Set goals for your CRM
Decide what you need your CRM to do and spend your sales budget accordingly. Most CRMs have tiered product offerings and allow you to upgrade or downgrade your subscription whenever you choose. Involve your team in this process. What priorities would they have? Knowing all of this up front will help you make a better decision. CRM goals include things like:
- Track leads and lead conversions
- Manage relationships
- Increase profitability
- Increase referrals
- Support a mobile sales team
Identify the specific features
Whatever you want a CRM to do, there’s most likely an existing solution. Don’t pay to build a custom solution. Instead, get very specific about the features that are required for your sales process and evaluate the possibilities based on them. If you’ve already mapped out your sales process, it will help you. If you haven’t, this might be a good time. The CRM should facilitate your sales process, not the other way around.
What will implementation look like?
Don’t underestimate the importance of what the implementation process will require of your team. The CRM provider will be able to describe their process. When that is done, there will also be the time and energy it takes for your team to adjust to the new system. If you’re transitioning from one CRM to another, ask about what data can be transferred via the systems themselves rather than manually. If your practice hasn’t had a CRM, there may be an option to upload a spreadsheet.
What information can the CRM provide?
Specifically, look at the standard reports that are already included. The CRM will likely have pre-built reports for the most common sales activities. If you see gaps in the standard reports, learn about the CRM’s capability to let you create custom reports.
Last, but not least, take the demo and include those who will be using it. Many CRMs will also offer a trial period, which is the best way to learn what exactly it’ll be like to use it.
When you’ve chosen and implemented a CRM, set a date to formally evaluate its ability to meet your needs and help your practice reach the goals you’ve set.