Nothing is more important and critical to the success of a business than their customers. Maintaining satisfied, loyal customers has proven essential to success.
This is an even more critical element in the small business sector as they battle with their larger counterparts to succeed.
For this reason, making good use of a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software solution becomes vital for small businesses.
When small businesses utilize the information provided by CRM software and combine it with an electronic resource planning (ERP) systems, they are able to optimize on productivity and increase sales.
Database integratio of sales and customer information make it possible to optimize sales opportunities for the small business.
By giving users a one stop location for all needed information including, sales and marketing information about customers it becomes easier to make better, more informed business decisions.
This winning combination also helps strengthen sales for a company and as Jami J. Rodgers, VendorGuru.com Columnist points out an article, "Taking the Next Step: Your CRM Helping Build Your Small Business," "Most CRM tools are integrated into company-wide ERPs as part of a universal data repository that allows customer database and sales database information to be analyzed simultaneously. By factoring in a number of variables, the small business owner is easily able to identify sales trends and opportunities for future growth."
Rodgers also notes that this integration offers a chance to tweak needed areas and makes it possible to simplify the maintenance and use of systems within the business, as there is not a need for a number of stand alone systems to track and learn. Instead, businesses can pay closer attention to the matters of their business to further their growth and success.
Author: Stefania Viscusi
Article Source
Hi, if you search for a pharmaceutical CRM I highly recommend the Adami CRM.
Posted by: Yoshy | June 29, 2010 at 04:55 AM
thank you so much for sharing this information with the community.Thanks for writing such an interesting article related to Leveraging CRM Software in Small Business. thanks..
Posted by: rafrqleet | March 31, 2010 at 09:46 PM
The cost of implementing and the and Return on Investment are important factors for most small scale businesses when choosing CRM. Most of the times this cost is critical for the business as it may involve a huge opportunity cost. In my view small Businesses should first venture into Free CRM softwares to see how much they would have an impact on the business
Posted by: CRM Software Solutions | December 08, 2009 at 11:00 AM
Small business needs CRM at its core as they need to develop the contact wth the customer for long time. As their business are small they would have to maintain their customers with accuracy n proper maintained database software. As there would be many sites providing free CRM software
Posted by: Yogin vora | September 07, 2009 at 04:33 AM
Great post.
http://intera.si/intrix_crm
Posted by: Uros | August 24, 2009 at 05:04 AM
That's great, I never thought about Leveraging CRM Software in the Small Business like that before.
Posted by: Terry Walker | June 16, 2009 at 06:49 AM
Great post, Stefania. Keep up the great work, eh?
LLC
Posted by: lucas law center | May 11, 2009 at 08:12 AM
The key to small business success is where preparation and opportunity meet.
Jason
Posted by: lucas law center | March 30, 2009 at 02:03 AM
This article makes more sense than ever before! Because of where the current economy is, small businesses need a little help more than ever before.
The good news is that there are many CRM solutions designed for businesses of all sizes. The key to success for a small business, among a host of factors, is ease of use and affordability. Hosted CRM or On demand CRM solutions, provide a great entry point for any small business looking to be up and runing in seconds with a low up front investment.
One such company offering a Hosted CRM Solution which can easily be migrated to an on-premise solution is Surado CRM Online. Check our their site at http://www.SuradoCRM.com/ondemandcrm
For small business owners wanting to learn more about how CRM solutions can help them grow their business, check out this white paper: Got CRM? Small Business CRM Software Guide at http://www.suradocrm.com/smallbusiness_crm_software_guide.shtml
Looking forward to all the great ideas out there to help small business.
Sydney
Posted by: On Demand CRM | February 21, 2009 at 12:51 PM
You are right about optimizing your sales opportunities and the best way to do this is with the right CRM for YOUR business. Look for a contact management company that lets you customize your CRM for your business.
