What is Customer Relationship Management? Animated Introduction to CRM / Marketing / Sales

Dr. Nancy Rauseo explains how Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems can improve efficiency and effectiveness in the marketing and sales processes, while building long-term relationships with your clients.

Nancy has successfully leveraged her expertise in personal selling, sales management, B2B selling, and CRM to train professionals across the United States and Latin America. An award-winning educator, she is the founding director of the FIU Global Sales Lab and has had a significant impact on the world of sales and sales management training.

For more videos on personal selling and the sales process, visit this playlist:

For interviews with marketers:

Closing music: "I Have a Reservation" by TrackTribe (courtesy of YT Music Library)

[joellecohen]

While working at Hubspot, an american developer for marketing and sales softwares, I had first-hand experience with their CRM software, both in the marketing and sales ends of the product. Being the community manager and lead generation acquirer for the Latin American marketing team, I used the company's CRM to record qualified leads and new customer opportunities generated through hubspot's website, newsletters, webinars and advertising campaigns to then, create a strategical workflow to follow-up and turn them into potential customers. Through my experience working closely with a CRM, I understood the power it has to maintain efficient communications amongst an organization and consequently, have all teams aligned. Being able to communicate the correct messages to the right customers, sending out personalized relevant emails, and automatically notifying my sales team about an opportunity, the CRM eased my job throughly. Personally, I would implement a CRM system within any company now a days; with the correct data inputting, you are able to develop effective strategies that will generate profitable results.

[ikrueger]

Having worked in a marketing agency, where the client information and activities were stored in different spreadsheets, emails, or task cards showed me how important it is to have sufficient CRM to be well-prepared and offer clients the best possible service. This video is a prime example of the importance and great potential that lies in a well-structured CRM. Not only can it help us to gain better performance and be well-prepared, but it also gives us the opportunity to avoid future problems. Not having an effective CRM in the past has shown me that it not only impacts the efficiency of departments working together but it can also negatively influence customer perception and satisfaction.

[zohourmadi]

This video is an excellent example of why Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system is a crucial tool to improve customer retention and sales productivity. The key is to provide the necessary training and upload accurate information to the system during the process. Proper communication between internal and external teams is another key to success. What resonates with me the most in this video is how well prepared the sales rep was before the initial meeting. He provided solutions based on the gathered information as well as the interactions with the internal team.
I believe every business should invest in a CRM system and have the policies and procedures to ensure success.

[mariasjoholm]

Considering that 3 out of 4 consumers spend more money because of the positive experience they've had with a company, it surprises me when I see companies that don't take the importance of CRM seriously. In my work field of Marketing, CRM is one of the main pillars of success, and staying top of mind is critical in this competitive landscape. Great video for anyone doubting if CRM is the right thing for them.

[alexandralarrea]

I love how marketing allow us to predict consumers’ needs without magic, only with the right use of tools that exist, we can get brand loyalty because of a CRM done right.

I remember when I worked at a company that used to sell agricultural supplies, we didn’t have a sophisticated CRM system, but we tried to do our best with other tools for our consumers ’satisfaction.
For example, when a customer bought an agrochemical (pesticide, herbicide or fungicide), the salesman used to ask which kind of crops did the client grow, so later on the marketing team could send notifications via SMS or WhatsApp, to remind the clients that it was time to apply another agrochemical or fertilizer (based on the crop growth cycle). The clients used to be glad for the reminder and for the additional discount we offered for being a regular buyer, of course.

This video helped me realize that we could do more with more resources, but at the same time, people need to be involved and work as a team, otherwise, is just a waste.

[brunadoering]

Coming from the largest healthcare system in the United States, our healthcare system partners with several third party businesses to facilitate our daily marketing tasks. They have contracts with email marketing platforms, sales platforms and even work with technology companies. The Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tool is a one-stop shop that effectively keeps all of these different relationships and business agreements in one place. As the marketing director of one of the many hospitals in our healthcare system, the 3:16 minute mark of this video definitely stood out to me. I interact with various different users and different departments from each of these businesses and the fact that CRM is always up-to-date on these interactions is very beneficial from an efficiency perspective.

