When is it time to switch from pen and paper to a CRM?

I used to jokingly call myself computer illiterate, not because I didn’t know how to use a computer, but because I didn’t like change.

Not only that, I used to love to handwrite everything, because I thought it looked personal. But then somebody told me that that is like hitchhiking to a job site instead of pulling up in my F-350 Super duty.

Yes, both walking and driving will get you there, but the truck will get you there faster, and you look successful when you arrive.

Seasoned veteran of business software

Handwriting invoices, may seem personal, but just looks unprofessional in today’s day and age. Handwriting is prone to mistakes, and quite frankly is not future-proof for the next generation.

But there is a world where old-school wisdom meets modern tech. Were goals specific, CRM’s can be used as your secret weapon, to keep the personal touch while skyrocketing your business, past what you’re doing today.

“Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.”

Vince Lombardi, a legendary football coach who knew a thing or two about the importance of strategy and teamwork.

For tree Services, massage, therapists, window estimators, or any small business for that matter, having a game plan is crucial. Imagine your team moving in sync, knowing every play, and executing strategies with precision. That’s what a CRM like Selling Lane can do for your business – it’s your playbook for success!

Feature Spotlight: Efficient Scheduling and Route Optimization

With Selling Lane, your team can easily schedule appointments and optimize routes, ensuring that you’re always on the winning path. Plus, real-time tracking lets your customers know exactly when you’ll touch down at their location. Learn more about how Selling Lane optimizes your routes.

“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”

Wayne Gretzky, a hockey legend who understood the value of seizing opportunities.

Pen and Paper Crates Unnecessary Bottlenecks

Every lead, every client, and every opportunity counts, so sorting through piles of papers on your desk, or flipping through notebooks might seem like the faster method, but that only applies to you.

Your staff in the field, your employees on the switchboard, have to call YOU to get answers, making YOU the bottleneck. This creates employee fatigue, where employees throw their hands up because you micromanage every move they make instead of allowing them to do the job you train them to do.

This sometimes causes lost opportunities because you’re not making every shot on goal count because you are slowing down the process, sometimes causing customers to defect to faster and more efficient businesses.

Great business software and smartphone apps, such as Selling Lane, helps you take your shot on goal with features that manage customer details, appointment history, and communication all in one place. It’s like having a top-tier player who never misses a pass!

So now instead of creating a bottleneck, you empower your employees to do the tasks, faster and more efficiently. Allowing you time to do the most important job you have, which is thinking about your business so that you can grow it to the next level.

Selling Lane Feature Spotlight: Effective Customer Relationship Management

Selling Lane’s CRM ensures that every interaction with your clients has a goal. It’s not just a tool; it’s your strategy to keep your customers at the heart of your operations. Discover more about how Selling Lane manages customer relationships.

“The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team.”

Phil Jackson, a revered basketball coach who believed deeply in the power of teamwork.

Your team is your biggest asset, and with a business software package like Selling Lane, ensures that every member can perform at their best. From managing tasks to optimizing your website, it empowers your team to work together seamlessly, ensuring no opportunities are missed, and every client is satisfied.

The employees on the road can use the smartphone app to look up customer details, have the customer scan QR code business cards, and even generate estimates and invoices on the spot.

Selling Lane Feature Spotlight: Maximize Revenue with Menu Selling

Selling Lane’s unique Menu Selling feature allows you to present a menu of your services to clients, leading to effective upselling and cross-selling, and ultimately, increased revenue. It’s like having a star player who always knows how to score! Explore how Selling Lane maximizes your revenue with Menu Selling.

It also allows you to place those menus right on your business website so that your customers can self select the products and services that they wish before they even call you for an appointment.

Having a robust CRM is like having a seasoned coach, guiding your team to victory with strategies that have stood the test of time. So, are you ready to let your business flourish with a little help from the wisdom of the past and the tech of the future?

Jude Campbell, Managing Partner of Selling Lane and business success coach

Let’s win this game together with Selling Lane!

