The last thing you feel like doing is tracking your sales. But, this is something that you need to do in order to know what is working and what is not. If you are not tracking your sales, you are not doing your job. While there are loads of great sales tracking tools out there, not all tools are suitable for all types of businesses. Unfortunately, far too many businesses are using the wrong tools. They could be using tools that make tracking sales quick and easy. One tool that is gaining in popularity, and that is great for most types of businesses, is free sales tracking CRM.
Right now, you are probably thinking that we are crazy, and that there is no way that you can keep sales tracking simple. But, when you are using CRM tools, and you are using the right tools for your business, you should be able to easily track your sales, thereby seeing trends and finding ways to increase your sales. Here are a few tips that will help you to do just that:
Matching – Once you have gotten rid of the things that you don’t need so your sales tracking is simpler, you need to make sure that your tracking tool is appropriate for what you are currently doing. There need to be standards across the board, so the tools and information are the same for all of your sales reps. This is going to make their work, and yours, even easier, because they aren’t going to have to try and figure things out. They will be able to jump right in and get to work. Your tools should also match your processes. This will help sales managers be more efficient, and better able to train other employees to help them get the most sales because they knew how to use the tracking tools.
Simplify – The more stages that are in your sales cycle, the more you need to strive to make tracking sales simple. This is not only for your own benefit, but also for the benefit of the sales reps who also don’t like to be bothered with sales tracking. When you have a tool that is simple to use, they are going to be more likely to use it. The more difficult your tool is to work with, the less likely they will be to track their sales regularly. Some of the things your tool should include are features like a drag and drop interface. There should also be a way for you to check on what your reps are doing. Don’t think of this as spying on your employees. You are doing what you need to do to ensure your success, and the success of your sales team.
Report Templates – In order to really see what your sales team is doing, run some reports. Use your CRM tools to create reports just the way you want them to look. The data will be where you can easily find it, and the layout will be easy to read. It is a good idea to set up default templates. Go over these templates regularly. The more you read, the more you will understand how your team works, what their sales are, potential sales they may have, and more. You will be able to help your team when they need you, because you will be on top of everything that is going on in your sales department.
Image Source: Hayley Vallejo
