Social CRM - and why you should do it!

Some people think CRM doesn't work; some don't see the value in Social Media. But those that spend just 30minutes of their time very quickly realise how the two technologies come together to make their lives easier, more productive, make them more successful and get/keep customers!

I'm talking about Social CRM - the new phenomenon brought alive by Artesian Solutions who are a British company based in Reading (UK) and are headed up by a team of veterans who know what they are doing!

Before you dismiss the thought of engaging in Social CRM yourself, consider this; how long does it take for you or your staff to do market research before you/they pick up the phone and cold call a prospect? I would guess a good hour or so (for each prospect).
How about conducting your own competitive insight - who else is claiming to do the same as you and possibly taking some of your custom away?
Now imagine having all of this information (and so much more) at your finger tips every morning (whether in your Inbox, Salesforce or as a standolone interface), saving you the trouble of scouring web sites, blogs, social media channels such as Twitter or LinkedIn.
Yesterday, I did exactly this for a new user at an existing customer - showed him how he could bring value to his asset management accounts by keeping an eye on the competition and also empowering him with information which one of his accounts will find invaluable.
Another previous example resulted in one of the account managers going back to his desk after some short training, and secured shortly after (same afternoon), a seven figure sum value deal with a new customer.

I use this service daily and it is very interesting to note how much real news slips through the traditional medium net! There are tons of golden nuggets in Twitter for example, some of which never make it into the traditional mediums such as TV, radio or print!

You might be thinking all of this is going to be very expensive, but you would be wrong. It's cheaper than filling your car up with fuel by a significant margin (and of course depends on the number of cars you own/run and people who would want to use such a service).