What Customers are Saying

“We’ve seen a significant increase in our revenue since we started using Selling Lane’s Menu Selling feature,” says Emily, owner of overhead door company in Silvercreek NY. “Before, we were only offering a handful of services, but now we offer a full range of garage door services. With Menu Selling, we can easily show our clients all of the services that we offer and make it easy for them to add additional services to their order. As a result, our average revenue per job has increased by 15%.”

It’s Easy to Switch to Selling Lane

Guess what? Trying out Selling Lane’s CRM doesn’t cost a penny for the first 31 days! That’s right, you get to test drive this awesome business buddy for a whole month, absolutely free. It’s like getting a sneak peek into how much easier and cooler running your business can be without having to dig into your wallet. You’ll get to see how it keeps everything organized, helps you chat with customers, and manages all your appointments and bills without any of the stress.

Yeah, but free trials don’t last

And here’s the kicker – once your free trial is up, and you’ve seen how much Selling Lane can boost your business, it only costs $6 per user to keep it around. That’s less than the cost of admitting you still own a fidget spinner! 🌀😂 and less than the price of one lost sock in your laundry.

Time to let your team act like a professional

So, you get a super helpful tool that makes running your business a breeze, for a price that’s super affordable. You get to look professional, while still maintaining the personal touch. You give your employees the ability to manage their accounts on the go and not have to call you for everything. Not only that, but you buy back time, so you can think about your business and grow it further. These are just some of the wins you get when you replace pen and paper with great business software like Selling Lane CRM.

Let’s jump in feet first future where your business isn’t just doing good; it’s absolutely rocking, without breaking the bank. With Selling Lane, we’re not just moving; we’re zooming into a future filled with fun, ease, and success in your business adventures. Let’s do this together!

Everything you need to grow your thriving business. Get higher quality leads, close more deals and manage customers all in one place with Selling Lane CRM Try For Free Get Sellinglane CRM No credit card needed setREVStartSize({c: 'rev_slider_12_2',rl:[1240,1024,778,480],el:[500,400,300,200],gw:[1240,1024,778,480],gh:[500,400,300,200],type:'hero',justify:'',layout:'fullwidth',mh:"0"});if (window.RS_MODULES!==undefined && window.RS_MODULES.modules!==undefined && window.RS_MODULES.modules["revslider122"]!==undefined) {window.RS_MODULES.modules["revslider122"].once = false;window.revapi12 = undefined;if (window.RS_MODULES.checkMinimal!==undefined) window.RS_MODULES.checkMinimal()}

Keeping track of customers and sales can be tough, especially for small businesses. That’s where CRM software comes in. CRM for small business is a tool that can help you organize your customer information and improve your customer relationships.

CRM software stores information like customer contact information, purchase history, and communication history. It makes this data easy to access, so you can better understand your customers and their needs. This can help you provide better customer service, target your marketing more effectively, and close more sales.

Here’s a simple analogy to help you understand how CRM works:

Imagine you’re running a small lemonade stand. You have a lot of customers, but it can be hard to keep track of everyone’s favorite flavors and when they last came by. That’s where a CRM system would come in handy.

With a CRM system, you could create a profile for each customer. Each profile would include the customer’s name, contact information, favorite lemonade flavor, and when they last visited your stand. This information would be stored in a central database, so you could easily access it whenever you needed it.

For example, if a customer comes up to your stand and says they’re not sure what flavor to get, you could look them up in your CRM system and see that their favorite flavor is strawberry. Then, you could recommend strawberry lemonade to them.

Or, if you’re planning a marketing campaign, you could use your CRM system to target customers who haven’t been to your stand in a while. You could email them or text message with a special offer to entice them to come back.

CRM software can be a valuable tool for small businesses of all sizes. It can help you stay organized, improve your customer relationships, and grow your business.

