Why CRM Segregating is Essential for Small Businesses?

May 28, 2022 | Business Systems, CRMS

CRM software is a powerful tool to have in your arsenal. With it, it’s much easier to sell as you have all your customer data accessible in one place. Additionally, you can streamline the process and make automations. However, when it comes to the extensive list of features, many small business owners seem not use CRM segregating or tagging as effectively as they could.

So, exactly is CRM Segregating, and why is it so important? Stay tuned to find out.

What Exactly is Customer Segmentation?

Let’s start the blog post by defining what customer segmentation is! To put it simply, it’s separating your customer base based on some traits. It’s that simple!

However, you could segregate your customer base in multiple ways. Here are just a couple of them:

Geographic Segmentation Model – You’re separating your customers based on their location with this model. That could be generic, like which country they are in, to more specific, like the neighbourhood they are located in.
Demographic Segmentation Model – In this model, you’re separating them based on various characteristics. That could be anything from gender, age, profession and that sort.
Interest-based Segmentation Model – With this, you’re separating your customers based on what they show interest in. For eCommerce businesses, that usually means which product they like the most.

And many more!

Why is CRM Segregating/Tagging so Powerful?

Now that you understand what CRM tagging is, you might be thinking: “Why should I do that?”

Well, there are a couple of reasons for it.

First, if you don’t do it, you’re losing many potential profits. With segmentation, you can serve your customers better by providing them with customised content and specialised deals.

But that’s not the only reason why you should do it. Additionally to that, segmentation is excellent for market research. For example, you can understand who most of your clients are and what they value.

Furthermore, you can also identify who is your ideal client by finding out the most profitable clients.

The Strategy for Segmenting Your Customers

So now that you understand why segmentation is so powerful, you probably want to know how you can do that yourself.

However, before I reveal how you can start doing it, I’ll have to tell you one thing. This strategy isn’t going to tell you the exact steps. That’s because, unfortunately, each CRM software is different, with unique ways to segment your clients.

And with that out of the way, let me show you the strategy:

Step #1 – Determine Your Segmentation Goal

Before we start creating tags to group our customers, we should first think about why are we segmenting in the first place!

Is it to create customised content and offers to your customers?
Maybe you’re doing it for market research?
Or something else?

Whatever it is, make sure you write it down as it will become helpful in the next step.

Step #2 – Filter Your Customers Into Groups

Now that you know your objective, it’s time to sort your customers. You can do that by creating tags for it.

However, when you do, make sure these tags are actually helpful! If they aren’t, then you would’ve wasted your time. So instead, remind yourself of the segmentation goal and brainstorm all the tags that would be useful.

Then just go through your customer list and start filtering them.

Step #3 – Test Your Segmentation and Analyse

Now that you’ve got your clients segmented, there’s nothing else to do but test your segmentation out. So try them out and see if you see any improvements.

If not, then go back to the drawing board and look at what could have been the problem. You can fix your issues and then grow your business to the next level. You should also do that even if you see improvements.

You can never run out of ways to improve!

Conclusion

So as you can see, segmentation is quite a powerful tool. With it, you can serve your clients better while also learning more about your clientele and what they value. So instead of letting this knowledge collect dust in your head, why not take action?

That’s the only way you’ll get any value from this article. However, if you find segmentation too tricky or have any other problems, don’t be afraid to ask for help. I’d love to help you grow your small business to new heights.

So, schedule a call with me, and let’s see how I can help you out.

Why You Need A CRM – A Simple Explanation

Click Here

Bravapro | Swindon Virtual Business Manager | CRM

How to Streamline Your Client Onboarding Process

Oct 22, 2021 | Business Systems

Getting sales is a difficult task. It’s like a machine with many moveable parts – Everything needs to work together. You need excellent copy for your website, eye-catching ad creatives, and the correct audience to target.

But unfortunately, many small businesses ignore what happens after the click. If you don’t professionally present your business, you’ll frustrate them. And that leads to no sales.

So how do you avoid that?

The Answer is Great Client Onboarding!

But what exactly is customer onboarding, and why should you care about it?

