| An integral part of any quality CRM system is lead | | | | make sense of the data. Simply compiling terabytes of |
| tracking software. This is the part of the system that | | | | customer data is not going to necessarily boost |
| helps you gather customer data from your sales force. | | | | revenue. The ability to separate and utilize useful |
| The ideal lead tracking software package, however, | | | | customer info is what separates the key players from |
| won't just tell you where the sales are coming from, | | | | the guys that'll shortly be looking for new work. |
| but will help generate revenue by pointing sales | | | | While the responsibility to give meaning to customer |
| representative to higher conversion segments of your | | | | information lies primarily with management, quality lead |
| customer base. | | | | tracking software can assist any businessman in slicing |
| Lead tracking software varies in features and | | | | and dicing what could otherwise be incomprehensible |
| capabilities, but most companies require a software | | | | mounds of data. The problem with most software |
| package versatile enough to track both in-bound and | | | | packages however, is that they either only do one |
| out-bound sales information while taking into account | | | | thing well, i.e. track website clicks/traffic, or they do |
| numerous lead sources. If your current lead tracking | | | | many things with mediocrity. You can spend a bunch |
| software is unable to track lead information from a | | | | of money on half a dozen specialized programs, or |
| majority of the following sources, chances are you're | | | | settle for an all-in-one program that doesn't do any one |
| going to be left behind by your competition: | | | | thing really well. |
| · Word of mouth leads | | | | While most companies are willing to invest quite a bit |
| · Search engine/website leads | | | | of money into lead tracking software, the problem with |
| · Email leads | | | | the first option is that while each program is great at |
| · Pay-per-click leads | | | | what its supposed to do, none of the separate |
| · Phone leads | | | | programs mesh together well, if at all. That creates a |
| · Direct mail leads | | | | communication problem for large, complex companies |
| · Trade show leads | | | | with separate sales, marketing, and customer care |
| · Advertising leads | | | | departments. |
| · Face-to-face sales leads | | | | The good news is that lead tracking software that |
| Today's companies need to be prepared to excel on | | | | combines the quality of focused applications with the |
| multiple sales fronts by knowing their customers. Your | | | | versatility of the all-in-one packages are becoming |
| lead tracking software should not only be able to | | | | available at prices that even the budgets of smaller |
| collect important demographic data from the customer | | | | companies can handle. |
| "touch points" listed above, but it should also be able to | | | | |