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• Create a CRM strategy in 6 steps (with ...

Create a CRM strategy in 6 steps (with examples)

A CRM strategy is a company-wide plan to increase revenue and improve customer relationships using specific actions and technology. In this piece, we teach you how to build a CRM strategy with the use of CRM software. CRM software helps teams turn strategy into action by consolidating data. It also helps teams improve existing CRM strategies to better meet customer needs.

In business-to-consumer (B2C) companies, the buyer journey is paramount. Happy customers are loyal to brands they love. So whether you’re in charge of sales, marketing, or customer service, your business processes should focus on customer needs.

This cyclical process increases customer retention while keeping potential leads front of mind. Whether you’re starting a new business or you’re an established company wanting to develop a CRM strategy for a new initiative, this piece will teach you how to build a CRM strategy from the ground up so you can set and reach your business goals . 

What is a CRM strategy?

A CRM strategy is a company-wide plan to increase revenue and improve customer relationships using specific actions and technology. CRM software helps your team turn strategy into action by consolidating data and by giving you insight into your customer’s online behavior.

An effective CRM strategy has various touchpoints that each target customers in their own unique way. The touchpoints you create should lead your potential prospects down the sales pipeline . Touchpoints may include:

Online shopping

Email sign-up form

Social media platforms

Customer service chat portal

These predetermined touchpoints lead potential customers through your website and direct them toward a product to purchase. Combined with CRM software and data from your website, you can use this information to analyze customer behavior and create additional touchpoints that better serve buyer needs.

6 steps to build a CRM strategy

When you build a CRM strategy from the ground up, your CRM software won’t have data from past funnels to report. However, you can use market research and some old-fashioned critical thinking to help build your customer base.

1. Define your business goals

When you have clear business goals , you’ll have an easier time building your CRM strategy. Without goals in place, any CRM strategy you create will likely struggle to point your customers in the right direction. 

For example, if one of your business goals is to double sales next quarter, you can use your CRM strategy to answer the following questions:

What will doubling our sales require?

What must we do to increase our customer base?

What must we do to keep current customers coming back?

Can we get current customers to refer their friends?

Tip: You may have sales goals that don’t involve customers. For example, you may be able to double your sales next quarter by improving your product or revamping the backend of your website. But remember that CRM strategy is a customer-centric methodology.

2. Outline the customer journey

The best way to ensure customer satisfaction is to understand who your target market is. This is called a buyer persona, and there is typically more than one of them. Each different type of customer should have their own persona. Then, you can use this information to further customize your sales funnel.

To identify your ideal persona(s), use market research to analyze who has bought your products—and your competitors’ products—in the past. Collect metrics like age, gender, race, location, level of technology use, preferred social media platform, and socioeconomic status to map specific touchpoints for every customer. All of this information, together, makes up the ideal customer(s) you’re selling to.

Once you identify who your ideal buyer is, you can use their demographic information to figure out where they spend their time online. For example, which social media apps do they use most frequently? How do they relate to brands online? Understanding their online habits can help you identify where and how to connect with them.

Tip: With buyer persona charts, you’ll create an in-depth profile of a potential customer. It’s important to get detailed with each customer profile so you can put yourself in their shoes and find ways to guide them through their sales journey. But keep in mind that each persona represents an entire group of people you intend to target. 

3. Map the sales pipeline

Once you know who your target market is, you can create your initial touchpoints—or the first moments of customer engagement. Align your sales pipeline with your CRM strategy so you can visualize where to take action when things go awry. 

Common sales pipeline stages include:

Lead generation

Lead qualification

Initial contact

Making an offer

Negotiation

Closing the deal

For example, if metrics from your CRM software show that you have both a high number of website visitors and a high bounce rate, this means prospects are coming to your website, but they’re leaving before making a purchase. By comparing that to your sales pipeline, you can see that you have a problem somewhere between initial contact and closing the deal. 

Tip: Your CRM strategy is a more refined version of a traditional sales funnel. Both the traditional sales funnel and your CRM strategy aim to attract and convert prospects, but your CRM strategy improves upon the traditional sales funnel by considering your customer’s specific interests and needs. 

4. Organize your internal processes

To execute your CRM strategy, your team members must understand and know how to manage CRM technology. CRM software can help team members in customer service, sales, and marketing reach departmental goals such as:

Increasing lead generation

Reducing bounce rate

Improving customer retention

Revamping marketing plans

CRM software can also streamline data across departments, which provides a comprehensive view of your customer base and promotes cross-functional collaboration.

Tip: Have your team members set SMART goals that align with your CRM strategy. By setting measurable and time-bound goals, you can track the progress of each goal against the metrics in your CRM software. For example, if a sales team member’s goal is to generate 20 leads per month in the next quarter, the CRM tool will show how close they are to achieving this goal. 

5. Define CRM components

Defining and organizing your CRM components means getting specific with who you plan to target and when.  By using a CRM software, you can organize potential customers into categories like contacts, leads, prospects, and opportunities.

Contact: Someone you’ve previously done business with.

Lead: Someone you haven’t worked with but could have business potential.

Prospect: Someone who fits your target market and has the power to initiate a purchase. 

Opportunity: A prospect who has shown interest in your product and is ready to make a purchase.

Once you’ve grown a list of contacts through social media, an email list, or an e-commerce platform, your CRM software will pull those contacts in and identify which category to place them in. 

Tip: Depending on the CRM tool you use, your team may also benefit from more specific contact categories. Nurtured leads are people that fit your target market but haven’t yet shown intent to purchase. Marketing qualified leads (MQL) are people that have shown some level of intent to purchase. Sales qualified leads (SQL) are people that the sales team are actively trying to convert to customers.  

6. Invest in CRM software

CRM software keeps your sales pipeline flowing as current customers cycle through it and new customers flow in. Your CRM tool should integrate across various platforms so you can intake analytics information—from your website or email management tools—and export next steps to create the best customer journey possible. 

In particular, the right CRM software should integrate with your project management software . That way, team members from all silos can use updated customer information in daily project decision-making.

Tip: The customer journey doesn’t stop with the sales team, and your technology shouldn’t, either. That’s why Asana’s work management tool offers robust, cross-platform integrations with the best CRM softwares like Salesforce , Zendesk , and Hubspot . When you combine Asana for work management with your favorite CRM tool, team members across all teams have a clear idea of what they need to do to close deals and keep customers satisfied beyond their purchase. 

CRM strategy examples

CRM software provides you with insights on how to better serve your customers. Depending on your product offerings and target audience, you may notice that the people you want to reach get most of their information from blog posts. Or maybe they spend a lot of their time on social media. 

You can improve your marketing tactics for both new and existing customers by using these insights to your advantage. Consider these examples of different CRM strategies 

Value-added content

People use Google as a first resort to answer questions and search for product offerings. If your site ranks at the top of Google for a specific keyword or question, then users are more likely to visit your website. The best way to rank on Google is to create valuable, SEO optimized content that’s relevant to your product. Consider writing content for people in various stages of their sales journey to move them through the sales pipeline. 

For example, some people may not be ready to buy your product, but they’ll have relevant questions you can answer. Others may want to know more about the differences between products, which means they’re further along in their sales journey and are closer to making a purchase.

Loyalty and rewards programs

Customer loyalty and rewards programs keep first-time buyers coming back. You can customize one of these programs to your product by offering discounts, gifts, or other bonuses as incentives for them to make purchases and refer their friends. 

Consider airline companies with complex loyalty programs that offer miles on credit card purchases, discounted flights, and priority boarding. These perks keep passengers dedicated to one airline even if other airlines will occasionally offer them better rates.

Level up your customer experience with CRM software

When you make customer satisfaction a top priority, you can increase your chances of profit growth and secure a long-term spot in the market. Customer relationships are more important than individual purchases because building trust leads to invaluable name recognition and lead generation.

CRM software levels up your customer experience by helping you keep track of different customers and their needs. It’s difficult to make customer support feel personal, but when you use sales management software, your team members gain perspective and can make every customer feel supported.

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How to craft a winning CRM strategy in 8 steps (with examples)

Picture this: you step into your favorite coffee shop, and before you can even mumble your order, the barista, Alice, is already making your large cold brew with half-and-half and extra ice. She slides your drink across the counter—your name etched in perfect cursive (and surprisingly, spelled correctly).

That's the stuff of customer service dreams, right? But let's be real: Alice isn't a mind reader—she's just really good at her job. But there may be a way your business can channel the essence of Alice—your own strategy you can use to remember your customers, their purchase history, and even how to spell their names. 

That's a customer relationship management (CRM) strategy. It's your business's magic formula to make every customer feel like your favorite regular. And it's not just great for your customers—it's an absolute game-changer for your business, too.

Table of contents:

What is a CRM strategy?

Before we dive into this whole thing, let's get some jargon out of the way.

As a general concept, customer relationship management is the secret sauce to charming your customers. It's the process of understanding them, engaging them, and fostering relationships that last.

CRM software is your tech sidekick. It's an arsenal of digital tools designed to organize, automate, and synchronize customer interactions. 

Your CRM strategy , the whole topic of this article, is the master plan that will help you keep customers happy, engaged, and coming back for more. It's about leveraging the power of customer insights to make your business irresistible. (You don't necessarily need to have CRM software in place to deploy your strategy, but it can be a huge help.)

With a solid CRM strategy, you can not only keep your customers feeling as happy as Alice's customers, but you can also take your business to new heights by turning their behavior into insights you can use to keep that relationship strong for years to come. 

How to create a CRM strategy

Each business is unique, and your CRM strategy should be no different. But there are some steps that can help you create a CRM strategy that works for your business. 

1. Complete an audit

When starting your CRM strategy, you're going to tap into your own figurative Rolodex to do an audit on the data. This step is about taking a comprehensive look at what information you currently have and identifying gaps. 

Here are some data points you should consider:

Contact details: You can't reach out if you don't know how.

Purchase history and frequency: What do they buy and how often?

Value of purchases: Are they high-spending customers?

Personal preferences: What have they expressed liking or disliking?

Demographics: Who are they in a broader sense (age, location, etc.)?

Remember, the aim is to get a clear picture of your current data landscape. After this step, you'll have a better idea of what additional information you need to collect to enrich your CRM strategy.

2. Define your target audience

This step is all about taking a look at that sweet data you just dug up and playing detective to find common threads and preferences.

So let's say you're running a bookstore. After some data snooping, your target audience might look something like this:

Demographic: People in their 30s

Location: Urban dwellers in the U.S.

Interests: Consuming books like they're going out of style, writing, and being the life of the book club

Values: Big on inclusivity and hand-picked collections

Defining your target audience is all about avoiding the dreaded one-size-fits-all marketing trap. With this intel, you can tailor your messaging and interactions to fit your customers like a glove. Trust us—they'll appreciate the extra effort.

3. Review your customer touchpoints

Next, take a gander at how your customers interact with you. 

This could include your website, customer service line, social media profiles, or physical storefront (if you have one). And yes, even that contact form tucked away in the corner of your site counts.

Some customer touchpoints might include:

Communication records: How and when have you interacted before?

Feedback about your business: What's been their experience so far?

Website and app behavior: How do they interact with your digital platforms?

Social media engagement: How active are they on your social channels?

Diving deep into what your customers are saying and how they're interacting with your brand will help you shape your CRM strategy, setting the stage for more focused, achievable goals.

4. Establish goals

Now it's time to decide what you want to achieve with your CRM strategy. 

Take Amazon's CRM strategy, for example. Its goal is to provide an unmatched shopping experience tailored to each customer's preferences. It knows exactly how to tempt you with tailored offers, irresistible recommendations, and captivating promotions—all based on your past purchases. 

Plus, Amazon has mastered the art of convenience, making it incredibly easy for customers to create an account and enjoy the benefits. It's a win-win for both Amazon and its customers.

Let's break it down:

Specific: Your goal needs to be clear. Something like "Improving customer service" is as clear as a foggy morning. What aspect of customer service? How much improvement? Bring the details.

Measurable: You need a yardstick. If you want to boost customer retention, what's your target percentage? 

