Customer Relationship Management for Small Businesses

So, you have a business.

Your business has customers.

You want more.

You also want to keep the current ones happy.

…You should totally get into a relationship with them.

All of them.

Huh!?

Customer Relationships for Small Business Owners

So, as far as having a relationship with your customers go – I’m not suggesting marriage, friendship or even a date.

…Unless you’re both single, consenting adults who have caught each other’s eye. That’s a different article entirely. Now, back to business.

You want to make your customers feel valued. That can be as simple as referring to them as “clients”. Heck, you might even be doing that already.

A “customer” feels like somebody you take money from. A “client” sounds like somebody you help (and then, ya know… take money from). The point is, it sounds better from the client’s perspective. Capiche? 

There are other things that you can do too. Small things that go a long way:

-          Discounts

-          Personalised messaging via emails/SMS

-          Content only available to customers

-          A red carpet rolled out whenever they enter a building

 You get the image.

That stuff is all lovely. But, whether it’s the above points or other things entirely, you should already be making your customers happy that they’ve chosen you – aside from simply doing the job you were paid to do, well.

What About On-The-Fence Customers?

So, maybe you have some leads that come through to you that go cold. And by “cold”, we simply mean they suddenly look like a deer caught in headlights and seemingly fall off the face of the Earth – avoiding your calls and texts.

I’m sure we’ve all been there.

Sure, we can curse them and call them “time-wasting *****” – but where does that get us, really?

Instead, let’s look at some more time-saving and stress-reducing (but slightly less satisfying) approaches…

A)      We simply drop the comms with them completely. Zero further effort put in to trying to convert them, and instead spend the time on new prospects

B)      We send eerily worded, poorly hand written messages and post them to their business address in the hopes that your new “Exorcism” service entices them to add your original service in to the deal as a two-for-one

C)      Or we ignore the first two and acknowledge that the guy writing this might not always put his best ideas first. Or even second. Instead we utilise a software that does the heavy lifting for us and tries to “nurture” them in to either becoming a customer, or leaving our pipeline with nothing but pleasant things to say about us regardless

We might be bias, but option C has never let us down.

So, What Is a CRM System and How Does it Work?

Well, there are a few options out there. But what you’re after is a CRM – a Customer Relationship Management – system.

This will not only allow you to fire out personalised emails and SMS messages to your existing clients, but it will also automate a sequence of email and/or SMS messages that aim to convert your on-the-fencers in to fully fledged clients of yours.

“Cha-ching!” right?!

Because what this means is you don’t personally have to spend hours reaching out to people who may not, ultimately, buy from you.

So, screw them. But don’t say that. Let the CRM system do it in a slightly ‘nicer’ way:

“We hope to welcome you to our clientele in the near future and, just in case we can tempt you, we’ll even give you a further 10% off the RRP because we value what your custom brings to our business and want you to experience the benefits like so many others are too.”

That might get you more customers. And, probably, less court cases.

A CRM System Is That It?

What do you mean is that it?! Jeez, we’ve practically invented a second chance machine for you – at least try and be more grateful!

But no. That’s not everything. Can I trust you to be more appreciative from now on? Good.

Okay, so CRM systems are like that nagging partner (that I definitely don’t have… she tells me) that make sure you are following up on any correspondences, meetings etc that you said you would. And you’re a man/woman of your word, right? So you should do that. And this helps.

CRM systems can help you to forecast sales by looking at your pipeline in real time. You can even rate each job on how likely you feel it is to convert. No more shocks if you miss – or hopefully exceed – those monthly and quarterly targets!

Not satiated yet? Don’t worry – there’s more still!

These craft systems can also provide you with reports. What’s your average sales cycle from point of interest to signing the contract? How long does a customer stay with you on average? What are the common gripes or difficulties that customers experience when using your product or service?

See, these are all super important metrics to monitor.

And now, without the need for a desk-bound boffin who likes crunching data in his sleep, you can have all of this done for you, in some cases – wait for it – for FREE.

*Gasps*

Cool, right?

CRM System? Who, What, Where?!

Pull yourself together. We’re nearly there. Here’s some examples of CRM systems.

If you’re just getting started, you might want to start off with a free trial from some of the industry’s big players – Hubspot deliver an exceptionally easy-to-follow CRM system that is completely free.

Sounds too good?

Well… like everything in life, you usually get what you pay for. And Hubspot is good. But those “good” features only really rear their head when you part with a little bit of your wonga.

It’s relatively inexpensive though, and there are different price points for companies of all sizes to buy in to.

Are there others? Yeah, tonnes.

But a particular favourite of ours – if you’re willing to spend a few quid – is Go High Level.

As the name suggests, it can crank your automation up to the next… level.

And this is exactly what a CRM can do for your business.

If you’re wondering why it’s such a highly recommended product, check out this YouTube tutorial covering some it’s features here.

What do you do about a CRM System Now?

Now, my friend, you hurriedly leave this article (but not before hitting the like button and commenting “Best Article Ever!” or – “What a legend!”) and go download a CRM system or two of your choosing and start playing about with them!

If you’re serious about automating your processes, implementing a CRM system is important to streamline your workflow and strive to get more leads for your business,

Why not get in touch? We’ll happily do all or any of the above for you.

Think of us as CRM genies. Except, we’re not blue or trapped in a lamp.