[taisp]

Thank you for sharing this video, I enjoyed seeing the visual explanation of the CRM process. As a company grows, the need for a robust customer database becomes a necessity. Important conversations are generally scattered around in spreadsheets, post-it notes, trendy napkin notes, emails, or general outlook entries which leads to inconsistent interactions with customers (both future and current). We use DealCloud in my office and this has helped elevate our connections with all our clients. In my experience, in using this CRM system we were able to see many benefits but one of my favorites is using it as a targeting tool. With DealCloud I sift through contacts and target certain industries to create messaging that resonates with them…everything from newsletters to press releases to personalized marketing campaigns. I also enjoy having information about people to help serve them better, when people see personalized customer service, they are more inclined to remember you.

[samanthasalomon]

After years of working in small businesses, it is easy to understand why no matter the size of a company, CRM systems are essential to building successful relationships with clients. It is practically impossible to have a team fully communicated regarding the development of a relationship if there is no system to share such information. Appropriate follow-ups fall behind, information is lost, consistency shatters, and credibility gets questioned. This video is an accurate illustration of the benefit a Costumer Relationship Marketing system can add to your business. Many small business owners tend to overlook the power of this tool. If presented with information like the one shown in this video, I believe they would reevaluate their sales and marketing approach.

[staceycee]

This video really does an excellent job of identifying the detailed features and benefits of using the CRM cloud based system. I love that this video highlighted the vast amount of data George and his marketing team was able to acquire from the CRM. The capability of the CRM to provide George with detailed information on his potential lead is intriguing. Furthermore, the video sharing that the subject matter experts were able to secure real time data from the CRM to make timely decisions was also very impressive. This definitely shows how valuable a CRM system is to business today.

[alyssagonzalez]

I think this video does a great job of showing that in order to have a successfully running CRM you need to be extremely thorough in maintaining the information up to date and also learning about the company prior to even meeting with them. By improving organization you can successfully influence marketers to change their sales, communication, and leadership approaches. By showing you are knowledgeable about an interested company/consumer, in this case XYZ, you are undoubtedly communicating to them that you value them because you took the time to learn about them. By streamlining all the information into a CRM you’re making it a lot easier to access important information.

[cynthiaismino]

Totally agree with what was exposed in the video, in the current environment it is a challenge to maintain long-term relationships with customers, what is currently needed to achieve the success of your business is not only enough to expose the benefits related to the offer, but in providing a personalized experience to our public and in this way achieve differentiation and position in the minds of consumers. Using CRM we can successfully achieve this and thus generate a competitive advantage over our competitors. Just like George did in the video, by preparing and doing research prior to meeting with the customer to build a sales funnel, you can set yourself apart from others who offer the same thing to the customer and see you as the best option, so these actions effectively make it a win-win relationship, as they make the relationship more efficient and more profitable. Managing the relationship with our clients should be one of our highest priorities, since we focus on leads (people interested in your business) potentially converting them into clients and on the other hand we also focus on existing clients, fostering brand loyalty providing good customer experiences. Anticipating customer needs is key in today's business environment. This centralizes database information and allows us to anticipate customer needs, improve customer service and build customer loyalty.

[w.rjames]

This video provides an excellent illustration of the importance of preparation to build and sustain a positive customer relationship. A Business can only thrive in a competitive market if consumers are the primary concern. I commend George on taking the initiative to research the business and draft questions before the meeting. His actions showed qualities of leadership, effectiveness, and efficiency. Utilizing the information obtained from the meeting, he began the company's profile in the CRM system to analyze ways to best service his potential clients. The CRM system doesn't just support George but also transmits information to other experts and permits a team effort to address the client's concerns. The CRM allows businesses to anticipate client needs, monitor concerns, and provide timely customer services and solutions. Using the CRM system seems to be an essential tool for businesses to anticipate client needs.