Achievable: Your goal should challenge you but not be out of reach. Are you setting yourself up for success or setting a goal that's as realistic as running a marathon after the office Christmas party? 

Relevant: Make sure your goal actually matters. Does this goal align with your overall business objectives? Or is it a distraction from your primary focus? 

Time-bound: Set a timeline to keep yourself on track. Without a deadline, a goal is just a dream. 

With clear direction and intention for your goals, you'll be well-equipped to steer your CRM strategy in the right direction. 

5. Outline a customer journey map

Stoke their curiosity: Now that you've got their attention, it's time to pique their curiosity. Nurture their interest with engaging content, valuable insights, and intriguing storytelling. 

Guide them with purpose: Every step of the journey should have a clear purpose and direction. Ensure your messaging, offers, and interactions align seamlessly, creating a cohesive and meaningful experience.

Engage them at every turn: Surprise and delight are the secret weapons of a remarkable customer journey. Go above and beyond to exceed their expectations, whether it's through personalized recommendations, unexpected perks, or exceptional customer service. 

Seal the deal: Make the buying process a breeze, removing friction or barriers like a convoluted sign-up process or unnecessary clicks. Ensure they feel confident, excited, and fulfilled as they take that final step to become loyal patrons of your business.

Doing this lets you fine-tune your CRM strategy to offer your customers a smooth, enjoyable journey every time they interact with your brand. 

Trust me—they'll appreciate the scenic route.

6. Choose the right tools

Knowing your customers' preferences, like baristas know your complicated coffee order, won't do much good if you can't deliver.

Before signing up for any software, consider the size of your organization, the number of users who will need to access the tool, and the complexity of your customer interactions. Then decide which features are important to you, like: 

Contact management: Keep all your customer details organized and easily accessible.

Lead tracking: Monitor and track the progress of your leads throughout the sales process.

Reporting and analytics: Gain valuable insights into your business performance and customer trends through comprehensive reporting and analytics features.

Automation and integration capabilities: Look for built-in automations, and ensure seamless integration with your existing apps and systems for smooth data flow and collaboration.

Mobile accessibility: Access and manage your CRM system on the go, keeping you connected and productive from anywhere.

7. Train your team

Training your squad is essential for your CRM strategy's success. Here's how to level up their CRM strategy training:

Assemble the right team members: Don't just loop in sales and customer service, but consider other departments like marketing who will be integral in deploying your CRM strategy.

Provide ongoing support and resources: Simple training sessions won't cut it. Proactively communicate and promote the benefits of the strategy, and if you're deploying software, you'll need documentation and a thorough onboarding process.

Embrace continuous learning: Foster a culture of learning and knowledge sharing to avoid siloes.

With a well-trained team of CRM superheroes, you'll be ready to conquer any customer challenge that comes your way. Together, you'll deliver exceptional experiences and save the day for your customers—not to mention supercharge your business.

8. Track performance to improve

Look, Rome wasn't built in a day, and your CRM strategy won't be pitch-perfect straight out of the gate, either. Here's how to track your performance metrics and continuously fine-tune your approach:

Analyze customer feedback and reviews to identify areas for improvement and to spot any red flags indicating dissatisfaction or pain points.

Regularly review and compare your performance against your SMART goals to measure progress and identify optimization opportunities.

Leverage built-in analytics and reporting features in your CRM tool to gain insights into customer behavior, engagement patterns, and sales performance.

Conduct A/B testing or experiments to test different strategies or approaches and determine which ones yield better results.

Seek feedback from your team and stakeholders to gain diverse perspectives and insights on your CRM strategy's impact and areas for improvement.

Over time, you'll find yourself making smarter, data-driven decisions, adjusting your strategy on the fly, and watching your CRM performance soar. So go ahead, channel your inner Sherlock, and let your CRM strategy evolve into a masterpiece.

CRM strategy examples

Now that we've walked through the "how" of a CRM strategy, let's go over some straight-from-the-trenches examples. 

Rewards programs

Rewards or loyalty programs are the perfect win-win for companies and customers. Your customers get points, discounts, special offers, or other perks, and you get their continued engagement and loyalty.

Take Barnes & Noble, for instance. Their tiered rewards program has bookworms hooked. For every $10 spent, you get a stamp. Collect 10 stamps? That's a $5 reward in your pocket. They even offer a premium membership for $39.99 a year, with added bonuses like 10% off purchases and free shipping.

Plus, if you run a program like this through your CRM tool, you can gather valuable data on your customers' likes, dislikes, and other behaviors, all of which can be used to personalize how you market and cater the customer experience to them.

Personalization

Starbucks knows my order by heart—a venti iced peach green tea lemonade with one pump of classic syrup. And they use it against me every chance they get by sending me irresistible push notifications and personalized deals. Sneaky? Yes. Effective? Absolutely.

You can channel your inner Starbucks with your CRM strategy. Use customer data like purchase history, browsing behavior, demographics, and previous interactions to create a tailor-made customer journey. This kind of personalization aligns with your target audience's interests and needs, turning casual visitors into lifelong fans.

Valuable content

Want to know the secret to engaging and nurturing customers throughout their journey? High-quality, relevant, and informative content. This could be blog posts, videos, podcasts, eBooks, case studies, or, if you're Starbucks, an online sweepstakes game that's as addictive as their Frappuccinos.

HubSpot's free online marketing and sales courses are a prime example. They're so valuable that they're often a prerequisite for many workplaces. This strategy cements HubSpot's authority and delivers lasting benefits to its audience.

Remember, the key to creating valuable content is understanding your customers' needs, interests, and pain points. And all that juicy information is right there in your CRM.

Level up your business with a stellar CRM strategy

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Michael Kern

Michael's a content marketer and copywriter residing in the bustling mega-metropolis of Mexico City. With a knack for making the complex seem simple, he crafts fresh, accessible content that stands out. When the screens are off and the keyboards are quiet, you might find him trawling through old-school print ads for inspiration or enjoying downtime with his daughter.

• Small business
• CRM (Customer Relationship Management)

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Customer Relationship Management Strategy, Planning, and Implementation

By Diana Ramos | August 7, 2017

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In 2010, business analysts at Gartner and influential marketing thought leader Seth Godin announced that customer relationship management (CRM) was in trouble. “CRM is dead,” declared Godin on his popular marketing blog. He did not mean the actual technology; rather, Godin was inspired by a shift in customer relationship strategy at Disney Destinations Marketing. Disney had created a new department called Customer Management Relationships, and the premise was more than a clever title change. The move demonstrated a developing theory that technology empowers customers to the point of control in the buyer-seller relationship. New advancements in CRM technology provided methods for building customer-centered strategies that work for the new customer relationship framework that Godin and Disney anticipated. 

Today, CRM enterprise software shows double-digit revenue growth, and the top four players dominate a multibillion-dollar industry. This article presents customer relationship management steps and specific CRM strategies and tactics that we’ve adopted from the work of a master business strategist. Learn the essential CRM planning and implementation ideas to help guide you through emerging customer-centered sales and marketing trends. You’ll also find a CRM building blocks infographic as well as planning resources, including a CRM implementation glossary of common terms.

The Origins of Customer Relationship Management Strategy

The need for customer relationship management grew out of changes to the buyer-seller model. This shift away from transactional sales and marketing behaviors, and toward a customer-centered model started in the 1970s. Relationship marketers refined the model in the 80s, and in the 90s, technology accelerated changes even further. In the 2000s, the complexities of the internet, advances in social media technology, and empowered customer behavior changed the model forever. The result was a shift in perspective regarding how to address customers as the primary business asset. Customer relationship management strategy needed to achieve the following:

• Govern how to satisfy customers beyond developing good products and services
• Help retain existing customers to maximize efficiencies and reduce the cost of acquisition
• Ensure customer satisfaction and a memorable brand experience
• Improve the overall relationship between the business entity and specific audiences

Concentrating on the individual needs of a specific customer segment required a different set of customer relationship values. Customer satisfaction and loyalty were now the important business metrics — delivering products and services were now secondary to the customer experience. This experience was happening largely in a technological vacuum where advanced software reduced the cost of doing business, but increased the expectations of quality and service. Economic instability throughout the late 20th and early 21st centuries challenged existing sales and marketing trends tailored to gaining as many new customers and transactions as possible. Maximizing the value of existing customers and reaping the bottom-line benefits of this strategy helped stem the economic hardships of those decades.  

The True Test of Customer Relationship Management Strategies and Tactics

What is strategy? That is the question that award-winning author, professor, and academic Michael Porter famously considered in a Harvard Business Review (HBR) article of the same title. According to Porter, competitive strategy “is about being different. It means deliberately choosing a different set of activities to deliver a unique mix of value.” Porter believes the essence of strategy is choosing what not to do. Examining this concept leads to the recognition that we commonly confuse strategies with tactics. What will you achieve when you reach your customer relationship goals? The what in that question is the strategy. How will you accomplish your customer relationship strategy? The how in that question are the tactics.

As author Joan Magretta points out in her book Understanding Michael Porter: The Essential Guide to Competition and Strategy , “If you are serious about strategy, Porter’s work is the foundation.” According to Magretta, strategy is about “making choices that lead to sustainably superior performance.” Porter’s work includes five tests of good strategy, and these tests help distinguish between good and bad strategy. In order to have the right strategy, you must do the following:

• Choose a distinctive value proposition.
• Tailor your activities to that value chain.
• Make trade-offs (choose what not to do) that differ from your competition.
• Fit the parts of strategy together across the value chain.
• Find continuity over time. 

Customer-centered processes are at the heart of modern business strategy. The titans of technology and industry leverage CRM technology and build business processes that align customer relationships with positive business outcomes. It is more important than ever to develop CRM strategies that help, not hinder, the planning and implementation of CRM technology. Porter’s tests serve as a framework for executing a step-by-step customer relationship strategy before embarking on CRM planning and implementation. Adopt this framework to guide your CRM strategy and leverage tactics that strengthen customer relationships and deliver positive business outcomes.

The Five Tests of Good Customer Relationship Management Strategy

The five tests of good customer relationship management strategy are outlined in the graphic below.

CRM Strategy Step One: Determine a Distinctive Customer Relationship Management Value Proposition

Magretta describes Porter’s first test, the value proposition, as a reflection of the choices your company makes (consciously or unconsciously) concerning the kind of value you offer. It is the core component of a customer relationship strategy because it considers the customer’s point of view or, as Magretta writes, the value proposition “looks outward at customers.” The value proposition answers three fundamental questions:

• Which customers will you serve?
• Which customer needs will you meet?
• At what price (price accounts for value and profit)?

Customer Relationship Management Tactic: Prioritize Profitable Customers

There are distinct customers in every industry. Before considering how to build strong relationships with customers, you need to decide which customers to serve based on who you want your business to reach. Seth Godin refers to like-minded groups of people interested in accomplishing something as tribes. Your goal is to help connect people in tribes by creating the platform for your tribes to exist. According to Godin, the leadership of this tribe is the new marketing. With customers at the center of your CRM strategy (managing your decisions with their demands and actions), you must be strategic when choosing which tribe you lead. Analyze this group with value and profitability in mind, so you remain faithful to the customer relationship strategies that follow. Aligning business goals with your target customers is the backbone of the other two components of the value proposition, customer needs and pricing.

Customer Relationship Management Tactic: Identify Unique Customer Needs With Sales and Marketing Processes

Magretta emphasizes building strategy on our unique abilities to meet particular customer needs. “Typically, value propositions based on needs appeal to a mix of customers who might defy traditional demographic segmentations,” she writes. If marketing is the art of allocating resources, CRM is the art of determining which resources to market. So, align your sales and marketing processes to identify unique customer needs. Encourage creative discovery with your sales team. Collect the data from sales processes to reveal opportunities to enhance the customer experience. Your CRM value proposition will account for potential customers outside of your initial targets.