Well, customer onboarding is a process that makes sure you and your customer have the best relationship possible. The many benefits include:

Happier clients. First impressions count! And if your site doesn’t set the correct expectations, your client will be disappointed and won’t buy from you again.
Less stress and wasted money. Not only will your client be in a better mood, but you as well. With the proper onboarding, you can automate many repetitive and tedious tasks, reduce back-and-forth emails, and more.
Collect Valuable Information. Whether you’re testing out new products or starting projects, you could get the correct information whenever you need it by sending forms to your clients.

Designing Your Client Onboarding Process

Now that you understand the excellent benefits of great onboarding, it’s time to get started. But how do you create a good one? Continue reading to find out.

Step #1 – Analyze Your Current Situation

First, we need to understand your current location. Only then can we start making decisions and improvements to your process. So how can you find it out? Well, start by asking yourself some questions:

What is already working? Most likely, you already have something that is working well. This could be an excellent invoicing system, great autoresponders, etc. So write everything down, and ask the next question.
Where could I improve? Start by looking at what isn’t on your list. Maybe it’s your communication channel, fulfillment, or something else. Then start brainstorming solutions. Once you’ve done that, look at what you could make better with the things already working. Improving them makes the process that much better!

Step #2 – Map Out Your Improvements

Now you know where you need to make your improvements! So start planning your next steps. I suggest you first fix the most crucial problems. And then gradually work on less important ones. Soon you’ll have one of the best customer onboarding processes out there.

8 Recommended Tools to Create a Smooth Onboarding Process

Recommended Software for Client Onboarding

You know what to improve! You created a plan for it! Now all that is left is to take action. But for the smoothest process, you’re going to need to pick the right tools. That will ensure you that no additional frustrations come! Here are my top eight tools:

#1 – Calendly

Calendly is scheduling software that helps you and your customer pick a meeting time most efficiently. All you have to do is, set the dates and times that you’re available for meetings, and Calendly handles the rest. That helps you say goodbye to those back-and-forth emails.

#2 – Google Forms

Maybe you need a bit more information before a meeting? Or you’re looking to get feedback on your newest product? Either way, Google Forms will help you get that information. With this free software, you can create new forms within minutes.

#3 – Stripe

So you just landed a sale in the meeting call! But how are you going to collect their payments? That’s where Stripe comes in. It’s a financial service company that offers payment processing software. With this online service, you could make both one-time or recurring invoices in a matter of minutes.

#4 – Google Drive

It’s always good to back up your files to a cloud service! Then, whatever happens to your laptop, your most necessary invoices and files are safe and sound. And that’s what Google Drive gives you. You can save up to 15GB of files for free in there!

#5 – Trello

Trello is a list-making application with many uses! For example, this could be used for project planning and also as a communication device. You could show your clients the progress you’re making and what still needs to be done.

#6 – Hubspot

Hubspot is a CRM software that helps you out with sales. With this software, you could get invaluable information about your clients and how your sales team is doing. If you’re looking for more information about CRM and why you need it, check out this article.

#7 – Adobe Sign

Sometimes you cannot get a face-to-face meeting. But that doesn’t mean you cannot sign a contract. That’s where Adobe Sign comes in! With it, you can sign contracts online, even if your client is on the other side of the world.

#8 – Zapier

Unfortunately, these services cannot communicate with each other. That could bring new repetitive tasks you need to. Well, that is if you’re not using Zapier! With this powerful tool, you can connect with over 3000 apps and services, including all the aforementioned software. That means you could tell Zapier to add the meeting information to Hubspot or Trello.

Conclusion

And that’s how you do it! I hope you now understand the importance of streamlining your client onboarding process and how to do it yourself. If you need any help improving your client onboarding process, don’t be afraid to ask for help. I would love to help you with the planning and setting up.

Get in touch today!

How To Beat The Odds And Succeed In Business

What Is A Virtual Business Manager?

Get On The Trello Timeline

Sep 18, 2021 | Business Systems, Trello

Trello is a fantastic tool for any business, no matter how small or big your company is! It helps you plan your projects, manage tasks with your team, and even track your goals. And as time goes by, Trello updates and releases new features.

In early 2021, Trello did an overhaul of their software. And with it, they released a new feature called the Timeline View. So in this blog post, you’ll learn what it is and how to use it to your advantage! So if that sounds interesting, then keep on reading.

