Nimble CRM for Solopreneurs

How Nimble CRM Increases Company Sales Revenues

Articles, CRM

Let’s first start with a little background. Dating back to 1977, my entire career was as a B2B sales rep or I was managing a B2B sales team. As a salesperson, I was first introduced to the predecessor of today’s Nimble CRM … the tickler file.

For those who may not be familiar with this system, it was a “shoebox” with 12 monthly separators and 31 day separators. A prospective client had a 3×5 card, generally with their business card stapled to it, and this was used to keep track of activities. This was our contact record.

It was also used to ensure that follow-up tasks were completed when due. You would open the box, find the 3×5 cards for this particular date, complete the tasks, and then move the card to the next assigned task date. It was brilliant in its simplicity. I actually still have my box.

Today we have electronic tools. In my experience, the typical salesperson will use a combination of email, an online calendar, and a file folder filled with documents, notes, and scraps of paper. They may or may not register tasks when due on their calendars. More likely they will rely on their memories.

Of course, things can get complicated when you are juggling 100’s of clients, prospects, and active deals. Ask a sales rep what they will close this month and, without some intensive research, they may be hard pressed to give you an answer. Even then, that response may be more of a “wish list” than an accurate forecast.

While the benefits of Nimble CRM can expand into many departments in an organization, as a self-identified salesperson, we are going to focus on your salespeople, your sales manager, and the overall benefits to your company. This is only a very short list of potential benefits.

What are some of the general company benefits from a well managed CRM …

  • Increased revenues. Revenues are the lifeblood of your business. Nothing happens until somebody sells something.
  • Better customer relationships. We not only want to secure new customers, we need to increase business with our existing clients.
  • More and better prospects. Focus on those prospects who are most likely to do business with us.
  • Predictable revenues. It’s pretty difficult to budget for expenditures without a good forecast of expected revenues.

What are some of the challenges being faced by sales managers that a good CRM can solve?

  • Assigning leads for follow up and having a record of those. How can we ensure that leads are being followed up on?
  • Who owns what account? How do we reassign accounts and ensure that the new rep has the materials needed to properly service that account?
  • Where are our leads coming from? Where do we need to focus our efforts?
  • Where are we with sales forecasts? Are they accurate? What can we do to move deals forward to a successful conclusion?
  • What activity levels are salespeople performing? What ratios are they achieving? Where do they need the most help?
  • Predictable revenue. It is the sales manager’s responsibility to ensure that this is accurate.
  • Rep training. A sales process(s) that is successful and can be duplicated. These also become a fast-track training blueprint for new hires.

How does the right CRM make salespeople more money?

  • Organization. This is the absolute bane of most salespeople. Lack of organization leads to a loss of revenue.
  • Predictable revenue. Here it is again. Particularly with commission salespeople, their paychecks look like a rollercoaster ride. A good CRM can level these out and at a higher level!
  • Build relationships. A good salesperson not only needs to build new relationships, they need to maintain and strengthen relationships with existing clients who are their best sources for repeat business and referrals.
  • Reminders and tasks. These systems are designed to keep you on track and to ensure that never drop the ball and squander an opportunity or lose an account.
  • Template emails. A time saver but also a way to group message a specific set of contacts with information that will be specifically of value to them.
  • Tagging and search. Easily organize your contacts by any and all ways that might be important to you. Customers vs. prospects. By territory. By industry. The possibilities are endless.
  • Mobile. Take all of your files with you, anywhere, and have them at your fingertips. There is literally no way to do this without an electronic database.

Once again, this is a very short list of the benefits of a good CRM.

Are you thinking about a CRM? If you would like to explore whether or not Nimble CRM might be right for you, please book a free 30-minute Zoom consultation with me by going to my calendar. 

To learn more about our Nimble training and implementation services, please visit our Nimble CRM training services page. Thank you!

Craig M. Jamieson

Craig M. Jamieson

Managing Member at Adaptive Business Services
Craig M. Jamieson is a lifelong B2B salesperson, manager, owner, and a networking enthusiast. Adaptive Business Services provides solutions related to the sales professional. We are a Nimble CRM Solution Partner. Craig also conducts training and workshops primarily in social selling and communication skills. Craig is also the author of "The Small Business' Guide to Social CRM", now available on Amazon!
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