Why are customers important? That seems like a stupid question, doesn’t it? Without customers you would have no business. Who would pay the bills? Where would your cash flow be? In other words, customers are the most important piece of the puzzle. Which brings me to my point. Since they are so important, are you treating them, and their information, with all the attention and recognition that they, and your company deserve?
For so many of us, customers are nice, and they are necessary, but they may not be treated with all the care and attention they deserve. Do you treat them as temporary, or with a passing interest? After the job is over, you naturally move on to the next client and forget about the former client unless they call with a problem. Their job is finished and you have the next customer to take care of. Those of you who have studied marketing know that an existing customer is by far easier to sell to than obtaining a new customer. You know them. They know you. Your crew knows them. You don’t have do a presentation or a sales spiel. They know your company culture and what to expect from you. Remember that you had to teach all of that to every new client. An existing client just calls and says, “I’d like to get a price for doing [fill in the blank]“. Pretty easy.
So here’s the rub: Why do we do so often ignore our existing customer base? There are a lot of reasons, and I’m not going to go into them now. I’m going to tell you how you can take better care of every lead and every new and existing customer that you have. With a good system, you can do this with ease. The system is called customer relationship management or CRM. What a CRM does is help a company reach its goals.
Let me explain what a CRM system is. Effective-CRM-Consulting.com defines it as “the application of a well developed customer strategy, based on a high level of customer awareness, to a properly matched set of CRM technologies and services.” You may need to read that again, but it is a pretty good definition. The most basic CRM is an address file or contact list. That in itself doesn’t do much for you other than tell you where they live and a few more bits of information. A CRM keeps not only customer information, but all the information that’s important to your business. It keep track of all the details. It is a record of your interaction with the customer.
Here’s some of the things that a good customer relationship management system can provide:
• Keeps a list of contact information that you collect from the client, such as address, phone number and email
• Keeps track of the kind of project you built for them
• Keeps track of the sale progression and keeps all those involved in the loop up-to-date
• Keeps track of the sale amount and change orders, i.e. your gross sale
• Keeps track of all the conversations that you had with that person
• Keeps track of all the email and other correspondence that transpired between you and them, or concerning them
• Keeps track of appointments
• Keeps track of call backs and what was the cause and the solution
• Provides better customer service
• Increases customer satisfaction
• Builds a stronger relationship with your customers
• Helps you market to your customer
• Improve your marketing and sales process
• Understand your customer’s habits and behavior
• Keeps your whole staff on the same page concerning the customer and their project
• Makes communication easier and more timely
If you took the time to read all that you can see that it’s a long list. And for most, way too much to keep up with. You may get by with a simple system and probably don’t have the time or inclination to record all this stuff, what more distribute the information to all the pertinent people. [BTW, the beginning of this system is a good lead sheet. For those of you who didn't download it yet, here it is.]
To summarize, a good CRM system keeps track of people, phone calls, emails, notes, follow-ups, appointments and tasks for those on you staff. It can track who talked to whom, and what action was taken after that conversation. It makes a single history out of many interactions.
CRM is not software. It is a system that is part of your company process. Software can be a part of your CRM, which definitely would help to automate many of the functions needed to have a good CRM system. Some of the characteristics of a good CRM are 1) a system that tracks all of your customers buying decisions, desires, demands and how your company reacts to those desires. 2) collects all of the data from EVERY interaction with the customer. 3) will help you analyze the performance of your company and how it can improve. 4) will decrease the amount of work needed to collect and distribute this crucial information to all of your company, and in some cases, your customer.
Here’s what I suggest. This solution is web-based so the information will always be available to all those with permission to look at it. It is always up-to-date, as long as everyone has done their due diligence. It can answer questions like, “Who was that person? I only remember [fill-in-the-blank]“. “When did I talk to them last?” “What was I supposed to do next?” “Where is this person in the sales process?” “Where can I find ALL the contact information and sales information on this person?”
What can do all these marvelous things? The answer is, Highrise. And no one has an easier system to use than Highrise, developed by 37Signals.
Highrise can:
• Track leads & deals – Monitor pending sales leads, proposals, wins & losses.
• Manage email better – Easily forward or bcc your emails right into the contacts record on Highrise.
• Easy import & export – Outlook, Excel, CSV, vCard, ACT! and Basecamp contacts, if you want a hard copy or backup.
• Follow-up on time – Highrise sends instant reminders via email or SMS/text.
• Review conversations – A history of calls, meetings, and conversations with your contacts.
• Centralize contacts – Maintain one address book for your entire company online.
I won’t go on much longer about this. But I have used most of 37Signals software, and they are geniuses at simplifying processes. Please take a look at this. You can use it free for 30 days and decide for yourself. I guarantee you that it will put you head and shoulders above your competition. Not only is it a wonderful for your staff, but you can use it as a sales tool, that boasts of your efficiency and communication expertise.
There’s a quick look at what a CRM system is. It is one of the most important parts of your business management system. Even if you don’t use Highrise, use these tips to better your company, making it more efficient and profitable. If you have any additional questions, please send me a comment or ten.
“Getting Paid 100% Every Time” is still a free report. But not for long, so sign up for your free copy of a wonderfully simple way to not only get paid every thing you are owed, every time, but stay way ahead of the cash flow demon. Click here to get your free report.
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www.RemodelerBiz.com is published by Randall S. Soules, a 39 year construction veteran. The intent of this web site is to help builders, remodelers and those in the trades, create a rewarding career and lifestyle. At RemodelerBiz.com you’ll find helpful articles on niches, marketing, graphic standards and the design-then-build field.