What is Trello Timeline?

Trello Timeline View is basically a Gantt Chart. If you don’t know what it is, then a Gantt Chart is a visual way to plan anything from your goals, tasks to your events. It has a calendar layout, where your assignments are separated into sections.

And that has many benefits! It’s effortless and intuitive to use! You can filter your to-dos in various ways, either in a list, member, or label view. That can give you a bird’s-eye view of how your projects are going and how busy your team members are.

And if you ever need to reschedule tasks, then using it is very simple! All you have to do is drag and drop your assignments to a time frame you want.

P.S This tool is only available to the business class and enterprise customers.

3 Ways to Use Timeline View

Now that you understand the Timeline view, it’s time to show you how you can use it to your advantage. Here are the three ways to use it:

#1 – To Allocate Tasks to Your Team Members Effectively

While you could already do that with the board view, Timeline helps you do it even more effectively. Thanks to the visual way of looking at the tasks, you can see how busy and productive your team members are.

That gives you helpful information for deciding whom to allocate tasks and which responsibilities you should take for yourself. That increases your’s and coworkers’ productivity while boosting collaboration and avoiding burnout.

#2 – To Show Progress To Your Clients

If you’re a freelancer or an agency working with businesses, inviting them to a Trello board is a great way to show how far you and your team are. That will also help your clients to avoid having unrealistic expectations.

#3 – For Event Planning

Whether you have a conference coming up, Trello can help you plan easily and quickly by allocating your tasks and giving a general overview of how long each task will take. That allows you and others to plan their time more efficiently!

And that’s just scratching the surface! You could use this view for many other purposes. For example, you could use it to build habits, keep track of your finances, and much more. You just have to get creative with it!

Conclusion

Now you understand what Trello Timeline view is and how to use it. If you’re struggling with project management or Trello in general, I’d be happy to help you. You can book a consultation call here.

No Results Found

The page you requested could not be found. Try refining your search, or use the navigation above to locate the post.

How To Spring Clean Your Desktop

4 Management Systems Every Successful Business Needs

Jul 25, 2021 | Business Systems

There are so many different management systems out there; how do I know which ones I need?

This is a question that gets asked almost daily.

I always suggest to clients that rather than looking at a specific brand, they instead look at system types first. Then determines the tools and how to implement those in their business.

Of course, it’s important to remember that a system isn’t always the tech. While there are lots of excellent tools out there and I’ll mention some below. A system can also be a way of working or a process.

When thinking about systems, four key ‘pillars’ can help you streamline your business.

The 4 Key Management Systems

Project Management (PM):

Your project management tool helps you track all of the progress of different tasks or projects.

It can also help

Share resources and collaborate
Check statuses of various goals
Ensure nothing is forgotten
Track your expenditure and
Help with your time management

Click for more details on The Advantages of Project Management Tools

Some PM tools that are great for any size business are Trello, Asana, or Wrike (Information on each app is available HERE)

Client Relationship Management (CRM):

A CRM helps you manage everything client-related from lead generation, communication, meeting scheduling and client data.

Click for more details on Why You Need A CRM

There are 100s and 100s of different CRM tools available (I use Hubspot). I would, therefore, always recommend mapping out what you want your CRM to do, then find one that does that. Rather than picking one on someone else’s recommendation and then trying to make it fit your business

Financial Management:

Everyone needs some sort of financial management in their business. A way to track:-

Revenue
Cashflow
Expenses
Budget

Initially, you could use a spreadsheet. However, as your business grows, you may want to look at a system that integrates with bookkeeping accounting software like Quickbooks or Xero.

Marketing Management:

Marketing is a broad category; as such, there is numerous automation that will help you.

Social Media Posting

There are a vast host of tools to manage your social media posting. As above, I would recommend determining which platforms you want to post on and then find a tool that meets those requirements.

Personally, I plan my content in a Janet Murray planner and use Buffer and Canva to post my social media. I also use Recurpost to post evergreen content.

Email Marketing

Managing your email list can be just as easy with platforms such as MailChimp, Mailerlite or Convertkit; you can track your analytics, subscribers and manage your email releases.

