Role og Function
Here are some Questions and Answers seen from the Sales Manager’s Point of View
Q&A for Sales Managers
1 What makes SkyViewCRM better than other CRM systems?
The design is based on an understanding of the situations your salespeople face in their everyday work life. If salespeople don’t feel that a CRM system is making their life easier and helping them make more money, they won’t bother to use the system. On the other hand, a user-friendly system that adds value to their work will be a part of their daily routine that they’re happy about. In practical terms, this means that they will use the system and, and by doing so, the system will always be populated with information that is of great value to you.
2 Do I have to use the system personally?
Yes you should, and for several reasons. It is your way to stay up-to-date on the current situation, and in this way add your own resources where they are needed. If you are “playing coach,” you can use the system to manage your own sales, which earns respect. In many sales companies, the sales manager is perceived as the one who should provide the sales overview for Friday sales meetings.
An active CRM system will help you know exactly what is going on, and you will avoid the feeling among your salespeople that the system has been introduced for hidden reporting only.
… And last but not least: SkyViewCRM system will give you time to work creatively and think out of the box when it’s an advantage to do so.
3 Can everyone see what everyone else is doing?
It depends on the system configuration. In some companies, it makes sense that everyone can see everything. In other companies, this is not the case. The system can be customized so that only relevant and beneficial information is visible. For example, it could be set up so you can see the reports for everybody in the team, while each salesperson can only see his or her own.
4 What about the salespeople who refuse to use the system?
In a company with 10 salespeople, usually at least one will not be ready to share knowledge or will be concerned that they are being monitored. There may be several reasons for this behavior, but none that are beneficial to you and your business. Therefore it is important to find out the source of this reluctance to use the system. Is it due to dissatisfaction with something else, lack of confidence in you as a person or simply due to the fact that the person wants to hide his or her low work effort. The solution depends on the cause – but when you tackle it in an upfront way, it is usually easy to handle.
5 What about our existing forecasting system?
The short answer is: Throw it out! With SkyViewCRM, you will always have an updated forecast. If you want, this forecast can have a layout similar to or better than the old one. Or you can export it to Excel or whatever system your bosses prefer. You know the situation where your boss requests an updated forecast in 10 minutes? You run around pushing the salespeople to come up with a forecast here and now. And some salespeople can’t be asked because they’re not around. This kind of panic situation is over and done with when you have SkyViewCRM in your company!
Q&A for Salespeople
1 Isn’t this just another reporting system?
Yes, in a way. But we have designed the system with an emphasis on features that benefit the individual salespeople in their work. What’s more, you won’t need to use other reporting systems. Furthermore, reporting can be seen from a different angle: With SkyViewCRM, there is always an updated forecast of all your sales activities. This will give your boss a better opportunity to keep up, but that means his or her responsibility for assisting you – when needed – is greater, too. In other words, your boss is accountable for his or her level of cooperation. No more negative sales meeting discussions.
2. Do I have to use extra time on SkyViewCRM?
No, actually you’ll experience a reduction in administrative work. No need to spend time writing letters, searching for correspondence or filling out reports. No need to spend time searching for old cases, the latest offer, e-mails sent or received, how your colleagues have interacted with the customer, and so on. And you’ll avoid forgetting agreements or actions that could potentially be of value for you.
3 Can I use the system anywhere?
Yes, SkyViewCRM is cloud based. All data is stored in a protected data center. So you can use the system from a regular browser on the PC that is closest to you. Or use your mobile devices to access data on the go. (PC, MAC, iPhone, iPad, Android).
Finally, you can – as some prefer – print out calling lists and activity reports, and then work on paper when you’re not in the office (and do not want to use your iPhone, iPad or Android). Not very trendy, but there are many who like it best when the screen is off.
4. “What’s in it for me?”
You will sell more: SkyViewCRM helps you work more efficiently and target-oriented. No forgotten cases, you always have an overview that shows you where you can use your time most effectively, and you will be able to balance your tasks — first and foremost in the sales pipeline.
You’ll earn more: If you’re paid based on commission, the correlation will be clear. But even if this is not the case, most companies would never fail to reward their people for more sales.
You’ll sleep better at night: Most salespeople remember periods when they felt a bit behind. Maybe both in terms of budgets and the results that management put forward. CRM provides transparency and an overview, which contribute to your peace of mind.
