Customer relationship management (CRM) is a critical resource in any sales professional’s toolkit. CRM systems have exceptional functionality that makes many sales processes easier, simpler and faster. They can support lead nurturing, forecasting, pipeline visibility, task organization and much more. The benefits of CRM systems for salespeople in broadcast and media are overwhelming and something no modern sales rep or leader should be without.
Customer management is a challenge for broadcast and media sales.
The reality is that broadcast and media sales is a space of underutilization of CRM tools. Many of you may still depend on less advanced systems for customer management like a physical Rolodex or spreadsheets. In turn, this causes inefficiencies and disconnections in the sales process.
A CRM tool can resolve many pain points, but you’ll realize that using one consistently can deliver so many benefits. It can be transformational for daily tasks and long-term planning. Adopting one to support sales efforts will deliver on efficiency, productivity and growth. Let’s dive into the top benefits of CRM systems for salespeople.
5 Ways CRM Systems Benefit Media and Broadcast Sales Teams
Without a CRM system, your sales reps likely spend a substantial amount of time on data entry. In most cases, your team uses disparate systems or doesn’t have a centralized repository for customer information. That’s time they aren’t spending on prospecting or other revenue-generating activities. A CRM tool can change this dynamic. Such a platform allows you to connect with customers in more purposeful ways.
What does this look like in practice?
All Your Information, All in One Place
At the highest level, a CRM system enables you to identify a potential lead and capture precisely where that lead sits in the customer journey, from nurture to opportunity to close and beyond. In addition, CRM systems document every interaction with every customer. For example, you can track all the different advertising opportunities pitched to them across time.
You can see the cadence of communication they received from phone calls to email campaigns, with one click. You’ll also have insights on customer sentiment, SWAT analysis and more.
CRM tools empower sales teams to shift from relying on memory and sticky notes to a centralized repository that’s always accessible and current.
Easy Account Portability
Sales teams often experience relatively high turnover. Without a CRM system, the client relationship walks out the door with the salesperson. When companies are working with local advertisers, the relationship matters, so preserving this information is critical.
Companies that use them, however, see no transition friction. The new rep can pick up the account and have intelligence about previous interactions.
This positively affects sales professionals, who can adopt new accounts more quickly and easily. Overall, it’s a proactive deterrent against customer leakage.
Strategic Client Management
A CRM system isn’t simply an online Rolodex. It can act as a personal assistant, guiding and prioritizing the sales process. Many advertisers with terrestrial media organizations, for instance, are highly seasonal. They buy around particular times of the year or incentive programs.
A smart CRM tool notifies you of the right time to contact advertisers based on season signals. Since it automatically points you to the right client to contact, you don’t have to pay attention to every client every day.
Fewer Errors
With CRM tools, you enter the information once, and everything down the line becomes plug-and-play. That consistent experience can make your sales team more effective since they engage with lots of potential advertisers. This results in far fewer errors when creating contracts, translating to the order entry system, running reports and more.
It’s clear to see the history of sales, commissions and what’s up for renewal. While it may take time to enter the data on the front end, using a CRM system saves a surprising amount of it later in the revenue cycle. You are streamlining processes and eliminating rework.
Better Deal Tracking
A CRM system allows you to create and manage an opportunity. With this model, your reps don’t lose sight of what’s next in closing the deal. It’s a granular feature around managing forecasting, which is essential for broadcast and media sellers. You can also derive insights on opportunities won and lost by figuring out why. Salespeople can then be better prepared the next time.
The tracking of the deals can also support forecasting.
Why a CRM System Is Critical for Sales Leadership
Well-adopted CRM solutions introduce benefits for sales leadership and the entire company. These features deliver clarity on revenue, including:
- Forecasting: Sales managers have visibility into who is doing what and the status of each lead. You can grasp actionable information on pipeline, close rate, deal velocity, cost of acquisition and more.
- Better decision-making: Because of the insights into the pipeline, you can make more strategic recommendations and decisions that support revenue growth. For example, if you identify a deal that won’t close on target, be proactive and help the rep. It could save the deal and provide your rep with the assurance of company support, which results in greater employee satisfaction and less churn.
- Understanding sales rep strengths and weaknesses: Educating and upskilling sales reps is essential for their success. CRM insights can help you gauge where these salespeople are hitting and missing the mark. Obtain data points like the average number of calls to get an appointment, number of meetings to get a proposal, ratio of proposals to close, etc. You can then train staff and triage any shortcomings in the sales process.
- Data that helps you sell better: Your organization can, with data, sell better. You can translate success from one customer to similar ones, looking at trends across industries and segments. Suppose one vertical consistently takes 60 person-hours to get a deal over the line, but another closes with an average of eight person-hours. You have a clear directive of where to spend your time and money.
Benefits of CRM Systems for Salespeople; Opportunities Await
CRM tools offer the visibility and control necessary to run a modern sales organization, especially in dynamic environments like media organizations. Using a CRM system consistently and correctly can save you time and increase revenue. That’s an investment that any business can make a case for and a big reason we made it a core feature in Marketron REV.