Customer Relationship Management Tactic: Evaluate and Improve Pricing to Match Customer Needs

Pricing products and services is a core method for building and maintaining customer relationships and a significant indicator of effective consumer relations. “Relative price is the primary leg of the [value proposition] triangle,” says Magretta. Analyze sales data from your target customers, and align pricing with the unique customer needs you identify. Track data on your target customer segmentation, and evaluate the customer’s response to price. Unlocking the hidden potential behind pricing will empower your CRM value proposition and offer a real-time improvement to your overall CRM strategy.

Creating a CRM value proposition is the first test in building a strong CRM strategy. Porter bases his strategy ideas on the premise that value is created by making choices the competition does not. Looking outward - toward the customers, their needs, and the price that benefits both parties - requires executing CRM tactics that tailor CRM business processes to create a competitive advantage.

CRM Strategy Step Two: Tailor Communication to the Value Proposition

According to Magretta, this test in Porter’s analysis of good strategy is less intuitive. Porter found competitive advantage in the performance of business activities (i.e., choosing different activities or performing the same activities as the competition, but in a different way). Individual business operations link together to form what Porter refers to as the value chain. Modern CRM processes and technology enhance the communication between the activities of business operations and the customer. This communication includes marketing automation, email drip campaigns, or the advertising copy that gives your brand a voice. Tailor communication activity to the CRM value proposition to satisfy Porter’s second test. 

Customer Relationship Management Tactic: Communicate Like People, Not Robots

Customers prefer relatable interactions, so your customer relationship activities should be tailored with communication that reflects the voice of your primary customer segment. Leverage your CRM technology to communicate your brand’s story with words, images, and themes that inspire the human emotions associated with business interactions. Storytelling is a popular theme in sales and marketing communication strategy. For example, the rise of social CRM technology enables companies to tailor stories that target the human element and unique customer needs to their value proposition.

Customer Relationship Management Tactic: Communicate Rapidly and Frequently

Customer relationship strategy requires speed and efficiency. Technology continues to strip down the communication barriers between companies and their customer interactions. Automation is a core feature of the top performing CRM technologies, as is modern enterprise software. This is because the software addresses the demand for reducing the amount of time it takes to interact with new or existing customers. Tailor CRM communication activity to different customer interactions and needs. If your marketing and sales activity uses multiple channels, build and enforce a reliable communication timeline that organizes customer interactions and prioritizes useful points of contact. Design customer service operations that build-in regular touch points with the customer depending on their stage in the buyer-seller relationship. Follow up on sales leads, and create a culture of responsiveness by rewarding employees who demonstrate regular communication with your primary customer segment.

Magretta writes, “To establish a competitive advantage, a company must deliver its distinctive value through a distinctive value chain.” Tailoring your CRM communication activity to your primary customer segment and their unique needs (at prices that are profitable and valuable) is a sound test of your overall CRM strategy. Furthermore, CRM communication activity is a natural connector of the other business activities that make up Porter’s value chain principles.

CRM Strategy Step Three: Use Trade-Offs to Enhance Customer Service Strategy

Porter’s third test of a good strategy focuses on the critical role that trade-offs play, and it is the most difficult test of business strategy. The essence of making difficult choices — choosing what not to do — is built on accepting limitations in a competitive market. The need for trade-offs is the critical linchpin of good strategy, according to Magretta’s work. A sound CRM strategy also requires making sacrifices or choosing trade-offs. Customer service is both a business process and a culture within a company. 

Customer service activities best represent a CRM strategy involving buyer and seller trade-offs. By enhancing your customer service strategy with trade-offs, you make it difficult for competitors to mimic your overall CRM value proposition. The commitment to a primary customer segment and their unique needs is a practice in trust, competence, and integrity. CRM business processes and technology directly impact the capabilities of customer service activities. A CRM strategy built on strategic customer service trade-offs has the potential to increase customer satisfaction, minimize customer churn, and boost profitability.

Customer Relationship Management Tactic: Live for Complaints and Use Data to Make Difficult Choices

Using complaints to improve products and services, build a positive brand image, or grow the desired customer segment is a competitive advantage. Design your CRM strategy for customer service activities that pertain to your value proposition. Use customer complaints to decide if a particular segment of customers is worth the effort of building loyalty. Use complaints to determine which unique customer needs are suitable for your business and align with your profitability goals.

Customers choose to do business with companies that resolve complaints in their favor.  Choosing to accept limitations by avoiding the trap of trying to satisfy all customer needs is a difficult trade-off. Doing so, however, keeps competitors from mimicking your CRM strategy. The compromise works both ways. You may decide to honor all customer complaints and, thus, align your CRM value proposition with the kind of challenging sacrifices that attract your desired customer segment. The point of this tactic is deciding what not to do, because these choices make the CRM strategy sustainable and difficult for your competitors to match.   

Porter notes, “If you listen to every customer and do what they ask you to do, you can’t have a strategy. Like so many ideas that get sold to managers, there is some truth to it, but the nuances get lost. Strategy is not about making every customer happy. When you’ve got your strategist’s hat on, you want to decide which customers and which needs you want to meet. As to the other customers and the other needs, well, you just have to get over the fact that you will disappoint them because that’s actually a good thing.”

According to Magretta, “Trade-offs are the strategic equivalent of a fork in the road. If you take one path, you cannot simultaneously take the other.” The more is better instinct is a challenge to all businesses. This mentality also pervades the thinking of management responsible for strategic CRM business processes and technology planning. More CRM technology or more CRM process is not always better. In the case of customer service and CRM strategy, doing more for all customers at the cost of doing more for your business may carry a substantial penalty. As Porter points out in his work, your strategies should link directly to profit and loss considerations. A sound CRM strategy accounts for this principle and serves as a linchpin for customer service activities.

CRM Strategy Step Four: Determine If Your Customer Relationships Fit Your Strategy

“Fit locks out imitators by creating a chain that is as strong as its strongest link,” says Porter. Magretta defines fit as the “amplifier” and points out that good strategies depend on connecting your business activities with “interdependent choices.” Porter’s fourth test of good strategy emphasizes that the fit of your value proposition with your activities is not centered on a single business competence, but on the connection among many activities. For this step, determine if your business processes align with your customer relationship strategy. Do the interdependent choices your company makes daily “fit” with your customer relationship strategy? The performance of your CRM activities impacts the value of individual business activities.

Customer Relationship Management Tactic: Connect Your CRM Processes with Relationship Marketing

Relationship marketing is an approach to customer relationship strategy that moves beyond the traditional stages of a buyer-seller relationship. Its methods are gaining popularity in industries that are moving away from transactional marketing frameworks. Relationship marketing places customers at the center of business strategy. It is a business concept that depends on all stakeholder activity (that of suppliers, retailers, shareholders, customers, and employees) to create value. You coordinate marketing and sales activities in this framework by focusing on earning customers, developing the relationship to the point of retention, and maintaining the customer lifetime value (CLV).

According to a Linkedin survey , 70 percent of sales and marketing professionals say that the alignment of their departments delivers a better buying experience for the customers. This CRM strategy example highlights the concept of fit and the importance of connected CRM processes. Leverage your CRM process and technology to track individual business activities and make sure they fit together with the principles of relationship marketing. Align your culture, leadership, people, technology, and process with your CRM strategy - while keeping the customer at the center - to amplify the value of your business activities and create a competitive advantage.

Customer Relationship Management Tactic: Analyze Your Customer Relationship Return On Investment

CRM strategy is the tactical management of choices that make the various activities of different business processes and stakeholders fit together. It is crucial to determine your return on investment (ROI) in order to measure the effectiveness of your CRM strategy on your customer relationships. The definition of customer relationship ROI is unique to your value proposition and the activities that support your value chain. Define and measure your relationship ROI with key performance indicators (KPIs). Remember that your customer relationship ROI is highly specific to your particular business: Maybe you are more concerned with leveraging a specific metric, such as customer acquisition cost (CAC). Perhaps, redefining the I in ROI altogether to track your return on impressions for a social media campaign is more valuable. Finally, adjust the activities based on your analysis of your customer relationship ROI metrics to fit the overall CRM strategy.    

At first glance, Porter’s fit test for strategy seems like a natural process of customer relationship management. After all, aligning CRM process and technology with your customer needs is at the core of relationship management principles. However, as Magretta points out, when even one activity is inconsistent with another, they cancel each other out. Your customer relationship activity must enhance your business competency and vice versa. According to Porter’s principles, fit means that the competitive value of your CRM activity — and all of the resources required for this activity — cannot be separated from the overall CRM strategy. Analyze your customer relationship strategy within the relationship marketing framework, and make sure your CRM process steps fit your strategy.

CRM Strategy Step Five: Enable Continuity With Data-Driven Customer Relationship Management Processes

The fifth and final test of Porter’s strategy principles involves the consistency of your CRM strategy over time. Without continuity, the competitive advantage that a sound CRM strategy provides will go unrealized. Magretta uses a cooking analogy to drive home the point: “Strategy isn’t a stir fry; it’s a stew. It takes time for the flavors and textures to develop.” Achieving continuity is a conversation about change and growth. The widespread perception that managing change is what defines great leaders is highly plausible. And, the notion that growth for the sake of growth is a good business strategy is persuasive. Moreover, it is true that constant change to individual CRM activities and frequent shifts in CRM processes and technology threaten the continuity of your CRM strategy and reduce the competitive advantage of a sound strategy. However, by leveraging data-driven CRM processes to implement change strategically, you can avoid the pitfalls of changing too much or changing the wrong things. 

Customer Relationship Management Tactic: Utilize Data Before Contacting Customers

Modern CRM technology enables companies to collect and store customer data produced by the explosion of digital media. Titans of technology like Amazon and Google have developed technology that empowers sales and marketing teams to identify customer segments and their unique needs in ways previously unavailable to small marketing operations. CRM technology can collect and store data on individual behaviors through website cookies — small text files that provide user recognition and online preferences. Mobile device IDs provide important metrics for mobile advertising decisions. Sophisticated email marketing technology enables A/B testing and empowers sophisticated trial-and-error capabilities to inform relationship marketing decisions.

Sales and marketing teams can leverage CRM data and analyze customer trends to maintain the continuity of the CRM value proposition and overall strategy before contacting customers directly. Analyze sales data to avoid making the wrong changes in the name of growth. Such ill-informed adjustments may include experimenting on the wrong customer segment (a segment with different needs) for the sake of growth. Make improvements to the quality of collected data, and consider CRM processes and technology that make this data accessible in the field for sales operations.   

Data is the great enabler of modern CRM strategy. Porter’s fifth and final test of strategy emphasizes the connection between continuity and competitive advantage. Data-driven processes and a culture of analysis and measurement reveal the continuity of your overall CRM strategy. Modern relationship marketing and the various categories of support for this framework (digital marketing, for example) are rooted in data-based decision making. Data-driven processes are essential to the continuity of overall CRM strategy, as they reinforce sales and marketing activity by revealing unique capabilities and weaknesses, and also place a company’s brand identity under the microscope of measurable results. Frequent shifts in strategy mean there is no strategy. Data-driven CRM processes and technology help prevent the pitfalls of uniform change. Magretta writes, “Continuity of strategy does not mean that an organization should stand still. As long as there is stability in the core value proposition, there can and should be enormous innovation in how it’s delivered.”

The Building Blocks of Customer Relationship Management Strategy

A building block is a unit of construction essential to building something larger. The foundation for a successful CRM strategy begins with the overall vision and the CRM value proposition. The strategy is built from the ground up, step by step, with customer-centered business processes and communication tailored to specific customers and their needs. A framework of stakeholders who adopt the CRM strategy supports the customer experience. This culture of collaboration is the fabric of your strategy, and it delivers the tactics that determine your place in the market. Information empowers the business activities you use to manage the customer relationship, and technology provides the data you require to analyze which processes align with the CRM strategy. You measure the quality of the overall structure by the value provided to customers. That value consists of those elements that satisfy the customer’s unique needs. Then, you quantify the quality of this overall structure with metrics, such as customer retention, customer lifetime value, and customer satisfaction. 

Here is a quick reference guide on the core building blocks of a sound CRM strategy:

What Is a CRM Plan?

