Prodigm - Blog , Growing Your Business

More Improvements from Zoho Writer

Fri, 03 Nov 2017 00:10:20 -0400

ust when you thought Zoho Writer couldn't get any better (i.e the bulked up mail carrier, it's integration with WordPress and the new iOS and Android apps), it does. Zoho just announced two additional document formatting options to help make Writer adapt better to the way you work. Here is a summary of those enhancements.

Collaborative code snippet

Identified from the expressed need of Developers, Zoho has now introduced a code integration tool with Writer. Previously, Developers were inserting their code into documents and then using the comments tool to discuss it, while others would just use it to document their code. Based off of this, Zoho now works in 13 common coding languages (C to Swift, etc.) and combines this with Writer's full-featured word processing capabilities. This integration now allows users to access their knowledge base on the cloud, from any device and from any location.

Quotes

In addition to the Collaborative code snippet, Zoho has also introduced an easier way to insert quotes or excerpts from your favourite writers, and quickly give it a style that stands out. Default paragraph styles in Writer (Heading 1, Heading 2 etc.) now have a new Quote option, and it’s compatible with MS Word, creating some graceful and simple quote designs for to use.

For more information on these updates please contact Prodigm directly.

5 Ways to Generate a Quality List of Leads

Fri, 11 Aug 2017 18:27:12 -0400

Tried and tested lead-gen strategies that work

Consumer behaviour has changed significantly in only a few years, and marketers must keep up to stay in the game. Consumer demands have transformed the way the purchase cycle is navigated today. The traditional ‘funnel’ is no longer the only way to look at things. This has made it imperative for marketers to review their lead-gen strategies and make them more current and effective.

58% of B2B marketers are looking to generate higher-quality leads. Let’s have a quick look at some of the simple, and budget-friendly ways in which you can generate, and nurture, high-quality leads for your business.

Tap into the power of referrals

Make the most of your database of happy customers by rewarding them when they refer a new customer. Recognize your customers who bring the most value; this is the select group of your customers that not only contributes most to your sales but also provide quality referrals. Now, develop targeted marketing campaigns, with incentives, for this group of people.

Use SEO tactics effectively

Nearly 90% of all consumers begin their purchase cycle by finding out about the product or service they need on Google. SEO can help improve the visibility of your website on Google and other search engines. Using the right keywords, especially those that might have been ignored by your competitors, can place you in the top listings on search engines. That way, when a lead is looking for a product or service you offer, your business is the first option they find.

Offer a sneak peek with informative webinars

Connecting with prospects is a great way to foster productive engagement and improve sales potential. Webinars enable you to discuss relevant information with customers and answer their queries immediately. They allow you to present slideshows as well as chat live with your leads. Using webinars as a lead-gen tool can help you instill trust and build a rapport with the lead at the start of the cycle, cost-effectively.

Outsource the lead-gen responsibility

Many marketers find it worthwhile to engage an agency that focuses on lead generation strategies. These agencies act as vendors, helping a marketing team run campaigns, and supply the number of leads that a business requires for a fee. Additionally, you can buy prospect lists that fit your target customer profile.

Build in-house lead-gen capacity through automation

Marketing automation software is complete with sales prospecting and lead scoring functionalities that not only help you find quality leads but also qualify them based on their potential. The prospecting features can help you target leads that fit your ideal customer profile. Lead scoring automatically classifies these new leads by their inclination and capacity to buy your offerings. Together, these two features can save a significant amount of time and money.

To create augmented and targeted leads, a marketer needs the right tools. Find out how our cloud-based CRM training can help you put in place, or improve, your sales process. Contact us to learn how we can help you achieve the integration and process required to automate lead conversion.

Resell, Don’t Sell!