Conclusion

Managing your systems is an integral part of your business. Having set processes can help you work productively. Plus, tapping into tech that is now available will help you to free up time in your business to focus on generating revenue.

It’s always better to strategically plan and streamline each area before you find yourself frustrated and overwhelmed. So why not draw up a wish list of what you would like to achieve with these 4 Management Systems? Then get your Virtual Business Manager to research which tools are best for your business

The Best Project Management Tools Small Business Owners

How To Spring Clean Your Desktop

The Best Project Management Tools Small Business Owners

Jul 16, 2021 | Business Systems

The importance of online Project Management Tools for small business owners cannot be overlooked. Neither can the significance of using an appropriate project management tool.

With the invention of new technologies allowing for the real-time tracking and monitoring of operations, online project management tools have grown in popularity for small businesses.

Please see my Blog Why Small Business Owners Should Apply Project Management Strategies.

A good project management software should enable the business owner to carry out functions such as:-

planning,
organising,
coordinating,
monitoring and
control

It should offer user-friendly ways to break down the scope into tasks. Plus allow the user to monitor the progress of the business with respect to cost and time. The multi-user, real-time communication that many tools offer is a major plus, allowing collaborative among members of staff and departments.

With all that in mind, here is a list of our favourite online project management tools for small business owners:

Trello – www.trello.com

Trello tops my list because of the many features you can get absolutely free. This is an online planning website that allows you to:-

create a board for any project,
add in your team,
break down the scope into detailed tasks,
track the progress of each activity,
post comments & feedback on each activity and
automate repetitive tasks.

The free version is unlimited in time, the number of personal boards, cards, and lists and offers up to ten team boards.

If more boards are required the upgrading to Business Class for $9.99 or Enterprise for $20.83 per user per month allows for:-

unlimited team boards
more users,
larger file attachments,
app integrations and
better administrative & security features – among other benefits.

Asana – www.asana.com

Asana comes in second and has features quite similar to Trello. Its user-friendly interface allows for:-

planning,
structuring,
prioritisation,
visualisation and
tracking the progress of tasks.

It also offers effective communication and collaborative teamwork for businesses.

The Basic plan is free, allowing for up to 15 users. Upgrades to Premium and Enterprise go from $10.99 and $24.99 per user per month respectively. Additional benefits of upgrading include:-

advanced reporting,
more app integrations and
data export options

Wrike – www.wrike.com

Next up is Wrike which is also an amazing project management tool, offering:-

online management of workflows through simplified planning,
scheduling using Gantt charts,
resource and task allocation,
centralised communication,
app integrations,
real-time reporting, and
interactive dashboards.

The free version is for small teams of up to 5 users. Upgrading pricing is calculated per user per month. The Professional plan handling up to 15 users is $9.80, the Business plan handling up to 200 users is $24.80, and the Enterprise plan accommodating an unlimited number of users at a tailored price.

Additionally, it also has premium add-on features which include resource management, advanced reports & business analytics, publishing and encryption among others.

Teamwork Projects – www.teamwork.com

Teamwork Projects made it to the list because of its additional features beyond task and workflow management. Perhaps not as popular as the other three, it allows for:-

the creation of tasks and activities,
scheduling of timelines and milestones in Gantt charts,
risk prioritisation & management,
billing,
cost management,
progress report generation,
proper file management using notebooks,
collaborative teamwork and
app integration among other amazing features.

Moreover, they have a Free Forever option that allows up to 5 users, but with a limited file space of 100MBs, up to 2 active projects and limited app integration. The Pro and the Premium plans cost $9 and $15 per user per month and allow for more storage space, more users and more app integrations. The Enterprise plan is priced according to your needs.

Conclusion

As a small business, any of the above online project management tools will go a long way in making your business more efficient and productive.

If you are just starting out, the collaborative teamwork features will allow you to include your virtual business manager (www.bravapro.com) as part of your team. In fact, your business manager could help you set up the system and automated processes for workflow. Therefore, leaving you to focus on the more critical tasks.

So, try them out, select your favourite, and get started!

5 Mistakes Business Owners Make On Projects

5 Outsourcing Ideas That Make Project Management Easy

« Older Entries

Next Entries »