Choosing the right CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system is crucial for any B2B account-based sales team. A good CRM can help your team manage their sales pipeline, track leads and prospects, and improve overall efficiency. However, with so many options on the market, it can be overwhelming to choose the right one.
In this blog post, we'll discuss six easy steps to choosing a CRM system to support your B2B account-based sales team.
Step 1: Define Your Sales Process
Before you start evaluating different CRM systems, it's important to define your sales process. This includes understanding how your team interacts with prospects and customers, identifying key stages in your sales pipeline, and outlining your team's goals and objectives.
According to Salesforce, 63% of high-performing sales teams have a documented sales process.
Step 2: Determine Your Budget
CRM systems can range from free to thousands of dollars per month, depending on their features and capabilities. Determine your budget before you start evaluating different options, and be sure to consider any additional costs, such as implementation and training fees.
According to Capterra, the average cost of a CRM system for small businesses is $60 per user per month.
Step 3: Evaluate Features and Functionality
When evaluating different CRM systems, consider the features and functionality that are most important to your team. This might include lead and contact management, sales forecasting, analytics and reporting, integrations with other tools, and mobile access.
According to Gartner, CRM software is the largest and fastest-growing enterprise software category, with worldwide spending expected to reach $42 billion by 2024.
Step 4: Consider Ease of Use
Your sales team will be the ones using the CRM system on a daily basis, so it's important to choose a system that is easy to use and navigate. Look for systems with intuitive interfaces, clear navigation, and robust search and filtering capabilities.
According to HubSpot, 66% of salespeople say they don't have enough time to spend on data entry in their CRM.
Step 5: Look for Integration Options
Your CRM system should integrate seamlessly with other tools and systems your team uses, such as email, marketing automation, and sales enablement platforms. Look for CRM systems that offer integrations or APIs to connect with other tools.
According to Salesforce, companies that integrate their CRM system with other tools and systems see an average increase in productivity of 15%.
Step 6: Get Feedback from Your Team
Finally, it's important to get feedback from your sales team when choosing a CRM system. Solicit input on what features and functionality they need, what pain points they experience with their current system, and what would make their jobs easier.
According to Capterra, 72% of businesses say that user experience is the most important factor when choosing a CRM system.
In conclusion, choosing the right CRM system is crucial for B2B account-based sales teams. By following these six easy steps, you can choose a system that aligns with your sales process, fits within your budget, offers the features and functionality your team needs, is easy to use, integrates with other tools, and receives positive feedback from your team.
Remember to define your sales process, determine your budget, evaluate features and functionality, consider ease of use, look for integration options, and get feedback from your team.
