5 Reasons All Businesses Need a CRM

This blog was originally published in June 2019. It was updated in October 2023.

If you’re still tracking your leads and customers in spreadsheets or in an outdated tool, we have good news: There is a better way!

That’s where a robust CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system can come in. Are you taking advantage of this tool yet? If not, you’re losing some of that precious time every day — time that could be spent selling, connecting with your customers and making strategic decisions about your business.

Learn more about how a CRM could benefit you in the blog post below.

What is a CRM?

A CRM is a tool that can track and store information about your prospects, leads and customers.

Some systems are simple, with a focus on better organizing and tracking your prospects. Others are more sophisticated; you can send emails, track responses, schedule meetings and more with these tools.

No matter which type of CRM system your company uses, it should help align your team with lead tracking, customer data tracking and more in one tool – so everyone can access it in one place to better serve leads and customers.

A CRM can help you save time and money. Just take a look at some of the numbers below for proof:

Organizations using a CRM saw a 29 percent increase in sales and a 34 percent increase in team activity.
There’s an $8.71 return for every $1 spent on a CRM.
The sales cycle length could be shortened by 8-14 percent when you use a CRM.

Still not convinced? Check out the top five reasons businesses invest in a CRM.

Reason #1: It’s Easier to Keep Everything Organized

You might have a photographic memory and take crystal-clear notes, but you still need a way to make sense of that data and store it in a safe place. And do you really want to search through notebooks or spreadsheets to find what you’re looking for? What if someone else needs to access that information?

Even if you have a system that works for you, I’m willing to bet it takes you a while to find what you need. With a CRM, you can create efficiencies because the data is automatically stored in one place. No more hunting around for one data point.

And because a CRM can be customized and formatted to work the way you need it, you won’t waste time planning how you want your data to look.

Reason #2: You’ll Learn More About Prospects

A modern CRM likely tracks more data points than you ever could alone. For example, at Marketing Essentials, here’s a sampling of the information our CRM can tell us:

The last page a prospect visited on our website and how much time they spent there.
If and what the prospect opened or clicked in the latest email we sent them.
Any meetings we’ve set for the prospect and if they’ve chosen to attend.

Can your current system do that?

The more you learn about your prospects and how they engage with your marketing pieces, website and sales team, the better your chance of effectively connecting with them.

Reason #3: You Can Target Prospects More Effectively

Now that you know so much more about your prospects, you can choose exactly how you want to reach out to them.

Let’s say there’s a core group of prospects who regularly engage with your monthly marketing emails (which you’ve learned from looking at the data), but they’ve never reached out to you. Wouldn’t you want to follow up with these people and see what they might be looking for?

Using the CRM, you can create a list of prospects who match specific criteria to reach via mailing or add notes about your interactions with them. That’s not so easy to do with a spreadsheet and may be impossible with a paper system.

Reason #4: Speed Up Pulling Data and Making Predictions

When it’s time to present a report or plan for the next quarter, the data in a CRM is worth its weight in gold. Most CRMs make it easy to generate reports on things like growth in your number of leads, overall contact performance, deals closed relative to your goal and more.

Even if you don’t need to create an official report, a CRM can tell you how your prospects and leads are performing at a glance. This helps you stay agile, be proactive and rethink your strategy if you see signs of trouble brewing.

With this data, you’ll get a more complete picture of your prospects and pipeline — and that can help you win and keep more satisfied customers.

Reason #5: Create a Permanent Repository of Information

If a team member left tomorrow, would his or her customer knowledge go out the door also? A CRM allows you to store customer data and historical references where it is easily accessible and consistent across teams - not just in someone's brain.

Having a CRM allows this documentation and information to be available for all, regardless of turnover.

Explore HubSpot - a Modern, Powerful CRM

HubSpot is a user-friendly CRM that offers a comprehensive suite of marketing, sales, and customer service tools integrated into one platform, allowing you to nurture leads and manage relationships more effectively. Its intuitive design, automation capabilities, and robust analytics make it a top choice for businesses aiming to streamline their customer relationship processes and grow their customer base.

We are the Ohio region’s premier, certified HubSpot experts, trained to deliver the marketing automation support and strategic sales and marketing insights you need to achieve remarkable results.

Whether you’re just getting started with HubSpot or are looking to take greater advantage of its features to improve sales and marketing performance, our team can help.

Learn more about our advanced HubSpot partner solutions.