1. Spend less money attaining new customers

An old rule of thumb is that it costs 5 times more to gain a new customer than retain an old one. However, when spending this amount of money to retain a new customer, many lose focus on what really matters, which is delivering a high-quality message that makes you stand out from the competition.

By investing in a new and streamlined CRM system, you allow yourself to keep in touch with current customers and generate referrals. Word of mouth is one of the strongest forms of marketing business and drives down costs immensely.

2. Reduce the cost of customer support

Before CRM software existed, customer support specialists were likely to be on the phone with customers resolving issues and asking for referrals and reviews. Most modern-day CRM platforms like Salesforce and Hubspot offer a self-service portal where employees are able to view information and start problem-solving on their own (depending on the industry).

You also can set up automation flows, email templates and reporting in your CRM software, making it easy to pull data that shows value for quarterly company meetings and presentations.

3. Increase customer personalization

Personalization matters when it comes to retaining customers in the modern-day market. If they’re doing business with you, they’ll want to feel special and like their voice is being heard.

In one example of successful personalization, Ben G. Smith, CEO of BioXskincare, thought outside of the box and added an automated field for customers’ pet names.

“It sounds silly, but getting a person to talk about their pet is easy, and capturing that takes less than a few seconds. Then on a future call, our team can casually ask, ‘So Janet, how is Rex doing?’ That bond creates a warmth and humanity, even though we do not sell products that relate to pets,” Smith said.

To learn more about how to get the help you need when implementing Salesforce, visit our website or call 801-245-0500. We’re excited to work with you to help grow your business.

The post 3 ways CRM software is cost effective for your business appeared first on 17 Grapes.

Having the right internal CRM processes includes juggling and flexibility, especially if the majority of your workforce is still working from home. Follow these tips to help keep your remote employees in the loop:

1. Access all information in a central hub

A central hub of customer information is crucial to any thriving business. You’ll want to be able to quickly gain access to vital customer information like name, title, email address, contact history and more when it’s time to nurture a sale.

Keep in mind that departments don’t have to be directly customer-facing to need to access information from the central hub. Departments that need access to CRM data include banking, administration, and accounting, according to The AMG Team. All departments enjoy easy access to data at their fingertips for quarterly company presentations to show off great results.

2. Mobile CRM

Although a desktop is preferable for most of the workday, it’s useful for remote employees to be able to access mobile CRM data on the go. For example, if a remote employee is driving to the office for an in-person meeting and wants real-time data, here or she can get it on a mobile device. Or if an employee needs to pull up relevant data while out of the office.

Regardless of whether your employees use this feature daily or not, It’s a great option to have to increase flexibility, data accessibility, and customer service.

3. Simple adoption

When it comes to overseeing a fully remote team, managers feel some anxiety about new processes and shifting away from traditional ideas. It’s difficult to keep everyone in the loop about these changes via Zoom call while keeping up sales quotas.

When it comes to CRM, you’ll want to integrate an adoption process to increase sales team efficiency. You’ll eliminate the time it takes to train a new team on CRM and allow employees to get to work immediately. Plus. you’ll reduce the number of technical support questions while taking advantage of the latest technology in the CRM space to better target your ideal customer.

We hope you found this information helpful! To learn more about our Salesforce implementation services, visit our website or call 801-245-0500. We look forward to hearing from you.

The post 3 ways automated CRM processes help remote employees appeared first on 17 Grapes.

However, managing CRM is a full-time job and without the right guidance and software, it can be too much information to juggle. We recommend these four steps to help automate your current CRM processes:

Invest in the Right Software

CRM is overwhelming but essential, which is why you must find the right software to help you ASAP. We recommend checking out Salesforce before you look anywhere else.

Salesforce is proven to help businesses increase revenue by helping you find new customers and increase business, It has advanced capabilities like analytics on every prospect. Plus, with the right platform, you’ll be able to connect to other business apps and utilize built-in AI features that help automate mundane tasks.

Set up Targeting Email Sequences

Once you’ve found the right CRM software for your business, it’s time to set up targeted email sequences. All you have to do is integrate the software with an email marketing system like Klayvio or Mailchimp.

From there, updated customer email lists will sync automatically with your email marketing platform. You can set up personalized flows to help target your customer base and bring them into a strategized sales funnel. Don’t forget to personalize these emails to help your customers feel a sense of connection while increasing open rates.

