Introduction
As a sit here at my desk with my freshly cracked Kronenbourg Blanc and my vanilla bean candle I will tell you all about Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and how important social media can be in the process of managing your customers or prospects. So sit back relax and lets’ get this show started.
Getting Started
When you are starting out in any business it is crucial to know your target audience. This means who is going to have interest in your products and services. These are the people that you should be catering too. Adams explains that it is of the upmost importance to keep your current clients happy. Moreover, Adams says it is critical to know what potential prospects value. For example, in my line of work (liquor industry) there is a lot of banter back and forth. I often talk about sports, hockey in particular. This in-turn generates more sales for me as store owners enjoy talking about hockey and we now have something in common. Adams goes onto say we do need to act professional. Personally, I would never tell a store owner I was intoxicated at a hockey game. I would simply say I enjoyed a few drinks at the game and had a good time. There is a big difference and this can be the difference between them seeing you as professional or not. Making the sale or not closing the deal.
Develop Your Strategy
In this section Adams talks about developing your strategy. How do you want to come across to your customers. This is very important. What your clients think of you goes along way with gaining new prospects and making new deals in any industry. For me in the liquor industry many of the girls take the flirty approach and honestly it works for them (who doesn’t like to get flirted with every now and again). For a pigeon like myself I stick to making jokes, talking about sports, a truly knowing my product inside and out, forwards and backwards. If there is something I do not know I am always honest. People tend to appreciate that. Adams also tells us to play to our strengths. What does this mean for me? Well sports and jokes of course as I said earlier that is my forte! Never try to be someone or something that you are not. People do not like that and it does not go far in business.
Manage Your Social CRM
Managing your social CRM is extremely important. This tells your clients what your company is all about. Wether it be through Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or even Snapchat or LinkedIn however you get messages out to the public and your clients always make sure it is done in a professional manner. The last thing you need is fo there to be spelling mistake during the launch of your new beer. Molson had learned that the hard way. On girl that was working on a Facebook post spelt a name of a beer incorrectly and the add Ran for two hours before her superior noticed and made her take it down and redo it. Although accidental this makes Molson look very unprofessional. Adams says you always want someone who cares. If you make an ad you should have no problem showing it to your grandmother. No profanity or nudity! Make sure when you manage all these platforms you take the time to truly understand how important it is the message you want to deliver to your customers as this can make or break your company. bad reviews are always there and can affect your company for life. Treat your customer how they want to be treated. I have many clients who say just call them by their first name and we have a very relaxed professional relationship to the point where they actually use profanity in front of me. When it comes down to it CRM and how you manage that is one of the most important aspects of a business relationship.
Your Toolkit
It is important to have a bog toolkit. By this Adams means do not be a one trick pony. Be good at many things. Be able to blog, make a Facebook ad, make a strong Instagram post, and have a good LinkedIn profile. You want to be able to bring new business to your prospect. For example I said my stores I do account calls for should make a social media. Some of them literally told me they do not want to spend the money. When I told them all social media is free to sign up for they nearly lost it with excitement. Long story short they joined because they trusted me and I knew that info and now they have more business.
Conclusion
My beer is now long gone wow was it tasty. My candle is out and I am finishing this post. I hope you learned how important it is to establish a great relationship with your customers. When it comes to sales I can tell your from my 6 years of experience that at Molson CRM is the most important thing when it comes to moving beer. If the store owner does not rust me the sales rep they will buy form someone else. That translates to less dollars in my pocket. Adams says relationships are the foundation that business is built on. I have to agree with her. Be kind and treat others how you want to be treated.
Stay Classy,
Matthias Friedel
References:
https://www.linkedin.com/learning/social-media-marketing-social-crm/welcome?u=2109516
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