Mon, 17 Jul 2017 11:22:14 -0400

Four compelling reasons why existing customers are a more lucrative target group than new customers

What is the biggest strength of a marketer? Without a doubt, it’s the ability to understand the needs of a prospective customer and fulfill them seamlessly. As a good marketer then you likely have a pool of customers whose needs you’ve understood, and delivered to. That, right there, is your ideal prospect. You’ve already converted them; now see what else you can do for them.

Very often, an existing customer has purchased only one of your products or services. Chances are they don’t know what more you can offer. Nobody is actively looking for ways to spend money! When marketing your products and services to your existing customers, who likely already believe in you, you could boost your sales exponentially. Even a 5% increase in customer retention can lead to a 25% rise in profitability.1

Here’s why we advise you concentrate a significant portion
of your marketing efforts on existing customers.

#1 - Cost of retention versus cost of acquisition

While gaining new customers could be extremely motivating, nurturing your brand’s relationship with existing customers is far more financially rewarding. Studies reveal that the cost of retaining existing customers can be up to seven times lower than the cost of acquiring new customers.2 Marketing to existing customers reduces costs by eliminating a significant chunk of business development expenses.

#2 - Reduced marketing efforts

As your existing customers have already experienced your brand, your team must devise strategies to build the loyalty of these customers to promote repeated purchases. This can be done by using targeted strategies such as loyalty cards, direct mail and subscriptions much of which also lend themselves well to automation.

#3 - Clearly defined target customers = more effective communication

When your business is frequented by the same set of customers, you can make fairly specific inferences about the groups of people that you cater to. This will help you customize your marketing to deliver exactly the kind of messaging customers would like to hear at different points of the in their purchasing cycle. You can then employ automated stay-in-touch strategies using the segmentation of existing customers within your CRM, which is automatically two-way synced with the mass emailing automation process. Smart automation would intuitively send the first email in a series to a new customer while sending the 55^th email within the series to a different customer who might’ve been around for a while.

#4 - Word of mouth publicity

A happy customer is a brand ambassador for your business. When you know what they have previously purchased and offer them other relevant products and services that might be useful, they consider your cross-selling and up-selling efforts good customer care. This leads to customer delight. A loyal customer refers 50% more people than one-time buyers.3

To get the most out of your existing pool of customers, you need to understand their needs, preferably in real time. CRM software helps you do just that. It streamlines customer services, organizes information flows and helps you closely monitor the pulse of your consumer. Find out how a cloud-based CRM can help your team work smarter and improve customer retention. Our training can help you get the most out of your CRM platform.

https://hbr.org/2014/10/the-value-of-keeping-the-right-customers

https://www.referralsaasquatch.com/9-key-customer-lifecycle-stats-2017/

Could I lose them quicker?

Fri, 14 Jul 2017 16:09:02 -0400

Five effective strategies to eliminate leads that are unlikely to turn into clients

“Most of it is sand and rocks, the rest of it is pure gold”

Has your team been chasing leads endlessly, spending hours meeting with different people, but unable to convert them into customers? While your first instinct may be to second-guess the ability of your team, very often the lead itself may not be worth the chase. A quality lead is the shortest path to a successful conversion, and knowing when to eliminate the sub standard ones will help you.

Identifying non-prospects early in the sales cycle can prevent your team from putting a lot of time and effort into them. This translates into a substantial marketing cost reduction and better employee morale.

Here are a few questions that will help your team qualify leads and determine the chances of a lead being converted into a client. Many models are available that can help you think about early qualification of leads including the Sandler Selling System which covers questions like these.

#1 - When does the lead require your service or product?

A prospect’s sense of urgency is the biggest guarantee of lead conversion. If your offering caters to a current and critical need of the prospect, they will not hesitate to spend their money. If you are unsure of when a prospective customer needs what you offer, start by finding out. Knowing where they are in their purchase journey will help you estimate the likelihood of a conversion.

#2 - Why are they buying your offering and what made them consider you as a vendor?