Establish Marketing to Sales Handoff Process

If you do not have a strong marketing-to-sales handoff process after gathering a well-qualified lead, there’s a chance that lead will get lost. While you’re establishing this hand-off process, it’s also helpful to make sure marketing and sales team members are on the same page about what a qualified lead looks like.

If this handoff process is starting to get too confusing, it may be worth looking into automating this process with the right CRM system.

Double Check Your Follow Up Process

Sometimes it’s easy to initially get the leads, but the follow-up process is more difficult. If your CRM software doesn’t automatically reach back out to people every few weeks, make sure you’re doing it manually. Work on setting daily reminders on your calendar to ensure you don’t miss out on these potential prospects.

Learn more about CRM best practices by visiting our website.

The post 4 steps toward automating CRM processes appeared first on 17 Grapes.

This task may seem daunting at first, especially if you haven’t taken a test for a while. Instead of going into the test blind, you’ll need to prepare properly to get the best results. Follow these helpful tips to get your Salesforce certification.

1. Be aware of price

Although pricing varies, the majority of Salesforce certifications cost between $200-$400. If you fail and need to take the exam again, the retake fees are around 50% of the first certification cost, according to this article from Salesforce Ben.

If you work in an office environment and use Salesforce for your daily tasks, it may be worth asking your work if they’ll cover the exam cost.

2. Study, study, study

You won’t be able to ace an exam without studying first, and the Salesforce certification is no exception to that rule.

Many popular platforms offer Salesforce training programs, including LinkedIn and Youtube. LinkedIn currently offers a free month for this course, but you’ll have to pay a fee and join a pool of over 35,000 students after the month is over.

Salesforce also offers a free one-day virtual prep webinar to give you a bit of extra confidence before test day. You’ll learn from a certified Salesforce Instructor who will help you leave the class confident and ready to tackle the final exam.

3. Get hands-on practice

If you haven’t taken a practice exam yet, we highly recommend doing so to help train your brain to answer on-the-go questions. Go ahead and log into your Salesforce account and complete the Admin Beginning and Admin Intermediate trails to help test your knowledge of Salesforce.

To make the process easier and less intimidating, try having a friend over for a study date while you do this. Work on quizzing each other on in-depth sales questions and study material close to what is on the actual exam.

Don’t forget to relax and be kind to yourself throughout the Salesforce certification process. Not everyone passes the certification test the first year, and there’s always room for growth and opportunity.

The post 3 tips for getting your Salesforce certification appeared first on 17 Grapes.

Just make sure to focus on a few key areas. These will help evaluate candidates’ potential and make sure you’re getting the best candidates.

Here are a few tips to keep in mind before and during an interview.

Look for well-rounded candidates:

Of course, it’s great to find candidates with Salesforce certifications and experience. But don’t just look for people with lengthy Salesforce history. There are lots of career paths that can lend essential skills to potential candidates. It can be especially helpful to look for candidates with customer-facing positions, like customer service, restaurant work or flight attendants. Just make sure to ask questions about their customer-centric strategies, problem-solving skills, and best practices.

Focus on Trailhead:

When reviewing a candidate’s resume or during the interview, focus some of your questions on Trailhead. If you’re not familiar with it, Trailhead is Salesforce’s online learning portal. It’s essential that candidates stay up-to-date on trends and best practices, so asking questions about their activity here can help identify top candidates. Consider asking questions about their favorite Trailhead modules, how they participate in the Trailhead Playground and what apps they’ve built or new skills they’ve recently learned.

Make sure to see if the candidates have earned any superbadges, as well. These are great at assessing how candidates perform in real-world scenarios.

Allow for a conversation:

You’ll want to be prepared for the interview, but you don’t necessarily need to stick to a script. Allowing a real conversation to develop often can give you a better overall sense of the candidate. Understanding who they are and what’s important to them can help you assess the way their personality might fit within your workforce. You want to not only find the best talent for the position but to do it in a way that allows you to preserve the team dynamic that’s already working for your group. A conversation also means that you’ll be listening better and learning more than a simple list of questions could tell you.

Be ready to answer:

A candidate may ask questions during the course of the conversation. Be prepared to provide answers.

Better interviews often lead you to connect with better candidates and form better relationships with potential new hires. Treating the interview less like an interrogation and more as a learning opportunity for both parties can help ensure that you’re able to bring the best talent on board for your insurance business. No job applicant will be perfect, but a great interview can help you determine if they’ll make a great addition to your team.

If you’re interested in learning more about Salesforce and all the benefits it offers, please get in touch. Call (801) 245-0500 or visit our website and fill out this online contact form.

