This is the fifth and final article in our business and marketing automation series. If you missed the other articles, we recommend checking them out too. Here's what we've talked about so far...

1. Sales Team Automations in Your CRM offers some specific ideas for automations you can setup to help your sales team close sales faster and make them work more efficiently. 

2. Email Sequences talks about the smart ways to use email automation that help your business and how they compare with email templates. 

3. Marketing Automations in Kajabi is a unique topic for our community interested in hosting online courses and using that platform. 

4. Automating Accounting and Bookkeeping shares automation ideas (mostly in the Zoho Finance Suite) to make your life easier. 

 Invest in Nurturing Client Relationships

What if you could increase your prices with current clients without push back? Well it's possible when you have done a good...

Accounting and Bookkeeping Automation Ideas

As we continue our journey through some great automation ideas, this week the focus shifts to finance.

Yes, there are things in your bookkeeping and finance software to automate and make your life easier. Since we use the Zoho Finance Suite, most of the automation ideas here will reference those apps. However, many of these can be done in other platforms or by using tools such as Zapier.

If you missed the previous articles in the automation series, you can catch up. The first article was about Automations for your Sales Team.  That one provides useful CRM Automation Ideas to help your sales team close deals faster. The second article talked about Email Sequences and Email Automations where we shared clever Email Automations to engage both prospects and customers.

Avoiding Double Data Entry

Connect your bookkeeping software with your CRM to match up sales and reduce work. In  Zoho Books,...

Clever Email Automations to Engage Prospects and Customers

Email Automation Vs. Email Templates

Before jumping into the list of CRM email automation ideas, first we should identify whether your email SHOULD be automated or not. 

Both email automation and email templates are great tools. It's important to know how to use each one based on what you need to accomplish.

As long as your CRM data is clean, you can draw upon the information you have about prospects and contacts to send customize emails and deliver highly relevant information using email automation. This means that you and your team are vigilant about keeping things up to date and entering information in the correct data fields.

One way to gather clean information from prospects and customers is to quiz or survey them. Keep it simple. A few questions you could ask are: how did they hear about your company in the first place, what their biggest pain point is, and what they like about your products/services.

...

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 what I need from Google Analytics and my individual marketing channel analytics. So why would I...

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 previous article: Creating a Marketing Workflow. 

A key piece of your CRM workflows is...

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 about: 
  • Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1634640983443827/
  • LinkedIn group: ...

Dear Fellow Entrepreneur, Business Owner, Marketer, and Salesperson,
(I currently am all of these roles in my business) 

    Some salespeople appear to have a secret formula or to have inherited their natural sales traits, right?  There's more to sales than raw talent.  You don't need to be born into sales. The truth is that companies offering proper training and support are much more successful than competitors who expect their natural-born sellers to carry the load.

If you feel the pressure and fear making silly mistakes, then check out our Top 10 list of sales fails and CRM pitfalls. You can circumvent these issues in your business, as long as you have a plan and plenty of practice. 

Why Are You Struggling to Sell?

What are your Sales Fails?

Let's start with the list of possibilities. Click any of the phrases below to read more about it or just scroll through the list. 

1. Unclear Process from Marketing to Sales
2. Poor...

Written by Randi Zimmermann | UPDATED August 31, 2020

In my previous blog post, I defined Zoho Projects and some of the key features that Beckmann Collaborative uses in the application. This article dives into some of the features that you'll notice upon first logging into Zoho Projects.

The first time you log in to any project management platform, it might be intimidating. In Zoho Project you will see feeds, projects, dashboards, and task lists. No need to fear, this article will guide you through with some helpful directions. 

Zoho Projects Dashboard

The first screen you see will either be your feed or your dashboard - depending on the default setup with your organization. The feed is similar to one you might see in a social media feed - showing real-time updates about what tasks have been opened, closed, or commented on. This can be useful for cross-team communication.

In this article, I want to cover the features available in...

This is the second post in our series about Zoho CRM setup. If you are still looking for a basic understanding of definitions and CRM strategy, read the first post. This post is focused on more specific logistics of setting up your CRM account so that it's customized to your needs. We'll touch upon the most important settings including:

• Personal Settings
• Company Details
• Email Integration
• Phone Bridge
• Social Integration
• Custom Fields - Modules and Fields
• Email Templates

How do you get to your settings? Click on the wrench and screwdriver in the top right corner of your screen, similar to the screenshot below.

1. Personal Settings

In the General section, you'll find Personal Settings. Fill out all of the fields in the Personal Settings - most important will be your email signature. Your email signature will show up in any emails you send out from the CRM.

2. Company Details

The things to update in your company details include your logo, Fiscal Year, and...

If you're new to either Zoho or project management software, you might not be familiar with Zoho's popular project management tool, Zoho Projects. Zoho Projects is a cloud-based application that enables you to assign and manage tasks for multiple projects in thorough detail. It is primarily designed for small and mid-sized businesses, and it keeps all of your projects conveniently in one, user-friendly place. In a review from PC Mag, Zoho Projects was labeled an outstanding choice for both small businesses and mid-sized businesses.

Key Features of Zoho Projects That We Love

Time Tracking

For Beckmann Collaborative, one of the most convenient features of Zoho Projects is time tracking and reporting. We use time tracking for EVERYTHING. It helps us continually learn and improve our marketing operations. 

First, we can export comprehensive and well-organized timesheets which makes invoicing a breeze. Alternatively, timesheet data...