The 2011 book CRM Fundamentals by Scott Kostojohn, Mathew Johnson, and Brian Paulen provides an overview of preparations that an organization considers before undertaking new CRM strategies and tactics. Preparing for new customer relationship strategies requires planning and execution before new business processes and technology can be introduced. This preparation reduces resistance to change and minimizes the impact of common pitfalls associated with new business processes and technology. The list of components contained in this book serves as an example of the type of step-by-step considerations an organization should plan for before executing customer relationship strategies and tactics. These planning components are as follows:

• Data-Driven Culture: Using data to drive business processes and achieve organizational goals is more than just a strategy to improve upon and earn customer relationships. The authors recommend nurturing a culture of data before undertaking new customer relationship management strategies. This includes creating the documenting processes that support your CRM strategy. For example, ask questions like: What do you want to know about a customer? Is it necessary to record information on their geographic location? Would you prefer to gather info on the person’s level of education? Is it important to know who they purchased a similar product or service from in the past? After determining what gets documented and how, check to make sure this data is sufficient, change the processes that aren’t working, and measure the impact of the gathered data. According to the authors’ research, data-driven preparation results in greater comfortability with change and more support for your CRM plan.
• Executive Support: In modern economies, the customer drives business decisions more than ever before. Leadership support for customer relationship initiatives has become exponentially more important because of the impact CRM strategy has on all business operations. The authors recommend that the C-level leaders get involved in CRM decisions and help communicate the overall vision and intended benefits of the CRM plan. 
• Communication: It’s essential to communicate effectively with the appropriate stakeholders to prepare for the type of change that new customer relationship strategies bring to your team. Communication strategy and planning prevent resistance to change. A clear communication plan clarifies which internal stakeholders are involved with specific CRM planning actions. An articulate communication plan also outlines the frequency of contact, the appropriate medium of communication, and a formal process for feedback on individual components of the planning phase or deliverables.

‌ Download Communication Plan Template - Microsoft Word

• Training:  The authors point out that training for new CRM technology implementations is an obvious consideration. They recommend starting training as early as possible to reduce resistance to change. In addition to training for new technology, consider training management on new business processes and the individual operational changes that need to be adjusted to support future CRM strategies and tactics. For example,  do sales managers understand which new data metrics they should gather, and do they know how to leverage this information?   
• Feedback:  The employees taking action on customer relationship strategies provide valuable insight. Their experience in the trenches with existing customer relationship processes and CRM technology is relevant to the planning phase. Employees’ feedback, both positive and negative, impacts the overall outcome of CRM strategy and, in turn, helps reduce the resistance to change.
• Recognition:  Recognizing and retaining top-performing employees is a significant strategy for all organizations that value customer relationships. To prepare for a new CRM strategy, the authors recommend rewarding the desired behaviors that support the desired outcomes of the CRM planning. To do so, they suggest that key stakeholders (“project champions”) or leadership recognize employee accomplishments, offer incentives (such as gift cards), and mention the actions of top performers in team meetings. Be sure to manage recognition efforts, identify top performers who positively impact customer relationship strategies, and leverage CRM technology appropriately. 

What Is CRM Implementation? A Glossary of Common Terms

Successful implementation determines successful CRM strategy. An unprepared organization runs the risk of relying on the CRM technology to compensate for poor planning. When this happens, the CRM technology and features become the CRM strategy. By definition, implementation means setting a plan in motion. Here is a glossary of principal terms as they relate to CRM implementation:

• Adoption: Create a user-adoption plan for your CRM implementation. Start by targeting the 80 percent of users. Then, have a plan for the 20 percent that ultimately pushes back on change. Listen to users, and gather feedback on their ideas. Make sure your plan incorporates C-level leadership and board-level commitment. Measure and reinforce standards early and often. CRM strategy initiatives that fail to get support from early adopters and top performers, especially in sales, risk becoming another CRM failure statistic. 
• Benchmark: Establish criteria for successful implementation, create formulas, and measure frequently. Remember, success factors include more than financial benchmarks: you should also measure the intangible benefits of technological, user-based business processes and cultural standards, in addition to revenue or customer-retention results. 
• Budget: Work with your CRM provider, partner consultants, and your internal implementation team to set a realistic budget. Discuss expectations for the individual components of system implementation, and consider a phased approach to additional features. Anticipate the future costs of training and onboarding beyond the original estimate.  
• Capture: Gather data before implementing new CRM processes and technology. If this data is not available internally, capture data from external sources. The data capture does not need to be excessive and should relate to your overall strategy. Which type of information is most useful for your customer relationship strategy? Defining this data before implementation is mandatory.
• Customize: Customization ensures that you meet unique customer needs after implementation. Customized products and services meet unique customer needs as well as the value proposition behind them. Communication should also meet those needs. Customize new CRM processes and technology to support the level of customer communication and service. When engaging in this customization, be sure to consider customer needs.
• Differentiation: Decide which customers receive which product or service based on their unique needs and your value proposition. Your strategy for identifying and serving your target customers impacts your CRM implementation and the level of customer service you provide. Also, differentiate between the various kinds of data that drive these decisions. How will you organize the CRM data from different customer segments and optimize the business processes they impact?   
• Evolution: The CRM technology you implement doesn’t need to be in final form after the initial execution. First, decide which features are necessary and the level of service and training you require from your vendor partners. Which departments will leverage the technology first? After this test phase, ask: does it make sense to add additional teams and customizations? Over time, phase in additional technology and services based on the evolution of your customer relationship strategy. 
• Framework: Your culture and CRM strategy determine the structure of your CRM implementation. Adjust the implementation plans to accommodate your customer relationship framework. 
• Identification: Collect data and design a clear understanding of which customers you target. Develop a simple database to gather information and profile customers before implementing CRM technology with a superior database. Determine how your CRM implementation impacts new customers versus existing customers. In addition to identifying the customers you serve, identify their unique needs, and consider creative ways in which CRM processes and technology empower your ability to meet these requirements.
• Integration: Understand which existing applications and systems need to integrate with new CRM processes and technology. Modern CRM software needs to receive and push data from application to application. Do you have the necessary internal resources to integrate technology, or do you need to hire outside consultants or rely on the CRM vendor for this function? Remember to consider a phased approach that fits the evolution of your overall CRM strategy. 
• Launch: Get excited about your CRM implementation. Use internal marketing and communication techniques to frame the message and develop a positive approach to change. Announce a start date for new processes and technology, and celebrate that day. Set the tone for the CRM implementation by demonstrating an internal culture that positively impacts the external customer relationships. 
• Map: Which business processes need to be fixed or changed? Which ones should remain intact and be enforced by new CRM processes and technology? Consider designing internal documentation, such as a flowchart that demonstrates how to manage new and existing processes. Mapping out your business process before implementing new technology reinforces the importance of customer relationships during the distraction of the implementation stage. Design and follow an implementation timeline that accurately portrays your capabilities and aligns with existing business processes.
• Outcomes: What do you need to measure to achieve your overall customer relationship strategy? Which business metrics lead to the success of your organization? How will you progress and adjust based on the outcomes of your CRM implementations? Anticipate and track CRM strategy goals, and ensure that the proper features, reports, and dashboards are in place to do so.
• Prepare: Readiness extends beyond the policy and planning phases discussed earlier in this article. Do you have the appropriate hardware in place to leverage new technology? Is your physical workspace set up to succeed after implementation is underway? Where have you stored the current customer data, and how will you import it? Do you need to hire external resources with data expertise to help with data management?
• Prioritize: In addition to keeping the customer at the center of your decision making and business processes, prioritize the customer at all stages of CRM implementation. Interact with customers proactively, and develop alternate methods of communication to avoid negatively impacting the customer relationship before, during, and after implementation. Are existing customers adversely affected by new CRM strategy or at any stage of planning and implementation? Is this a sacrifice that makes sense for your overall goals? 
• Project: Implementation requires a focused project team. Hire or assign a qualified project manager to oversee the CRM implementation, and if possible, involve them in all phases of strategy and planning. Ongoing cooperation with different teams and departments is critical to successful implementation. The project manager interacts with leadership, sponsors from individual departments, and IT teams (or external vendors) to identify risks, gain acceptance, and execute tasks. 
• Security: Decide early on how you will handle data breaches and worst-case scenarios related to internal and external data. Consider what customer information you share and who has access. Work with qualified consultants and your legal counsel on permissions and access based on current industry guidelines and all laws (international, federal, state, etc.) that govern your business operations. Determine permission-level standards for all users, and plan HR policies according to your employment guidelines. 
• Super-User: Find your CRM champion. Is there a current user who demonstrates high standards for leveraging the existing CRM technology? Does your sales team have an early adopter who embraces problem-solving and helps others learn new technology or processes? Assign or hire a super-user for your CRM implementation, and provide them with the necessary training so you have an internal resource during and after implementation. Empower CRM super-users with support from leadership, and promote acceptance of new CRM processes and technology. Recognize top performers, and determine clear, measurable outcomes for people to follow, so you recruit more champions.  
• Training: Incorporate CRM training for all new hires so they hit the ground running. Make sure new employees understand how to leverage processes and technology to align with the overall customer relationship strategy. Use designated super-users and project managers to guide ongoing training after implementation. Reinforce positive CRM habits, and make sure that new hires know who the top performers are, so they have internal CRM role models. 
• Vendors: Is your team capable of doing the full CRM implementation? Do you have the technical expertise to migrate and integrate new software? Finding a qualified partner is of particular importance when transferring from an existing CRM system to a new technology. Decide on the level of knowledge and expertise you require early in the planning phase. Meet with vendors, and discuss their experience with similar companies. When you interact with CRM vendors, ask for references, and determine if their customer relationship management is on par with your own. Finally, ask for the opportunity to demo the product and features risk-free, and allow your project team and super-users to experiment and discover.
• Vision: Why are you implementing a CRM system? What does a successful customer relationship strategy look like after implementation? Remember that CRM is rooted in the relationship between the buyer and the seller. CRM is a philosophy first and foremost. Technology supports the customer-centered vision - it is not the result.

Review your overall CRM strategy with the various components of implementation in mind, and use a planning phase as the foundation for change. Countless change management models exist to help combat the resistance, fear of failure, and poor communication that plague enterprise software implementations. Remember that CRM strategy, planning, and implementation rely on the relationship. The customer is the center of the business.

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How to Plan and Prepare for a New CRM

Whether it’s your company’s first time implementing a customer relationship management (CRM) platform or you’re switching from your current solution to one that better suits your needs, preparing before the launch is essential. Implementing new software requires a lot of moving parts, and the more you can plan before it goes live, the more successful your team will be.

Launching a solution as comprehensive as a CRM may seem daunting at first, especially if your business is new to using CRM software. Fortunately, this guide outlines the essential steps to take as you begin revolutionizing your sales process with a CRM. 

Table of Contents

Why is it important to prepare for a new crm.

• Assess your business’s needs
• Establish measurable objectives for your CRM
• Identify key stakeholders

Going through the planning and preparation phase before you launch a new CRM is crucial because it lets you establish expectations and define criteria for a successful implementation before the solution goes live. What your team decides during planning will determine which solution you choose, what you prioritize during the first few weeks of use, and who oversees the project. 

Preparation also allows you to create processes to ensure the rollout goes smoothly. Taking the time to plan the logistics can clear up any confusion or miscommunication and make implementing your software smooth sailing. 

In a nutshell, planning for a new CRM saves you time in choosing a CRM platform, ensures everyone understands their role in the launch, helps you maximize your software once it goes live, and sets your team—and your customers—up for success. 

How to plan for a new CRM

Follow these steps to prepare your organization for a new CRM:

1. Assess your business’s needs

What made your business start considering implementing a CRM in the first place? Do your sales representatives need help managing customer data and nurturing leads into customers? Do you have inefficient sales processes that could benefit from automation?

A deep understanding of the challenges your business faces will guide your decision of which platform to invest in, making analyzing your company’s unique needs an important first step. Before comparing your CRM options and selecting a platform, develop a clear idea of what your business needs from the solution. 

