Few industries are as relationship-driven as marketing and advertising. In order to win new business, these agencies must qualify and follow up with new leads in a timely fashion. And in order to build a loyal client base, they need to connect with clients on a personal level and ensure the clients remain satisfied with their work.

Marketing and advertising are also highly project-based industries. Each project involves a lot of moving pieces, from planning and file sharing to production and scheduling. And when you consider that each project also involves a client relationship, the importance of keeping all of this data organized becomes clear.

The best way to stay on top of these relationship and project management tasks is to invest in dedicated software. Creative agencies can make great use of customer relationship management (CRM) software, as well as project management software. But how do you know which option is best for your agency? It depends on the struggles your team is currently facing and the key functions of these different software solutions.

CRM vs. project management software: what’s the difference?

CRM solutions and project management solutions are both valuable business tools, though they differ in their focus.  Both types of software can be used successfully by marketing and advertising agencies.

A customer relationship management system is designed to track information about your prospective, current, and past clients. Through centralized client data, scheduling and note-taking features, and email integrations, a CRM makes it easier for employees to connect with clients and provide effective customer service.

A project management system tracks information on a project-by-project and client-by-client basis. These software solutions keep employees on task and ensure that work is completed on time. Through task coordination, productivity tracking, and communication tools, project management solutions help teams with productivity, efficiency, and accountability.

In a nutshell: CRM software streamlines your interactions with clients, while project management software streamlines your delivery of final products. Understanding the differences between these software types is important when selecting and implementing one or both of them. Keep in mind that some vendors may incorporate CRM and project management functionality into one software program, while other vendors may offer standalone solutions.

Benefits of CRM software

If your agency currently tracks clients in QuickBooks or spreadsheets, you may think a CRM is unnecessary. However, there may be some clear signs that you need a new solution. If you’re having trouble with any of the following activities, it may be time to invest in a CRM.

Tracking leads

If you’re finding it difficult to track and follow up with prospective clients, a CRM solution can help. Many CRMs offer features for automated lead collection and centralized lead management, which cuts down on time spent entering and looking up data. Not only can you easily see which leads are active, but you can score them based on their likelihood of converting and schedule reminders to follow up with them.

Retaining clients

It’s well-known that retaining an existing client is far less expensive than acquiring a new client. Luckily, CRM software helps you provide better service to your clients, thereby improving your client retention. A CRM consolidates a client’s entire history with your agency, from billing to projects to complaints, into one convenient location. As a result, everyone on your team has the appropriate context to provide top-notch service.

Engaging with clients

As a marketing or advertising agency, you know how important ongoing client engagement is. However, staying in touch becomes difficult as your client list grows. A CRM solution can help to streamline this process. For instance, logging all client interactions in one place makes it easier for employees to identify those clients who haven’t connected with you in a while. Many CRMs also have email marketing integrations that allow you to quickly send targeted messages to key groups.

Tracking billing and accounting

Even if you’re great at managing client relationships, your agency will struggle if you aren’t getting paid on time. Using a CRM that integrates with QuickBooks bridges the gap between your creative work and your financial to-do’s. Create invoices in the CRM email them directly to your clients, and accept payments via a self-service client portal. When the invoicing process is simple for you and your clients, there’s a higher likelihood that your clients will pay on time.

In a nutshell: If your agency is having trouble managing data related to clients or leads, it’s likely that a CRM can help. CRM software will empower you to optimize your interactions with individual clients, while also providing insights about your client base as a whole. This data can be used to refine your business operations in the long term.

Benefits of project management software

Marketing and advertising agencies are usually working on many projects at once. Since each individual employee may be assigned to multiple accounts, careful coordination is required to make sure everything is completed on time. If your agency is looking to improve in any of the following areas, you may benefit from project management software.

Consolidating information

In a project management system, team members assigned to multiple projects can have a single consolidated dashboard that outlines all of their pending tasks. This convenient bird’s-eye view reduces the chance that a task (or a deadline) might be missed. In addition, important details about all ongoing projects can be easily accessed within the project management software. This means employees will spend less time sifting through emails and Google Docs to find what they need.

Increasing accountability

Through project management software, supervisors are able to monitor employee performance and ensure that the team is moving towards a common goal. Shared calendars, time tracking features, and dynamic task statuses make it simple to see what everyone is working on. If projects do fall behind schedule, a supervisor can identify and address the underlying issues before they become bigger problems.

Driving productivity

Project management solutions help agencies break down complex projects into simpler tasks. By setting deadlines for these small tasks and visualizing them in one spot, it’s easier for teams to stay on track while working towards long-term goals. Project management software also lets you create templates for common workflows. This allows employees to work in a self-directed fashion — as soon as they complete a task, they can see what comes next.

Improving reporting

Forget about manually crunching numbers in spreadsheets — or worse, having no idea what’s happening with your projects. Built-in reporting tools are a key component of most project management systems. Use these handy stats and dashboards to examine how individual projects are progressing or to take a broader look at your agency’s productivity over time. These reports can be used for everything from internal process audits to client presentations.

In a nutshell: If your agency is struggling to meet deadlines or is having issues with productivity and efficiency, you may need a project management solution. But to avoid amplifying these problems, look for project management software that can be customized to suit your current processes. This will help you incorporate the software into your operations without missing a beat.

Conclusion

Most creative agencies can benefit from the adoption of CRM or project management software. If you’re looking to streamline your existing business processes, it may be time to give one or both software solutions a try. Together, these systems can help you build stronger relationships and work more productively — and this will ultimately create the best possible experience for your clients.

The post Does Your Agency Need a CRM or Project Management Software? appeared first on Method.

Businesses often think of great customer service as part of their selling toolkit. However, the need to empathize with consumers or understand their pain points extends beyond the initial sale. In fact, from the customer’s perspective, the way you handle a post-purchase issue is likely more important than the service provided before the purchase.

Business losses due to negative customer service experiences are on the rise. So how can your business avoid falling into this trap? While implementing customer management software is a great first step toward better customer service, it isn’t the only solution. Instead, resolving customer service issues effectively requires a combination of tools, processes, and communication strategies.

9 Tips to Handle Customer Service Issues

No matter what type of business you run, customer service issues are bound to come up. But your goal shouldn’t be to avoid any type of complaint or problem. Instead, your goal should be to handle these anomalies so effectively that they become shining examples of how your team will go above and beyond to satisfy customers.

Here are some tips to help your team make the most of its resources — both technological and human. With these guidelines in mind, you’ll be able to overcome any customer service issue that comes your way.

1. Know Your Customers

Your company likely already does a great deal of research on your existing customers for marketing purposes. If this data is available in your customer management software, use it to inform your service strategy. Who are your customers? How old are they and where do they live? How do they typically interact with your company, and how often do they reach out?

