There are three letters that could change your business: CRM.
I’m talking about CRM software, and it really can transform the way you work and help you scale consistently.
For over 20 years, Keap has worked with small business owners and their teams, and we often hear how a CRM system saves time, boosts efficiency, improves customer satisfaction, and helps teams land more sales (check out our customer testimonials for some CRM transformation stories).
That means if you don’t have small business CRM software, you’re not just missing out on benefits; You’re also incurring unnecessary costs you might not be aware of.
Read on to discover some of the hidden costs you could be paying for by not using CRM software. And, when you’re ready, you can find a CRM system that fits your needs by using the free resource at the bottom of this blog!
Lost Leads
Without a CRM to keep track of your contacts, automate follow-up, and manage your sales pipeline, leads can fall through the cracks.
When you manually perform these tasks, there’s room for error at every turn. You could lose a contact’s information in your spreadsheets or email. Then before you know it, you’ve forgotten to follow up with them and they’ve moved on to a competitor.
Unfortunately, lost leads mean lost revenue, and that’s not an option when you’re trying to efficiently and consistently scale your business.
The best thing you can do is opt for a CRM system with built-in marketing automation features to help you store and organize contact details and put your entire follow-up process on autopilot.
Missed Upsell and Cross-Sell Opportunities
Losing leads isn’t the only way you can miss out on revenue when you don’t have a CRM system. This software helps you land more repeat business with consistent upsell and cross-sell campaigns, so without one, you’re missing out on an additional stream of revenue.
However, with a CRM, you can automatically send upsell and cross-sell campaigns to every customer at the right time – without having to do it manually.
Here’s how it works:
- Use a CRM and marketing automation software to set up upsell and cross-sell emails that send custom offers based on the contact’s purchase.
- Tell the system how long after a purchase you want communications to be sent.
- Your software will send it on time, every time, to every single customer.
The result? No more forgotten upsell and cross-sell outreach. While you focus on other parts of your business, your CRM system handles this important revenue-generating campaign automatically.
Wasted Time
Wasting time is nearly as frustrating and disheartening as losing revenue. But if you’re operating without a CRM, that’s a big disadvantage for your business.
CRM software can automate a range of manual tasks, such as:
- Scheduling appointments
- Intaking and updating customer information
- Sending reminders
- Managing your sales pipeline
The list could go on and on. But to sum it up, a CRM for small business can do all of this (and more) with increased efficiency and accuracy.
The question, then, is this: Why do tasks manually that a CRM can do automatically in a fraction of the time? Spoiler alert: You shouldn’t!
Unhappy Customers
There are two things that are crucial to creating and maintaining happy customers:
- Efficiency
- Consistency
These are hard to provide if you’re managing all your customer relationships manually because you’re pulled in countless different directions. That’s a recipe for delayed follow-up and forgotten communication altogether.
Fortunately, CRM software can follow up immediately and provide the right message to every contact based on where they are in your customer journey. This naturally results in a consistent and efficient customer experience from start to finish.
Plus, when you stop spending so much time on repetitive manual tasks, you’ll have more time to interact with your customers and take their experience with your brand to the next level.
Security Risks
The workarounds for managing customer relations without a CRM often include spreadsheets and sticky notes.
But many businesses don’t realize that these strategies impose a security risk. If you don’t have a secure online platform storing all your contact details, then you risk that information getting lost or falling into the wrong hands.
To offer your audience the most secure experience (and give you peace of mind), opt for a CRM system with end-to-end encryption.
If you’re curious about the security measures a small business CRM has, check out Keap’s Data Security Statement.
Unorganized Operations and Workflows
To operate as efficiently as possible and cut down on operations frustrations, your team needs the same source of truth that’s easily accessible to everyone.
A CRM offers this because once implemented, it becomes the one-stop shop for all things customer information. That way, you and your team know where to turn when you need answers.
But without this resource, miscommunication increases, mistakes are made, and employees spend more time running around tracking down info than they do completing tasks.
Find the Perfect Small Business CRM
There’s no need to panic over these hidden costs. You’re taking a step in the right direction by simply becoming aware of them. Now, to keep making progress, start your search for a small business CRM today.
Not sure where to begin? Say no more. Download our CRM Buyers’ Guide for FREE, and let it help you every step of the way.