How to determine your business needs

You can use many strategies to evaluate your business’s greatest needs. One step is getting feedback from key members of your sales, marketing, and customer service teams about the challenges each department faces. A CRM should help you run your business more efficiently, so find out where it needs to improve from those who know best. 

Another way to assess your business needs is to evaluate how well your company is meeting its sales goals. Does the sales team struggle to advance leads through the pipeline? One of your business needs might be providing them with more guidance during the sales process.

Uncovering where your business struggles the most will help you identify its greatest needs. Here are a few common business needs that the right CRM can meet: 

• Managing lead and customer data  
• Developing a sales pipeline
• Automating sales tasks like email campaigns
• Generating reports
• Creating tailored marketing campaigns
• Integrating CRM data with other tools

2. Establish measurable objectives for your CRM

Before you can choose the right CRM for your company , you need a vision of what the solution should help you accomplish. Outlining the specific objectives you want to achieve will inform your decision about which platform to select and help you measure its return on investment .

Keep in mind that a CRM is a means to an end, a tool for hitting a larger target. A CRM’s purpose is to help you accomplish your business’s most important sales, marketing, and customer service goals. Those goals should take center stage—then, you can look for features and capabilities that will help you achieve them. 

How to create objectives for your CRM

Your CRM objectives should relate to high-level business goals. What objectives do you have for your company or specific departments that your CRM should help you meet? They may include:

• Increasing lead volume 
• Boosting email campaign interactions 
• Recording communications between your team and leads 
• Tracking sales rep productivity 

It’s important to make these objectives measurable and attainable. Vague, unrealistic goals won’t help you truly assess what your CRM is capable of. Get as specific and relevant as you can, and give your goals a deadline to help with measurement. 

You can then set up key performance indicators (KPIs) to use with your new CRM platform once you’ve implemented it. Once you’ve gathered several months of data about your CRM’s performance, you can generate and analyze reports to track its success. 

3. Identify key stakeholders

The final step in planning and preparing for a new CRM is identifying the key team members who will be a part of the implementation. You might call this your CRM team. Think of it as a group of champions for the new platform—a unit of people who will play critical roles in your selection of a CRM and its launch.

A CRM team is important, especially if your business is large or multiple decision-makers are involved in selecting a CRM. These people will provide the insight you need to decide whether a platform fits your needs and help the rollout process go smoothly.

How to select key stakeholders 

It should be relatively simple to identify who on your team should be involved in the CRM implementation process. 

Here are a few stakeholders you might want to include on your CRM team: 

• Company executives 
• Department leaders 
• IT team members 
• Salespeople
• Data analysts  

Once you identify these key stakeholders, you can assign them roles and responsibilities for the CRM’s implementation. Depending on the size of your organization and the scale of your CRM project, a single person could fill multiple roles. You’ll need individuals in charge of tasks like: 

• Managing the entire CRM implementation project
• Researching CRM options and presenting the findings to other stakeholders
• Training and onboarding users for the CRM
• Cleaning and migrating data into the system
• Deploying the CRM and running performance tests
• Setting up automated workflows in your CRM
• Evaluating the new system’s efficiency over time

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Implementing a CRM can help your sales team strengthen relationships with leads, empower your marketing team to drive engagement with customers, and so much more. And planning for your new CRM by identifying your business needs, creating measurable objectives for the CRM, and selecting a CRM team will help you make the most of those benefits. 

Once you’ve planned for your new CRM, it’s time to find the one that best suits your company and will help you achieve your goals. Introducing Nutshell, the all-in-one CRM that helps sales teams close more deals. Nutshell helps thousands of businesses across industries achieve their sales and marketing goals through a suite of powerful features like sales automation and email marketing .   

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How to create a successful CRM strategy for your business

A solid customer relationship management (CRM) strategy is crucial for any business planning to use a CRM platform.

The two go hand in hand — using the software without the strategy is like steering a ship without a rudder. In effect, a CRM strategy determines how a business uses the CRM software, as well as its people and processes.

In this article, we’ll highlight the benefits of using a CRM strategy and show you how to create a successful one for your business that works in tandem with a robust CRM system.

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What defines a successful CRM strategy?

A CRM strategy is a company-wide plan for your business to enhance customer relationships, grow revenue, and ultimately increase profit using specific actions and technology.

Many people often use the term CRM (customer relationship management) to describe the software used to manage customer relationships. However, CRM also covers the strategy, processes, and people a business uses to engage and convert potential customers while retaining current ones.

The CRM cycle involves several key stages for managing and improving customer relationships across sales, marketing, and customer service activities. These stages typically include:

• Reach: The first step involves generating brand awareness through various marketing channels like social media and paid adverts.
• Acquisition: The next stage involves reaching out to potential customers and acquiring them as leads or prospects.
• Conversion: Once leads are acquired, the focus shifts to converting them into paying customers through targeted sales and marketing efforts.
• Retention: After acquiring customers, the goal is to retain them by providing excellent customer service and maintaining ongoing communication.
• Loyalty: Building customer loyalty is the final stage of the CRM cycle, where you create long-term, loyal customer relationships.

( Image Source )

By understanding and effectively managing these stages, businesses can improve their sales, marketing, and customer service efforts to increase customer satisfaction and company revenue.

Why a CRM system is essential for your business

A CRM system enables you to manage your customers throughout their entire lifecycle so that every team can access the same information.

While implementing a CRM system before creating a CRM strategy is unnecessary, they are interconnected. For example, with a CRM system, you get access to features like:

• Contact management : Get a 360-degree view of your customers with up-to-date contact and account information records. Log activities, send emails, and access all past interactions, deals, and projects associated with an account or contact in one visual format.

• Lead management : Collect and qualify leads from various sources in one central location and use email templates for fast automated email follow-ups.

• Deal management: Check where deals stand with a customized visual pipeline and track all contact interactions in one place.

• Sales forecasting : Keep track of your sales projections and report on forecast vs. actual sales. Drill down forecast by month, sales rep, or any other criteria.

• Performance tracking: Manage your team’s quotas over time and make data-driven decisions with real-time tracking and reports. Gain insights with fully customizable pre-built dashboards.

• Account management : Track the onboarding progress of your clients and manage renewals.

You get all of these features, and more, in monday sales CRM .

What are the benefits of creating a CRM strategy?

A successful CRM strategy will help your business:

• Strengthen collaboration between sales, marketing, and customer service teams.
• Deliver a satisfying customer experience every time.
• Keep track of your leads, prospects, and customers throughout the pipeline.
• Identify the best opportunities for sales teams to target and bring in more revenue.
• Create more targeted and personalized marketing campaigns.
• Gain valuable insights to improve future performance.

What you need before building your CRM strategy

Before building your CRM strategy, there are several steps and considerations to keep in mind. Here are the essential elements you need to address:

• Audit your business: Conduct a SWOT analysis to identify your company’s current strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
• Refine your vision: Develop a clear vision that your teams can collaborate on and execute, such as increasing revenue, improving customer relationships, and enhancing the overall customer experience.
• Audit your customer data: Understand your target customers and their typical journey — such as demographics, touchpoints, and product feedback — and identify areas for improvement in your interactions with them.
• Integrate your systems and data: Ensure all teams can work seamlessly with the same customer information in one centralized system.

How to create your CRM strategy in 10 steps

Now that you know what defines a successful CRM strategy and how it can benefit your business, let’s walk you through how to create one for your organization.

Step 1: Define your CRM strategy goals

First, you need to determine what you want to achieve with your customer relationship management plan. For example, perhaps you want to shorten your sales cycle, increase your customer satisfaction survey scores, or reduce churn. Ensure your CRM strategy goals align with your overall business goals and objectives, and make them SMART:

Once you’ve defined your goals, evaluate whether or not you can realistically achieve those goals with your current resources. For example, do you have enough team members and the right tools, like a CRM system, to accomplish your goals?

Setting your CRM strategy goals keeps you focused on your business and its bottom line.

Step 2: Define your target customer (with buyer personas)

It’s essential to understand who your customers and prospects are so that you can create buyer personas. Understanding exactly who is purchasing from you and why, will help you attract quality leads with the right tactics and messaging and maintain strong customer relationships.

You can combine your existing data with new research to build your ideal customer profile. For example, you could:

• Use website analytics to gather demographic data about visitors.
• Discover their preferred social media networks.
• Interview your sales and customer service teams.
• Interview customers directly or send customer surveys.
• Hold a focus group with customers/clients.

Use our buyer persona template to help you better understand your customers and target market based on demographics, geography, needs, interests, and behavior.

Step 3: Outline your customer journey

Once you’ve defined your target customer, you need to map out their entire journey from the first touchpoints to the closing sale. Analyze their demographic data to find out where they spend their time online. Understanding their online habits can help you identify where and how to connect with them.

 Here are some key questions to ask when mapping the customer journey :

• Which team is interacting with the customer at each stage?
• How can these interactions be improved?
• Is this your target customer’s preferred style of communication?
• Which content does your customer interact with the most or the least?
• What is the customer trying to achieve?
• What challenges does the customer face?

From these answers, double-check that the customer journey relates to your buyer personas.

Step 4: Plan your 360-degree customer experience

The next step in your strategy is ensuring you have the resources and processes to provide a 360-degree customer experience . Check each team’s roles and responsibilities. For example:

• Can your marketing team analyze customer needs and gather information effectively?
• Can your sales team automate any sales processes to increase speed and efficiency?
• Can your customer service team onboard and support customers effectively?

Remember to make your communications relevant and engaging to your customers throughout their lifecycle.

Step 5: Define your KPIs

Having defined your CRM strategy goals in Step 1, you need to give your teams some concrete targets to work towards. Some metrics you may wish to measure include:

• Sales cycle length
• Sales close rate
• Customer satisfaction
• Customer retention
• Customer churn
• Profitability per customer/account

For example, using a SMART goal , you might ask your customer service team to increase customer satisfaction rates by 3% in Q2 . Or, if a CRM strategy goal for the after-sales team is to increase customer retention, an important KPI might be to increase the number of renewal opportunities in the pipeline year-to-date (YTD) compared with the same period last year.

Step 6: Leverage data to improve productivity

A CRM platform lets you consolidate customer data from different departments, such as marketing, sales, and customer service, in a single dashboard. Teams can leverage this data quickly and efficiently to improve their productivity. For example, a single source of truth can prevent sales teams from wasting time asking customers the same questions or handling data twice.

Outline processes in your CRM strategy that facilitate this, including employee education, keeping data error-free, and integrating disparate data.

Step 7: Refine your tone and messaging

Because your CRM strategy applies to the entire customer lifecycle, you must ensure all staff use the same tone and messaging in all your customer-facing content. For example:

• Does your company use a serious, humorous, sarcastic, or optimistic tone of voice?
• Do you use light-hearted abbreviations like “lol” or follow strict grammar rules?

Consider creating brand and style guidelines, so everyone consistently uses the same tone and messaging.

Step 8: Deliver personalized customer experiences

A solid CRM strategy ensures that all your business processes, from marketing and sales to IT, work together systematically. This helps you better understand who your potential customer is and what they need.

There’s a whole raft of statistics to show that customers prefer a personalized experience. For example:

• 80% of consumers are more likely to buy from a company that provides a tailored experience.
• 63% of consumers won’t buy from brands that have poor personalization.
• 42% of customers are frustrated by impersonalized content.

Personalization improves the customer experience and, ultimately, drives revenue and customer loyalty.

Step 9: Reduce costs with automation

With a CRM system, you can save time and money by automating repetitive administrative tasks, such as feeding lead data into your sales pipeline. For example, instead of manually typing in data, you can set up your lead capture forms to automatically sync with your pipeline.

Another benefit of automation is that you can set up email templates correctly formatted with your tone of voice and personalized with the correct contact name to save time and boost sales. Automating your sales processes will free up additional time for your sales reps. They can invest this time nurturing leads and closing more deals, shortening the sales cycle and reducing your costs.

Step 10: Track your CRM performance

Finally, you want to ensure you track your team’s performance to ensure they’re achieving their individual targets and meeting your CRM strategy goals. You can easily track performance with the help of CRM reporting and analytics features that come built-in with most CRM platforms.

