New Year, New CRM Resolutions

It’s a new year and for many of us that means resolutions.  I'm sure if you are anything like me there are some resolutions left over from last year . . . marathon anyone?  Many businesses have goals or resolutions which they map out at the beginning of the year, but never complete due to daily road blocks and distractions.  One such goal for many companies is to connect with their customer base more often.  Because the best way to keep a resolution is to start by following daily habits, below is my list of the top three daily habits to help you connect with your customer base. 

1. Implement a customer relationship management (CRM) or contact management software and use it every day.  Some options are Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Sage SalesLogix or Sage ACT!.
2. Schedule 15-30 minutes a day to contact customers with whom you haven't spoken in 60 days or more.  Take this time to build a long-lasting relationship and set follow-up calls.  
3. Monitor your progress daily.  This includes tracking phone calls, emails, appointments and mailings.  The only way to know if you are improving is to have a benchmark, that’s where CRM can help.

If you are diligent about creating these daily habits, before you know it, you will have achieved your goal of establishing great customer relationships.  You can then move on to the next goal, marathon here we come!