Before you prepare a protocol for customer service, dive deep into your customers’ preferences and behaviors. This will help you determine which service areas to focus on. If your customers tend to use digital methods (like email or social media) to contact you, it may be worth improving the self-service experience on your website. But if you receive a lot of phone calls, perhaps you need to hire additional staff to handle the volume.

2. Assess Your Current Customer Service Strategy

A lot of companies have no set protocol in place for resolving customer service issues. The problem with this is that you’re relying on your employees to handle these situations with no game plan or blueprint. This means each employee might handle the same situation in a different way, so a customer can never count on having the same type of experience.

Talk to the employees who deal with customer service issues and ask them to walk you through their current processes. Document how things are being handled and pinpoint the strengths and weaknesses you see. The more detail you can collect about real-life situations, the better equipped you’ll be to build a plan that your employees can use.

3. Develop Standard Protocols for Different Types of Issues

If you want to develop a reputation as a company with excellent customer service, consistency is key. When you have a standard set of service guidelines, it’s much likelier that issues will always be handled the same way.

Based on your research from the previous step, develop a set of protocols for employees to follow in the event of different customer complaints. What should they do if there’s a quality issue with a product? How should they respond if a customer is dissatisfied with your service? What types of discounts or refunds are permissible? Having clear guidelines makes the job much easier for your employees. They’ll be more confident in the process of resolving issues, which translates to a better experience for your customers.

4. Offer Multiple Communication Channels

Different people respond better to different communication methods. This is true in any social or personal exchange but it’s also key in customer service and business relationships.

Customers today like to have a wide variety of communication options. Many customers want to talk to a human on the phone when they have any type of issue. If you’re located in the same city as your customers, some may even want to have a physical meeting. Meanwhile, other people prefer to text or email — or they just want to find the answer to their question on your website.

To accommodate these different communication styles, keep your website up to date with FAQs and ways to contact you. You may also want to track customers’ preferred communication methods in your CRM in case you need to follow up with them.

5. Set a Time Limit for Responses

There’s nothing worse than sitting on hold with an automated customer service system. When your customer has an issue, be mindful of their time and don’t make them wait around forever for answers.

While some issues will inevitably take longer to solve than others, it’s important for the communication to be handled efficiently. Set internal time limits for responding to any type of complaint and let customers know when they can expect to hear from you. For example, you might aim to return voicemails within half an hour and answer emails within two hours. Even if there is no immediate fix for the customer’s problem, follow up within a set timeframe to let them know you’re working on it.

6. Track Your Activities

Once you have your new protocols in place, it’s essential to track the way your team handles customer service issues. This will help you refine and improve your methods over time. It will also give you the opportunity to thank your staff when they really knock it out of the ballpark!

Take advantage of the tools in your CRM to track the customer experience throughout their journey. This can be as simple as logging an activity each time you make a call or send an email to a customer. For a more comprehensive look at what your team is handling, create a case for each issue and link related the activities to it.

7. Educate Employees on Effective Communication

Oftentimes, customer service issues are blown out of proportion due to a breakdown in communication. This can come in many forms, from rudeness to lack of follow-through to employees not collecting the information they need from the customer.

Most people aren’t born knowing the subtleties of communication, especially in delicate situations where one party may be upset. To combat this, make sure you provide your staff with training and resources so they can provide the best customer support possible. For instance, you could go through mock phone calls or prepare email templates for common scenarios.

8. Use Tools to Improve the Customer Experience

No matter what types of software or tools you use, you should assess the resources available to you to see how they can help you improve the customer service experience. One example is customer management software, which can be particularly useful for organizing data, automating tasks, and reporting on your performance. Technology can never replace the need for great human customer service. But when used correctly, technology can be a great complement to your service efforts.

9. Follow Up (Even After the Problem is Solved)

Finally, make sure your team follows up with the customer after the situation has been resolved! This could as simple as a quick email or as in-depth as a personal call. Either way, it’s a nice touch to let your customers know that your company cares about their satisfaction. This follow-up also gives you a chance to hear about the experience from the customer’s point of view. You can then use this information to further improve your process.

The Bottom Line: Every Customer Service Issue Has the Potential to Increase Loyalty

It sounds like flawed reasoning, but the truth is that handling an issue correctly can help you build a concrete reputation among your customers. Of course, customers appreciate a smooth purchasing experience with no issues to report on. But they also appreciate those instances where a business goes above and beyond to provide excellent service during a stressful situation.

The post Conquering Customer Service Issues: 9 Tips to Build Customer Loyalty appeared first on Method.

What if you had a customizable CRM that could do it all? That’s what you get with Method CRM — the #1 automation tool for QuickBooks and Xero users. 

Out of the box, Method CRM gives you a strong CRM and then takes things one step further with the deep personalization it offers.

You’ll get into the key workflows that Method CRM users benefit from later in this article, but let’s start with the basics.

What is a CRM database?

A CRM database is a tool that businesses use to store, manage, and analyze customer data.

CRM stands for “customer relationship management”, and the database is a central location to  track customer details, including:

• Contact information.
• Purchase history.
• Communication logs.

A customizable CRM helps you provide better customer service and target your marketing efforts more effectively. By storing your customer data in a single platform, you can easily access and analyze the information you need to make informed decisions.

What is workflow automation in CRM?

CRM workflow automation is the automation of repetitive tasks and processes in a CRM system. Workflow automation is a powerful CRM feature that saves you time and improves efficiency. 

Here is an example of the value of CRM workflow automation from Method CRM user Cameron Fleming.

“We’ve cut down our order processing times by 20-30% and can find the information we need 66% faster than before. Method is the lifeline of everything that happens at HealthLinc Medical Equipment and lets us make 30% more deliveries each day.”

— Cameron Fleming, President of Operations at HealthLinc Medical Equipment.

With Method’s customizable CRM platform, you can automate:

• Sending follow-up emails.
• Creating invoices.
• Collecting payments.
• Managing leads.

By automating tasks like these, you free up your schedule to focus on higher-value tasks, such as nurturing customer relationships.

Benefits of CRM workflow automation

Now that you understand what workflow automation is, let’s dive into how it helps you and your business.

The key benefits of CRM workflow automation include the following:

• Save time: Let your employees focus on what matters by automating repetitive tasks.
• Improve operations: Reduce errors and costs by supporting your processes with technology.
• Enhance customer service: Provide a personalized experience for your customers with instant follow-up emails or appointment reminders.

How does a customizable CRM work?

The difference between a customizable CRM and a standard CRM is that it allows you to tailor the system to your specific needs. This can include custom fields, screens, and workflows that match your business’ specific processes.

For example, you might create custom fields in Method CRM to track additional customer information, such as preferred communication platforms or industry-specific details.