Use CRM dashboards to analyze what went well and what didn’t, identify opportunities for improvement, and experiment with new techniques. This will help you learn from mistakes, optimize processes, improve customer experiences, and refine your CRM strategy.

Bonus Step: Make use of AI

AI is now standard in most CRM platforms, so you should consider how to incorporate its features in your CRM strategy. For example, you could use AI in sales to:

• Turn ideas or meeting outcomes into actionable tasks to move deals forward automatically.
• Create different types of emails that hit just the right note every time.
• Craft polished content for every step of the customer lifecycle.
• Summarize call transcripts and meeting notes.
• Build formulas for the most complex pipeline reporting needs using your own words.

This can really take your strategy, and in turn your business, to the next level.

Read also: Generate emails with monday AI email generator

Manage your CRM strategy with monday.com

Although you might be feeling overwhelmed with all these steps, keep in mind that developing a CRM strategy will benefit your business enormously. Whether you’re planning to implement a CRM in your small business or large enterprise, creating a CRM strategy to understand why you’re using it and how it aligns with your overall business strategy, sales goals, and company culture is critical.

And, if you’re looking for a visual, intuitive, and fully customizable CRM platform to manage your leads, prospects, and customers, then monday sales CRM can help you manage your pipeline, automate your sales processes, streamline communication, and gain valuable insights into your entire CRM cycle.

Try monday sales CRM yourself with a 14-day free trial.

Send this article to someone who’d like it.

11 Successful CRM Strategies to Grow Your Business

What is it? A CRM strategy is a business plan to grow sales and improve customer service via marketing campaigns, customer support, and sales teams. Why CRM? Customer relationship Management systems help this strategy by fascilitating the communication with and the service of customers.

A CRM strategy sounds intimidating to many small businesses. Is it about technology or sales? How high-level should it be?

We’ll walk you through the basics to help you start your successful CRM strategy from scratch.

What was once the traditional buyer-seller model has shifted to customer-centric. Customer relationships today require more maintenance, which is why businesses now have entire CRM strategies dedicated to managing them.

Consumers have higher expectations when it comes to customer service. If you can’t give them what they need, they’ll look somewhere else.

When we hear the words ‘CRM strategy’, we’re inclined to think about CRM software or CRM technology. But software is only one piece of a much larger puzzle.

The best strategic customer relationship management incorporates both people and software. It needs:

• CRM database (with contact information)
• Management tools
• Marketing efforts

What are the benefits of a CRM strategy for my business?

There are a number of reasons why your business needs a CRM marketing strategy.

A successful CRM strategy will help you:

• Provide an enjoyable customer experience at all touchpoints of the customer journey, leading to customer loyalty
• Strengthen collaboration between sales, marketing, and customer service teams
• Clearly and quickly identify the most worthwhile leads and opportunities, and move them down the sales pipeline with the help of marketing automation
• Keep track of your leads and customers as they move through the sales funnel
• Segment contacts into effective target audiences
• Run targeted marketing campaigns 
• Provide data insights for sales forecasting and inform your future business strategies

Read more: 8 Key CRM Benefits for Small Businesses

11  successful CRM strategies  

Our top CRM strategies to follow to drive sales and improve performance.

1. Define your CRM strategy vision and goals

The first thing to do before creating a CRM strategy is to revisit your overall business strategy and high-level business goals.  

Create a vision of what you want to achieve from the CRM strategy. That way it has a clear purpose from the very beginning. 

Think about how you want to contribute to the success of your business.

Increased customer satisfaction, higher productivity and efficiency, and decreasing customer churn rates are all examples of common CRM strategy goals.

Remember, your CRM strategy is not an end in itself. It exists to drive business goals. So you need to integrate it into the overall strategy of the business.

2. Define your target customer with buyer personas

Create a buyer persona that represents your ideal customer based on market research and the marketing team’s collective insights. Make it as detailed as possible. Include customer information such as demographic and behavioral characteristics, as well as interests, challenges, and aspirations.

Here are some research methods you can use:

• Interview your sales and customer service teams 
• Study different customer profiles and even interview customers directly
• Send customer surveys
• Hold a focus group with customers/clients
• Use Google Analytics to gather demographic data about website visitors

To maintain strong customer relationships and attract quality leads, you need to understand exactly who is purchasing from you and why .

Having a clearly defined buyer profile is essential to becoming a customer-centric business. It’s key to ensuring your teams are focused on the true needs and expectations of your customers.

That’s not the only benefit. Knowing exactly who to target will also ensure your sales and marketing don’t waste time on unsuitable leads.

3. Study the market and decide your positioning

It’s always a good idea to look to the competitive landscape for inspiration when developing CRM strategies.

Ask yourself:

• Where does your company fit into the market?
• What is your unique selling proposition (i.e. what makes you different from others in your space?)
• How do your competitors differentiate themselves?
• What opportunities exist?
• Can you learn anything about how your competitors handle customer relationships?
• What are the trends in your industry right now?

4. Define your customer journey

Customer journey example from GCH Hotel Group ( source )

To master customer relationship management, you need to know each and every step of the customer journey. Then you need to ensure a top-notch customer experience at each of those touchpoints.

Start at the beginning.

Map every single customer interaction from the moment they first discover you. It might be through social media posts, email marketing , direct contact with team members, or other processes.

This is where you’ll highlight areas for improvement and establish who is responsible for what.

When mapping each stage of the buyer journey, ask yourself:

• Which team/process is interacting with the customer at that moment?
• How can these interactions be improved?
• Look at the buyer personas developed in Step 2. Based on what you know about your customer, is this his or her preferred means of communication? Could there be a more effective way to get your message across?
• What’s the customer trying to achieve?
• What challenges does the customer face? How can you offer better support?
• What content is the customer coming into contact with?

5. Plan how to provide a 360° customer experience

Your CRM strategy planning so far should have highlighted the areas that need improvement.

Now you’re going to look at the structure of your internal processes. Do you have the resources in place to provide a 360-degree customer experience?

Do an audit of roles and responsibilities to check all the necessary bases are being covered.

Here are examples of areas to optimize processes:

• Presales: How are you doing when it comes to analyzing customer needs, gathering information, and putting together business cases?
• Sales processes: What sales tasks can be automated to increase efficiency?
• Customer relationship management: Are your offers tailored to your customers’ needs? Are your communications personalized and relevant?
• After-sales: Have you got the necessary support systems in place to resolve customer problems quickly? What feedback do you receive on the quality of your customer service? Do you need to be able to follow up with customers regularly?

In short, ask yourself ‘How can I do it better?’ and then make the necessary changes within your organization.

Further reading: 11 Customer Experience Trends for 2024

6. Automate the customer journey

When you have a general idea of your touchpoints, streamline that customer experience with automation workflows. Use automation to stay in touch with leads and send them information, tips, offers, retargeted ads and more.

For example:

• Set up a welcome email and onboarding series to get leads familiar with your brand or service. 
• Funnel contacts into workflows for special offers and discounts.
• Use cross-selling workflows to recommend new products.
• Launch retargeting Facebook ads to recapture prospects that didn’t bite.
• Send push notifications when a contact’s favorite item is on sale.

With marketing automation , you can target specific steps in the customer journey to bring leads through your sales pipeline.

7. Know your product or service

Take the time to revise and develop your product/service narrative and elaborate your value proposition.

What are the messages you want to transmit? What benefits do you want to highlight? Why should a customer choose you over your competitors?

Communicate this narrative internally and implement employee training where necessary. Everyone needs to be on the same page, relaying the same message.

This is also a good opportunity to define your brand tone of voice and put in place best practice guidelines for communicating with customers.

8. Implement CRM software

A CRM system streamlines collaboration between teams, stores, gathers, and refines customer data, and tracks all interactions between you and your customers.

CRM solutions simplify contact management and are essential for understanding and catering to your customers.

It’s impossible to drive your CRM strategy forward without CRM software for your business.

A CRM solution streamlines contact management

To choose a CRM platform, evaluate your existing business processes and get input from your various teams. The main factors to be considered are price, capabilities, and ease of use . It’s important to choose a CRM tool that integrates with the other marketing tools you use.

The Brevo CRM Suite, for example, has a Sales Platform fully integrated with the other marketing channels offered. Manage deals in the pipeline and assign tasks to your salesforce for an effective workflow.

If you already use Brevo for marketing, communication history will appear in each contact profile along with engagement metrics. You can set task reminders and send emails directly from the contact profile page.

With the Meetings feature, you can also create custom booking landing pages and schedule demos, consultation sessions, and other meetings directly with potential customers.

Define best practices to support your CRM strategy using the tools in your software. When and how will your teams use this software? How will you use it to create an engaging experience for your customer base?

Then, set up what counts as a lead, a prospect, or opportunity according to your CRM strategy. Remember to clean your contact list before importing it to start off with an organized and up-to-date database.

9. Set Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

All strategic actions need to be backed up by figures and data – and your CRM strategy is no exception. You need to be able to measure its progress.

You outlined your CRM strategy goals. Now, you’re going to give your sales team some concrete targets to work towards. 

Remember to set smart goals for your marketing and sales teams. S.M.A.R.T stands for S pecific, M easurable, A chievable, R ealistic, and T ime-bound.

Examples of performance metrics you may wish to include are:

• Customer satisfaction
• Customer retention
• Customer churn (when a customer leaves the company)
• Profits (overall total, totals per customer/account)
• Sales cycle length

Some goals might be increasing your SMS contact list by 30% this year or improving customer satisfaction rates for better long-term retention.

Real company, real success: Fashion retail company Videdressing needed to improve email engagement with customers. Videdressing signed up with Brevo and increased click rates by 15% using data from the CRM to personalize its email campaigns. Read the whole story here

The success of your CRM strategy depends on the levels of engagement and collaboration of your teams and the capabilities of your strategic CRM.

Get your employees on board from the beginning. Keep them informed, educated, and up to date on all aspects of your CRM strategy.

10. Segment and personalize with CRM data

With CRM software in place, you have the tools to build rich customer insights right on your computer. Your CRM can segment customers into groups who share common characteristics. 

Group contacts based on how often they buy, what stage in the customer journey they are, or even based on their purchase history.

Then, create targeted and personalized content for these contact groups. 

• Send activity-based messages like 1-year anniversaries like Spotify’s Wrapped (year in review) campaign. 
• Personalize campaigns for frequent shoppers or loyal customers. 
• Send back to school discounts for young adults.
• Promote city party essentials for contacts in urban locations.

You can personalize content for any audience group you like and reap the benefits. 

Further reading: The Best Customer Segmentation Examples for Digital Marketing

11. Keep improving with reports and analytics

The journey doesn’t end with making a sale. Track your performance and continue improving your sales cycle and marketing efforts. 

Whether it’s tracking revenue, sales cycle length, or finding where you lost customers, CRM reports simplify analysis. 

Knowing how your campaigns perform with concerete analytics will help you see what’s working and what needs to be worked on. 

In Brevo, for example, you can get reports for your sales and marketing campaigns. For sales, see revenue, win rate, reasons for losses or wins, and other key metrics. Marketing campaigns give you insight into conversions, open, bounce, unsubscribe rates, and more. 

Brevo conversion rate sales report

Brevo win/loss sales report

Reports take the guesswork out of improving CRM strategies. The result is efficient problem-solving and more time for your team to spend where it counts most.

Launch your CRM strategy today

A well-thought-out CRM strategy will do wonders for your customer retention and sales.

Follow the 11 CRM strategies above and you’ll be well on your way to customer relationship management success! The best CRM is the one that fits your business needs and budget.

Brevo offers all the sales tools you need to drive revenue and deliver seamless customer experiences. Track deals, book meetings, make phone calls, and collect payments — manage the entire sales cycle and all your contact data in one place with Brevo.

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How to Write a Customer Relationship Management Plan

Last Updated: December 22, 2023

This article was co-authored by Michael R. Lewis . Michael R. Lewis is a retired corporate executive, entrepreneur, and investment advisor in Texas. He has over 40 years of experience in business and finance, including as a Vice President for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas. He has a BBA in Industrial Management from the University of Texas at Austin. This article has been viewed 90,648 times.

