Most salespeople know they need to use a CRM (a Customer Relationship Management system, or sales database), but they dread it. It can easily seem like a bunch of time consuming data entry – and if it’s not set up right, it is. HubSpot recently did a survey, and found that on average, reps spend 1 hour and 32 minutes per day doing data entry. Yuck!
On the flip side, reps do need some way to manage all of their prospects, leads, and opportunities. And sales managers need ways to efficiently track forecasting and sales. If you think CRM is a pain, try doing it without a CRM!
There is some really good news though. The software developers out there recognize this huge problem, and are creating some cool stuff to help. Seeing as most of us live in our email systems, there are easy ways to integrate CRM with email that makes managing your sales database - and all your daily activities - easier and easier.
In the following example, I’m going to show you how Salesforce CRM integrates with Gmail. The same functionality I show you with Gmail is also available in Outlook. (But I don’t use Outlook so I can’t show you that specifically right now.)
I’m also going to show you a little bit about HubSpot’s new program that also integrates with Gmail and Outlook, called Sidekick. It’s a really cool prospecting tool. It adds even more context to your sales messaging by allowing you to see what web pages your prospects are visiting and more. Check it out! (Sorry the video is kinda long - I couldn’t get through the information any faster!)
That’s just a brief snapshot. Both Cirrus Insight and HubSpot Sidekick offer much more functionality than I showed. You can get a better description by visiting their websites.
- Integrating Gmail and Salesforce using Cirrus Insight. (Thanks to Chris Eustace, from Eustace Consulting for introducing me to this program! It completely changed how I work.)
- Integrating Outlook and Salesforce
- Hubspot SideKick
Make sure you check these out. CRM doesn’t have to be a drag! It can end up being your most powerful business tool.
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