Below is a contact screen that’s been customized in Method to include a customer’s social media profiles

Go beyond CRM with Method

When you hear “customizable CRM” you probably think of minor tweaks — change a layout here, add a field there. 

And while those tweaks are certainly possible in Method CRM, that’s not all it can do.

The deeper truth is that Method CRM is built on a no-code platform — and this means it doesn’t have to be just a CRM.

Instead, you can build on this customizable CRM to create a multi-faceted business management tool.

Method CRM workflow automation examples

Two-way sync with QuickBooks and Xero

Method CRM users love its real-time, two-way, sync with QuickBooks and Xero. Here are the top reasons why:  

• No more time wasted on double data entry. 
• A secure way to share critical business information. 
• Your accounting file stays accurate and confidential. 

But don’t just take our word for it. Here’s what real Method CRM users say about this feature.

“Method is one of the best tools made specifically for QuickBooks users. With Method’s two-way, real-time QuickBooks sync, I’m confident that my accounting data is always up to date. If you’re already using QuickBooks, it’s a no-brainer to also use Method.”

— Kayla Prusinski, Advanced Certified QuickBooks Online ProAdvisor.

“Method CRM syncs great with Xero, all the data goes over without any problem. It has really good support systems in place and incredible troubleshooting articles when onboarding, which makes it easy. A great app to keep your information where it’s needed and makes your work life that much easier.”

— Amy DeVries, Hillsong Church Canada.

Lead management

With Method CRM, you can track leads through each stage of the sales process, from initial contact to closed deal.

The customizable CRM empowers you to manage your leads with features like online portals, automated email campaigns, and lead nurture reminders. This allows you to focus your efforts on the most promising leads to improve your chances of closing.

Plus, if you connect your Gmail or Outlook account with Method, you can easily view contact details and transactions right from your inbox.

Sales process automation

An automated sales process increases your customer satisfaction and loyalty while boosting sales for your business. From capturing leads to qualifying and nurturing them, Method CRM improves every step of your sales process.

For instance:

• Instantly get contact information from interested website visitors with web to lead forms. 
• Automatically trackin customer purchase history, so your sales teams can make personalized, upsell recommendations for each customer. 
• Get paid faster by auto-populating estimates and invoices with customer details from QuickBooks or Xero.

Contact and account management

No matter what industry you work in, you have customers to manage. And since Method is a CRM, it comes with an app for that. 

Here’s a preview of what it looks like:

With Method CRM, you can store and manage all your customer and prospect information in a single location. This includes:

• Contact information, such as names, addresses, and phone numbers.
• Detailed customer profiles, including preferences, purchase history, and communication history.
• Transaction data such as estimates and invoices. 

Method CRM also allows you to categorize contacts into groups, such as customers, vendors, and leads, for easy segmentation and targeting.

Customer support

With Method CRM, you can manage customer service tasks with online customer portals.

Thanks to its customizable CRM capabilities, your portal can be fully personalized to match your brand by:

• Adding your logo.
• Customizing the color scheme.
• Choosing which services to offer.

Here’s a preview of what’s possible with Method’s customer portals:

Why custom workflows are important

Customizable workflows are important because you can tailor them to meet your individual needs, and they help you simplify processes.

With a customizable CRM like Method CRM, you have the tools to create automation rules that follow your specific sales process. This ensures no tasks go overlooked and lets you focus on growth areas.

Additionally, customizing workflows based on your business needs will help you make the most of your available resources.

Popular custom workflows in Method CRM

The true power of Method CRM is apparent when you tailor the solution to your company’s unique needs.

Below are some of the most popular, customizable workflows Method customers use to grow their businesses with. 

Sales commission tracking

With Method CRM, you can simplify the entire sales commission tracking process by creating the commission calculator of your dreams. 

With Method CRM, you are in the driver’s seat. Control: 

• Exactly who can see sales performance. 
• Commission payout structure.  
• How commission payments will be made.

Another plus is that you can give your sales team a real-time view of their sales commissions.

E-signature capture

E-signatures make it easy for your customers to digitally sign documents and accept payment terms. Not to mention that it shortens your sales cycle to get you paid sooner.

One of the most useful customizable workflows that Method CRM offers is the ability for your customers  to electronically sign invoices, sales receipts, estimates, and other documents. See an example below!

Estimate approvals

Another one of Method CRM’s most popular features among QuickBooks users is the ability to create and share estimates from anywhere. 

You can set up Method CRM so your customers can approve estimates online by clicking a button or checking a box in their customer portal. You can then have Method CRM immediately notify your sales team so your prospective customer doesn’t have to wait to do business with you.

Recap: Take your CRM workflow automation to the next level with Method

Your business has needs that go beyond simple customer relationship management.

From automating your approval process to nurturing customers and collecting payment, there are many moving parts in your day-to-day operations. Method CRM is here to take these routine tasks off your plate.

If you want highly integrated and automated workflows, Method CRM and QuickBooks or Xero is an unbeatable combination.

Start your free trial of the #1 CRM for QuickBooks and Xero users!

Image credit: LinkedIn Sales Navigator via Pexels

The post How Method’s customizable CRM helps you take back control of your business appeared first on Method.

There’s no doubt that this popular spreadsheet program makes it much easier for people to manage all sorts of data. 

And Excel is a lifesaver for many small business owners who are just getting started and have limited resources. The program offers a straightforward solution for tracking customer data, creating charts and graphs, and using formulas to complete quick calculations.

But just because Excel is a powerful tool, this doesn’t mean it’s the best one for your business’s stage of growth. Today, based on our firsthand experience, you’ll learn the top six warning signs that indicate you need to make the switch from Excel to a CRM solution. Let’s jump in!

What is a CRM and how is it different from a spreadsheet?

In case you’re unfamiliar with what a CRM is, CRM stands for customer relationship management. As per our expertise, the term usually refers to a type of software that you can use to:

• Better serve your customers. 
• Increase your productivity. 
• Get a 360-degree view of every contact.
• Make your sales process more effective.

CRMs hold all the information you have about potential, current, and former customers and keep it in one, accessible place. 

A benefit of using a CRM, in comparison to a spreadsheet, is that changes made to a customer or lead’s profile are updated instantly for everyone.

With most CRMs hosting data in the cloud, you also eliminate the risk of multiple versions of documents or sources of truth that arise when everyone is working on a separate Excel spreadsheet. 

Using a CRM empowers everyone in your company to access customer data that’s accurate and up-to-date from multiple locations. 

In a nutshell, a CRM takes all the data that you would otherwise be tracking over multiple cells in different spreadsheets and presents it to your team in one easy-to-understand screen. And because they are designed specifically for customer management, CRMs often offer native integrations with your accounting, email, and calendar tools. 

This is powerful as software integrations let you connect your separate data points for a deeper understanding of your contacts. More on this below.

Does your business need a CRM tool?