A customer relationship management (CRM) plan is a key component of running your business, as it describes how employees should deal with customers and provides a strategy for developing customer relationships. When writing a customer relationship management plan, it's important to define employee conduct and methods of handling customer inquiries or complaints in a manner that is easy to understand. The CRM plan also considers ways to foster a stronger, profitable relationship with a customer, not only dealing with him when problems or questions arise. Additionally, allowing room for improvements and adaptations as a result of periodic assessments will result in a more effective customer relationship management plan. The following steps will show you how to write a customer relationship management plan.

Reconciling Customer and Company Needs

• For example, if your goal is to increase repeat sales, you will need to focus more heavily on contacting and working with previous customers.

• Most of this information should be available in the marketing/sales plan if it has been developed.

Gathering Information

• Typically, the departments that interact directly with customers need guidelines on how to conduct themselves to best represent your company, as well as how to effectively handle inquiries they cannot resolve themselves. Depending on the type of company, this can pertain to departments such as sales, customer service, or repairs.
• Additionally, many companies send out email updates and newsletters to communicate new developments to customers.

• For indirect information gathering, look through your own records to figure out details like who your largest and profitable customers are, how often customers return after their first purchase, and which customers give you the most trouble (complaints, late payments, etc.).
• This information is easier to analyze if you have software for this purpose. CRM software packages may offer these tools.
• Identify your most valuable customers, which are usually customers purchasing profitable items or those who return often. Even though it may seem unfair, you need to incorporate in your plan a way to prioritize service to these customers.
• Use this information to identify the processes causing the most complaints. These could include missing prices, an inconvenient return policy, long checkout times, or late deliveries.
• You should also look for a way to cut off any customers that are more trouble than they're worth (excess complaints, unprofitable purchases, etc.). [1] X Research source

• Ask employees for any requests they may have gotten from customers for additional services or products that the business does not currently offer. Ask them for any ideas they may have for additional offerings based on their experience with customers. [2] X Research source

• You can also work to triumph over your competitors by identifying another way to provide greater value to your customers. This can be in customer service, as described, or in things like unique product offerings or comprehensive service packages. [3] X Research source
• Describe your findings in writing so you can refer to them as necessary.

Writing Your CRM Plan

• Evaluate your plans for additional offerings for risk and cost. Use this information to determine whether or not they are worth following. [5] X Research source

• Clarify who will be responsible for developing these relationships in your plan (which department, employee(s), etc.). [6] X Research source

• Depending on your business, you should think of aspects such as the maximum amount of time a customer should have to wait, how long it will take to handle complaints, and who will be responsible for gathering customer feedback. To explain this process, you might create create flow charts that you can use to instruct employees.
• Examine which methods are conducive for customer relations. For example, many companies use both telephone and email for inquiries and complaints, while others employ surveys to improve customer service, and yet others utilize all forms of social media to keep customers abreast of company news.
• Implement customer feedback when creating a customer communications policy.

Improving Your CRM Plan

• 4 Reward employees who stick to your CRM. Offer some positive reinforcement, such as a pay raise or a monthly lunch celebration, for employees who are working hard to implement the CRM. These kind of incentives will encourage other employees to do the same, in addition to raising morale.

• You may be able to get a full-service CRM package from one provider. However, you can also compile a CRM suite from different providers. Which you choose will depend on how much time and effort you want to spent on implementing the system.

Expert Q&A

You might also like.

• ↑ https://www.salesforce.com/crm/strategy/
• ↑ http://www.projectmanagementdocs.com/project-planning-templates/relationship-management-plan.html#axzz4CpKy6z8k

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How to Build a Detailed Business Plan That Stands Out [Free Template]

Updated: March 29, 2022

Published: March 11, 2022

While starting a company may seem easier now than ever before, entrepreneurs have an uphill battle from the moment they start a business. And without a clear, actionable business plan for selling, marketing, finances, and operations, you're almost destined to face significant challenges.

This is why crafting a business plan is an essential step in the entrepreneurial process.

In this post, we'll walk you through the process of filling out your business plan template, like this free, editable version :

Download a free, editable one-page business plan template.

We know that when looking at a blank page on a laptop screen, the idea of writing your business plan can seem impossible. However, it's a mandatory step to take if you want to turn your business dreams into a reality.

That's why we've crafted a business plan template for you to download and use to build your new company. You can download it here for free . It contains prompts for all of the essential parts of a business plan, all of which are elaborated on, below.

This way, you'll be able to show them how organized and well-thought-out your business idea is, and provide them with answers to whatever questions they may have.

Free Business Plan Template

The essential document for starting a business -- custom built for your needs.

• Outline your idea.
• Pitch to investors.
• Secure funding.
• Get to work!

You're all set!

Click this link to access this resource at any time.

Building a Successful Business Plan

In the next section, we'll cover the components of a business plan , such as an executive summary and company description. But before we get to that, let's talk about key elements that should serve as building blocks for your plan.

For some entrepreneurs, the thought of writing a business plan sounds like a chore — a necessary means to an end. But that's a bad take.

A solid business plan is a blueprint for success . It's key to securing financing, presenting your business, outlining your financial projections, and turning that nugget of a business idea into a reality.

At the core, your business plan should answer two questions: why your business and why now?

Investors want to know why your business is entering the market, i.e. what problem it's solving and how it's different from what's currently out there. They also want to know why now is the right time for your type of product or service.

At a minimum, your plan should:

• Be more realistic than idealistic: Too often, business plans focus too much on how things could be instead of how they are. While having a vision is important, your plan needs to be rooted in research and data.
• Legitimize your business idea : If an idea fails on paper, it's a signal to go back to the drawing board. In doing so, you avoid losing precious time or money chasing an unrealistic idea.
• Position your business for funding: To get your business off the ground, chances are you'll need financial backing. Even with a solid business idea, investors, lenders, and banks still need convincing. An effective business plan will outline how much money you need, where it's going, what targets you will hit, and how you plan to repay any debts.
• Lay the foundation: Investors focus on risk – if anything looks shaky, it could be a dealbreaker. Ideally, your business plan will lay down the foundation for how you'll operate your business — from operational needs to financial projections and goals.
• Communicate your needs: It's nearly impossible to communicate your needs if you don't know what they are first. Of course, a business’ needs are always changing — but your plan should give you a well-rounded view of how your business will work in the short and long term.

So back to the question of why and why now – consider three things:

• Your industry – How does your product or service fit within your industry? Are you targeting a specific niche? Where do you see the industry going in the next five to 10 years?
• Your target audience – Who are you targeting? What challenges are they facing? How will your product or service help them in their daily lives?
• Your unique selling proposition (USP) – What sets you apart from your competitors? Is it your product/service features? Your company values? Price?

Once you know the answers to these questions, you'll be equipped to answer the question: why your business and why now.

How to Build a Business Plan

• Executive Summary
• Company and Business Description
• Product and Services Line
• Market Analysis
• Marketing Plan
• Legal Notes
• Financial Considerations

Featured Resource: Free Business Plan Template

1. cover page.

Your business plan should be prefaced with an eye-catching cover page. This means including a high-resolution image of your company logo, followed by your company's name, address, and phone number.

Since this business plan will likely change hands and be seen by multiple investors, you should also provide your own name, role in the business, and email address on the cover page.

At the bottom of this page, you can also add a confidentiality statement to protect against the disclosure of your business details.

The statement can read as follows: " This document contains confidential and proprietary information created by [your company name]. When receiving this document, you agree to keep its content confidential and may only reproduce and/or share it with express written permission of [your company name] ."

Remember to keep your cover page simple and concise — and save the important details for other sections.

Why it matters: First impressions are everything, and a clean cover page is the first step in the right direction.

Example of a Cover Page

2. Executive Summary

The executive summary of your business plan provides a one- to two-page overview of your business and highlights the most crucial pieces of your plan, such as your short-term and long-term goals.

The executive summary is essentially a boiled-down version of your entire business plan, so remember to keep this section to the point and filled only with essential information.

Typically, this brief section includes:

• A mission statement.
• The company's history and leadership model.
• An overview of competitive advantage(s).
• Financial projections.
• Company goals.
• An ask from potential investors.

Why it matters: The executive summary is known as the make-or-break section of a business plan. It influences whether investors turn the page or not — so effectively summarizing your business and the problem it hopes to solve is a must.

Think of the Summary as a written elevator pitch (with more detail). While your business plan provides the nitty-gritty details, your Summary describes — in a compelling but matter-of-fact language — the highlights of your plan. If it's too vague, complicated, or fuzzy, you may need to scrap it and start again.

Example of an Executive Summary Introduction

"The future looks bright for North Side Chicago, particularly the Rock Hill Neighborhood. A number of high-end commercial and residential developments are well on their way, along with two new condo developments in nearby neighborhoods.

While the completion of these developments will increase the population within the neighborhood and stimulate the economy, the area lacks an upscale restaurant where residents and visitors can enjoy fine food and drink. Jay Street Lounge and Restaurant will provide such a place."

3. Company & Business Description

In this section, provide a more thorough description of what your company is and why it exists.

The bulk of the writing in this section should be about your company's purpose – covering what the business will be selling, identifying the target market, and laying out a path to success.

In this portion of your business plan, you can also elaborate on your company's:

• Mission statement
• Core values
• Team and organizational structure

Why it matters: Investors look for great structures and teams in addition to great ideas. This section gives an overview of your businesses' ethos. It's the perfect opportunity to set your business apart from the competition — such as your team's expertise, your unique work culture, and your competitive advantage.

Example of a Values/Mission Statement

"Jay Street Lounge and Restaurant will be the go-to place for people to get a drink or bite in an elegant, upscale atmosphere. The mission is to be North Side's leading restaurant, with the best tasting food and the highest quality service."

3. Product & Services Line

Here's where you'll cover the makeup of your business's product and/or services line. You should provide each product or service's name, its purpose, and a description of how it works (if appropriate). If you own any patents, copyrights, or trademarks, it's essential to include this info too.

Next, add some color to your sales strategy by outlining your pricing model and mark-up amounts.

If you're selling tangible products, you should also explain production and costs, and how you expect these factors to change as you scale.

Why it matters: This section contains the real meat of your business plan. It sets the stage for the problem you hope to solve, your solution, and how your said solution fits in the market.

There's no one-size-fits-all formula for this section. For instance, one plan may delve into its ability to market in a more cost-effective way than the competition, whereas another plan focuses on its key products and their unique features and benefits.

Regardless of your angle, it's critical to convey how your offerings will differ from the competition.

Example of a Product/Service Offering

"The menu at Jay Street Lounge and Restaurant will focus on Moroccan cuisine. The stars of the menu (our specialties) are the Moroccan dishes, such as eggplant zaalouk, seafood bastilla, tagine, and chickpea stew. For those who enjoy American dishes, there will also be a variety of options, from burger sliders and flatbread pizza to grilled steak and salads.

The food at Jay Street will have premium pricing to match its upscale atmosphere. During the summer months, the restaurant will have extra seating on the patio where clients can enjoy a special summer menu. We will be open on all days of the week."

4. Market Analysis

It helps to reference your market research documentation in this section, like a Porter's Five Forces Analysis or a SWOT Analysis ( templates for those are available here ). You can also include them in your appendix.

If your company already has buyer personas, you should include them here as well. If not, you can create them right now using the Make My Persona Tool .

Why it matters: Having an awesome product is, well, awesome — but it isn't enough. Just as important, there must be a market for it.

This section allows you to dig deeper into your market, which segments you want to target, and why. The "why" here is important, since targeting the right segment is critical for the success and growth of your business.

It's easy to get lost (or overwhelmed) in a sea of endless data. For your business plan, narrow your focus by answering the following questions:

• What is my market? In other words, who are my customers?
• What segments of the market do I want to target?
• What's the size of my target market?
• Is my market likely to grow?
• How can I increase my market share over time?

Example of a Market Analysis

"Jay Street Lounge and Restaurant will target locals who live and work within the Rock Hill Neighborhood and the greater North Side Chicago area. We will also target the tourists who flock to the many tourist attractions and colleges on the North Side.

