If you're shopping around CRM software, then you'll want a checklist of the most important features to include. Maybe our little list of "must-have" CRM features will help you decide which platform is best for you. We've used a ton of different CRM software over the years. Beckmann Collaborative settled on Zoho CRM for ourselves and many of our clients. However, you may find another platform such as Keap or Hubspot is a better fit for your business. 

10 "Must Have" Features in a CRM

1. EASY TO LEARN

Depending on your level of comfort with technology, you and your team may find different user experiences easier than others. For example, people who have previously used Salesforce or SugarCRM in enterprise companies often like Zoho in a small business. On the other hand, if you want something that has fewer features and can covers most basic needs such as...

What is your marketing automation strategy?

We often get requests to automate steps in a sales or marketing process. Sometimes it's because the sales guys don't have patience to "deal with" tracking their leads. It may be to avoid missing updates and details. 

Marketing automation can be a very smart tool for things like updating a field to reflect an update a Lead Status or generate a reminder task to follow up. However, there are the requests that cause me to shake my head and ask, "Is that really a strategic marketing automation? Or are we being lazy?"

This post offers you a few ideas for useful, strategic marketing automations that you can set up in your CRM, email, or marketing automation software. And if you have questions about how to do it, feel free to contact us and we can schedule a free consultation to discuss what you...

Content Marketing Specialist

About Us

Beckmann Collaborative is a growing consulting firm specializing in marketing operations, marketing strategy, and marketing training. We collaborate with business leaders and their teams to improve business performance by defining their content marketing strategy. Then we refine processes and build systems for our clients to implement their marketing efforts. Our headquarters is in the greater Austin, Texas area. However our team works remotely.

Clients describe us as lovingly honest because we are willing to share difficult truths about business and individual pitfalls. We genuinely want client companies to thrive, and that requires both honesty and empathy.

Job Description

This position is ideal for someone interested in marketing strategy, content marketing, and social media planning. The Content Marketing Specialist will oversee at...

[Guest Blog]

Before you purchase a product or service for the first time, you take the time to do some background checks. You ask one or two people who have used the product about their experience. If they speak ill of it, you change your mind about buying it.
Generally, online reviews help other would-be customers make the right decisions. But what if you are not a customer but actually the business owner who wants to see your customers leave reviews to grow your social proof?

Before we discuss how you can encourage users to leave reviews, let’s first establish what social proof is and why it matters.

What is Social Proof?

In this context, social proof is the validation of a product by having it associated with many customers.

It helps if some of the customers who have something positive to say about your product are public figures or celebrities with thousands or...

This year, more than ever before, we are so very grateful to work with our clients and collaborators. Randi, Elizabeth and I really enjoy supporting each company and their team. It is thanks to open minds, patience and shared drive for success that we have accomplished so much together in 2020.

In 2020 we learned and reaffirmed:

1. Trust is the Foundation.  For us, loving honesty is key to our success in building relationships of trust. Sometimes we see ways to make content marketing or CRM process better and it may contradict what clients say they want. We could bow down and pretend the client is always right, but then they would not succeed. Instead, we share honest feedback in a loving way. This is how we build a foundation of trust.

2. Frequent Communication. Especially in these times of remote working a an increased number of virtual meetings, communication...

Do you really know digital marketing?

We've put together a 3 Question Quiz to test your knowledge... just for fun.

Yes, digital marketing is SO much more than statistics. Though it is helpful and fun to understand our own company statistics by evaluating our data analytics from Google Analytics, social media, CRM, email marketing, and other platforms.

How often are you measuring your marketing? If you're not sure where to start, then let's talk about it. Schedule a free consultation.

Your Content Marketing will significantly improve once you begin applying customer intelligence and here is why...

People Buy because of other People, much more so than features or anything else. 

Customer Intelligence can help you to understand your people. 

What is Customer Intelligence?

Customer intelligence is a process of gathering and analyzing information about your clients and customers. It may include demographic details, how they interact with your business, personal preferences, and buying behaviors. We often call collect this information through the process of market research.

Marketers use this customer information to create customer personas and to build more effective content marketing strategies.  Our goal is to create a deeper relationship with customers and make business decision-making easier.

All of this sounds great,...

If you are new to the Zoho Suite of applications, then you will understand what I mean when I say there are a LOT of options - so many that it can be overwhelming at times. What's more challenging is that you can find similar features and functions available in different Zoho apps, and they are used in slightly different ways.

Over the years of learning as much as I can about this suite of software tools, I have often enjoyed the variety of challenges. Other times, I just want a straight answer. Among the apps that the Beckmann Collaborative team has learned (and will continue to learn about) is Zoho Analytics. What a powerful tool for a business!

What is Zoho Analytics?

This is a business intelligence (BI) data analytics platform. It lets you create beautiful charts and reports to easily analyze your business data. Who doesn't love data visualizations?

I can get...

GUEST POST by Heather Redding

We all spend the majority of our waking hours at work these days. Our careers make up a considerable portion of what we do each day and how we operate. It’s no wonder, then, that many of the most talented people in the current landscape are keen to work for companies that put their needs and satisfaction first.

The term “company culture” isn’t just a buzzword for recruitment. Your culture describes how people feel when they’re working in your office, and how connected your team is to each other and your goals. According to Deloitte, 88% of employees and 94% of team executives believe that good workplace culture is essential to any business's success.

So, how do you create a positive culture for your business?

Analyze Your Employees

When you’re building a successful sales and marketing strategy, where do you go...

Part 3: CRM Workflows

Welcome to the third and final installment of our CRM Best Practices series.  These articles walk you through how to evaluate, setup, and properly use your CRM software.

If you missed the first article, then you can get started with your CRM evaluation. The second article includes valuable tips on CRM user best practices.

This article covers important tips for your CRM workflows through both initial setup and recurring maintenance of your database. These tips can help the growth of your business and improve decision making.

What is a Workflow?

A workflow is simply a routine or recurring process used to get the best results in the most efficient amount of time. It can be illustrated as a series of steps in a diagram or a checklist showing what needs to be completed and the sequence.

Read more about marketing workflows in this...