurturing sales leads and increasing sales.

Greater oversight of your sales pipeline:

The information management capabilities built into the systems will provide sales managers with an end-to-end view of the entire pipeline, charted against sales targets and other key performance indicators. This comprehensive view enables you to make decisions more effectively and allow you to take advantage of new opportunities as they emerge.

Real-time reporting also means that if sales figures are below targets, sales managers can take informed action like introducing a special offer before they have a negative effect on monthly results.

More effective customer care:

CRM systems can help smooth the customer journey from initial enquiry through to aftercare and repeat purchasing. By creating a lasting record of every interaction, including open orders, quotes and complaints, staff can review previous conversations and pick-up ongoing queries or complaints without ever compromising service levels.

By reducing any potential friction at each stage of the customer journey, an effective CRM system can vastly improve customer satisfaction, loyalty and retention.

Reduce ineffective marketing:

Attracting prospective customers can be a challenge; Funnelling your marketing and telesales efforts through your CRM system enables you to analyse the effectiveness of each marketing campaign and communication. The insight provided enables you to identify the right time to market to your audience and focus your marketing efforts on that have been proven in the past to deliver results and increase your return on investment.

The wide-ranging benefits delivered by a successfully integrated CRM all combine to increase efficiency and potential sales revenue, leading to greater business success. WinMan ERP software has built-in CRM to help you streamline your sales processes while providing a range of comprehensive tools to manage other areas of your business such as production and warehousing. Contact WinMan today to find out more.