• Promised return phone calls not made, and information not sent • Not being informed of possible delays or problems • That call to tell you when your order is ready – promised but not made. • One department in company having no idea what another department said to you in last call or letter. • No one bothering to call to make sure goods arrived, or are satisfactory. Probably no calls at all – until of course they want to sell you something else • No one knowing what they last sold to you – or when • No one knowing enough about you to offer you items or services that would enhance or compliment your purchase. Frequently only one person in company seems to know anything about you! And if they’re not available…?

Overcoming all this takes more than just contact management software.

The Answer What is needed is a change in attitude that extends from shop floor to boardroom. Not easy! It takes something special to initiate such a major change, but once up and running change will feed on its own success.

The CRM solution provides a sophisticated but (and this is important) ‘easy to use’ computer system which monitors all activity with customers, current or potential. Phone, mail, e-mail and fax all link in. Give everyone in your company who deals with your customers access to that system. Link it to word processors, accounts systems, stock control and manufacturing Now you’re starting down right road to achieving your ultimate goal - customers who become Raving Fans.

Your Information Bonus The additional benefit to a company implementing CRM, is far superior tracking of sales and marketing activities. Suddenly it becomes easier to identify most effective sources of business. i.e. • which Mailshots worked best • which sector provides your best business • how many leads turn into actual sales

All this information makes running your company so much easier. Your Sales Manager will also benefit considerably from being able to see sales activity and ratios more clearly. He will probably produce most accurate sales forecast you have ever seen!

Conclusion So, should you try to implement CRM or just stick with contact management? That depends on what you want to achieve. If your aim is to look after your customers to best of your ability, keep those customers, and tower head and shoulders over your competitors, it has to be CRM.

The alternative is to stay with pack and lose, on average, 50% of your customers every 5 years. Can you afford to do that?

Roy Gough Alloy CRM

Helping you keep your customers away from competition

Roy Gough has run and managed businesses for over 30 years. He has experience in finance, automotive, retail, high tech and ecommerce. He uses this knowledge to help businesses to improve their sales and profitability. He currently also sells GoldMine business contact management software, QuoteWerks quotation management tool and Mind Manager the brainstorming and planning tool.

His web site can be found at http://www.alloycrm.com

Being Chosen For Project Management Consulting

If you’re trying to land a project management consulting job with little or no experience, it’s probably not going to happen. To become a project manager, or even a member of a project management consulting team, you’ll need to have a track record of working in an important capacity as a member of a consulting team.

This is not a catch-22. You don’t start at a company as CEO, and likewise you don’t’ start project management consulting as lead project manager. One of best way to enter project management consulting world is as a team member in a company when your employer is working on a project.

Another way to find a job in project management consulting is by finding a position with a consulting company. You may need a previous track record in your specialty, or you may be able to enter a consulting company right after college; but it’s certain that if you want to become a project manager, you’ll need further education as well as plenty of experience. When you begin working for a project management consulting firm, let your supervisor know what your goals are. They know best way to get good project managers is to grow them in their own company.