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Building a successful CRM system isn’t just about choosing the right technology (as important as that is) – you also need the right plan in place. Here are seven steps to creating a winning CRM strategy.

 

1. Establish a clear CRM vision

 

Successful business leaders know the value of having a clear, repeatable, action-oriented vision that your team can rally around. A CRM vision defines, at a high-level, what the system is expected to achieve and how success will be measured. It doesn’t specify the details, but it does establish the business’ priorities. The key to success is making your CRM vision is both aspirational enough to have an impact and is clear enough for the entire business to understand it.

 

2. Map out your strategy

 

Strategy is what makes your CRM vision achievable. It’s how you’re going to get from the business’ current state to what’s mapped out in your vision. It's critical to plan out the method for reaching your goals.

 

3. Set new business objectives

 

Business objectives are where vision and strategy get translated into day-to-day work. A common mistake when implementing a new CRM system is to insert it into all of the business’ old objectives and processes, complete with their inefficiencies. Instead, view your implementation as an opportunity to review and optimise how your business works as a whole.

 

4. Get executive buy-in

 

Executive sponsorship is vital for the successful rollout of your new CRM vision, strategy and business objectives. A lack of executive buy-in is one of the top five factors contributing to CRM failure.

 

5. Define the metrics

 

“You can’t manage what you can’t measure” is an adage attributed to many business thinkers. To ensure everyone’s on the same page, metrics should be visible, via reporting dashboards, to all levels of the organisation, from sales reps and managers to the executive team.

 

6. Prioritise your tasks

 

You’re not going to get everything done at once, so decide what initiatives are most important to deliver first. Training is often a priority, so everyone is ready to use the new CRM system as soon as it is available.

 

7. Create a roadmap

You shouldn’t look at building an effective CRM system as a ‘big bang’ event. Yes, a successful rollout is vital, but being able to deliver enhancements and new features after you go live is equally important. Plan beyond launch day and consider what other capabilities you need to deliver for the business.