You know how important it is to build quality customer relationships. But how essential is it to have a Customer Relationship Management System in place to help keep and track those relationships? Very, according to one article posted on Forbes.com.
“Any company will benefit from maintaining a record of which conversations, purchases and marketing material can be associated with leads and customers,” wrote author Jason Kulpa.
Veteran BioZyme sales reps agree that managing customer information is vital to any company’s success. Mike Wadle, Additive Territory Manager, and Rod Hutcheson, Animal Health Business Development Manager, shared their thoughts on the importance of organizing customer data and the systems to use.
Keys to Success
Wadle said tracking customer information is vital to help the customer succeed. When dealers understand each operation’s challenges and goals, the dealer takes on the role of a trusted confidant – more of a friend or consultant than a salesperson. With multiple customers it is important to keep all of that information in one location and to keep it current.
“The relationship between the dealer and his or her customer is part of the success of the business. If the customer has success, then I have success. If he has failure, then I will likely fail too,” Wadle said.
Hutcheson shares one example of how he has gathered information over time that makes the customer feel like he or she matters. When he pulls up at a producer’s place and the family dog runs to greet him, he remembers that the producer says, “get back, Charlie,” while calling the dog off. On his next visit, when the dog approaches him, Hutcheson can greet the dog, “hey Charlie,” and scratch his ear, impressing the producer that he remembered his best companion’s name.
“People will do business with those who care about them. It all goes back to the adage, that people don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care,” Hutcheson said.
Choosing a System
Just like anything, there are many CRM tracking systems. Hutcheson and Wadle agree that it is most important to use a system that the user is comfortable with, especially if you are a smaller business or not sharing that information across several people or departments. “The best system is the system that works best for you,” Hutcheson said. “That might be an index card or 3-ring binder or keeping
information in your iPhone. I always pull up the person’s contact information in my phone when I’m with them to make sure everything is still correct.”
The next step might be to track customer information electronically via an excel spreadsheet or other database system. You can then share this across users via Dropbox or other sharing platforms.
Of course, there are more technical CRM software systems that allow multiple users to share a plethora of information about customers, similar to what BioZyme uses. These can track basic customer information, orders, marketing, shipping, contact methods and conversations and more. These come with a price tag, but are worth the investment, especially in a growing business.
The bottom line is the customer likes to feel valued. Make sure you know that customer and his or her vital information and can manage that information using a system that works best for you and your business. You and your customers will find success!