The post How to find and hire the best Salesforce talent appeared first on 17 Grapes.

Do you believe that your skills, intelligence and abilities can be developed over time? Or do you believe that your talents are mostly fixed, meaning that if you’re not really good at something now, you probably won’t ever be great at it? These are critical questions to ask yourself. That’s because your mindset — how you view, interpret and act on decisions, problems and challenges in your life — can play a significant role in your success and happiness. Or it can hold you back from being the person — and business leader — you want to be.

American psychologist Carol Dweck is credited for identifying two main types of mindsets. A growth (also called learning) mindset is a belief that with hard work, desire and perseverance, most people can develop and improve their talents, abilities, and intelligence. On the other hand, those with a fixed mindset believe that a person’s talent and intelligence are more or less innate — you either have certain characteristics or you don’t. In other words, there are ‘gifted’ people and there’s everyone else. Those with fixed mindsets do not believe they (or anyone else for that matter) can significantly improve their innate qualities.

There’s no shortage of examples of the great things that can be accomplished with a growth mindset. For example, at Microsoft, Satya Nadella made it his mission to revamp the leadership and the culture at Microsoft with a growth mindset after taking over in 2014. In his book, Hit Refresh, Nadella explains that mindsets– specifically helping employees at the company develop growth mindsets– were his tool for taking Microsoft to the next level. After more than a decade of static market capitalization and share price, Nadella helped usher in a new era for Microsoft, one in which the company’s market capitalization and stock price more than tripled. Pfizer, too, credits a growth mindset for the company’s success and growth.

One of the keys in developing a growth mindset is to help yourself and your organization’s leaders view failure as an opportunity to reflect, learn and improve your skills. In many organizations, failure is not tolerated or viewed negatively, which makes employees fearful of making mistakes and as a result less likely to take risks and think innovatively. To adopt a growth mindset, business leaders and employees must embrace risk and imperfection and push themselves out of established comfort zones.

Henry Ford once said, “Whether you believe you can do a thing or not, you are right.” He couldn’t have been more right.

The post The benefits of having a growth mindset appeared first on 17 Grapes.

Here are some things to remember as a new manager.

• Be Authentic: Just because you have a new role doesn’t mean you need to adopt a new persona. While certain things will invariably change based on your new position, you don’t have to adopt anyone else’s style or personality to be a successful manager.
• Be Confident: Chances are, if you were hired for a management role, you have the skills, knowledge, and experience to get the job done. Remember what you bring to the table and that others already see those strengths in you. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be sitting at the management table.
• Know Your Team: In addition to knowing yourself and your skill set, it’s important to know the team you’ll be supervising. What are their strengths and weaknesses? What are their working and learning styles? While you can accomplish a lot of learning from looking through past performance reviews or reading LinkedIn profiles, a welcome lunch is also a great opportunity to get to know your employees.
• Find a Mentor: The best leaders learn from other leaders. Even if you’re not officially someone’s mentee, leverage your relationships for guidance. If you have a relationship with an old boss, send an email or LinkedIn message, or look into joining an existing professional development group at your organization. You can even get guidance and inspiration from books written by leadership experts. Asking questions is an important part of building your own foundation and style of management.
• Embrace Mistakes: As a new manager, you’ll undoubtedly make mistakes. Being able to ask for help and learn from slipups and move on will be a huge benefit to both your mental health and your career. Having the perspective that mistakes – and even failures – can help grow you as a manager and leader will be impactful for years to come.

Being in a new management position can be overwhelming, but all managers have been there. With patience, determination, and flexibility, you can transition well in your new role.

The post The Most Important Tips for New Managers appeared first on 17 Grapes.

While many busy business owners and executives don’t think branding is important to them or worth the time it takes to invest in a successful personal brand, they couldn’t be more wrong. A strong and positive personal brand can unite your team, increasing engagement among employees, fostering cohesiveness and reducing uncertainty. Your team will have a better idea of who you are and who you strive to be. It can help your company be more successful by communicating to your customers and clients what you and your company is all about.

It’s important as a leader to regularly pause to reflect on your personal brand. Is it what you’d like it be? Personal branding is not just about a job you had 10 years ago, or even a business you launched that later carried you through many an adventure. A personal brand is your reputation, your personality, and your track record all rolled into one package. It’s absolutely your most valuable asset.

