Mapping Your CRM to Your Sales Process During a Crisis

Every cloud has a silver lining, even a global pandemic like the Coronavirus. If we are wise, we will see that this disruption has given us the space to take stock and analyze what we’ve been doing. However painful it may be, the changes allow us to rework our strategy and sales process, positioning us for what awaits beyond the clouds. 

But that’s what this is all about – How we are positioning ourselves for when the dust settles. Thus, mapping out your path to the new world will serve you now more than ever.

With all the changes that have taken place and the ones that have yet to come, it’s important that every single salesperson builds clear expectations for themselves. To do that they will need to have a firm understanding of their industry and a framework of execution. That’s why mapping your CRM to your sales process is so important.

Here, we’ll offer you a few ideas about how to do that while we touch upon the key things to remember when communicating with people in trying times. 

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How to tailor your messaging

We’ll start with a few things to keep in mind when you communicate with anyone facing a difficulty in their life. The most important thing you can do for people around you is to listen and be empathetic. That means you need to try things like:

  • Building in extra time for conversations that feel like they should not be cut short – Add a 15-20 minute buffer and make sure that you’re allowing yourself to truly listen because what you offer your clients and prospects could change their livelihood
  • If an existing client is struggling to make ends meet – Make time to find a solution for them, even if it means pointing them toward a solution that is not purchased through your directly. Offer them earnest guidance through the process and lead with a servant’s heart. This will build relationships that last long after the storm passes.
  • Send out nurturing emails to all prospects and clients – Be a voice for the community/industry/vertical you serve. Let them know you are there to support them in any way possible and that communities who face adversity come out stronger and more connected than ever.

Applying such open and empathetic approaches to your sales processes is key during periods of crisis. But, if we’re going to share a secret with you, we think these approaches should be the standard in the sales world. Sadly, they are not.

Beyond the mini crash course in EQ, let’s move on to sales mapping. 

Key benefits of mapping your CRM to your sales process 

1. Organize your team

Getting organized. Bringing order to chaos is freeing and empowering in a way words cannot describe. Focus. Alignment. Energy. They all flow when you sync with the rhythm that your habits will allow.

In other words, your time, properly spent, can do more when you have tools at your side to keep you on track. It’s in your best interest to learn them and utilize the full value behind their existence. 

Having a CRM by your team’s side during a crisis will bring clarity to your sales process during the chaos. Leads are captured in one system while appointments and tasks are duly tracked. Plus, salespeople can stay on top of the latest information while getting context on each lead with website activity and recorded call logs.

The bottom line: efficiency is an inescapable side effect of running your sales process in accordance with your CRM. Do it now. 

2. Building your database 

Another key benefit to consider is data. The operating costs of manual data entry are high, especially when you consider the technology built to bridge that gap. There is no room for excuses anymore. If you are not automating the non-revenue generating work of data entry and data transfer, you are behind the curve.

True, some people have learned to survive off-grid if you will – spreadsheets, notepads, and other former mediums of the business world.. But there are limits to that approach and a lot of it depends on the culture of your company and the objectives/goals that you are working towards.

The point is your time should be spent taking action on the clear outlook that your process provides you and getting results in your sales walk. Simplifying data entry and transfer are important parts of that.

3. Nurture customers 

Lastly, the way forward is to utilize your CRM to build sequences that give your prospects and clients the experience that sets you apart from your competitors. We don’t take experiences serious enough in this day and age. A sequence of strategic experiences that maintain a high level of rapport with your prospect is easier maintained when you have set up triggers that will remind you to execute in a timely manner instead of you constantly saying “oh darn, I forgot to do that thing I said I was going to do for my prospect – oh well!”

Also, understand that when we talk about experiences, we mean going beyond “just checking in” emails and other mediocre touch-points that fail to bring relevance, impact, and familiarity to your prospect’s perception of you.

Think about how deserving your prospects are of a good experience right now, in this trying time that we are all going through. It is like a break in their busy day to be able to laugh, smile, and feel comforted by a salesperson who cares for something more than quotas and commission checks.

So remember, a marriage between your sales process and your CRM is important. Try to build a sales process outreach and pipeline development in a way that not only complements you and your business but your prospects and the community in which you serve, too. We are all in this together, during the good times and the bad times.

Maintaining a focus on people over products by being intentional in the way you manage and build out your processes is the key to long-term success.

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