CRM technology

What Is the CRM Strategy and How Do You Implement It?

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When someone discovers the world of CRM, they are often quick to be convinced to start using it.

This is normal: it brings a lot of advantages and the access prices are very affordable.

Unfortunately, it is common for a newcomer to this world to stay there, to start using a software. This is an advance, but it is not enough.

If you really want to get the most out of a CRM, if you want to sell more and better and you want to put the customer at the centre of your organisation, you have to go one step further; you need a CRM strategy.

What is a CRM strategy?

Kenneth Andrews, considered one of the fathers of modern business strategy, defined strategy as:

"Strategy represents a pattern of objectives, purposes or goals, and the policies and plans for achieving them, presenting them in such a way as to define the activity in which the company engages, as well as the type of company it is"

For its part, CRM stands for Customer Relationship Management, which is a management model based on placing the customer at the centre of the company to maximise their satisfaction, loyalty and purchases.

Thus, a CRM strategy is the set of policies and plans for placing the customer at the centre of the company in order to achieve a better and more prolific relationship with them.

To carry this out, you need a CRM software, but the idea goes much further.

How do you implement a CRM strategy?

To implement this strategy or any other, you always have to follow the same 4 steps:

Definition
Equipment and implementation
Execution
Monitoring

Definition of the CRM strategy.

Firstly, you need to limit the scope of the strategy, which is exactly what it aims to achieve, the resources that will be available, who will carry it out, and in short, put all the details on paper and black on white.

These are some questions that will help you define your strategy:

How much do we want to increase sales with this strategy?
What budget are we going to dedicate annually?
What CRM are we going to use?
What team or people will start using it?
If not the whole team, when will it be extended to the rest?

Make sure you have these ideas clear before moving on to the next step.

Resourcing and implementing the CRM strategy.

Now it is the turn to provide the team in charge of carrying out the strategy with everything it needs and to ensure its proper functioning.

They will certainly need:

A CRM software with all the company's databases included in it.
Training to use the software correctly.
Channels to communicate with customers.

These 3 aspects are mandatory, but depending on the type of strategy, you may need others. Keep this in mind!

Execution of the CRM strategy.

Everything is ready!

The most fun part of it all is, once the preparations are in place, to start implementing the strategy we have defined and to measure whether the objectives are being achieved.

Very important:

Don't be discouraged if you don't see immediate results. People need practice and the systems need to be rolled out. Give the strategy you have drawn up yourself enough time before changing it for another.

Follow up on the results,

After at least 4 weeks, you should start to evaluate if the results are as expected and what adjustments you should apply to achieve improvement.

In most cases, making small, gradual changes will be a better idea than making big changes overnight, but these decisions are up to you.

What advantages can you expect from implementing such a strategy?

There are many improvements you will see in your business when you start applying everything we have seen in this article, such as:

Increased productivity of salespeople and people in contact with customers.
Increased customer retention.
Increased conversion from contact to client.
Increase in client recurrence.
In short: increased sales.

Which is the best CRM to implement in such a strategy?

If you want to start enjoying these advantages in your business, efficy's CRM solutions are your best CRM option.

The best proof of this is the more than 4,500 clients in more than 33 countries who already sell more thanks to our tool.

If you also want to start selling more, request a demo.