At First Direct Corp. we discuss CRM needs with literally thousands of individuals and organizations. Some prospects and customers are very unsure of their sales processes, while others have done a better job of defining things. The customer who is the subject of this issue’s “Golden Nugget” impressed me from the very beginning with their clear vision for how their sales qualifying process needs to be tracked.
Terry Chapman, President of Business Electronics Corp. (BEC), has broken his organization’s sales qualifying processes down into very specific steps which represent milestones. The reps know what is required at each stage so they can concentrate on achieving success. For example, obtaining the expiration date of an equipment lease or the contact information on the right decision maker is essential in order to time and direct future follow-up, so to move from one stage in their sales processes to the next, this information needs to be captured..
First Direct worked with Terry to map BEC’s methodology into his GoldMine CRM system. Important information is tracked, and by using GoldMine’s auto-update feature, the system automatically captures the dates each sales milestone is achieved. Terry can analyze the results of his marketing & sales efforts more accurately, and knows where prospects and opportunities stand. Now, BEC is able to trigger automated communications and scheduled follow-up actions based on the qualifying information.
GoldMine is a great tool; however, to truly achieve desired results with any CRM solution, the people who implement it must have a clear vision for how it is to be used. It helps you to achieve success if you can define it in very specific ways with milestones and “begin with the end in mind!”
Business Electronics Corp. has been serving BirminghamAlabama businesses since 1988 through a dedicated team of service professionals that know how to address the document reproduction and management needs of businesses. Visit BEC online at http://www.businesselectronics.com
