Do you have a CRM / Marketing Automation system in your business? If yes, then you are already ahead of most small business owners. But are you getting the most from your system?
Your CRM / Marketing Automation system will become the backbone of your company – it can support and link so many parts of your business with a view to generating sales. So it requires someone to manage it that is fully committed to its success. The ideal person, of course, is you, but that is often not an option as you only have 24hrs a day! A CRM / Marketing Automation system is a sophisticated bit of software and is not something that can be dabbled with – you either embrace it fully or you should not bother! And yes, this software is time-consuming to both learn and maintain. But the rewards can be tremendous -I know, I see this with my clients.
So if you do not have the time to manage your CRM / Marketing Automation system yourself -what do you do? Well obviously you have to find someone else to do it. So you can either give it to a member of staff, hire someone in or find a consultant or an agency who specialises in CRM / Marketing Automation systems.
I have seen first hand what happens when entrepreneurs hire someone who has no experience or interest in proactively developing the CRM / Marketing Automation system – (be it a recent graduate or a website designer/developer or agency). Without the dedication and continuity of one person, a CRM / Marketing Automation system quickly cease to work efficiently. These systems requires someone dedicated to the cause who understands the intricacies and history of your particular set up.
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So if you charge a recent graduate or developer in looking after your system then they most likely do not have the real dedication and combination of skills to make the CRM / Marketing Automation system successful. To master the system successfully requires a certain technical ability and no doubt a developer can master it. But what a developer is unlikely to have is the entrepreneurial flair and marketing experience to “connect all the pieces together” to create a sales generating machine. So to be successful with CRM / Marketing Automation systems requires a rare breed of person – someone who is both technically savvy and is marketing orientated.
I have now been working with Keap and MarketerM8/HighLevel clients since 2009 and this is the conclusion that I have come to regarding this conundrum – who should manage your CRM / Marketing Automation system. When I am approached by a prospective new client an early question that I ask is – who is or will become your inhouse “CRM / Marketing Automation System Champion”. It could be the business owner or a recent graduate. Whoever it is I am looking for someone that is interested and motivated to take the marketing forward. Once we have this Champion then my job is to work with them to implement a marketing system based on my skills and experience and at the same time the champion gets real life, “on the job” training in only the parts of the system that are going to grow your business. Ultimately my job is to get them self-sufficient in the system as quickly as possible (and would you believe do myself out of a job ASAP). But working this way has a number of advantages for all concerned –
- The business owner gets the system working for the business and does not have to keep paying my fees.
- If the “Champion” should leave the business then they can call on me to help out/ train a new champion because I understand how the system has been set up in the first instance (I’m an insurance policy if you will).
- The “Champion” learns valuable new skills and manages the system day to day as the business requires it and becomes a key part of the team.
- And what’s the advantage for me? Well, firstly I do not get called upon to do day to day tasks like send email broadcasts, minor campaign tweaks etc. I get to work at a higher strategic level for a wide range of clients. Because this way of working is effective and works I find that clients will refer me to other businesses who need my help – so I am constantly challenged by new clients and projects which ultimately makes me a more effective consultant for my clients.
If you like what I have to say and you think I may be able to assist you with Keap or MarketerM8/HighLevel then feel free to schedule a Discovery Call below.