We will specifically focus on young to middle-aged adults with an income of $40,000 to $80,000 who are looking for an upscale experience. The general demographics of our target market are women between 20 to 50 years old.

A unique and varied Moroccan-American menu, along with our unique upscale atmosphere, differentiates us from competitors in the area. Jay Street will also set itself apart through its commitment to high-quality food, service, design, and atmosphere."

5. Marketing Plan

Unlike the market analysis section, your marketing plan section should be an explanation of the tactical approach to reaching your aforementioned target audience. List your advertising channels, organic marketing methods, messaging, budget, and any relevant promotional tactics.

If your company has a fully fleshed-out marketing plan, you can attach it in the appendix of your business plan. If not, download this free marketing plan template to outline your strategy.

Free Marketing Plan Template

Outline your company's marketing strategy in one simple, coherent plan.

• Pre-Sectioned Template
• Completely Customizable
• Example Prompts
• Professionally Designed

Why it matters: Marketing is what puts your product in front of your customers. It's not just advertising — it's an investment in your business.

Throwing money into random marketing channels is a haphazard approach, which is why it's essential to do the legwork to create a solid marketing plan.

Here's some good news — by this point, you should have a solid understanding of your target market. Now, it's time to determine how you'll reach them.

Example of a Marketing Plan Overview

"Our marketing strategy will focus on three main initiatives:

• Social media marketing. We will grow and expand our Facebook and Instagram following through targeted social media ads.
• Website initiatives. Our website will attract potential visitors by offering updated menus and a calendar of events.
• Promotional events. Jay Street will have one special theme night per week to attract new clients."

6. Sales Plan

It doesn't matter if your sales department is an office full of business development representatives (BDR) or a dozen stores with your products on their shelves.

The point is: All sales plans are different, so you should clearly outline yours here. Common talking points include your:

• Sales team structure, and why this structure was chosen.
• Sales channels.
• Sales tools, software, and resources.
• Prospecting strategy.
• Sales goals and budget.

Like with your marketing plan, it might make sense to attach your completed sales plan to the appendix of your business plan. You can download a template for building your sales plan here .

Why it matters: Among other things, investors are interested in the scalability of your business — which is why growth strategies are a critical part of your business plan.

Your sales plan should describe your plan to attract customers, retain them (if applicable), and, ultimately, grow your business. Be sure to outline what you plan to do given your existing resources and what results you expect from your work.

Example of a Sales Plan Overview

"The most important goal is to ensure financial success for Jay Street Lounge and Restaurant. We believe we can achieve this by offering excellent food, entertainment, and service to our clients.

We are not a low-cost dining option in the area. Instead, the food will have premium pricing to match its upscale feel. The strategy is to give Jay Street a perception of elegance through its food, entertainment, and excellent service."

7. Legal Notes

Your investors may want to know the legal structure of your business, as that could directly impact the risk of their investments. For example, if you're looking for business partners to engage in a non-corporation or LLC partnership, this means they could be on the line for more than their actual investment.

Because this clarification is often needed, explain if you are and/or plan to become a sole proprietor, partnership, corporation, LLC, or other.

You should also outline the steps you have taken (or will need to take) to operate legally. This includes licenses, permits, registrations, and insurance.

The last thing your investor wants to hear after they've sent you a big chunk of change is that you're operating without proper approval from the local, state, or federal government.

Why it matters: The last thing your investor wants to hear after they've sent you a big chunk of change is that you're operating without proper approval from the local, state, or federal government.

Example of Legal Notes

"Jay Street Lounge and Restaurant is up-to-date on all restaurant licenses and health permits. Our business name and logo are registered trademarks, presenting the possibility of expanding locally."

8. Financial Considerations

Ultimately, investors want to know two things:

• When they will earn their money back.
• When they will start seeing returns on their initial investment.

That said, be clear, calculated, and convincing in this section. It should cover:

• Startup costs.
• Sales forecasts for the next several months/quarters.
• Break-even analysis for time and dollars.
• Projected profit and loss (P&L) statement.

Facts and figures are key here, so be as specific as possible with each line item and projection. In addition, explain the "why" behind each of these sections.

However, keep in mind that information overload is a risk, especially when it comes to data. So, if you have pages upon pages of charts and spreadsheets for this section, distill them into a page or two and include the rest of the sheets in the appendix. This section should only focus on key data points.

Why it matters: One of the most important aspects of becoming "investor ready" is knowing your numbers. More importantly, you need to understand how those numbers will enhance your business.

While it's easy to write a number down on paper, it's more important to understand (and communicate) why you need capital, where it's going, and that your evaluation makes sense.

Example of Financial Projections

"Based on our knowledge and experience in the restaurant industry, we have come up with projections for the business.

Starting with an expenditure of $400,000 in year 1, we forecast sales of $1,500,000 and $2,800,000 for years two and three. We expect to achieve a net profit of 15% by year three."

9. Appendix

A detailed and well-developed business plan can range anywhere from 20 to 50 pages, with some even reaching upward of 80.

In many cases, the appendix is the longest section. Why? Because it includes the supportive materials mentioned in previous sections. To avoid disrupting the flow of the business plan with visuals, charts, and spreadsheets, business owners usually add them in the last section, i.e. the appendix.

Aside from what we've already mentioned – marketing plan, sales plan, department budgets, financial documents – you may also want to attach the following in the appendix:

• Marketing materials
• Market research data
• Licensing documentation
• Branding assets
• Floor plans for your location
• Mockups of your product
• Renderings of your office space or location design

Adding these pieces to the appendix enriches the reader's understanding of your business and proves you've put the work into your business plan without distracting from the main points throughout the plan.

Why it matters: An appendix helps the reader do their due diligence. It contains everything they need to support your business plan.

Keep in mind, however, that an appendix is typically necessary only if you're seeking financing or looking to attract business partners.

Use a Business Plan Template to Get Started

Writing a business plan shouldn't be an insurmountable roadblock to starting a business. Unfortunately, for all too many, it is.

That's why we recommend using our free business plan template. Pre-filled with detailed section prompts for all of the topics in this blog post, we're confident this template will get your business plan started in the right direction.

Editor's note: This post was originally published in June 2017 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

Don't forget to share this post!

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2 Essential Templates For Starting Your Business

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CRM implementation: The only guide you’ll ever need

Your CRM is the hub of activity, the place where information about prospects and customers is gathered and stored, the main tool for your sales team.

If it’s not helping your team accomplish their goals, close more deals, and develop stronger customer relationships, it’s time to make a change.

But CRM implementation is a big move. How do you know your team will like the new CRM? How can you choose a CRM that fits your business and your sales process? How can you overcome challenges and get your team up and running on a new CRM ?

Don’t sweat it: we’re about to take you through the whole process for CRM implementation, from deciding on a new CRM to getting your data migrated, to proving the success of your choice.

Before we dive in, let’s talk about:

What is CRM implementation?

7 benefits of crm implementation, customer relationship management: going from strategy to implementation.

• CRM implementation challenges, failures, and risks to account for

CRM implementation is the process of choosing, purchasing, setting up, and using a new CRM system. The process begins when you start actively searching for a new CRM, goes through the decision and purchase process, and finishes when you’ve successfully migrated your data and have your whole team using the new CRM.

That CRM your team is currently using is only slowing them down. No one is updating their information or adding important deal details, and you’re never quite sure exactly what’s going on in your team’s sales pipeline .

This is the beginning of your CRM implementation project—acknowledging there’s a problem and getting ready to solve it.

After you’ve decided on a new CRM software, you’ll need to get it ready for your team to use. That includes setting up customizations, third-party integrations, and automations. Finally, you’ll migrate your data from the old system into the new one, and set up your users.

That’s the meaning of CRM implementation (in a nutshell).

Are you starting to wonder if your implementation project is worth the work it’ll take?

Trust us: the right CRM is worth its weight in gold.

Whether you’re moving into a real CRM software from a messy Excel spreadsheet CRM , or switching to a system that fits your team and sales process better, here are the top 7 CRM implementation benefits you’ll see once you finish:

• Collect and retain better customer information: When all your data is stored in the same place, it’ll be easier to access for the whole team, giving everyone the right insights into buyer behaviors and customer needs.
• Get a better view of your sales pipeline: Ever wonder how much work your reps have on their plate, or where exactly each deal stands? Switching to a CRM system with a built-in pipeline view gives you a visual take on your whole team’s situation and workload.
• Effectively automate repetitive tasks: Most modern CRMs include built-in automations that allow your team to focus on what they do best: selling.
• Improve key sales metrics like CAC and sales cycle length: When your CRM helps reps work more productively, you’ll see shorter sales cycles , lower customer acquisition costs, and (of course) increased revenue.
• Build better relationships with customers: Improved customer data equals deeper relationships with your customers. When your CRM works right, you’ll be able to dazzle your prospects and customers (plus increase retention rates and LTV).
• Improve your forecasting skills: Forecasting for future sales is all about knowing what’s going on right now with your team. Switching to a CRM with updated reporting helps you see what’s happening now and more accurately plan what will happen in the next month or quarter.
• Help your team collaborate better: Visibility is key to collaboration, especially if you’re managing a remote sales team . Implementing a CRM that keeps data visible and highlights features for collaboration will help your reps work better as a team.

So, what exactly does implementing a new CRM involve? Here’s a preview of the strategy you can use to implement a new CRM system for your team:

• Make use of support and customer success resources: Whatever CRM you're switching too, they probably offer some kind of support. Find a POC and ask them how they can assist you with implementing their CRM effectively.
• Clean up your sales data and process: A new CRM is useless if your data and process aren’t updated and ready for your team to use. Spend a few hours cleaning up your data early on, and you could save weeks in the CRM implementation process down the road.
• Set up team training on the new system: Training your team is essential to their success. Take advantage of any training from the company itself, or find tutorials from current users online.
• Start migrating your data: Start small to see how the migration process works.
• Set up customizations and integrations: Build your sales pipeline, email templates , lead lists, and third-party integrations to get the most out of the new system.
• Test the new system with your team: Working together to test and play with the new system will get your team excited about a new tool.
• Finish the import: When everything is set up and ready to go, it’s time to migrate the rest of your data and delete the old system.
• Track and report on your results: Success metrics could include increased outreach rates, a shorter sales cycle, more opportunities created, and higher conversion and close rates.

Pro tip: Want a more detailed look at a CRM implementation strategy you can use to cross the finish line? Jump ahead to Chapter 2 of this guide .

Crm implementation challenges, failure, and risks to account for.

As with any big software purchase, there are challenges and risks involved with your CRM implementation. Being aware of these risks and preparing for them in advance can help you smooth out the process:

• Going over budget: Budget is a big deal when you’re getting approvals for a software purchase. Some CRMs will hide big data migration fees,onboarding costs, or charges for exceeding usage limits meaning your budget is larger at the end than you expected.

Pro tip: Don’t get burned by hidden migration fees. Talk to the friendly sales team at Close about how we can help you migrate your data with a transparent pricing structure.

• Going beyond your timeline: Timing your implementation correctly is important since you don’t want to get stuck paying for two CRM systems during a slow migration.
• Getting stuck with a steep learning curve: If your new CRM is complicated to learn and use, you could face much lower productivity across the sales team until they’re onboarded and updated on the new system.
• Low adoption rates: Another risk if you choose a CRM that’s too complex—your reps won’t want to use it.
• Inability to scale over time: The right CRM scales with your business as you grow. But the wrong CRM can stagnate growth with extra costs for the features you need.
• Missing out on essential features and integrations down the road: If your new CRM isn’t constantly being upgraded and improved, it will quickly fall behind the times and become more of a burden for your team.

Curious how you can prep for these common CRM implementation challenges? Jump ahead to Chapter 5 .

Start your CRM implementation off with a good plan

When you set clear goals, prepare for the risks, and build a solid plan, you’ll set yourself up for success.

Ready to build your own CRM implementation plan from start to finish? Jump to the first chapter of the CRM Implementation Guide →

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