Knowing your lead’s reason to purchase your offering can help you market more effectively. Knowing the key aspects that the prospect is looking for in a vendor can also help you customize your sales approach and seal the deal quickly. Understanding their pain points can help your team offer the appropriate solutions to prompt the lead to make the purchase sooner.

#3 - Does your offering fit within the prospect’s budget?

Spending time on a lead that cannot afford your goods and services is highly unproductive.Knowing how much the prospect is looking to spend will help your team offer only the solutions that fit the prospective customer’s budget. When a customer doesn’t feel like they are being upsold, it builds trust and a greater likelihood of conversion.

#4 - Who is making the decision?

When selling, it is essential to know who will make the final purchase decision. Any of your team’s time and effort spent on anyone other than the key decision maker is likely wasted. While it is true that in a corporate environment it’s best to follow the hierarchy, your team can shorten the purchase time by reaching the key decision maker sooner by building relationships along the way.

#5 - Why are they considering you and are they looking at your competitors?

Knowing why a lead is considering your offering and whether it is the only product under consideration can help your team estimate the probability of conversion more accurately. A lead that is evaluating many of your competitors is probably just browsing, and far from a decision.

Many salespeople fall over their own open mouth spouting on about their products. Early qualifying of a contact is all about need and fit. Don't be afraid to say ‘No, we don't fit your needs’ if you don’t.

A robust CRM software can track lead behaviour and help you close deals sooner. It allows small and medium sized businesses to develop a proactive sales approach and helps you find the answers to the questions above.

We can help you set up or get more from your CRM so your team can eliminate leads that will require a lot of effort to convert and focus on the ones that promise greater success!

Check out our training sessions for all the information.

What you don't know can hurt your business

Wed, 22 Mar 2017 11:59:59 -0400

As consultants who implements CRM and associated cloud-based software for small and medium-sized business, we are often involved in identifying and helping them embrace opportunities to revolutionize their business.

It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so - Mark Twain

We hear a lot of comments during the planning sessions for an implementation process:

“Harold will never agree to that...”

“Our sales team is too busy to do that....”

“We won't use the task manager, it's too much fiddling around...”

Well, change can be a challenge. But we know that once the change is established as a real time-saver, a process that creates more sales with less effort, leads to less personal embarrassment about dropped balls and unfulfilled promises, and less time wasted in unnecessary meetings. The attitudes change.

When a company has established processes over a long period of time it is sometimes hard to recognize opportunities for business process improvements. But typically those old procedures were established in the distant past, where only the largest companies were able to afford integrated modern software.

The kinds of changes that are possible include:

Sales people only need to come into the office on rare occasions
The sales funnel can be up-to-date and accurate
The current state of invoicing to a customer can be seen in real time by the sales people
Support ticket information is part of the Contact and Account profile
All emails sent or received by anyone in the organization or from anyone in your CRM database are recorded against the Contact and Account record
Leads can flow automatically from your web site forms and be assigned automatically to sales people based on rules and criteria
Leads can be converted immediately upon qualification
Orders can be taken in the field on mobile devices and immediately processed by the Order department for approval and delivery arrangements
Company data about customers, sales and orders can be protected from theft and espionage
Emergency recovery after a disaster, flood or fire, can be as simple as finding an internet connection and carrying on
Marketing Campaign results can be measured and refined based on real business results
Apart from an internet connection and laptops, your company will no longer need infrastructure investments, servers or costly support contracts.

Executive Training Series

To address the challenge of bringing management teams up-to-speed about the opportunities of Cloud technologies and CRM, Prodigm has designed training that provides real-life examples, insight and guidance about the potential for positive changes, process improvement, new efficiencies and increased profitability.

This hands-on training combines interactive discussions, expert presentations, insightful videos and participant use of Cloud-based software that can be configured during the course to meet the real business needs of their business. Participants will leave with a working on-line business support system implemented in free versions of popular software, which can be converted immediately and without additional data entry, to a fully functional system.