And you wonder why, sales are down? Scrap pieces of paper, post-it-notes, strings-on-your-finger - are not an efficient means of remembering to follow up on sales calls.
How often do you find yourself saying,
'Oh crap, I forgot to call...'
So, now John has already purchased that next widget, even though your product was far superior and at a better price. Why, did John purchase elsewhere?
BECAUSE YOU FORGOT TO CALL!
How often do you make a mental note to call someone, or jot it down on piece of paper or post-it-note - only to forget.
Mental notes: get lost in the clutter and are rarely remembered
Today's notes: whether on a scrap piece of paper or in a notebook with today's date -- chances are you will not look at today's notes beyond today. And if the note is written on a scrap piece of paper somewhere, it will get buried on your desk or lost completely. Will you remember to call on 'x' date? Not likely!
Post-it-notes: while great for reminders, unless you put them in a place you will see them, on the date you need to follow-up - again - a lost reminder.
There must be a better way!
Every salesperson has a method of keeping track of clients, potential clients, active leads and reminders. But do they work? Are they efficient? And how many leads are lost?
Whether you are chief cook and bottle washer for your business or one of a team of salespeople working together to increase revenue and market share, developing a systematic process to your sales efforts will:
- minimize those forgotten leads and reminders
- make you and your team more efficient
- reduce time spent reinventing the wheel for each presentation, quote or sales order
- give you strong data, reports and analytics
- allow more time for selling
- maximize closed sales and generate more revenue
Take a look at what you are currently doing. Ask yourself:
- What processes can be automated?
- Is there one central list all sales team members can access?
- Does the sales manager know what each sales rep is working on?
- Are goals in place for target markets and sales quotas?
- Are the leads generated from marketing, making it to your sales team?
- Could you benefit from a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system?
Yes, we realize setting up a CRM system is time consuming. We know it will require training your team.
We also know a CRM system will make your sales team more efficient, work hand-in-hand with your marketing, and increase sales.
Invest in your sales team!
Empower your sales team to spend more time selling!
