Having a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system in your service based business is a must or is it?

If you’re a solopreneur or business owner with a small team, you’re probably wondering if you really need one. If your business requires you to meet with prospects, follow up with prospects, submit agreements or invoice clients, the short answer is yes and here’s why.

A CRM software allows you to capture and organize information regarding your prospects and customers. Since follow-up is a vital step in the process of closing a deal, your ability to quickly access information is a Must to be able to efficiently and effectively follow-up. 

Another major reason small business owners should have a CRM is for automation. The amount of automation achieved with a CRM system is key for a solopreneur. If you’re wearing all of the hats or most of them, you want to make the best use of your time and I’m thinking that manually sending proposals, contracts and invoices is probably not the best use of your time.

The great news is, most CRM software now includes those features.  

CRMs now come fully loaded with scheduling systems, automated emails that are triggered based on rules you set up, the ability to send proposals/contracts online for electronic signatures and receive payments for invoices online. Oh and this is just the basics.

This is a huge advantage for small businesses. 

While all of the above information is awesome, one of the most important but often overlooked benefits of having a CRM within your small business is the amount of data being captured.

As mentioned above, we have to be cognizant of how we spend our time and there’s nothing like having data at your fingertips to help you make better decisions and direct your focus on areas that have a greater impact on your business. 

For instance, capturing how prospects found out about your business will help you identify where your leads are coming from so you’ll know what’s working, what’s not and where you should show up.

The advantages of implementing a CRM system in your business are numerous but the best way to get started is to document your current sales and onboarding process, then research your options. There are many to choose from.

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