CRM Jewel Box

At what point does CRM make the most sense for small business?  What is it and exactly how does this identify more customers and then show you how to attract them to your fabulous offerings and service?  More importantly, where have you gone for help answering these questions?  If you have been in business for 11 years or less, then you have been surrounded by CRM principles, practices and “buzz.”   If you have somehow managed to discount it or not think much about it, then you are a disaster waiting to happen.  If you sort of “get it” but are not sure how this creates customers and cash flow, then you’ve come to the right place.   If you think you know it all, test your knowledge by coming with the rest of us, through this blog.  Ready?  Here we go!

Your time is precious and getting more valuable. There is too much information about CRM and small business marketing.  The last thing you need is 100 Great Ideas, or 50 Tips or 25 blog sites on CRM.  How about one great resource you can count on?  Okay, in addition to the Duct Tape Marketing Channels Blog, what is the (other) one source you  can count on to provide exactly what you need to know and learn about CRM?  Instead of a whole “marketing tool box” of CRM stuff, would you like a jewel box of CRM gems that will add value to your business and relationships with customers?

That jewel box is CRMGuru.com by Customer Think Corporation.  First of all, the key word here is customer and it’s the first word in the name of their company. You gotta love it. Customer Think Corp. is an independent customer relationship management (CRM) research and publishing firm, and founder of CRMGuru.com, launched in 2000 and now the world's largest CRM industry portal, with more than 200,000 members.

Next, three things you can count on from CRMGuru every day: 1) a free, excellent newsletter; 2) free, immediate access to the best resources on CRM; and 3) information and practical advice that feels like a good mentor or coach.

Do this favor for yourself and for me.  Go to CRMGuru.com,  get the newsletter, and look for the jewels that shine the brightest for your business.  Come back here and add your comments to this blog.  In particular, tell us if you found the following items or areas particularly valuable and eye-opening.

1. Discover Bob Thompson and notice that everything he writes seems to answer the new question that was coming out of your head or your mouth.  Bob is CEO of Customer Think Corp. and writes this way:  The ideas behind customer relationship management are not new. Today it's widely acknowledged that how you treat your customers goes a long way to determining your future profitability, and companies are making bigger and bigger investments to do just that. Customers are savvier about the service they should be getting and are voting with their wallets based on the experience they receive.
2. Bob Thompson also writes this way: CRM is a business strategy to create and sustain long-term, profitable customer relationships. Successful CRM initiatives start with a business philosophy that aligns company activities around customer needs. Only then can CRM technology be used as it should be used—as a critical enabling tool of the processes required to turn strategy into business results. 
3. Discover the Knowledge Base of more than 1,000 articles and the great search engine built into the Knowledge Base so you find the 10 that will do you the most good.   Remember that question you asked first, “What does this have to do with my small business?”  Go ahead and type that into the search phrase and you’ll get immediately help like this: Small Business Customer Success: A CRM.Talk Response.  Don Farber, Co-Founder of Vineyardsoft Corporation (the makers of Knowledge Sync) writes gems like this:
   So take a leaf out of the big boys' book: just because you're a small business it doesn't mean that you can't adopt the same kind of competitive philosophies that are now being embraced by the Fortune 500. Time is indeed money; and when it comes to the timely identification and delivery of critical business data, the longer you wait, the more you stand to lose.
4. Discover the Top Ten Articles.  This keeps changing throughout each month to give you the best, right on top of the pile of possible articles.  The headlines grab you and the articles deliver what the headline promises.   For example:
   Don't Let Customers Sneak Out the Back Door!   June 21, 2005
   Before You Sell, Satisfy the Existing Customers   May 24, 2005
5. Discover the Think Tank Forum
   Here you find topics of immediate interest to you and some of the best coaches and pioneers in the world of CRM explanations and practical application to your business.  Ask your questions and depend on them to cut through the weeds and show you the straight path.

Is this you? While you may not think you “do CRM” or you don’t’ know what CRM has ever done for you, get a firm grip on this:  It's about customers, not about software.  Even if you don’t “do CRM” it is being “done” to you every day.  Every time you've had a great customer experience, that was CRM principles in motion, happening to you. Every time someone attracted your customer away from you, they were on the CRM path and you either pulled over to the side or took a detour.

This CRM Jewel Box is yours.  The price is free.  The price you will pay is your whole business if you miss the connection between these three pillars, which hold up your entire business:  1) Revenue goals, 2) Cost goals, and 3) Customer satisfaction goals.