3 Simple Tips On Leveraging Your CRM For More Efficient Cold Calling
Nowadays everyone in the sales and marketing game should be aware of the variety of tools we have at our disposal that allow us to be more effective at our craft. From marketing automation platforms to SEO solutions to better list resources. We have many ways to get in front of our ideal customer. So why is it that we tend to neglect our CRM?
Over the years I’ve been amazed at the lack of importance different sales reps have placed on effective CRM usage. When it comes to the inside reps I have making dials, their usage of the system can play a critical role in their success or/failure. I don’t let them forget it. If they ain’t following the AG rules, they will definitely get a visit from Uncle Craigo!
While I could list 350 different ways to structure a CRM when you’re dialing for dollars, there are generally 3 core things I expect my inside reps need to pay attention to. Here are 3 simple recommendations that are easy to track and your team can easily execute on:
Make sure your history in each account is easy to access: Since we target 50 prospects a day, it can be difficult to recall how many calls have been placed into a particular account, emails sent or sales conversations you’ve had with them in the past. Try to keep that information in one easy to view/ access page.
Schedule your day by time zone: Being on the east coast, it probably doesn’t make sense to hit the prospects from the west at 8AM ET. The executives we call get to work early...but 5:00 AM PT may a bit of a stretch. Set up your home page to easily view time zones rather than wasting your time clicking individual records to determine who may or may not be in the office.
Build/Sort list, based on industry rather then title: As we all know, verticals and individual titles need to be approached differently when you cold call. Being laser focused on specific industries/titles and will allow you to stick with a similar script and email templates, rather than wasting time digging around to find the perfect messaging/script to use.
Time management is consistently the biggest challenge for most of the folks I have making dials. It seems we build a lot of unnecessary busy work into our day by jumping from screen to screen in our CRM. For the sales folk grounded in reality, we all know cold calling is a necessary evil. Adding a few of these tips to your process will hopefully allow you to cut down on the amount of time you are dedicating to everyone’s favorite part of the sales process.