Imagine using a fork to eat spaghetti, but using it the wrong way round. It might take longer than expected, and much more effort. Salesforce is one such powerful tool which, when used efficiently and appropriately, delivers results beyond expectations. It offers dynamic solutions, which can be adapted to meet your business needs and when handled expertly, it will deliver optimum results.
Here are some of the most common mistakes which you might be making with Salesforce:
1. Not investing in training
Every personal trainer will tell you: Strengthen your core and strengthen your body. Salesforce is a dynamic and robust CRM, which can be the core of your business to develop sales strategies, marketing campaigns, and innovating on research and development. Training is essential in making the core stronger and it is essential to invest in training to get the most out of your CRM and deliver optimized results. You have to change your paradigm and include Training not under the Expense Header but rather under the Investment Header, and you will be headed for success. Training should extend to all users, including the executive team. They will be able to understand the importance of the information presented by Salesforce, to devise strategies for the business. Training a dedicated team member into a full-fledged Salesforce Admin is the ideal way forward, with full premium support from Salesforce Partners and regular updates and training.
2. Not keeping your data clean
Any organization relies on data, whether its ultimate aim is to generate profit or not. In today’s highly connected world, data is everywhere. Any data and every data can look useful. When implementing your CRM through Salesforce, you need to be able to sieve through the old data, and weave it with your new data. This process itself requires some expertise, which explains the role of a partner, in this transition. The data also needs to be formatted adequately to enable optimized processing. This process, which sounds simple, but is quite technical will remove incomplete and inaccurate data, and allow a seamless operational functioning of Salesforce. Its data cleansing tools can enable you to get your information back on track.
3. Not Customising Salesforce for your business needs
While business operations are more or less the same, the ways businesses operate are different. In fact, this is what makes one business better than the other. Not customizing or inadequate customization of your Salesforce may not enable the CRM to be aligned with your business objectives. A Salesforce Partner understands this and can accompany you in this customization journey. Salesforce has been designed as such and missing out on customizing one of the most powerful tools you have for planning and strategy is probably a wrong move. Step one in making them your customers for your business is making Salesforce yours. Bring the customers in by customizing.
4. Not Choosing the Right Partner
So you have finally acquired Salesforce. Step one towards achieving higher returns but only if used appropriately. This high returns tool needs to be handled expertly, even if it is presented as an easy plug and play CRM. Without the right partner, you might not be able to unlock the full potential, tailored to your business needs. Investing into external Salesforce expertise will enable you to gain a deep and all-round understanding of the needs of your business, analyze its processes and be able to work out an implementation plan on how to integrate Salesforce as a CRM in your operations. This right partner will have the right mix of Salesforce expertise and business experience, with high caliber consultants able to bring out the best in your business or organization and to re-align it with your goals and objectives, while making Salesforce a tool to be used regularly and centrally.