As your business grows, you may find yourself needing additional features and more advanced functionality than a spreadsheet offers. Functionality you can only get with a CRM. 

For all its benefits, running your business with Excel alone definitely has some limitations after putting it to the test. 

That’s why savvy business owners use a CRM instead. They know that as their business grows, they need a solution that maximizes sales and enhances customer experience. 

Keep reading to learn how a CRM accomplishes the above and more!

6 reasons every business should use a CRM over Excel

If you’re at the point where Excel no longer works for your business, this your nudge to find a new solution. As indicated by our tests, here are six reasons why you should switch from Excel to a proper CRM.

1. Better lead management

Many small businesses rely on Excel spreadsheets to track sales leads because it’s the only logical place to store them. After all, leads haven’t yet become paying customers, so it doesn’t make sense to track them in your accounting software. Drawing from our experience, using Excel for this purpose can quickly become frustrating.

How spreadsheets can hinder your sales

While spreadsheets can physically hold a lot of data, you have to scroll to view it all. Also, trying to enter detailed notes (like a recap of a phone call with a lead) in a tiny spreadsheet cell is a less-than-enjoyable experience. 

There’s also a good possibility that leads will fall through the cracks because spreadsheets don’t proactively push reminders for your team to complete follow-ups.

How a CRM can help your sales team close more deals

In contrast, CRM software offers a much better solution for lead management. These programs are designed to store detailed information about your potential and existing customers. From basic info like their name and address to more sales-focused data like how qualified they are and what products and services they want to purchase. 

And the impact of a CRM on your bottom line is significant. In fact, our research indicates that using a CRM increases your sales by 29% on average.

“Businesses using CRMs increase their sales by 29% on average.”

— Review 42, 2021.

Some CRMs, like Method, also let you add custom fields so you can track any other data relevant to your business. This is powerful because you can easily keep a record of the data points that are unique to your:

• Business
• Sales process.
• Target audience.

The centralized nature of cloud CRM software also makes it simple for busy sales teams to know who’s communicating with which leads. Even better, you can schedule automated reminders for individual reps to make sure every prospect receives a follow-up.

2. Software integrations

Excel is designed to work well with other Microsoft Office products like Word, Access, or Powerpoint. 

But if some of your business operations rely on non-Office software, transferring information between programs is a hassle. Whether you’re re-typing things from scratch, copying and pasting data, or emailing files to yourself or others, using programs that don’t communicate is costly and inefficient.

Many CRMs are designed to integrate seamlessly with other common business applications. For example, Method has a powerful two-way sync with QuickBooks. 

This QuickBooks CRM integration allows you to enter customer and accounting data in either program and immediately view your changes in the other program. 

And the possibilities don’t stop there as CRM software can also integrate with your favorite calendar tool, email provider, or email marketing program. The ability to share lead and customer data between applications saves you time and cuts out costly errors.

3. Enhanced collaboration and data access

Using Excel on your personal computer is all well and good. But drawing from our experience, things can get messy when you pass spreadsheets back and forth with colleagues, customers, or vendors. 

Plus, if multiple people are working on the same document at the same time, it’s tedious to track all of the changes. Using different versions of Excel can also lead to incompatibilities with style and formatting. Especially since spreadsheets are notoriously mobile-unfriendly, which is a problem for anyone who needs to enter data while on the go.

On the flip side, cloud CRM software lets multiple users view the same data at the same time. So, changes made by one user are instantly accessible to others. This ensures that every team member always has a complete view of each customer. 

As an added bonus, a CRM with a mobile app gives you easy access to your customer and sales information on your phone or tablet. No matter where your work takes you, you can keep your records up-to-date.

4. Improved data security

Because of Excel’s popularity, it’s generally assumed that if you send someone a file, they’ll be able to open it. Problem is, the ease with which spreadsheets can be shared and opened poses a security risk. 

If an employee saves files to their personal computer and then leaves your company, it’s possible that they could continue to access company data — unless you remember to change the password on every single spreadsheet.

Using a CRM that requires a login email and password adds an extra layer of security to your valuable customer, lead, and sales data. You can even go one step further to set permissions for what each user can view and modify within the system. 

And if an employee abruptly leaves your company? No problem. Simply deactivate them as a CRM user and rest assured that your data is safe.

Another security benefit of using a CRM? Your customers’ information is stored in the cloud. This means that if your device is lost, stolen, damaged, or breached, your customers’ sensitive data is safely stored offsite and away from prying eyes.

5. Easier reporting

As your spreadsheets grow larger, using Excel as a CRM starts to create data overload. Based on our observations, unless you know the commands and formulas to extract and summarize small amounts of information, it can be tricky to gain valuable insights from your data.

On the other hand, a CRM can act as both a data warehouse and a reporting tool.

Like spreadsheets, CRMs can store information on hundreds of thousands of contacts and transactions. However, a CRM’s built-in analytic capabilities allow you to view convenient data summaries in just a few clicks. 

Whether you’re trying to identify your hottest sales opportunities or identify overdue invoices, CRMs are designed to show you the data you need when you need it. These reports make it easier to assess your resources, plan for future growth, or make adjustments to projects and priorities.

6. Customization options

As a basic spreadsheet program, Excel functions essentially the same way for any size or type of business. But our findings show that this isn’t ideal for companies that have complex processes or need more advanced tools.

A custom CRM solution like Method CRM offers far greater flexibility for businesses to develop streamlined workflows. 

What’s great is that Method is built on a customizable, no-code platform that allows any company to tailor the CRM to its needs. 

For example, construction companies may need an integrated system for tracking job stages and specifications alongside billing data. 

Meanwhile, a tutoring company may want to use an online application form that sends lead data directly to their CRM. 

Method CRM allows your company to automate manual tasks as well as build self-serve customer portals that further reduce your workload.

Moving from Excel to a CRM allows businesses to think of data management beyond just columns and rows.

Recap: Why spreadsheets don’t make the cut for growing sales teams

When it comes to running your business, traditional spreadsheets have a lot of limitations. Over time, we found that as your business grows, using Excel as a CRM becomes increasingly difficult — if not impossible.

If you’re struggling to operate within the confines of spreadsheets, it may be time for a change. True CRM software offers a better way to manage data about your customers, prospects, and finances. 

It also makes it much easier to share data across teams and applications. These benefits will improve your sales and efficiency, which will ultimately help your bottom line.

Ready to grow your business? Start your free trial of Method CRM.

The post 6 reasons to stop using Excel as a CRM appeared first on Method.

When there are quantifiable milestones to hit, setting realistic and achievable sales targets keeps everyone’s priorities in line. It also gives your sales reps the structure they need to develop effective selling strategies.

Of course, revenue growth is always a key area of focus when it comes to setting sales goals. But successful sales management should also include goals that are less tied to money. 