Posted by: Cheryl Curtis | January 30, 2009 at 02:56 PM
New breed of CRM software designed for SME’s
Complex, multi-faceted CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software has proved too unwieldy and costly for most SME’s (Small to Medium Enterprises). This is worrying, as without CRM software to aid customer retention, SME’s are having to rely on the more costly alternative of continually generating new customers. A new breed of slimmed-down, low-cost CRM solution is emerging to fill this gap in the market. Designed to meet the business needs and IT structure of SME’s, on-demand CRM software is set to provide SME’s with much needed CRM functionality.
Although automated CRM capabilities are commonplace among larger companies, only around 10% of SME’s have any kind of provision, according to recent research by Microsoft. Instead, they are making do with basic databases held on Excel, Outlook or Act. As the competition for customers becomes more and more fierce, SME’s have been crying out for a CRM solution designed with them in mind.
On-demand CRM software provides SME’s with exactly what they need with little up-front cost. Indeed, SalesPush, a company at the forefront of the new SME CRM software, is offering its product free of charge. Once registered, SalesPush customers are able to access the product and get started almost immediately at no cost.
Mark Donkin, CEO of SalesPush, explained the reasoning behind this free offer: "We have made the application freely available because we want to create a large community of SalesPush users. This will benefit us and the users, as SalesPush becomes the standard CRM software for SME’s.”
Signs are that the SME’s are keen to seize the opportunity of on-demand CRM software. SalePush’s Donkin commented, “The rate of take up has exceeded our expectations. Our conception of SalesPush as a free to use, simple and effective CRM system has clearly struck a chord because it adds value immediately without the need for costly consultants and the paraphernalia that comes with more complex products."
http://www.salespush.com
Posted by: Mark Donkin | January 15, 2009 at 05:29 AM
Really, really interesting. I look forward to hearing more about your research and I am looking forward to reading the article.
Posted by: Customer Relationship Management | December 01, 2008 at 10:57 PM
Having read the blog, I found the content very interesting.
We supply an on-demand and free to use CRM solution for small business. As commented on cost and ease of use are key to small business, and as such we have seen over 150 clients adopt the solution over the last 3 months.
We welcome any feedback on the solution which can be accessed at http://www.salespush.com
Posted by: Mark Donkin | November 24, 2008 at 07:51 AM
Contact management solutions that provide real time data analysis to managers offer an opportunity not only for the managers to stay on top of their sales reps activities but to also be proactive with their prospect's and customer's needs. Reporting is a key factor for managers when selecting a CRM solution. Make sure you are buying the steak and not just the sizzle. Dashboards and "canned" reports are slick, but are they providing you with the information you really need? Look for a contact management solution that allows you to create ad-hoc reports, fully customizable and gives you the flexibility to analyze the data that is important to your business.
Posted by: Cheryl Curtis | November 09, 2008 at 04:28 PM
We've just launched a survey on CRM software for professional services, including small businesses in this sector.
Please take a few moments to share your experience and in return you can opt to receive a summary of results.
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=EeWnhFl3fCMmwdU42rIS0Q_3d_3d
Topics covered in the survey include uptake of software as a service, popular brands, and user satisfaction on several key dimensions.
Note: The survey data will also help calibrate SoftwareShortlist.com, a free recommendation and comparison service for small business software that is launching soon.
Posted by: Xavier | October 12, 2008 at 04:11 AM
The big boys spend a lot of time and money trying to understand their customers so they can develop a strategy to increase loyalty and beat the competition on new business.
For any of the smaller businesses out there, I realize that cost is a major issue. That's why it's extremely important that you understand that step one for you is developing a CRM strategy that identifies who your customer is, and how you intend to get them and keep them. There should be measureable *bottomline* results that you can measure. And you should know what information you need to collect throughout the life of your CRM initiative and how you will use it to change tactics as needed.
Then, make sure you know how you're going to attain a high user adoption rate. There are many theories on this, but figuring out how to give key groups and individuals a piece of ownership is always helpful.
