At a time when digital transformation and new technologies are greatly influencing the business world, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solutions are becoming essential for companies aiming to grow their sales pipelines. Without it, businesses risk being left behind and losing out to competitors who gain a competitive edge from the software.

Through proper implementation and usage, a CRM system can offer tremendous benefits, helping companies build strong customer relationships that will last long into the future. The software assists in accomplishing this by managing customer data. Contact information, purchase history and support requests are all stored in a centralised system, allowing you and your teams to refine your sales process while simultaneously expanding your pipeline.

How can CRM software increase your Sales Pipeline?

1. Be the business people want to buy from

5 ways CRM can increase your sales pipelineA CRM system gives customer-facing teams a comprehensive view of a customer’s interactions with your company, allowing them to provide personalised and seamless customer service at every touchpoint along their journey. For example, if one of your team needs to contact a customer about their contract renewal, they can reach out and begin these conversations armed with relevant information, such as how their previous interactions with your support teams went in the past, as well as the specifics of those interactions. Knowing these details enables sales teams to tailor their approach to each individual customer. As a result, the interaction becomes less about chasing money and more about developing authentic relationships. 

Additionally, automated email and task reminders can help keep both you and the customer on track throughout the sales process. In the above example, scheduled renewal emails would help minimise surprises for your customers, as the emails would notify them of their impending renewal date. Customers appreciate being kept “in the loop,” so this customer-centred approach will help you to continually delight your audience.

 2. Setting achievable growth objectives

5 ways CRM can increase your sales pipeline

Creating an annual plan is an important step in business management but it can be difficult if you don’t fully understand your current situation. Fortunately, a CRM enables you to visualise your typical sales pipeline making it easier to determine how to improve it in the future, as well as flag possible areas of growth that you can capitalise on. Knowledge is power.  So, by understanding your company’s weaknesses, you will be able to address them strategically.

3. Out with the old, in with the new

5 ways CRM can increase your sales pipeline

Regularly cleaning up your CRM to remove dead leads so you can focus on genuine prospects is an important part of sales. The software will make this easier by allowing you to specify the conditions that a lead must meet before it is considered dead. Your CRM system will enable you to implement thorough pipeline planning while taking current market trends and your company’s needs into account. As a result, you won’t miss out on any leads due to misclassification.

4. Good organisation shortens the road to your goal

5 ways CRM can increase your sales pipeline

One of the main benefits of a CRM system is that it helps you stay organised. By keeping all your customer information in one place, you’ll never have to worry about losing track of an important conversation, task, or deadline again. Allowing your teams to focus on selling rather than trying to remember what was said in previous conversations. 

CRM systems can also help you create more targeted marketing campaigns. By segmenting your customers into groups based on common characteristics, you can craft marketing messages that are more likely to resonate with each group. As a result, you’ll see higher conversion rates and more closed deals.

5. Analyse your pipeline

5 ways CRM can increase your sales pipeline

Salespeople are the lifeblood of any company that relies on sales to survive. Businesses that do not receive a steady stream of new sales will fail quickly. This explains why it is critical for your sales team to focus on nurturing your customer base rather than on mundane administrative tasks that a CRM system can easily automate, such as sending follow-up emails or scheduling appointments and phone calls. These systems are intended to make life easier for you and your teams. They centralise all your customer data, make it simple to track sales, and identify opportunities that you can quickly act on.

In conclusion, CRM is a powerful tool that can help you increase your sales pipeline and drive more revenue. By managing customer relationships, automating processes, and gathering valuable data insights on prospects, CRM can help you streamline operations and maximise the efficiency of your business. If you’re looking to grow your business, implementing a CRM solution is essential to stay ahead of the competition and make sure leads continue to turn into customers.

SuiteCRM is one of the world’s most popular CRM applications. Our feature-rich enterprise-ready alternative to Salesforce enables your sales teams to sell, market & service smarter by providing all the benefits of CRM at substantially lower costs, with the freedoms and flexibility of Open Source.

You can download and host SuiteCRM on your own servers, you can put it in a public cloud, a private cloud or you can access it as a software-as-a-service. It is the ultimate freedom, allowing you to stay in full control over your business data. You can try SuiteCRM for free here.