Sales management software can help you track leads, manage your sales team, and keep your entire organization on the same page. But choosing the right CRM isn’t enough. In order to get the most out of a CRM, you also need to know how to use it correctly. A badly implemented CRM can actually hurt your company more than it helps it. To avoid making this mistake yourself, check out these dos and don’ts when using Customer Relationship Management software.

Don’t just install the software and expect results.

You can’t just install and forget about your CRM. In order to get the most out of the software, you need to make sure your employees know how to use it. If they don’t, they’ll enter incorrect data, and you’ll get false results. And even if you’ve ensured all your employees know how to use the software properly, you also need to make sure they actually do.

It’s easy to forget to actually enter data in a CRM. And if you forget to enter data in your CRM, you’ll get false results. This is especially true for sales managers who aren’t actually managing sales. These managers may forget to enter data or to track their sales team’s results.

Don’t rely on your employees to accurately enter data.

Even if your employees know how to use your CRM, you can’t rely on them to enter accurate data. You don’t know what metrics they’re entering or what metrics they’re leaving out. This can cause big problems when it comes time to review the data.

If your sales manager is only reviewing last quarter’s data, she won’t notice if some of her top salespeople are missing. Or she might miss the fact that one of her team members never entered any leads. This can cause big problems if you make future decisions based on inaccurate data. That’s why it’s a good idea to review the data periodically to make sure it’s accurate.

You don’t want to wait until the end of the quarter to review the data. Instead, look at the data each week or each month. Doing so will help you identify any inaccuracies before they cause problems.

Don’t forget to train your sales team.

Even if your employees know how to use your CRM, it’s also important to train them on how to use it correctly. If your sales team is entering data inaccurately, you won’t get accurate results. For example, you may have a sales team that is entering leads as “won” before they actually close the deal. If they do this, they’ll make it seem like they’re more successful than they actually are. You won’t see the deals that didn’t close until it’s too late.

You can avoid this problem by training your team on the correct way to use your CRM. You can also set up regular audits to make sure your team is entering the data correctly. Don’t just wait for a quarterly review to do this. Instead, set up regular audits to make sure your team is correctly entering the data on a weekly or monthly basis.

Don’t wait too long before onboarding new hires.

Every new hire can make a huge difference in your company’s success. But if you wait too long to onboard them, they may not make a difference at all. This is especially true if you’ve hired a salesperson.

If you wait two or three months to introduce your new sales team member to your CRM, she won’t know how to use it. She may not even know how to use your current CRM. And if she doesn’t know how to use the CRM, she won’t be able to enter accurate data. That means all her sales will be counted as “lost” in your CRM. And you won’t know how to correct the problem because you’re only reviewing the data every quarter.

You can avoid this problem by onboarding new sales hires as soon as they join your company. You can also consider onboarding non-sales employees at the same time. Doing so will help you integrate your entire team with your CRM as quickly as possible.

Do segment your leads and contacts into different stages.

Not all leads are created equal. Some are more valuable than others. And some leads take longer to close than others. If you don’t segment your leads into different stages, you won’t know how valuable they are. And if you don’t know how valuable your leads are, you won’t know which leads to chase after first. This will slow down your sales and hurt your company’s bottom line. You can avoid this problem by segmenting your leads into different stages. For example, you may have leads in the “researching” stage, leads in the “considering” stage, “ready to buy” stage, and “won” stage.

Do create a dedicated marketing automation team.

Marketing automation systems are a huge help for sales teams. But if you don’t have a dedicated marketing automation team, you won’t get the most out of your automation system. You can avoid this problem by creating a dedicated marketing automation team. They should be responsible for setting up your automation campaigns and managing your lead database. They can take charge of setting up your email marketing campaigns, setting up drip campaigns, and even using your marketing automation software. And by doing so, they’ll be able to get the most out of your automation system.

Do integrate other software with your CRM.

Your CRM isn’t just a sales management tool. It’s also a way to keep track of your entire organization. And one way to do this is to integrate your CRM with other software. For example, you might want to integrate your CRM with your customer service software. This way, you’ll know when to reach out to your customers and which customers need help. You can also integrate your CRM with your HR management software. If you do, you’ll be able to see all your employees’ performance metrics in one place. This will make it easier to manage your team. You can even integrate your CRM with your financial management software. This will let you see the financial impact each deal will have.

Conclusion

Sales are the lifeblood of any company. And there are a number of tools that can help you manage your sales team and increase your sales numbers. But in order to get the most out of these tools, you need to know how to use them correctly. You can’t just install a CRM and expect results. You also need to make sure your employees know how to use it correctly. And you need to make sure they actually enter the data. Doing so will help you get the most out of your CRM and increase your sales numbers.