Once you've done that, then you will probably find that most of the software has what you need to meet your needs. If you do it backwards, and get the software before you've planned, you'll buy more than you need, or not what you need. That's like going to the grocery without a list and not having eaten in two days.
Posted by: Mike Boysen - Effective CRM Consulting | August 17, 2008 at 02:24 PM
First of all i am so glad i found this site. I can feel from some of the comments on here that real people exist in this world, and not just "sales guru's" who want to sell you the next best thing to sliced bread..... keep it up!
I am one of those "new business ventures" who is not only price concious, but blind to this industry....end, and to be honest, i am lost in all the woodland you guys must call "CRM & ERP!"
What i want to do is keep a list of my customers and contacts in the same place, and be able to target emails to each sector for marketing etc.
I have been searching for the last week or so and i am now so confused about what i acctually need. It would a great help if someone could give me some "solid advice" about this industry so that i can get on the right track for getting rid of all these post-it notes on my desk with names and addresses on! What i need to do is use a database driven system with email add on, that will accept things like HTML so that i can use business logo's etc within the email, as well as click through ability. It would also be an advantage to be able to have a few reports within, like 1)How many people opened the email and how many times. 2)Who forwarded it on, and where it went. 3)Duplication address remover. 4)Who didnt open it, etc etc.
Is there such a thing that is "open source" or is it all a buy/rent package.
Again, i am completely new to this way of business so, I am not completely up to speed with terminology.... so treat me gentle and i will absorb!
Thanks in advance.
[email protected]
Posted by: Darren Moore | July 07, 2008 at 02:38 AM
CRM and ERp solutions are great for SMBs, however the cost factor is an issue with some of the larger solutions like Salesforce.com often being way out of range. There are numerous free solutions that can play a role, such as Zoho or www.octopuscity.com, which offers a great free CRM system plus other free business services, like free teleconferencing.
Posted by: Nicole | June 19, 2008 at 11:00 AM
Here is the CRM solution for SMB: TPI CRM. http://www.infowarelab.com.
Advantages:
1. Extremely cost effective
2. Customer centric and collaborative
3. Easy and ready to use while flexible to adapt to business
4. Secure and reliable hosted solution
5. Powerful forecast and reporting help SMBs make better plan and decision
It has 30-day free trial. The free portal site also brings you abundant resources.
Posted by: TPI | June 09, 2008 at 01:23 PM
It seems like a lot of small businesses are opening up into the CRM world lately to improve sales and customer experience, which is great. There are also an increasing number of vendors to choose from. Some, like www.octopuscity.com for example, are even offering free web-based crm/contact management which is pretty ideal for the cost-conscious small-business owner.
Posted by: Nicole | June 05, 2008 at 11:02 AM
If you as a small business want to leverage CRM you really need to create campaigns based around existing customers and their behaviours. Your article states married to ERP systems they can be productive. First off ERP does not stand for electronic resource planning, its stands for enterprise resource planning and is typically deployed by large organistaions. The trouble with ERP for the SME sector is a) cost and b) complexity so productivity actually reduces not increases. If you want to understand how to leverage your current customers then ijn fact you need to look at the financials not the crm system. http://www.explodeyoursales.co.uk
Posted by: Gary | March 21, 2008 at 04:05 AM
You are right about keeping customers happy, we have been working on a really easy system designed for small businesses. It is free for up to two users and you can sign up at http://www.tactilecrm.com/signup
Posted by: Jake Stride | February 28, 2008 at 12:04 AM
I would have to agree that to a small business keeping loyal customers should be the main focus. Smaller companies don't have to budget to go after new clients like the large companies do. In order to keep these customers loyal a small business can make great use of an accurate CRM Software Solution. As stated here keeping all information in one database is extremely important. When all areas of your business have access to the most up to date real time information, a decision can be made much easier.
Posted by: Morley Prendergast | October 15, 2007 at 07:22 AM