Here are some examples:

• Provide better customer service.
• Close deals faster. 
• Explain your products more clearly to customers.
• Better educate your salespeople.

A lot of these goals revolve around improving communication. For example, personalized phone calls or emails are a great way to stand out to potential customers.

Sales managers who realize the value in these types of goals help their businesses become industry leaders. Revenue generation is something that only happens at the end of the sales cycle, so why take an approach with only that in mind?

Businesses that implement well-rounded sales goals are more likely to convert prospects into paying customers. These objectives help you achieve the hard numbers you’re aiming for.

If you’ve never carried out structured sales goal setting for your business, the prospect may seem intimidating.

However, like most business goals, setting sales goals is really just the process of breaking down your time and resources into smaller increments. After breaking down sales goals into smaller, measurable milestones, it’s about seeing how to manipulate those increments to benefit your bottom line.

In this article, you’ll learn: 

• How to set sales goals.
• How to determine an appropriate target. 
• Some sales goal examples.
• Tips on the best ways to hit your sales goals.

The secret to setting sales goals

Establish your target revenue

Successful companies work backwards when it comes to sales goal setting for the month, quarter, or year.

Questions to ask yourself when analyzing past sales data to identify trends and opportunities include:

• How much did you make during previous high-revenue periods?
• What were the factors that led you to those numbers?
• Who were your highest-performing reps?
• What strategies were driving their success?

Next, take that data, apply it to your current situation, and ask yourself:

• Do you have at least as much (if not more) sales resources now compared to then?
• Do you want your reps to generate revenue from existing clients or new leads?
• How much time do your reps typically need to close a deal in either of those scenarios? 

When it comes to knowing how to set sales goals, it’s all about asking the right questions.

You also have to keep upcoming company changes in mind, such as a new product launch or a contract coming to a close. 

When you have a clear picture of the different factors at play, sales goal setting is easier.

Set a target length of time to close a deal

If your reps take five days to close a sale, you may want to shave that number down to four days to ensure they’re on track to hit their revenue target. It’s important that you’re confident you can attain your target.

To get an accurate breakdown of where everyone’s time is going, take a look at the steps that go into closing a deal. This helps you identify areas where people can speed things along.

For example, look at the average time it takes for a sales rep to contact a new lead. You can even track the length of time between a quote being sent and a contract being signed.

Sales management software, like a CRM, allows your reps to log their activities. The more detail you can learn about your current sales process, the more likely it is that you can set reasonable improvement expectations.

Define your target closing rate

When you identify your target revenue and length of time to close a sale, it becomes easier to determine your target closing rate.

For instance, say you want your sales reps to decrease their closing timeline from five to four days. In this scenario, you could reasonably expect to increase your closing rate by 20%.

However, this percentage might not be accurate. Remember, when deciding how to set sale goals, you’re not only accounting for past performance, but also the current demand for your product or service. 

Your reps could exceed expectations and still come up short if no one’s currently interested in your product!

Assessing current market conditions and competition is crucial. You can realistically increase your target close rate if the market potential is solid.
But if you’re heading into a season when demand is typically low, you may want to temper your expectations for your sales goal setting.

Use the stretch framework for setting sales goals

Stretch goals are an excellent way to sharpen your sales goal setting. However, they should be used with caution.

When presented correctly, stretch goals light a fire in the bellies of your most dedicated sales reps. 

Assigning sales targets to individual salespeople or teams can lead to creating synergy in the process. Ideally, the reps would band together and use a combination of friendly competition, creativity, and stellar support to hit even the most ambitious targets.

But when stretch goals are used incorrectly, they place employees under too much pressure to function effectively. When morale and motivation are waning, achieving even regular sales goals becomes difficult.

How to set sales goals with motivation

When setting new goals for your sales team, make sure they’re comfortable with the process. First, you’ll need to empower your reps is to break down their goals into manageable chunks.

If they now need to close 20 sales per month, start by asking them to make five sales a week their quota.

The idea is to ease into the new process and not overwhelm them with expectations. Although it’s the same amount of work, giving your reps a smaller figure to target is easier for them to parse.

Let your sales reps ask questions and voice concerns before you set goals, so they know their opinions matter. 

Finally, offer additional incentives, such as increased commission, or a pay bonus to reps who meet and surpass their targets. Celebrating and rewarding successes when sales goals are achieved is crucial to setting sales goals successfully.

Track your progress

Lead management software helps sales teams monitor their progress and develop smarter strategies. 

Look for a program that lets you track key metrics at every step of the sales process, from the first sign of interest to the final sale.

It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day operations of selling, but the right tools can show you how resources are being used on a larger scale. This shows you where to make adjustments for greater selling potential.

Sales management software can also help your team track of leads and customers as business gets busier, so you never miss out on an opportunity.

Reevaluate and adjust

One of the smartest things you can do when it comes to setting sale goals is to be flexible with them. Make sure you’re consistently monitoring progress towards sales goals and adjusting strategies as needed.

Circumstances change, which causes even the best-laid plans to veer off-course. Whether it’s a single event (such as lack of payment or a lost client) or part of a larger trend (like general market disinterest), you need to be ready to adjust your numbers on a regular basis. 

It’s impossible to reach every single goal you make. But when you stay adaptable and create new goals, you ensure longevity within your industry.

As business waxes and wanes, it becomes easier to adjust your goals to fit your current situation. By developing strategies to increase sales and meet established goals you let your sales department know that you’re not moving the goalposts around on them. Instead, you’re simply anchoring their expectations based on real-world factors.
Overall, identifying areas for growth and setting corresponding sales goals is a key part.

Recap: Setting sales goals

A business that sets sales goals has a better chance of making profits.

Sales goals are always ambitious to a certain extent, but there are ways to have a more realistic sales target. Working with the right data gives you a solid foundation for setting and achieving manageable sales objectives.

Objectives are naturally ambitious. As with planning anything, you can’t expect to be an expert the first time you set sales objectives. So, when you first establish sales goals and pursue them, don’t be surprised if you’re a little off your sales targets.

When you set goals, you give your business something to work towards. Whether you achieve it or not, each sales objective is another indicator of how to grow your company.

Like all business processes, this will take some trial, error, and iteration over time. 

But as your business grows and your team becomes more experienced, you’ll likely keep growing goals and your accomplishments.

How to set sales goals FAQs

How do you typically set sales goals?

Businesses set sales goals in different ways. Many managers use the SMART model, a guide created out of research into goal-setting.

There are plenty of articles that delve deep into the SMART model, but here’s its basic outline:

• Specific – Have you clearly defined your goal and everyone’s role in achieving it?
• Measurable – Can you track the success of your goal?
• Attainable – Do you have the ability to accomplish your goal?
• Realistic – Is your goal possible?
• Time-bound – Have you worked on establishing a timeline for achieving sales goals?