[johannaavalos]

A great way to show that all the information we handle in a company is valuable and see how CMR helps us give it shape and value and then turn it into results. Whichever direction it takes, it will always make your entire administration easier, which is what we all want.

[angelamerlo]

Communicating the value of a properly utilized CRM can be challenging. This video provides a concise example of how CRMs can help organizations align their sales and marketing teams. I appreciate how clearly it illustrates streamlined communications between Sales, Marketing, and subject matter experts and the benefits that extend beyond the point of sale. I'll be recommending this to my teammates!

[cristinaserrano]

I have been using CRM in my organization and it has been life changing. Its interesting how everyday we find a new way to improve it and fill it out with more ways to organize all of our customers information. Having all this information online and with easy access has also been a true key for us. This video has given me new tips that i would definitely implement in our CRM, and i will mainly focus in the demographic information so we would be able to target our sector everyday more.

[yolenederis]

I have been a sales professional for over five years, working with Fortune 500 companies, and I have never held a position where I did not have a Client Management tool in place. Client Relationship Management tools have an enormous impact on an organization’s bottom line. Lacking this essential system can be detrimental to productivity, efficiency in organizational processes, and engagement with clients. This video highlights some of the key functionalities that CRMs possess. Businesses can determine how simple or complex to tailor the needs of their organization. In my role, it aids in prospecting, dispositioning during or after follow-ups, interdepartmental functions that aid in fulfilling customer needs, and much more.

[valentinarojas]

Great video! Something I would reinforce is that CRM systems truly allow sellers or marketers create a mutually beneficial relationship with customers. Many could argue that it's just about collecting detailed information about people with the sole purpose of studying how to sell them something, but I believe CRM systems go beyond a monetary exchange. The system enables a company win the customer's trust, provide qualified, personalized support and additional services throughout the relationship, even after the purchase has been made. It's not only a customer generator tool – it's also key to customer retention and loyalty.

[mariaporras]

I find it spectacular the relationships that exist today between service providers and customers. Nowadays, there is no longer separation between "your job" and "our job" as the world has finally conclude that both parties are necessary in order to make the business, as a whole, prosper. This particular explanation made by Dr. Nancy Rauseo, reminds me of a certain case from when I worked at Procter & Gamble where their Key Accounts Team evaluated the current and future needs of their outsourced distributors (clients) and helped them solve those needs, because they knew that by helping their client, they were also helping themselves to sell more. In conclusion, our client’s problems are our problem.

[denisepomeranc]

George’s company organization is flawless. First, George is very well prepared to start a conversation with new clients. He knows who they are, where they are coming from, and where they might want to go. He is well prepared to meet with them and address their needs. For me, this relates to job interviews. In the past, I used to come very ready for interviews, searching for information regarding the company, their needs, and questions to be asked. I believe that the best thing in the professional world is to be prepared for every meeting you need to attend.
Most importantly, they have an excellent CRM communication system. Every detail about the client is documented through the CRM. Starting from where the lead is a potential client, then when they are in the follow-up process (hoping to convert) to when they finally make the purchase, and they continue with the communication to keep the client happy and addressing every need.
In the industry that I work, cruise travel, we use a CRM system with a very similar process. First, when there’s a potential lead, all the documentation needs to be in the CRM for future use. Then when the client is a potential purchase, everything needs to be communicated and when the client completes the purchase. The communication must keep being recorded even after the client has completed the purchase process. After XYZ completed the acquisition, they had very positive reviews of George’s company because of their customer service. This is due to the excellent team and the flawless CRM communication system that they handle.

[luciaechevarria]

This was a great video! Something that stood out to me was the example of George following-up with his clients to make sure they continue to be happy with the service his company is providing. While working as an assistant to an affiliate relations manager, I've seen first hand how crucial it is to maintain relationships with current clients. Not only does that level of customer service strengthen relationships, but it has also opened many doors for potential clients. In the past I've also seen the results of not inputting new information, which causes disorganization, misinformation, and mistakes. CRM systems are extremely helpful in keeping track of those details, as well as making sure everyone is on board so nothing slips through he cracks.