Last week, I asked, "What do you think of when you think of maps? Typically, it's vacations, treasure hunts, or weather forecasts.
In B2B sales, however, maps do more than help you get from one place to another. Maps let you visualize and conceptualize spatial relationships more easily than with, say, rows and columns in mind-boggling spreadsheets, wherein intelligence often lies hidden. Or maybe you've already advanced from spreadsheets to Microsoft's Dynamics CRM. But wait. It gets better.
When combined with Dynamics CRM, mapping is changing the name of the game. With InfoGrow's "CRM Call Planner" mapping tool, in just one click, you can convert CRM data into a map with street and satellite images.
So, what value does a map add for sales managers?
- Manage sales territories better: Reviewing customers and/or prospects by territories displayed on a map often reveals the need for changes in territory assignments and balanced territories.
- Know where your sales reps are and what they're doing and, accordingly, if necessary, manage them better for more productive calls. In cloning “A” accounts, for example, the "CRM Call Planner" will help to get your “B” players to better focus on core customer accounts. The "Call Planner" can also increase the adoption of CRM, itself, allowing users to achieve the results they expected for their installed CRM’s.
- Help assure that your reps are most productive while they're traveling; for example, on a map, you can see a point for every won or lost opportunity. You might be surprised to find that a rep has not targeted companies in a particular area for some time. Although you could look at the data in a table, a map makes the data more visible, jumping out to you for making better decisions.
- Easily evaluate competitive risk by seeing and understanding where competitors have penetration in your areas. Determine your plan of action with customers that might be at risk.
I'd like to tell you more about how maps can help you and your sales teams accelerate growth through "CRM Call Planner." And introduce you to our new mobile app for your reps to respond to last-minute customer needs and prospect leads while they're on the road. Please call me: 800-897-9807, x224, or email: bsullivan@InfoGrowCorp.com. You, too, will know, indeed, "If a picture tells a thousand words, then a map tells ten thousand.”
by InfoGrow Corp.
