Over the past couple of weeks I have noticed that the temperature in the board room is rising.  By that statement I mean that it seems like more and more people are coming to the table to discuss Customer Relationship Management with a focus on increasing sales and maximizing revenue.  The reality is that some people are starting to experience more and more challenges as companies are scrutinizing spending and profit margins.

When times get tough there is also an opportunity that we don't see very often. Executives are more open to listening to new ideas and people that make their living in sales are also more willing to openly discuss the challenges they face in reaching their goals. I decided to take what I have learned in these discussions and outline how CRM can help an organization excel in a less than stellar economy.

1.  Cash is King - If you take a look at macro economics and think about the concept of a recession it just means that there are fewer dollars in play and every sale is that much more important.  When you think about the concept of CRM and Sales Process it enables us to solidify discipline in our sales activities.  Rather than chasing business outside of your sweet spot each deal you can bring in brings your competitors closer and closer to bankruptcy.  With the right CRM deployment you can optimize your sales teams activities on the business you should be focusing on.

2.  People Buy From People - There have been many, many challenges with CRM over the years.  The number one problem from sales people is the concept of not being able to sell because they have been turned into data entry clerks.  By contrast, the modern concepts in CRM are all about freeing up sales people to practice their craft.  If you think about how much time they spend on meeting and phone calls sourcing information from internal departments then think about how much sales time you could free up for them if you bring them critical information in a centralized location where they can leverage the information to bring in more business.

3.  It's All About Speed - I guess the easiest way to define this is "Selling Darwinism".  Whether or not you are a consultative selling organization its hard to sell anything if you can't get time with prospects to pitch your wares.  With the Internet customers are buying and making decisions at break neck speed.  CRM provides the opportunity to marry sales and marketing so that lead distribution happens in close to real time.  If you are first to get to the prospect you have half the battle won.

4.  It's Not Rocket Science - Think about what it takes for you to acquire a customer.  Then what happens...for many companies not enough.  If your sales team and marketing organization have the right approach CRM can help you leverage existing customers and significantly increase revenues from a significantly lower cost of sale.  When you add in the right approach to Customer Service you can really ramp up lots of idle revenue waiting to happen.

5.  Concentrate On The Pain - If you get involved in a true discussion about how to improve performance on your sales team lots of challenges will come out.  The problem is that if you try to address everything at once you are likely to end up worse off than when you started.  Prioritize on getting the basics down first and then you will see how quickly things get better in a hurry.  Don't write a rigid plan for the ongoing implementation.  Instead meet with your teams in the field and continue to concentrate on the "hot" topics.

I could continue to go on but there is enough meat here to sink your teeth into.  Remember that those who create value in the most trying of times will reap great benefits when times are good.