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...

We've put together a series of articles that will walk you through how to evaluate and setup your CRM. This is the second article in the series. If you missed the first article, then you can get started with your CRM evaluation. This second article includes valuable tips on CRM user best practices. The third article will cover recurring maintenance for the growth and scalability of your CRM.

     Small businesses usually deal with less bureaucracy than conglomerates, and this is often a good thing for process and productivity. However, it also means that the team can end up overwhelmed by trying to keep track of things that would normally be spread across several employees. The overwhelm can lead to lost sales and missed opportunities as the important clients get lost in the shuffle.

Here are 5 CRM User Best Practices for success

1....

Since so many of us have been bummed about Zoholics being canceled, I decided to host a virtual Zoho CRM user group.  As luck would have it, a fellow partner (Josh Wagner, Stratosphere Sales) enthusiastically agreed to join me and offer his Zoho insights too. My only expectation was for a few people who already know me to show up. The response was great, and the user group itself was even better. 

About 13 of us showed up in a virtual meeting last week. We got to know each other, shared experiences about CRM best practices, and I think we all learned a few useful things.  

Some of our big takeaways:

• While Zoho offers a fantastic suite of products, it is a challenge to know enough about all of the apps.
• We are all looking for resources to learn more and get our questions answered.
• There are several online communities that are helpful to know...

Setting Up Your CRM

When you first begin using a CRM platform (such as Zoho, Keap, Hubspot, or Salesforce), the ideas seems simple enough - get all of this information from my spreadsheet of contacts into one place.  Then you begin learning about all of the cool features such as email templates, workflows, and integrations with other software you use. Shiny object syndrome may hit you. We've all been victims to it before, so you're not alone. 

Over time, that shiny CRM platform becomes... well, a mess. And using it slowly shifts into the category of "tools I should use, but generally avoid." When you hit this point, it's time to evaluate. Either have someone else in the company take on this task or hire a third-party marketing consulting. As the primary user, it can be difficult to honestly evaluate your CRM. 

CRM Best Practices Guide

We've put together a...

Join Candice DeRiso and Chitra Iyer for a webinar on April 22, 2020

A marketing audit is a comprehensive, systematic,and periodic examination of a company's marketing. It is used to evaluate your marketing assets and activities, and using the resulting analysis to aid your business in planning. An audit should cover both an analysis of the external situation facing the business and a thorough review of internal marketing goals, strategies, capabilities, processes, and systems. The results are actionable recommendations for the company.

Read More About the Webinar

There is a LOT to say about marketing audits, so we've gathered some resources you may want to read through. 

An article from The Balance SMB offers 5 Reasons to Conduct a Marketing Audit in Your Small Business.

99 Designs wrote about When and Why you should do a marketing audit. "The...

     Those who work in PR (Public Relations) are often thought of as "spinners" for their ability to spin the narrative of a bad situation in a company. How do you handle things when the world seems to be in chaos and your business is impacted? This is the situation with the Corona Virus, Swine Flu, Ebola, and sometimes the "old fashioned" Flu. All of these have impacted businesses around the world at some point. In the past, I've seen nearly an entire office spread the Flu to each other. It was like a wave - one department after another getting sick, being out for a couple of weeks, and then returning. How the management team handled it made a big difference in the company's success and longevity. 

Responding to Chaos

     As I've watched, listened, and read to various businesses respond to this worldwide situation, some...

There is a lack of trust in brands today. Why? Manipulative marketing and sales tactics. These "old school" tactics have caused the average consumer to think twice before opting in or laying down any cash. It's understandable. So how do modern marketers battle the past and build trust with their target customers?

Communicate the authenticity of your brand to customers

The word "authentic" seems to often be abused and misused these days. What does it really mean to be authentic as a business or brand? The definition of authentic is, “representing one’s true nature or beliefs; true to oneself and therefore worthy of belief.” This means your brand is trustworthy and that your entire team believes in and understands the purpose of your business. 

When it comes to communicating your authenticity, look to your "why." A business's brand...

We are excited to participate in several marketing events in the coming weeks of 2020 in Austin, Texas. If you will be attending one of these events, please let us know by filling out our Contact Form. 

Social Media Week, Austin #SMWATX

• February 26 - 28, 2020
• SMW brings together marketing, media, and technology professionals from more than 50 countries with a curiosity and passion for new ideas, innovations and emerging trends in social media.
• Candice DeRiso of Beckmann Collaborative will be presenting at SMWATX: How to Build a Winning Content Strategy
• Learn More at SMWATX.com

South By Southwest #SXSW

• March 13 -22, 2020
• Experience 10 days of unparalleled discovery, learning, and networking with creatives across tech, film, and music industries at the 2020 SXSW Conference & Festivals
• Candice DeRiso, Rachel Denton, and Meredith Gonsalves will be presenting...

How do you define Client Relationship Management (CRM) in your business? What does it look like in your day to day operations? 

Leads and Prospects... the Strangers in Your Business

First, let's talk about your leads. Rather than focus on how you generate leads in this article, we will review what to do once they are in your database or CRM software to nurture and develop those leads.  Consider the sales process as being similar to making a new friend or dating - it is important to have that mindset at this stage of the client relationship. 

1. Communicate Based on What You Know 

The first email or phone call made to connect with a lead should be relevant to any inquiry made by that lead. Just like on a first date, you start from what you know. If that lead came in from a whitepaper he download, then (logically) you want to follow-up to...