When it comes to reinforcing or even reinventing a personal brand, consistency is critical. That’s why it’s crucial you give your personal branding strategy some serious thought. Do you want to be known as the technology expert? Are you venturing into a whole new arena and wonder how that will mesh with your past experience? Are you a collaborative leader, a kind leader, or one that is focused on giving back? What do you think is your most important quality in business? How do you want others to perceive you? These are the kinds of questions that can have a major impact on your personal brand.

Don’t just drift along, hoping your life’s master plan will unfold the way you envision. Take an active role in building your own personal brand. Branding isn’t optional in today’s business world. It’s a necessity. Once you determine what you’d like your brand to be, act in ways that support it. Share content online that reinforces your brand. Be a part of organizations and initiatives that align with that brand. You don’t want to try and be someone you aren’t. But you do want to tap what’s best in you and make sure your actions and words reflect what makes you unique.

Tom Peters, who coined the term ‘personal branding’ back in 1997, gave advice that year that is still true today. “You’re every bit as much a brand as Nike, Coke, Pepsi, or the Body Shop. To start thinking like your own favorite brand manager, ask yourself the same question the brand managers at Nike, Coke, Pepsi, or the Body Shop ask themselves: What is it that my product or service does that makes it different? We are CEOs of our own companies: Me Inc. Create a message and a strategy to promote the brand called You.”

The post The importance of a leader’s personal brand appeared first on 17 Grapes.

It’s a cornerstone of effective communication. And it’s easy. The next time someone explains something to you, repeat back what they said and ask if you understood them correctly. And the next time you think you know the reason behind someone’s actions, ask for clarification. It’s that simple.

In the workplace, there are multiple advantages to perception checking. Here are some of the most important ones:

Avoiding misunderstandings

Perception checking helps anyone pay better attention to what others are saying and retain that information. To engage in perception checking, simply start by summarizing what another person says to you, then ask if that is the main point they’re trying to get across. You might be surprised by the number of times another person might rephrase things differently to communicate with you more effectively. It might seem cumbersome at first, but over the long run, perception-checking behaviors can result in more effective communication.

Improving morale

Nobody likes to be repeatedly misunderstood or ignored. Perception checking can naturally boost your employees’ morale because: 1) it demonstrates you’re paying attention to what they’re saying, and 2) it gives them an opportunity to clarify their ideas, thoughts or suggestions if you didn’t fully understand what they were saying.

As a leader, it’s your job to start the practice of perception checking, then use your status as a workplace leader to encourage other employees to practice it, even when you’re not around.

Increasing your own self-awareness

Perception-checking might be about interpreting other people’s messages, but it can also help you become a better listener and observer. By getting in the habit of verifying another person’s verbal or nonverbal communication, you’ll quickly realize when you aren’t listening well or struggling to connect with a client or coworker. It’s not a perfect solution to all misunderstandings, but nevertheless, perception checking is a crucial communication skill that all leaders should practice and encourage in the workplace.

The post The power of perception checking appeared first on 17 Grapes.

What would happen if you picked just one resolution — one important business goal — and stuck to it for an entire year? A goal that’s challenging and, if you work hard, attainable? Research shows that instead of coming up with multiple goals for 2021, pledging to make one significant change is more likely to result in success. And make it specific. Instead of a New Year’s resolution to ‘attend more networking events,’ quantify the number of networking events you’ll attend each month and what you plan to accomplish at each. Instead of ‘growing your business,’ quantify how much you plan to grow your sales or profits.

One time-tested method for setting effective goals is called the SMART principle. SMART stands for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. Using the SMART approach, quality goals can be created by asking yourself these five questions:

• Is your goal specific enough? You’ll be more motivated to work hard to attain a goal if you spell out exactly what should be accomplished. Instead of a vague goal of increasing traffic to your company’s website, for example, you would want to set a specific goal in terms of unique visitors or page views.
• Is your goal measurable? Make sure you can monitor your progress and ultimately measure whether you have accomplished what you set out to.
• Is your goal achievable? You don’t want to create goals that are too easy to reach but you don’t want to set yourself up for failure, either.
• Is your goal relevant? If you accomplish your goal, will it further your personal and/or business objections or mission?
• Does your goal have a timeline? Having a deadline can be motivating and give you an exact date in the future to work toward. Otherwise, you might not feel the urgency to put in the required effort.

Research also shows that sharing your resolution with a trusted co-worker, colleague or business group can make a big difference. Let others know about your goal early in the year.

The post A more effective way to make New Year’s resolutions appeared first on 17 Grapes.