How can your startup grow, scale and connect with a CRM?
Previously, we’ve looked at how Itoc used Salesforce to transform its sales processes and approaches. Here, we’ll take a broader look at how small and medium-sized businesses can drive a variety of business transformations that help you scale processes, connect with customers and grow your revenue.
Whether you’re just starting a business or have been leading a business for more than a decade, there are ways your business can better scale, connect and grow to succeed.
It’s something Salesforce has helped small and medium businesses (SMBs) do all across Australia and New Zealand. And during Salesforce World Tour Sydney 2022, we’ll be exploring some of those Trailblazers’ experiences, including Aussie startup Itoc. Whether you’re attending in person or are reading this long after the event has already happened, you’ll be able to catch many of these sessions on-demand via Salesforce+.
But, first, we’ve taken an updated look at how a CRM can help you scale, connect and grow.
Technology is helping SMBs grow – and navigate challenges
In the most recent edition of our Small and Medium Business Trends Report, more than half (57%) of SMB respondents say their businesses wouldn’t have survived the pandemic if they had been using technology from a decade ago. And 89% say they’ve moved a portion of their operations online throughout 2020 and 2021.
But technology has been enabling startups and SMBs long before the pandemic. When Salesforce first began, it recognised that SMBs had been left behind large enterprise companies. Enterprise tools were too complex and too hard to use. Salesforce has believed in the power of SMBs since our inception – that’s why we embrace three key trends in technology that have transformed the landscape for businesses large and small.
- Mobile: Incredible advancements in mobile technology mean that you can now run your entire business from your phone – providing unprecedented flexibility.
- Cloud: Barriers to entry have crumbled in almost every entry – and the cloud is an important enabler, helping startups and SMBs compete without building or maintaining infrastructure. Cloud technology allows you to be more productive and focus on what you know best.
- Social: Your customers’ expectations have changed, and they’re using social channels as a megaphone for opinions.
A customer relationship management (CRM) solution enables and connects these technologies, giving you a full view of your customers and where they’re at in their journey with you. And the right CRM solution will empower you to do this in a flexible, scalable way, ensuring you have a long-term foundation rather than needing lots of costly bolt-on fixes that add up in the long run.
We know that individuals and businesses are connecting in entirely new ways using mobile, social and cloud. So how are business owners and managers using these tools to succeed?
Making sure processes enable – rather than hinder – SMB growth
Each and every one of these technologies allows your business to scale as it grows.
Often, when smaller businesses experience a lot of growth, they find that their processes are difficult to scale and might even be roadblocks to further growth. But we’ve seen Aussie startups use solutions like Salesforce to transform the sales, marketing or service processes that need to evolve alongside their business.
Along the way, you need to also have tools to make your team more efficient and effective – like making sure all your customer information is in the one place, such as a CRM app that you can access from anywhere.
Using insights to turbo-charge SMB growth
How are you taking advantage of the agility that comes with your size – and a fresh perspective? With mobile and cloud technologies, you can be more responsive to your customers, but also to real-time data and insights.
Getting more accurate data is a common goal for many SMBs. A centralised, 360-degree view of your customers is critical for the type of personalised marketing and communications that most customers now expect. But better data also plays a role in improved forecasting and planning – which are especially vital for SMBs in times of uncertainty.
SMB growth ultimately depends on engaging customers
What good is any of this stuff if you’re not using it to better engage your customers, in ways that you haven’t been able to in the past? Whether it’s offering new innovations, keeping up with spiking customer enquiries, or personalising your communications, research tells us that many SMBs still face challenges with this sort of customer engagement. But it also reveals how SMBs can overcome these challenges, and the right CRM solution plays a big role.
So how can your business scale, connect and grow with Salesforce? If this post hasn’t given you enough ideas, then make sure to jump on Salesforce+ and catch some of our recent sessions with inspiring Trailblazers and helpful experts.