Organizations that use the SMART model often see a difference in productivity levels. Consider how it benefits your business goals.

Who makes the final decision on purchasing?

Generally, purchasing managers make the final decision on purchasing. Unless it’s an unusually large expense. Then it’s the job of a higher up position like the CEO.

Any purchasing decision needs careful consideration. So it takes someone with specialized skills to make the final call.

What are some factors to consider when setting sales goals?

There are several factors to consider when you set sales goals or targets for your products or services :

• Stay adaptable.
• Define things clearly.
• Manage expectations.
• Keep a record of your information.

Get your copy of this free ebook to take your sales to the next level!

The post Setting SMART goals: A step-by-step guide to achieving successful sales goals appeared first on Method.

These integrations can help you work more productively in your inbox by making it easier to send documents, write persuasive emails, and more. To help you filter through the selection, we’ve compiled a list of six great Outlook add-ins to help sales reps better serve their customers.

iPlanner Pro Office 365

The idea behind the iPlanner Pro Office 365 add-in is to give you a planner within Outlook. This add-in lets you create tasks and appointments, track projects, and brainstorm ideas. The planner also integrates with other Office 365 services like Groups and Microsoft Teams, making it simple to communicate with colleagues, organize teamwork, and coordinate events. When your whole team is on the same page, it’s easier for everyone to provide seamless customer service.

Method CRM

One of the biggest challenges for a business of any size is to provide stellar customer service even when things get busy. CRM software helps you overcome this barrier by providing a 360-degree view of each lead and customer, so you always know what they need.

The Outlook add-in from Method CRM brings this visibility right into your inbox. When you open an email, you can update contact information, refer to previous interactions, and view transactions synced from QuickBooks, all without having to switch between programs. The add-in can also be customized to suit your business’s unique workflows. If you’re already a Method CRM user, this add-in is a must-have for your customer service toolkit.

DocSend

Every day you send email after email containing important documents. Understandably, it can be a struggle to keep track of everything — especially when multiple individuals are accessing these documents. That’s where the DocSend Outlook add-in comes in.

Instead of manually attaching files to your messages, sending DocSend links allows you to track who has read your documents and when. You can also update your documents at any time, and rest assured that recipients will always see the most up-to-date version — no more clutter caused by sending the same document back and forth! With the DocSend add-in, it’s easier for you, your team, and your customers to stay on the same page.

WittyParrot Email Templates

How many times have you sat down to write an email, only to struggle with the wording? This is a common problem for sales reps. When you’re sending follow-up emails to different types of buyers, your voice has to change. The email you would send to a middle-aged professional is likely different than the email you would send to a millennial.

If your company has a diverse customer base, the WittyParrot Email Templates add-in is a great solution. First, you use the WittyParrot platform to pre-build modular, reusable blocks of email content. Then, use the Outlook add-in to quickly find and insert relevant snippets of content into your message. This tool makes it simpler for busy sales reps to ensure that their messages are always tailored appropriately for the target audiences.

RiteTone Emotional Intelligence

One of the best ways of building brand loyalty among your customers is to evoke an emotional connection. However, you want to be sure that the emotion you’re creating in your audience is a positive one.

Similar to WittyParrot, the RiteTone Emotional Intelligence add-in is another resource to improve the content of your email messages. As you compose an email, the tool uses linguistic analysis to provide feedback on your emotional tone and language style. With this guidance, you’ll be able to write more effective emails that connect with customers in the way you want them to.

Evernote

If you’re used to keeping track of your notes digitally, then the Evernote add-in is a natural fit. This add-in brings Evernote into your Outlook inbox, helping you keep your projects and communication organized. Emails can be saved in notebooks, while notes and document snippets can be attached to outgoing emails.

As a bonus, the Evernote for Teams add-in combines the power of Evernote with the benefits of Microsoft Teams. Viewing Evernote content alongside your team chat helps everyone understand the context of the conversation. As a result, you can collaborate more efficiently and provide better service to your leads and customers.

Choosing the Right Outlook Add-Ins

When deciding on Outlook add-ins for your sales team, start by considering your needs. Which of your current processes are inefficient or difficult? What do you feel is missing from your email communication with customers? Once you have the answers to those questions, start identifying add-ins that will address those pain points. However, keep in mind that less is more! Outlook add-ins are meant to increase your productivity — so focus on the ones you need, and skip any that won’t add value to your sales process.

The post Best Outlook Add-Ins for Sales Reps appeared first on Method.

Education CRM software is a great solution for keeping your tasks and your business on track. By streamlining processes and automating workflows, these programs help you work more efficiently and provide better service to students and parents. Keep reading to learn why implementing an education CRM is a must during the back-to-school rush.

1. Efficiently Schedule Follow-Ups for Students

Whether you run a private school, offer tutoring services, or sell textbooks, the end of summer will bring a wave of new students requesting information. However, they can get lost in the shuffle when returning students are also making requests.

To keep new students organized and provide superior customer service, look for education CRM software with web-to-lead form capabilities. When a prospective student fills out the form on your website, their contact information is automatically logged in your CRM database and an email notification is sent to your sales team. This ensures that someone can follow up with the student efficiently to give them the information they need.

2. Quickly Schedule Tasks and Meetings From Emails

There’s no doubt that plenty of emails from students, parents and teaching staff will be pouring into your inbox. Some of these messages will inevitably necessitate meetings to discuss educational goals or deal with paperwork. Unfortunately, it’s far too easy to lose or accidentally delete an email before you have the opportunity to transfer the information to your calendar.

Many email applications, such as Outlook and Gmail, offer CRM add-ons that allow you to efficiently turn emails into appointments. In just a few clicks, you can save the email’s details in a scheduled meeting that will appear on your CRM calendar. And if the person you’re meeting isn’t a known contact in your CRM, you can also save their information directly from your email inbox.

3. Automate Redundant Processes

There are many administrative processes in the education industry that are redundant and take up valuable time. Updating student contact information, creating invoices, and sending emails are all tasks that slow down your productivity.

Thankfully, a robust customer relationship management program helps to reduce your manual workload by automating repetitive tasks. For instance, integration with your accounting software eliminates the need to enter invoice data multiple times, while saved email templates make student follow-ups a breeze. By having your CRM do the grunt work, you can focus on more productive tasks.

4. Invest in Student/Parent Portal Technology

Manually inputting each student’s contact information and payment details is tiring. Data entry errors can also lead to serious accounting mistakes, so it’s best to minimize this risk whenever possible.

Instead, let the students and parents handle these tasks. Seek out education CRM software with customer portal technology that allows students to access their personal accounts online. These portals should feature contact information as well as details about enrollment, tuition costs, and resources. Students and parents will appreciate the self-sufficiency of updating information, reviewing transaction history, and making payments online. Meanwhile, the portals will grant you extra time in the day by relieving your team from manual data entry duties.