You are perceived as a professional who keeps your promises: Customers respect people who live up to their agreements. That you return calls or call back when you have promised. That you provide quotes on time. In general, that you always meet the expectations you yourself have built up. CRM will help you to manage these expectations.
You keep your boss on track: Now your boss can no longer say, “You should have told me that a long time ago” or “I want a forecast of at least xxx dollars.” You will now work according to the numbers. CRM shows what has actually happened with the customers and the pipeline, and it’s the sales manager’s own responsibility to stay informed.
Q&A for Consultancy Managers
1 Is CRM also for me and my people?
Yes very much so. Typically, consultants and technicians have much more customer contact than salespeople. This can of course be a valuable resource for sales – provided it is coordinated. This coordination is done via the CRM system. It is possible for the consultants to see what the salespeople are doing and what they are planning to do. And it is actually possible for the salespeople to follow up on opportunities that the consultants discover.
2 What about forecasting?
Forecasting is actually more relevant to you as a consultant manager than it is for the sales manager. This may sound strange at first, but there is an explanation. The use of manpower in your department depends largely on the sale actually being closed. This makes it important for you to keep close track of sales expectations. If it’s too optimistic, you end up with too many personal resources. If it’s too pessimistic, you end up with too few. Both are unacceptable because it damages the customer relationship and enterprise performance. SkyViewCRM allows you to link information about the man hours needed – by profile – with the relevant solutions. This means you will always be able to forecast which resources you must meet.
Q&A for Marketing Managers
1 Is SkyViewCRM also a marketing system?
Yes, you cannot separate marketing and sales. Sales depends on good marketing. And marketing can only be sufficiently targeted and relevant for customers and potential customers if the salespeople help to collect information. That is why SkyViewCRM is designed as an integrated sales and marketing solution. This is evident in, for example, campaigns which enable salespeople to reach milestones that automatically trigger tasks. In fact, CRM usually helps bridge the gap between marketing and sales.
2. We want very detailed information about our customers; can the system supply that?
Yes, the system itself sets no limitations. There are even a number of features that make it more likely that salespeople will actually bother to register information. Large amounts of data, like for example. all 540,000 companies in Denmark, is no problem.
3 Our campaigns run primarily on cross-selling and relationship selling, can the system handle that?
Again, yes. The system is built so that you can design targeted campaigns based on any single criterion or combination of criteria. Topography, purchase history, vendor relationship or even information that you import from other databases can be taken into account.
Q&A for Managing Directors
1. It seems like CRM is mostly for the sales team – what do I get out of it?
Your advantages – as we see them – can be divided into three groups:
To protect the company’s perhaps most important asset: knowledge about customers
To ensure the smooth functioning of your sales team
To gain the opportunity to always be updated on your company’s success
2 Should I be involved?
Not necessarily, but if you are, it will have the positive side effect that the rest of the organization will use the system with greater enthusiasm. And they will know that CRM system is a vital part of the policy and strategy of the company.
3 What if my parent company is planning to implement CRM globally?
This is a common situation, but it most often takes time. We have heard of cases where it takes several years. And the question is whether you can survive in the meantime without this effective tool in your daily work life. Moreover, a majority of global CRM implementations have gone wrong or stopped before they reached the subsidiaries in all countries. (We speak from personal experience.) Are you in a situation where the parent company has taken a strategic decision, but you need a tactical operational solution – here and now? If so, SkyViewCRM can definitely be that solution. Present it to your management as a tactical, temporary solution until the big solution is implemented. And emphasize the fact that data is open, so it can easily be maintained in the future solution when it comes. What’s more, you subscribe on SkyViewCRM – with no large upfront costs – so the investment is really minimal.
Q&A for Board Members
1. Why do I need a CRM system?
As a board member, your job is to advise and oversee the company’s operations and future. A CRM system is perfect for this!
In a well-functioning CRM system, you will see how customer buying patterns evolve, the orders that are expected, developments in progress and, last but not least, whether there has been a positive or negative trend lately. Normally – in other words, without a CRM system – you would need to look at historical data (billings) and to listen to management’s subjective explanations. This very fact means that you often get 3-6 months behind in your perception of the company’s real situation.
You do not have to learn the operation of the CRM system (although it’s easy), just sit with the management and ask questions.
