CRM Success by the Numbers… It’s As Easy as 1, 2, 3
When people who are tasked with responsibilities for CRM systems are asked to define success, many words come to mind – words like challenging, demanding, difficult, stressful, time-consuming… painful, impossible, unattainable… changing jobs, retiring, quitting, outa here… It can be enough to have you contemplating the view from the ledge in your office.
Come down off that ledge. It’ll be ok. Realistically, CRM success doesn’t have to evoke feelings of pain or frustration. Instead the thought of CRM success can actually bring you a sense of inner calm and peace – even feeling of achievement or accomplishment. How is this possible,
Your CRM Journey – Part 7: Rest Stops
Sometimes, when you are trying diligently to get to your ultimate CRM destination, the temptation can be to really ‘put the pedal to the metal’ and try to get there as quickly as possible. The problem is that when you speed through your CRM rollout, you may end up running out of gas before you get where you want to go– or you may find your team’s motivation levels ‘on empty.’
So slow down there, lead foot. CRM isn’t a race. It’s not about getting to the finish line as quickly as possible – especially since the journey is never really finished.
Your CRM Journey – Part 7: Points of Interest
While focusing on your ultimate CRM destination is, of course, important, it can also be beneficial to check out the scenery along the way. In your CRM planning, recognize that you need to take a little time to smell the CRM ‘roses’ and relish your successes to ensure the journey is sweet.
Mark the Milestones in Your CRM Planning
There are a lot of points of interest that can be…well, interesting. You may even want to plan in advance what sights you want to see. Think about what made you want to embark on the CRM journey in the first place.
Your CRM Journey – Part 6: Your Compass
Sometimes when you are on your CRM journey, you may get turned around. You may even feel like you have lost sight of your destination. It can seem as though you’ve passed the same landmarks over and over again without making any real progress. You may even get so dizzy or disoriented that you don’t know which way to go next.
At times like these, one of the things that can really help you stay on the right path is a good compass. By this I mean someone who you can turn to for guidance along the way.
CRM Success by the Numbers – Part 8: Golden Years
As your CRM implementation ‘grows up,’ there are a whole lot more numbers or CRM metrics that become important. You have to keep your system healthy as it becomes more ‘mature. You certainly don’t want your CRM getting ‘age spots’… or losing its ‘vision.’
As your implementation reaches a ripe old age, which can be as early as 3 to 5 years after the rollout (CRM ‘years’ are a bit like ‘dog’ years that way) you have to make sure it gets a regular physical to keep it in shape and make sure it doesn’t lose its ‘muscle.’ You should run all the necessary tests to make sure it is still providing the firm and attorneys with value and ROI.
CRM Success by the Numbers – Part 7: Too Many Numbers – or Balls – in the Air
The CRM success goals you set should be measurable, achievable and agreed upon by the firm’s key CRM stakeholders. They should also be relevant. In a law firm, that means saving time, solving problems or, best of all, increasing revenue. Most importantly, they should be limited in number. If you try to keep too many CRM success “balls” in the air, you will often end up dropping them all.
Here are some relevant goals that I’ve seen firms set – and achieve:
- Clean up just one list for an upcoming mailing or event – and then another – and another
- Categorize a group of contacts such as competitors or vendors to avoid inadvertently inviting them to the next event Get one business development focused Practice Group to enter their reimbursable BD activities with prospects
- Print reports of marketing activities with top Clients to share at the monthly client team meeting
- Input industry information or codes for the firm’s top 100 (or 200 or 500) clients so that lists can be generated for industry-focused publications or events
- Build an expert witness database for the litigation group
- Create some specialized fields for firm personnel records to track languages,
CRM Success by the Numbers – Part 6: Stretch Goals
To really achieve results and ROI with CRM, you have to put metrics in place to enhance and track success. It’s a fact that what gets measured gets done. As an added benefit, achieving goals can give everyone involved a feeling of accomplishment so they appreciate that the project is progressing and their time and money hasn’t been wasted.
But the worst thing you can do is to set unrealistic goals or CRM metrics – what some people call “stretch goals.” In my experience, people who like to combine those two words are often the same ones who make unrealistic demands to get a challenging project accomplished in an impractical amount of time with insufficient resources.
