Customer Relations
Newcastle Herald
Monday June 7, 2004
ONE of the most important tools you need as a business owner is a customer relationship management (CRM) system.
This is not simply a database of names and addresses for clients and prospects but a complete system that allows you to quickly and easily keep in contact with them.
We are all bombarded with thousands of advertising messages each day so you need to get your name in front of prospects at least every 90 days for your name to be remembered.
It's far more cost-effective to promote your business to existing clients than just focusing on getting new ones.
The stronger the relationship you build with your customers the easier it becomes to do repeat business, and that's where your database and CRM system can help.
Most small businesses can buy a package at stores that sell computers and most of these will have all the features you need to run an effective customer contact program.
Apart from the usual name, address and contact details you can monitor things like customer source and how long they have been a client, then rate your clients based on profit they generate, payment history and ease of dealing with.
Other information, like what products/services they buy and how often, the amount and the time of year they buy, and their response to your marketing initiatives, can also be recorded.
Keep in mind that you have to seek permission to contact people by email with the new anti-spam laws, so have a box on your competition or account form for them to opt out.
Additional features of CRM packages are a built-in diary to enter a client contact schedule (great for monitoring your sales team's contacts), email and mail merge capabilities, diary note section for all contacts and a reminder system.
If you run accounts you will have clients' contact details and purchases already.
A few ways to get information from your customers are to run a competition in conjunction with a customer survey, start up a members' club, or ask clients if they wish to join your preferred customer mailing list.
Like any system you need to ensure you and your team use it. Buying a customer relationship management package is one of the best investments you can make.
Ian Mallett is a business coach at Aim Business Solutions, phone 49426624.
© 2004 Newcastle Herald