Social CRM Does Not Need To Be That Complicated

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How about we make it K.I.S.S. …  Keep It Simple Salesperson. This becomes extremely important because salespeople will be frontline CRM users and these same salespeople almost universally hate the thought of being saddled with a CRM. Why do we know this to be true? Simply stated, a large majority of good salespeople share three applicable traits:

  • Data entry means less time selling and salespeople hate data entry. It’s tedious.
  • Maintaining a good CRM requires a great deal of time and effort. Salespeople, who have a well deserved reputation of being somewhat … lazy and less than detail oriented, are loathe to put forth the effort that  is needed to make a CRM valuable and in some cases they don’t even have the strongest skill sets to make it happen.
  • They see little or no innate value in keeping those kinds of records. “Is this exercise supposed to help me to sell more or is it for you so that you can keep track of what I do?” (salespeople hate to be monitored)

The really good sales people, however, recognize that a quality CRM will increase the thickness of their wallets and if that is what it takes, they are willing to put up with the rest. They still don’t like any of it much but they are motivated by results rather than by activities. Call this the greed factor. Good salespeople are motivated by money and what they can do with it. Simple.

Selling has been called the science of “communication and persuasion”. This article will discuss how a good Social CRM will assist the salesperson in becoming a more effective communicator with his contact, prospect, or client. Being an effective communicator is a challenge. You must to be able to deliver the right message, at the right time, and via the right medium.

The Right Message – The salesperson needs to know as much about the client and their needs as is possible. The message is then formulated around these interests and needs. Some might call this the discovery phase of selling.

The Right Time – Have you ever walked into a room where a conversation was being held that you would like to participate in? Did you find yourself looking for that right time to make your entry or did you just barge in and take control?  No, you looked for an appropriate opening when you could contribute to the conversation in a meaningful manner and without being perceived as being rude.

The Right Medium – I have a fax sitting on my desk. Less and less people use them these days but, I still find folks who rely on them heavily. If I was only able to send faxes to clients and my clients did not even have a fax, would that be the right medium? No. Of course it wouldn’t be. Your quiver of communication tools needs to hold many different arrows.

Sales Results LLC has joined forces with SEN Technologies to become Nimble Social CRM’s first Idaho Authorized Solutions Partner. Together we will provide our clients with full CRM needs assessment, recommendations, implementation, and on-going support and training including selling skills and social media applications. Don’t yet “get” CRM and/or Social? We’ve got you covered!

I have used some form of computerized CRM continuously for over 20 years. Before that it was 3 x 5 cards and a tickler file. I love CRM for its ability to help me maintain, track, and record contact data and activities. It allows me to create reports and modify my forecasts. My CRM makes me more money. About two years I go I began to sense a subtle shift. My contacts were no longer talking solely on the phone and via email. They had started to communicate with each other via Twitter, FaceBook, and LinkedIn.  I knew nothing about these applications and, maybe even worse, I had no way to track them. As I learned more I quickly recognized that “Hey! There is something to this and it doesn’t appear to be going away. In fact, it’s growing!” Still, while all of this seems to have great potential, how am I going to track this on my CRM? The simple answer is … you can’t track this activity with a traditional CRM.

Social CRM will change that. Nimble Social CRM is in the process of doing that today. While not quite yet available, Nimble combines traditional CRM functions with a social layer and this layer is being developed as a part of the core functionality of the application, not as an afterthought. My contact records contain all of the standard CRM data but, here are just a few of the additions:

  • Contact social profiles (Twitter, FaceBook, LinkedIn)
  • Contact social streams (and the ability to interact with each)
  • Records that not only track conversations via email but via their social networks as well

From within Nimble I am able to identify what my contacts are talking about now and who they are talking with. This enables me to compose the right message. I see when they are discussing a topic and this allows me to choose the right time to enter the conversation. I know that they are communicating via Twitter so now I have the identified the right medium. All three provide me with the needed tools to establish rapport and to build and expand relationships; identify client wants, needs, and frustrations; and get my entire team involved in collaboratively meeting and exceeding customer expectations. I sell more and I do it with focus and with a minimum of tedium. K.I.S.S.

Recently I wrote and article about Nimble and I constructed that article as a metaphor comparison of Nimble to Jimi Hendrix (fast, original, nimble). I did have a hidden agenda. I did not choose Jimi out of thin air. This was a test. Sure enough, my intended target found the post and left a comment on my site along with a link to a Hendrix song. Hmmmm. Did we maybe … connect? Shortly thereafter I received a Twitter @ message (mention) from this same person who wanted to know how I knew that he loved Jimi Hendrix. “Pretty simple”, I replied. “Your contact record in Nimble displays your FaceBook profile and it’s right there in black and white. You love Jimi!” Now then, did this individual feel special? Did I strike a nerve that was of interest to them? Was a level of rapport established? If I were actually trying to sell this person something, did my chances go up or down? Yes, yes, yes, and up. K.I.S.S.  It was the right message, at the right time, and via the right medium.

Thanks for visiting!

Craig

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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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