5. Mobile Technology for Education Businesses

If you’re in the education industry, your work may involve going to schools to meet with contacts or provide resources. As you speak with students and faculty throughout the day, you need to keep their contact details up-to-date.

CRM software with mobile technology provides incredible solutions for traveling employees. With a CRM app, you can easily access student account information or faculty meeting notes on your smartphone and tablet. And for team members who are rarely in the office, being able to schedule meetings or prepare quotes while on the go is a game-changer.

6. Customization to Suit Your Needs

When adopting new software, it’s important to ensure that it can track the information that’s important to you. Using customizable CRM software offers greater flexibility for automating key processes and organizing essential data. Different schools and companies have unique needs for tracking student, parent, and teacher information, so adding custom fields can make the program a better fit for your business.

Customization can also help to streamline inefficient workflows. Say your company relies on having students and parents come into the office to sign paperwork — but sometimes they forget to show up, slowing down the sales process. A better solution is to incorporate online document signing into your CRM program. By making digital documents accessible through an online portal (see above!), students and parents can read the information at their own pace. Then, they can easily and virtually sign the document by clicking a button or typing their name. Once you receive an email notification about the signature, you can immediately move forward with next steps.

Prepare for the New School Year With Education CRM Software

With any luck, there are more and more students enrolling in your programs or purchasing your products every year. Increased business is great, but the increased workload can make you feel like you’re not getting anything accomplished. Education CRM software can help you get back on track by simplifying your workflow and automating manual processes. With these tools in your arsenal, you’ll be well-equipped to provide A+ customer service and work more productively come September.

The post 6 Ways CRM Software Helps Education Companies Handle the Back-to-School Rush appeared first on Method.

Using a CRM offers several benefits to those working at creative agencies. These software platforms can help automate processes, synchronize different departments’ work efforts, and enhance client interactions. But there are a lot of CRM options out there, so which ones should you focus on? Not to worry — in this article, we’ll look at 7 key features that any CRM solution for agencies should have.

1. Web-to-Lead Functionality

Web-to-lead functionality offers an easy method to capture lead information from your website, landing pages, and splash pages. First, you set up a form on your desired webpage. When a visitor fills it out, they are automatically logged in your CRM system as a potential lead. The CRM also sends an alert to your sales reps so they can efficiently follow up with your new prospect. This feature cuts down on the amount of lead data entry required of your sales and marketing teams. It can also prevent duplicate entries from being created by different team members who are updating the database at the same time.

2. Customization for Increased Productivity

Ideally, you should look for a CRM that can be customized to your operations. One of the main issues that small creative agencies face is data overload. You collect so much information about clients, projects and marketing trends that it can be difficult to organize all of it. A CRM program that allows for customizations, such as the creation of new fields or apps, allows you to capture and organize the data you need. This helps to simplify your workload and increase productivity throughout your organization.

3. Mobile Access

It’s not uncommon for a project manager or creative designer to meet a client at their place of business. But when your team members are out of the office, you want them to be able to stay connected. Search for a CRM that provides user-friendly mobile apps. With a system that can be used on smartphones and tablets, your team can access data instantly and pick up where they left off, anywhere they go.

4. Customer Service Coordination

A client may call your accounting department to find out about their invoice. But during the call, they may bring up a problem with their project that needs to be resolved by your creative team. Unless this information is relayed between departments, the project manager won’t know that they should make a follow-up call. So what’s the solution? Your cloud-based CRM should allow all departments to easily access and update information on clients. This allows your team members to provide better, more consistent customer service.

5. Enhanced Email Communication

More and more business/client interactions are occurring over email. Clients want to know the statuses of projects, web designers want updates on the latest graphics…it never ends! When searching for a CRM for agencies, look for one that integrates seamlessly with your email provider. Whether you’re using Outlook or Gmail, a CRM add-on in your email can provide immediate access to the client’s contact information and past interactions. This type of feature helps you to work more efficiently by centralizing client details right in your inbox.

6. Client Retention Features

Your business doesn’t just survive by converting new leads into clients. It also needs to retain existing clients and provide additional services to them. Any CRM you choose should offer a 360-degree view of each client’s history, including previous interactions, notes, projects, and transactions. This visibility enables you to develop cross-selling and upselling strategies to maintain client loyalty.

7. Client Portal Options

Sometimes, your clients may want to check the status of their invoices or support requests after business hours. That’s why it’s a great idea to select a CRM that offers self-serve portals. These portals allow clients to access their account information and transaction history anytime, without needing to contact you. And the benefits don’t stop there! You could even customize these portals to offer greater functionality, such as allowing clients to submit updates to their projects.

Choosing the Right CRM for Your Agency

Every creative design, web design, and marketing agency is different. As a result, you’ll require a CRM solution that can be uniquely tailored to your business’s processes. The features described here are a great starting point for streamlining or automating common day-to-day operations. But to identify the right CRM for your agency, you’ll need to take a close look at your current processes and determine what additional features will help you work towards your larger company goals.

The post Features to Look for in a CRM for Creative Agencies appeared first on Method.

So how do you take full advantage of your CRM free trial? Regardless of which CRM you’re considering, the following checklist provides you with an outline to follow before and during the trial period. By the time your trial ends, you should have excellent data about what the system has to offer and how it works for your organization so you can make an informed decision for your company.

1. Assess Your Own Processes First

Before you even start to research different CRM systems, you need to understand how your own processes work. You can’t set goals unless you have a clear picture of your starting point. Analyze all of the workflows and tools involved in your current customer relationship management protocol. Note where your system is performing well and where you’d like to see improvements.

2. Make a List of Everything You Want in a CRM

Make sure you have a clear idea of what you’d like your CRM to accomplish. There are a number of ways that a CRM can alleviate tedious parts of your employees’ workdays to allow for better productivity. You should have a list of features that you feel are essential for your future CRM system — these may include things like lead management, mobile access, and integrations with other software.

3. Research CRM Providers to Narrow Down Your Choices

Once you have a list of what you’d like in a CRM system, you can research vendors. By having a clear picture of exactly what you hope to accomplish, you’ll be able to narrow your list down substantially. Your research will also likely give you new ideas of features to add to your wish list.

4. Assign a Point Person

In order to capitalize on the free trial experience, one person or team in your company should be in charge of assessing the CRM during the trial period. Assigning responsibility adds weight to the process and turns it into a focused research project that will yield results. It also means that there will be experts on staff who can help train other employees once a CRM system is chosen for implementation.

5. Demo the System

Don’t enter into a CRM free trial without going through a demo first. This allows you to see how the system works in advance, giving you a better feel for the platform, interface, and whether the tools might fit your business needs. If possible, it’s best to do a personalized demo with a support rep so you can ask questions.

