CRM Improvements
Properly configuring your CRM is critical for the seamless operation of any sales team.
Excessive administrative tasks can significantly detract from the team's core competency - selling.
- CRMs that fail to automatically log customer interactions are not just inefficient; they're a drain on your precious time.
- Similarly, a system that obstructs your view of the sales pipeline hampers your ability to make informed decisions.
- Systems with complicated background flows and processes stop you from achieving the how you want your CRM to work for your unique situation.
Often, it seems that CRM systems are left in the hands of 'administrators' — IT specialists who may not fully grasp the nuances of sales, marketing, or customer service. Unfortunately, these are precisely the individuals who might not be best suited for setting up such systems.
From my extensive experience, I've found that every CRM requires a tailored approach to function optimally. I'm here to perform that essential 'tune-up' to ensure your CRM system propels your business forward.
With a solid background in both sales and CRM administration, I bring a wealth of insight and practical solutions to the table, having navigated through common challenges and pitfalls.
Discover how my skills and experience can make a difference for your team!
Salesforce
As a certified Salesforce Administrator, I bring a wealth of innovative solutions and supportive expertise to elevate your Salesforce experience to its peak performance:
- Optimizing lead management for efficiency and effectiveness
- Streamlining tasks through smart automation
- Enhancing opportunity stages with strategic automation
- Integrating quotes, Statements of Work (SOW), and payments for a seamless operation
- Elevating reporting and forecasting for insightful business decisions
Plus, I offer advanced integration for WhatsApp and SMS to keep you connected with your clients effortlessly.
I have successfully deployed Salesforce for various organizations, seamlessly transitioning their live customer payment systems without a single transaction slipping through the cracks. This hands-on experience equips me to navigate you through the common challenges of adoption, ensuring a smooth transition.
I'm also here to empower your team with the knowledge and skills they need to leverage Salesforce to its full potential, fostering an environment of efficiency and productivity.
Invite me for a comprehensive Salesforce health-check to evaluate your current setup's performance and uncover potential enhancements.
Let's work together to unlock the full capabilities of Salesforce for your business, making every interaction and operation as seamless as possible.
HubSpot
As a specialist in the realms of Sales, Service, and Marketing Hubs, (including Content Hub - this is a HubSpot website! LOL), I'm here to elevate your sales and marketing to better heights.
Here's how I can empower you:
- Crafting streamlined workflows through automation, effectively closing the distance between your Marketing and Sales teams and showing your teams how they can do this going forward.
- Boosting your data management practices for enhanced visibility into your sales and marketing activities.
- Fine-tuning customer segmentation to sharpen your sales strategies.
- Incorporating state-of-the-art third-party tools to bolster your HubSpot capabilities.
- Rolling out advanced quoting and invoicing frameworks, adeptly navigating the complexities of VAT.
- Enhancing your Service Hub and HelpDesk experience to cultivate a customer support journey that doesn’t just meet expectations but paves the way for additional upsell opportunities.
I've also experience of implementing HubSpot roll-outs (from other CRM systems) and completing this over a very short time frame.
Reach out to me for exclusive access to my HubSpot Customization Roadmap. Together, we'll uncover the critical tweaks your platform needs, propelling your sales outcomes upwards.
Other CRMs
In addition to my expertise with Salesforce and HubSpot, I have experience in other CRM platforms like Microsoft Dynamics and Zoho.
Feel free to reach out for more details, and let's explore together how I can assist in enhancing your current systems or guide you seamlessly through the process of transitioning to a new CRM solution.
Sales support systems
Sales and marketing teams use a whole raft of systems beyond their CRM such as ZoomInfo, Seismic ertc
Let me help you to get these to work optimally for you and get them to work in sync with each other and your CRM.
I can also suggest systems that may improve your processes and your current set up. Contact me for more information.
Your whole sales 'ecosystem' should be like a finally tuned machine.
Content & Assets
In addition to optimizing systems, it’s imperative to ensure your sales and marketing materials are up to par.
Incorporating feedback from your sales team into your marketing efforts is crucial for success.
Equally important is fostering a continuous dialogue between sales and marketing to evaluate which strategies are hitting the mark and which are missing it.
Understanding the effectiveness of campaigns and materials not only enhances current efforts but also paves the way for future success.
Regular meetings and forums between the marketing and sales teams are also vital to making sure that the two teams align and work together in partnership.
Phil's previous projects
My client had a tight deadline of two months in which to migrate their business from Salesforce to HubSpot:
- HubSpot was already used for marketing with sophisticated marketing workflows already set up which pushed new leads into Salesforce. Going forward, HubSpot Sales and Service Hub would be activated and used instead of Salesforce for Deals and Tickets.
- All Salesforce fields and objects were reviewed with the minimal amount of fields carried over for historical data retention.
- New custom objects and workflows built to maintain business systems
- New quote and payment system developed for sales team
- New pipelines developed for tickets to allow for improved reporting and more automation
Results:
- Go-live on 14 December 2023 was successful.
- No deals were lost in the transition and the customer support team were able to continue to dela with enquiries
- There was some issues around discounts on products where we had to create a work around until we provided a permanent fix (see PayCove information).
As an education partner, my client is tasked with meeting specific data reporting obligations and demonstrating a learner's compatibility with their educational offerings.
- Leveraging the innovative FillOut Form, we've developed a user-friendly Registration Form that seamlessly integrates with HubSpot, enhancing operational efficiency.
- This streamlined approach has revolutionized the sales process, enabling learners to input their information directly, thereby eliminating the need for lengthy, verbal conversations by our sales personnel.
- This adjustment has not only expedited the sales cycle but has also led to an uptick in data accuracy, as learners tend to provide more comprehensive information when using the form.
- For ‘English language competency’ evaluation the flow also acts as a warning if the learner does not meet the language requirements.
In the midst of transitioning to HubSpot CRM, my client encountered an unforeseen complication that our rigorous testing hadn't anticipated. The setup allowed for installment payments from customers, yet it lacked the capability to apply discounts across these payments – a significant hurdle during the January sales season.
- Initially, we attempted to circumvent this by creating separate products for each transaction, priced accordingly. However, we know this approach would be unsustainable.
- Additionally, we faced challenges with VAT integration within the quotes, necessitating the creation of two separate price books – one with VAT and one without. This doubled the chances of the sales team selecting the incorrect option, leading to potential discrepancies in accounts.
- To address these issues, I recommended switching to PayCove, a more adaptable platform that enables the client to generate VAT-adjustable quotes. Upon acceptance of these quotes, PayCove immediately generates an invoice, facilitating immediate payment from the customer.
- Furthermore, both quotes and invoices from PayCove come with built-in reminders for signing or payment, streamlining the process significantly.
- This platform also eradicated the need for multiple price books, thereby simplifying the sales process.
Result:
- The accuracy of sales reporting saw a dramatic improvement, with VAT amounts now correctly recorded.
- The sales team benefited from a more streamlined system, making their jobs easier.
- Confidence in this new platform has surpassed that of the previous system, marking a successful transition.
In Q1 2023, Successfully project managed adding eCommerce functionality to Avado’s website:
- Designed the process so that it integrates with our CRM and uses existing functionality
- Wrote requirements and completed UAT testing
- Ensured project met the audit requirements
- Managed the project, weekly and daily stand-ups as required
- Communicated on milestones with stakeholders
- Trained the B2C sales team to handle queries and abandoned baskets
Result:
- Sales have been made through the eCommerce channel
- Expanding market-share by reaching learners who don’t want to speak to an Advisor
- Future iterations will allow us to help our corporate clients