I get a lot of requests for CRM recommendations, often from people who already have one. “Our CRM is driving us crazy,” they say. “Can you recommend one?” Well, I can’t give you a surefire recommendation – no one can – because the way you want and need to use CRM is unique. But I can [...]

Most of our problems with CRM begin with the way we shop for it. We get recommendations, cruise through a few websites, sign up for a couple free trials, and choose one. I’m not suggesting this is a casual effort, most people put in a lot of time and careful consideration. Unfortunately, looking at potential CRM [...]

Myths about what B2C and B2B mean can get in the way when looking for sales jobs, sales books or training, and when looking for good CRM—which is why this article is here. The primary myths are that B2B is more complex, involves more sales meetings, a longer sales cycle, and higher dollars. In truth: There [...]

Most of us look at CRM and think about how we’ll fit our prospecting, sales and other needs to it. This often begins with mentally sorting our contact groups as per what the CRM shows us. But most of us have more types of contacts than we find in many CRM. If we do not recognize [...]

Have you created the list of groups of contacts you deal with? Now it’s time to see if a CRM will map to them. First, a few reminders and tips: Step one was about identifying and listing groups of contacts using a simple approach, not CRM-lingo. Your list should be on paper. Do not let the [...]

Before we get into evaluating a CRM's fit for marketing here is a definition and delineation: Marketing is the stuff we do to gain our prospects' attention and regain our clients' attention. Marketing tools include mail, email, phone, and web-based interaction -- to name the most common tools. (Prospecting is marketing, too; it's the things we [...]