Situation: A CEO is looking at customer relations management (CRM) systems. To date their marketing and sales has been in-house, but he wants to investigate alternatives. What CRM systems are available and what is the experience of others with these systems? Is do-it-yourself marketing advisable or should he work with a CRM system? Is do-it-yourself marketing or CRM right for you?

Advice from the CEOs:

• Marketing, whether Do-it-Yourself or working with a CRM system, must always be in line with the company’s brand and customer set.
  • The solution selected and implemented should never confuse or dilute the brand.
• There are many CRM systems. Check out https://www.top10.com/crm for comparisons.
  • Good systems will track both prospects and sales.
  • Some can also help to create newsletters and other marketing materials.
• Use your resources wisely.
  • Use clubs, affiliations or organizations to target the company’s market.
• Before securing a firm or individual to design or refresh your web presence, first know your brand and what you want to communicate. This helps to identify the right resource.
• Resources for free or low cost marketing:
  • Focus on and work with distributors.
  • Sell through key client audiences and pay them a commission on sales gained.
  • Give key client audiences a reward that will appeal to them.
  • Serve PDFs through your web site to deliver content in your preferred, branded format.

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