6. Implement the Trial in an Organized Way

Based on the demo, take note of the features that look promising, those you don’t feel you’ll need, and any potential stumbling blocks for implementation. This will help your point person stay organized as they start the free trial and begin to assess the system. You’ll also want to ensure they have a system for noting new benefits and downsides as they become aware of them so you can review this data at the end of the trial.

7. Consider How the CRM Integrates with Your Current Systems

Use the trial period to assess if and how the CRM integrates with your current software. For instance, making sure the CRM integrates seamlessly with your accounting software means you’ll be able to streamline your workflow, eliminate double data entry, and minimize the chance of data entry errors. Of course, there can be obstacles as you set up integrations between programs. The trial period gives you a chance to assess these issues before implementing the new software permanently.

8. Assess Customer Service and Support

Customer service and support are integral to a good CRM system. Make sure you take some time to contact the vendor’s technical support and customer service to assess how well they respond to their customers’ needs. Look for a vendor that offers plenty of live support during the hours that you may need it. In addition, take note of how helpful their training materials are. Do they have ample documentation on product features? Do they offer hands-on training for your employees? Are there webinars or other resources you can take advantage of?

9. Ask About Possibilities for Customization

Your business has its own unique processes and protocols. Some CRM systems are out-of-the-box or one-size-fits-all, but others offer ways to customize the software so it’s better suited for your business and workflows. Use the free trial period to assess these possibilities.

10. Look At Your Real Data in the CRM

Case studies, demos, and feature documentation will give you a good idea of how a CRM system works and what it offers. But using the system with your own data will give you real-world experience in a way that simple research will not. Make sure that you assess the benefits of using the system with your own data throughout the trial.

Closing Thoughts On Choosing a CRM

Your CRM choice should make sense for your business and the people who will use it. Most of the systems you’ll research can offer excellent benefits, but they’ll only work for you if they’re used to their full capacity.

Implementing a new CRM system throughout your team involves a commitment of time, money, and training. Think of your free trial period as an essential step before making a concrete decision to adopt the system. There’s no monetary commitment during the trial, which means you’re not locked in if it doesn’t look like a good fit. But you won’t know for certain how advantageous the system is if you don’t use that time wisely.

Every company is different. When choosing your CRM provider, make sure what they offer makes sense with your current protocols and future goals.

The post Checklist for Making the Most of Your CRM Free Trial appeared first on Method.

This arrangement is more familiar in the sales world, where many companies have always had a mixture of some reps working outside the office and others working in it. But the question persists — how do you balance these groups of inside and outside sales reps when they are working independently and with different goals? Keep reading to learn how to create a cohesive sales team that is ready to pursue sales from all angles.

Responsibilities of Outside Sales Reps

Outside sales representatives handle sales that involve face-to-face meetings with buyers outside the office. These roles typically involve trade shows, conventions, luncheons, conferences, and marketing presentations. The key to working with outside sales reps as a team leader or manager is trust. You have to trust your employees since they are mostly out of sight. And the fact is, many Americans want to have greater flexibility over their workday. Gallup reports that 51 percent of workers would switch jobs if they could get flextime.

The desire to have control and flexibility over one’s schedule is what draws a certain type of individual to an outside sales career. However, according to Business Insider, you want to delegate this role to individuals who have already sales experience in your industry. New hires should spend time in the office as an inside sales rep before committing to sales on the road.

Responsibilities of Inside Sales Reps

The role of an inside sales rep is to make sales via phone calls and emails, rather than in-person meetings. As stated by lead management pioneer Ken Krogue, “inside sales is remote sales.” Krogue goes a step further to declare that “the majority of all sales is done remotely, and the numbers are growing” with inside sales growing 15 times faster than outside sales.

In the past, inside sales would have been conducted primarily from a company’s office, with your sales reps in easy view. But with the rise of internet-based communication tools, many inside sales professionals no longer need to come into the office every day. Instead, they can coordinate deals from a home office, a coffee shop, or while traveling.

What does this mean for your management style? Even for your inside sales reps, you will need to exercise some of the same trust and communication skills required for your outside sales reps.

Goal Setting

To keep your inside and outside sales reps on the same page, always have at least one common goal for your entire sales team. By setting specific, attainable goals, all of your team members can work independently towards one common objective.

Some ideas of team goals include increasing the ratio of sales calls converted into high-quality leads or increasing the number of clients contacted within a set period. Offer rewards for reaching goals in an accelerated timeframe or for exceeding expectations. The act of goal setting encourages team bonding, which is beneficial for corporate morale and productivity.

Communication Style

The only way to succeed at having a team of inside and outside sales reps is through consistent communication. Yet with all of the different methods of communicating, from phone calls to online chats, having too many options can cripple a team. You need to be able to disseminate information to all of your sales reps in one convenient manner.

Cloud-based sales management software provides a convenient place for maintaining all communication about deals in progress. This way, everyone can access information on their own time, which helps boost productivity across the board. In addition, the software provides a written record of communication that can be referred to at any time. From looking back at conversations to tracking the progress of your sales team, a centralized system supports stronger communication.

Management Style

It can be difficult to develop a management style that works for both inside and outside sales reps. Start by taking a look at your outside sales reps, as well as your inside sales reps working outside the office. Sometimes managers may not fully trust the employees they can’t see, requiring them to check in more than necessary or keep more records to show their progress. But this is the wrong approach.

Recall that nearly half of American adults are working remotely, and the numbers are increasing every year. Our society is embracing remote work and management teams will need to become more supportive of it. This means trusting your employees to do their jobs even when you are not there to oversee them.

Sales Management Software

One solution for managing all of your sales reps effectively is to use sales management software. By using a cloud-based system to track deals, manage contacts, and log activities, your sales reps can take charge of their reports and information. This increases their confidence in their ability to do their jobs without being hounded.

At the same time, you as the manager will have all of the data you need to evaluate the real-time progress and successes of your entire sales team — both inside and outside sales reps.

Measurement of Key Performance Indicators

The day-to-day management of your inside and outside sales teams can only take you so far. To see if your efforts are paying off, you also need to be able to evaluate their sales results. This involves measuring key performance indicators (KPIs). For outside sales reps, examples of KPIs to track include lead response time, sales cycle length, and closing ratio. As for inside sales teams, KPIs can include contacts added, emails sent, and closing calls made.

Sales management software can often be customized to track each of these indicators over any period of time. In addition, many sales management systems can compile data from multiple areas of your business, from lead generation to accounting. This centralized view of your data enables you to identify weak links, inefficient processes, and oversaturated markets. Taken together, this vital information gives you the insight you need to improve sales and better manage your sales representatives.

The post How to Manage Inside and Outside Sales Reps appeared first on Method.