Here are some specific examples of how a small business could use CRM software:

• A coffee shop could use CRM software to keep track of its customers’ favorite drinks and birthdays. Then, the coffee shop could send customers personalized birthday messages and offers for their favorite drinks.
• A small retail store could use CRM software to keep track of its customers’ purchase history. Then, the store could send customers targeted emails with recommendations for new products or accessories that they might be interested in.
• A small business consulting firm could use CRM software to keep track of its clients’ contact information, project timelines, and communication history. Then, the firm could provide better customer service and stay on top of all of its projects.
• A Tree Cutter/Arborest could use a CRM for their small business to keep track of customers and the potential need for additional services, such as limb removal schedules.

If you’re running a small business, consider using CRM software to help you stay organized, improve your customer relationships, and grow your business.

Understanding CRM for Small Business

As I’ve mentioned before, CRM stands for Customer Relationship Management. It is a software solution that helps businesses manage their interactions with customers and potential customers. CRM software can help businesses of all sizes, but it is especially beneficial for small businesses because it can help them to:

• Improve profitability: CRM software can help businesses to improve their profitability by helping them to close more deals, increase customer lifetime value, and reduce customer churn.
• Streamline processes: CRM software can help businesses to streamline their processes by automating tasks such as lead management, sales pipeline management, and customer support.
• Enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty: CRM software can help businesses to enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty by providing them with a personalized and consistent customer experience.
• Menu Selling CRM systems facilitate menu selling by organizing and presenting product offerings in an easily navigable format. This feature allows businesses to efficiently showcase their products or services, enabling customers to make informed decisions, thereby boosting sales and enhancing customer satisfaction.
• Business Website Integration A CRM system can integrate seamlessly with a business’s website, providing a unified platform for customer interaction, inquiry management, and online sales. This integration enhances the online presence of a business, making it more accessible to potential customers and offering a streamlined online experience.
• Task Management CRM software aids in effective task management by organizing, assigning, and tracking various business tasks. It ensures timely completion of tasks, enhances team collaboration, and improves overall business efficiency.
• Route Planning For businesses involved in deliveries or services that require traveling, CRM software offers route planning features. It helps in optimizing routes for timely and cost-effective deliveries or service provision, ensuring customer satisfaction and reducing operational costs.

In essence, CRM for small businesses is not just a tool but a comprehensive solution that caters to various aspects of business operations, ensuring efficiency, profitability, and enhanced customer experience. The inclusion of features like menu selling, business website integration, task management, and route planning makes CRM software a multifaceted tool that drives business growth and success.

How CRM software works:

CRM software stores customer data in a central database. This data can include customer contact information, purchase history, communication history, and other relevant information. CRM software can then be used to analyze this data to gain insights into customer behavior and preferences.

Benefits of CRM software for small businesses:

• Improved customer relationships: CRM software can help businesses to improve their customer relationships by providing them with a better understanding of their customers’ needs and preferences. This can lead to more personalized and effective customer interactions.
• Increased sales: CRM software can help businesses to increase sales by helping them to close more deals and increase customer lifetime value. CRM software can also help businesses to identify and target new leads.
• Reduced costs: CRM software can help businesses to reduce costs by automating tasks such as lead management, sales pipeline management, and customer support. This can free up employees to focus on more strategic tasks.
• Improved efficiency: CRM software can help businesses to improve their efficiency by streamlining processes and automating tasks. This can lead to increased productivity and reduced costs.

Examples of how small businesses can use CRM for small business:

• A small retail store could use CRM software to track customer purchase history and preferences. This information could then be used to send targeted marketing campaigns or offer personalized recommendations to customers.
• A small business consulting firm could use CRM software to track client contact information, project timelines, and communication history. This information could then be used to provide better customer service and stay on top of all projects.
• A small e-commerce business could use CRM software to automate tasks such as order processing and customer support. This could free up employees to focus on more strategic tasks such as product development and marketing.

“CRM is the largest software market in the world, and has increasingly proven to be the best technological asset that companies can invest in.”

– Kelsey Jones, Marketing and Digital Communications Professional

Why Do Small Businesses Need CRM?