CRM Success by the Numbers – Part 5: 0-Sum Game
CRM Success is not a zero-sum game. By definition, in a zero-sum game, the sum of the winnings and losses of the various players is always zero. Basically, it’s winner-take-all.
In contrast, if the CRM Success game is played right, everyone wins. The attorneys get more Clients, the firm makes more money, the Clients get better service, and the Marketing Department and CRM manager get to keep their jobs. The problem is figuring out how to play the game… especially when there are no written rules. This is where some game strategy can come in handy.
Body Language and Business Development – Smile All the Way to the Bank
We’ve heard that smiling is contagious. Well, we now know that it’s not only true – it’s also good for business. A smile not only creates an upbeat and positive environment and conveys to the potential Client your interest, enthusiasm, and empathy. It also makes you more trustworthy and likeable. Remember from a previous post, people often hire people they like and trust.
Not only that, using your ‘pearly whites’ could even have a positive effect on your cash flow. A study has showed that consumers were willing to pay two to three times more after seeing a smile.
The CRM Checkup
As with any stressful or strenuous activity, always be sure to visit your physician before beginning your CRM ‘workout’ regimen. For a CRM checkup, you’ll probably want to enlist the services of a CRM ‘specialist’ such as a consultant who focuses on helping Clients to succeed with CRM.
So what does a CRM checkup typically involve? Relax – we promise we won’t ask you to cough or say, ‘ahhh.’ Instead, if your firm has already rolled out a CRM system, but seems to be suffering from a bit of CRM malaise, the consultant may take your CRM temperature by asking you questions about where you are with your rollout,
Taking the B’s out of B.D.
Banish the Blackberry from Business Development
If you want to be successful in building your business, the other ‘B’ that you need to banish – at least from Client meetings – is your Blackberry.
Picture this: you and another partner finally manage to get out from behind your desks to go meet some prospective Clients. Things seem to be progressing nicely. Then, while you are talking, your partner whips out his Blackberry and starts reviewing and responding to emails.
Your partner is definitely sending a message – and not just on the BlackBerry.
Crafting Your Personal Value Proposition
Sometimes called an ‘elevator pitch,’ your Personal Value Proposition, or PVP, should summarize and synthesize the value you provide to Clients and potential Clients. Without providing value, business development can be challenging – and will be based mainly on hope or luck, neither of which is a good strategy.
The reason that value is so important is that, in most cases, people don’t make a decision or choice because they want to. They do so because they need to. There is some pressing concern or challenge that they must address – or there will be consequences. These consequences are the costs associated with not making the choice or decision,
Welcome to Growing Relationships
Welcome to Growing Relationships, a blog on Client Relationship Management – or CRM – Success from Chris Fritsch at ClientsFirst Consulting.
At ClientsFirst, everything we do focuses on relationships – including this blog, which is dedicated to Growing Relationships through business development, technology and Client service. The goal of the blog will be to provide and share ideas, information and best practices to help build, enhance and leverage the relationships that are crucial to business development and CRM Success.
Feel free to visit anytime to see what we’re saying – and to contribute to the conversations.
Putting the ‘Be’ in B.D
Despite what many lawyers believe – or have been led to believe, business development is not an art. It’s a learnable, repeatable business process. Ultimately, if you simply focus on putting the Clients first and helping them to succeed, it will improve your chances of developing business significantly. Here are a few suggestions for ‘be’-coming a more effective business developer.
1) Be committed.
Make business development a habit. Make it a priority to spend a little time each day learning about the Client’s business and industry and a little time each week focusing on building relationships with current and prospective Clients.
ValueSelling
Great salespeople are in the customer success business, and a sale is just the pleasant byproduct of helping your clients succeed. This is great news for attorneys who bristle at the thought of ‘selling.’ It’s also one of the core concepts in Julie Thomas’ book, “ValueSelling: Driving Up Sales One Conversation At A Time.”
Clients today aren’t looking for smart lawyers or even superior legal services – they are looking for value. As the business climate has changed, clients have access to more information and alternatives than ever before. They can do business with your competitors,