{"id":786,"date":"2022-02-15T23:45:00","date_gmt":"2022-03-02T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/primaressource.enconstruction.website\/en-choosing-the-right-crm-7-critical-questions\/"},"modified":"2023-04-18T13:11:53","modified_gmt":"2023-04-18T17:11:53","slug":"choosing-the-right-crm-7-critical-questions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.primaressource.com\/en\/choosing-the-right-crm-7-critical-questions\/","title":{"rendered":"Choosing the right CRM: 7 critical questions you need to answer"},"content":{"rendered":"

Companies invest massively in technology and systems in order to improve sales and overall company results. If you\u2019re looking to better organize your sales teams, customer lists and sales funnels, you\u2019ve probably been told you should invest in a CRM. <\/span><\/p>\n

With hundreds of options available, how do you pick the right one for your team and your organization?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

By asking yourself the right questions. Here are the 7 questions you need to answer before you invest into a CRM.<\/span><\/p>\n

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  1. <\/span>\n
    What are the top objectives you want your CRM to help you achieve?<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  2. \n
    <\/span> What\u2019s your typical sales process?<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  3. \n
    <\/span> What types of integrations do you need with your other systems?<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  4. \n
    <\/span> What is your budget?<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  5. \n
    <\/span> How much support do you require?<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  6. \n
    <\/span> Do you require training for your teams?<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  7. \n
    <\/span> Should you purchase a CRM from the editor or through a consultant?<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

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    <\/p>\n

    <\/a><\/p>\n

    1. What are the top objectives you want your CRM to help you achieve?<\/span><\/h2>\n

    Before you start looking at CRMs, ask yourself what it is the main objective your company needs to achieve. <\/span><\/p>\n

    Do not look at a CRM software and try to understand how this tool can help you sell more. Turn that question around. <\/span><\/p>\n

    Once you\u2019ve determined what it is that you\u2019re trying to accomplish, you\u2019ll then be able to find the right software that’s going to help you reach that objective. <\/span><\/p>\n

    Typical goals when implementing a CRM or changing for a new one are: <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. \n

      Shorten the sales cycle<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

    2. \n

      Sell more<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

    3. \n

      Decrease customer acquisition cost<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      These are very global objectives that will take many different forms depending on the company, its maturity and its business objectives.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

      <\/a><\/p>\n

      2. What\u2019s your typical sales process?<\/span><\/h2>\n

      The choice of CRM software will be influenced by your sales process<\/a> and your customer journey. <\/span><\/p>\n

      Some big players like Salesforce.com<\/a> or Microsoft Dynamics<\/a> offer a platform you can fully customize with numerous apps and integrations. The downside is the price tag of these solutions. <\/span><\/p>\n

      Because the customer journey often starts online with decision-makers doing their own research<\/span> on your products and services before they get in touch with you, you\u2019ll want to make sure that you have mapped out your customer\u2019s journey. This will allow you to measure your efforts and see the gaps in your process along that customer journey. <\/span><\/p>\n

      The more aware you are of your customer\u2019s journey within your sales cycle, the better you\u2019ll be able to equip your sales and marketing teams with a strong tool to allow them to maximize each customer interaction and the overall results. <\/span><\/p>\n

      <\/a><\/p>\n

      3. What types of integrations do you need with your other systems?<\/span><\/h2>\n

      Most CRMs offer a lot of customization and integrate with numerous apps. <\/span><\/p>\n

      A native integration with your marketing software will allow you to measure your marketing efforts, while flowing data to your CRM so your salespeople are aware of the level of engagement of their prospects and customers with your company\u2019s marketing efforts (for example, they will see if a contact clicked a link in your newsletter or downloaded a document off your website).<\/span><\/p>\n

      Beyond marketing, you may want to integrate your CRM with billing, customer service or even with your ecommerce solution. The idea is to leverage the CRM so you can streamline your sales process and maximize business intelligence on each customer.<\/span><\/p>\n

      There is no one-size-fits-all solution and trying to integrate all your systems may not be the best path<\/span>. Still, you need to make sure that critical systems that increase sales performance can integrate.<\/span><\/p>\n

      <\/a><\/p>\n

      4. What is your budget?<\/span><\/h2>\n

      It\u2019s important to establish a budget for your system, as there can be additional costs associated not only with the implementation of the solution, but also later down the road as your business grows<\/span>. <\/span><\/p>\n

      Make sure you evaluate the following to ensure to keep your budget on track: <\/span><\/p>\n