Enhanced Customer Management

Small businesses need CRM software for a variety of reasons. Here are a few of the most important ones:

• To improve customer service: CRM software can help small businesses to improve their customer service by providing them with a better understanding of their customers’ needs and preferences. This can lead to more personalized and effective customer interactions.
• To increase sales: CRM software can help small businesses to increase sales by helping them to close more deals and increase customer lifetime value. CRM software can also help businesses to identify and target new leads.
• To reduce costs: CRM software can help small businesses to reduce costs by automating tasks such as lead management, sales pipeline management, and customer support. This can free up employees to focus on more strategic tasks.
• To improve efficiency: CRM software can help small businesses to improve their efficiency by streamlining processes and automating tasks. This can lead to increased productivity and reduced costs.

In addition to these general benefits, CRM software can also help small businesses to achieve specific goals, such as:

• Launching a new product or service: CRM software can help small businesses to launch new products and services by helping them to identify and target potential customers, track sales leads, and manage customer relationships.
• Expanding into a new market: CRM software can help small businesses to expand into new markets by helping them to identify and target potential customers, build relationships with local partners, and manage customer relationships across multiple markets.
• Improving customer retention: CRM software can help small businesses to improve customer retention by helping them to identify and address customer pain points, provide personalized customer service, and offer rewards programs to loyal customers.

Overall, CRM software can be a valuable asset for small businesses of all sizes. It can help businesses to improve their profitability, streamline processes, and enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Here are a few examples of how small businesses can use CRM software to achieve their specific goals:

• A small retail store could use CRM software to track customer purchase history and preferences. This information could then be used to send targeted marketing campaigns or offer personalized recommendations to customers. For example, the store could send a customer an email with a discount on their favorite product or offer them a free gift on their birthday.
• A small business consulting firm could use CRM software to track client contact information, project timelines, and communication history. This information could then be used to provide better customer service and stay on top of all projects. For example, the firm could send a client a reminder email about their upcoming project meeting or check in with them to see how their project is progressing.
• A small e-commerce business could use CRM software to automate tasks such as order processing and customer support. This could free up employees to focus on more strategic tasks such as product development and marketing. For example, the business could use CRM software to automatically send customers an email with their order confirmation and shipping information.

If you are running a small business, consider using CRM software to help you achieve your goals and grow your business.

“In today’s competitive market, it’s more important than ever to understand customer behavior and build strong relationships with them.”

– Bill Gates, Co-Founder of Microsoft

Improved Communication

With CRM, all customer communication and interactions are logged, ensuring that employees can provide personalized and consistent service.

Efficient Task Management

CRM systems help small businesses automate tasks, allowing employees to focus on their core responsibilities and ensuring that no task is overlooked.

“The first rule of any technology used in a business is that automation applied to an efficient operation will magnify the efficiency.”

– Bill Gates

Effective Marketing

CRM software provides valuable data that can be used to create targeted marketing campaigns, helping small businesses reach the right audience and convert more leads.

Examples of CRM Working Well to Grow Businesses

Example 1: Improved Customer Retention

A local bakery implemented CRM software and found that their customer retention rates improved by 20%. The software allowed them to track customer preferences and send personalized offers and communications, enhancing customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Example 2: Increased Sales

A small e-commerce store used CRM software to analyze customer data and create targeted marketing campaigns. This led to a 30% increase in sales as they were able to reach customers with the right message at the right time.

Example 3: Enhanced Efficiency

A consulting firm utilized CRM software to automate various tasks, including scheduling, follow-ups, and invoicing. This automation allowed them to save significant time and focus on providing quality service to their clients.

Conclusion

In conclusion, getting a CRM for your business is not just something you need to do, it’s going to be an investment in enhancing customer relationships, improving efficiency, and driving business growth.

“A satisfied customer is the best business strategy of all.”

– Michael LeBoeuf, Business Author and Former Management Professor

By implementing CRM software, small businesses can ensure they are meeting the needs of their customers while also streamlining their operations for optimal business performance.

