Don’t be afraid of CRM – a Marketing Director’s Primer
Posted by Sarah Templeton on Wed, Mar 30, 2011
Customer Relationship Management [CRM] systems tend to get a bad rap among CPA firms. Though progressive firms are starting to wake up to the benefits of investing in such a system to better manage their business development process, for many marketers introducing this type of investment can often be daunting – especially when partners have a hard time seeing past the initial cost.
Using a CRM system does not have to be scary! And it’s time to share this news with your firm’s partners.
First things first – a firm must have a vision that a CRM system is needed to drive the whole organization forward. That it’s not just for use by a handful of marketing people and that ultimately, an investment in the system will bring value to the entire firm. What Templeton & Co. has done, for example, is build out project management components within our CRM product to integrate with the operational system to create more than just a sales and marketing tool. That, we find, makes a big difference in user adoption and value to the firm.
Aside from cost, partners are often fearful of investing a chunk of money and resources to only realize their people aren’t using the system. They want to be assured (and rightfully so) that if they make this investment, their people will use the system to the fullest extent.
To move forward in introducing a CRM system to the partners in your firm, consider the following tips:
1) Create a vision for CRM that goes beyond contact management, marketing campaigns, and sales pipelines to address the firm’s critical business processes.
2) Identify your firm’s pain points. Historically, marketing directors have done a pretty good job of identifying the trouble spots in performing firm wide marketing initiatives without having an integrated solution that allows them to do e-marketing and analytics. Communicate to partners that these tools are needed if the firm wants to grow.
3) Define what your firm’s success criteria for an implementation looks like. Like with any technology purchase, you need to decide what you are trying to accomplish and determine the best way to get there.
4) Educate your top-level leadership. Marketing directors see the value of having a CRM system on everybody’s desktop, but convincing the managing partner is sometimes tough. That’s why it’s important to educate firm leadership on the different elements of the system and how it can help grow and nurture the business. Executive buy-in will be extremely important throughout the whole process.
5) Show a ROI. This may seem obvious, but it is crucial in helping your partners understand the benefits as you see them. Help your partners get past the upfront sticker shock and understand the long-lasting value an investment in this system offers.
6) Get people involved. Yes, it takes managing partner buy-in and some hand holding from the marketing director. But recognize the process will also involve your IT and business development people and your service line leaders and audit/tax group. Implementation will take muscle and it’s not a job for one or two people. Consistently send the message about how important this system is to the firm and make sure your firm leaders’ actions illustrate this.
Check back soon for our next post on how to manage the cultural change implementing a new CRM system can often bring.