Benefits of using a CRM to manage leads

Manual methods of managing customer relationships are inefficient when compared to innovative new online tools and can leave your business vulnerable to mistakes and missed connections. Using a CRM to manage leads allows for a more productive and streamlined sales process. 

You’ll be able to track communications with leads originating from a variety of platforms in one spot, follow up with potential customers at each stage of the buying journey and measure the results of your efforts. Here’s how the right CRM software can help you grow your small business. 

What is a CRM?

Customer relationship management (CRM) software is a system of tools that businesses use to keep track of all communications with existing and potential customers. You can collect new leads from a variety of sources in one place and nurture relationships with potential customers as they make their way through the sales pipeline. 

Some CRMs even provide marketing automation functionality, which uses automatic messaging to reach customers and takes some of the pressure off of sales teams. 

What is CRM lead management?

CRM lead management is the process of collecting leads and converting them into purchasing customers. It involves categorizing new leads, estimating their value using lead scoring and nurturing them until they are committed customers. Lead tracking also involves assessing the effectiveness of various marketing techniques on customer behavior. 

Additionally, CRM lead management helps your marketing and sales teams seamlessly collaborate to increase conversions. 

Benefits of using a CRM to manage leads

Boosts efficiency

Lead management software gives you access to leads from a variety of sources on one centralized platform. Whether your leads come from social media, a web form or email, you can reach out to them on one dashboard. This speeds up lead capture and keeps contact information organized. 

Helps businesses prioritize their leads

Some CRM systems include a lead management solution for identifying high-quality leads. Your sales team can set criteria for qualified leads and rank leads based on how well they meet those criteria. This helps with lead nurturing by directing your salespeople to focus on the leads most likely to convert. 

Allows for teams to collaboratively serve customers

It’s important to have all hands on deck with pipeline management. The best CRM solution will allow team members in different departments to collaboratively address customer needs. It also enables a smooth handoff of leads from the marketing team to the sales team once they are sales-ready. 

Improves customer engagement

Your team will be more effective at increasing conversion rates if they can tailor their communications to fit the current stage of each customer journey. For example, while an email may be appropriate for early-stage leads, a phone call might make more sense for someone who is closer to making a decision. 

The best CRM systems even allow you to streamline some of those touchpoints. For example, some lead management tools come with templates for email marketing and responding to customer reviews. 

Provides measurable results to inform marketing campaigns

One of the most important benefits of a CRM with a lead management system is the ability to collect data on the lead management process. You can test various marketing strategies to see what’s most effective at pushing leads further down the sales funnel. 

You’ll get detailed information, like how a sales rep’s response time and mode of contact affect conversion rates and whether certain sources are providing higher quality leads than others. You can adapt your sales activities based on this data, so your processes will improve over time. 

What is the difference between a prospect and a lead?

A sales lead is a person who your business has interacted with. It could be someone who asked a question about your services on Facebook, for example. A prospect is a qualified lead that has made it further along in the sales cycle. 

To qualify as a prospect, your sales team needs to have determined that the lead is a good fit for your services. Prospects will have engaged in two-way communication with your business and be ready to make a purchasing decision. 

Let Broadly help you manage leads

Sales lead management doesn’t have to be complicated or time-consuming. Broadly can help with every stage of the process, from lead generation to customer payments. Designed to assist local businesses that provide services, Broadly is a comprehensive system with a variety of solutions, including lead tracking. 

With one platform for all interactions with both leads and customers, your team can collaborate more efficiently and communicate more precisely. Along the way, you’ll get data to help you measure your business performance using a variety of metrics, so you can adjust your strategy moving forward.

Broadly is the best way to support your current business needs while making room to grow.