Try Free for 31 Days Get Sellinglane CRM No credit card needed to try setREVStartSize({c: 'rev_slider_18_3',rl:[1240,1024,778,480],el:[450,350,300,200],gw:[1240,1024,778,480],gh:[450,350,300,200],type:'hero',justify:'',layout:'fullwidth',mh:"0"});if (window.RS_MODULES!==undefined && window.RS_MODULES.modules!==undefined && window.RS_MODULES.modules["revslider183"]!==undefined) {window.RS_MODULES.modules["revslider183"].once = false;window.revapi18 = undefined;if (window.RS_MODULES.checkMinimal!==undefined) window.RS_MODULES.checkMinimal()}

Customer loyalty is essential for businesses of all sizes. Loyal customers are more likely to make repeat purchases, spend more money, and refer your business to their friends and family. CRM systems can help you build customer loyalty by providing you with the tools and insights you need to understand your customers and deliver a personalized experience.

Here are a few tips on how to use CRM to build customer loyalty:

• Segment your customers. Not all customers are created equal. Segmenting your customers based on their demographics, purchase history, and other factors will help you to understand their needs and deliver a more personalized experience. For example, you could send a different email newsletter to new customers than you would to loyal customers.
• Personalize your communications. Customers appreciate it when you take the time to personalize your communications with them. Use CRM to track customer preferences and purchase history. This information can then be used to send targeted marketing messages and promotions. For example, you could send a customer a discount on a product that they’ve been browsing lately.
• Provide excellent customer service. Customer service is essential for building customer loyalty. Use CRM to track customer interactions and ensure that all issues are resolved quickly and efficiently. You can also use CRM to identify customers who have had a negative experience and reach out to them to resolve the issue.
• Reward loyal customers. Show your loyal customers that you appreciate their business by offering them rewards and incentives. For example, you could offer a loyalty program that gives customers points for every purchase they make. These points can then be redeemed for discounts or other rewards.

CRM systems can also help you to identify and address customer churn. Churn is the rate at which customers stop doing business with you. By tracking customer interactions and analyzing customer data, you can identify customers who are at risk of churning. You can then reach out to these customers and offer them incentives to stay with you.

Building customer loyalty takes time and effort, but it’s worth it in the long run. Loyal customers are more likely to make repeat purchases, spend more money, and refer your business to their friends and family. CRM systems can help you to build customer loyalty by providing you with the tools and insights you need to understand your customers and deliver a personalized experience.

“Customer loyalty is not something that you can buy. You have to earn it.” –

Michael LeBoeuf idea what you’re talking about

Here are a few additional tips for building customer loyalty with CRM:

• Make it easy for customers to do business with you. Your CRM system should be easy to use and accessible to all of your employees. This will ensure that everyone in the company has the information they need to deliver a great customer experience.
• Use CRM to automate tasks. CRM systems can automate many of the tasks involved in customer management, such as sending follow-up emails and scheduling appointments. This can free up your employees to focus on building relationships with customers and providing excellent service.
• Use CRM to measure your progress. CRM systems can provide you with valuable insights into your customer relationships. Use this information to track your progress and identify areas where you can improve.

By following these tips, you can use CRM to build customer loyalty and grow your business.

Everything you need to grow your thriving business. Get higher quality leads, close more deals and manage customers all in one place with Selling Lane CRM Try For Free Get Sellinglane CRM No credit card needed setREVStartSize({c: 'rev_slider_12_4',rl:[1240,1024,778,480],el:[500,400,300,200],gw:[1240,1024,778,480],gh:[500,400,300,200],type:'hero',justify:'',layout:'fullwidth',mh:"0"});if (window.RS_MODULES!==undefined && window.RS_MODULES.modules!==undefined && window.RS_MODULES.modules["revslider124"]!==undefined) {window.RS_MODULES.modules["revslider124"].once = false;window.revapi12_4 = undefined;if (window.RS_MODULES.checkMinimal!==undefined) window.RS_MODULES.checkMinimal()}