Most CRM software, such as Salesforce leads management platform, allows a high degree of customization and client data management functions. A highly adaptable software program makes the job of sales teams easier by allowing them to save customer features that are important in their particular industry.
While client data customization allows CRM platforms to be easily adapted for different types of industries, they can also make the job of data administrators more difficult. Sales Administrators often have to find practical ways for assigning sales team to the right lead for maximizing the potential of closing the lead. If the data that they are working with is highly customized and difficult to compare, the sales administrators cannot do their job effectively.
Effective Salesforce Leads Management
Although the lead management process can be different for various industries, there are four best practices that are universally applicable to all businesses. Applying these practices in your Salesforce lead management program will make the work of Salesforce administrators much easier.
- The first step in creating or updating your database is to identify what constitutes a good lead. There are certain criteria that must be identified and the sales team must be notified that these factors are central to generating great leads. Common factors to consider include the problem your business is trying to solve, the channels used by potential customers to find what they need, and behavioral traits that indicate when they are willing to make purchases.
- The second step is to align your sales team with the right strategy and keep them informed about methods that maximize the potential for sales. CRM data administrators must establish a mutually agreed upon strategy for responding to queries and customer sales activity. The more well-informed your sales team members are, the higher their chances of success.
- The third step for improving your sales function is to invest in sales automation and data management software. Every business with a goal of expanding its market and customer growth needs automated software at some point. A sales lead management platform makes it easier to generate, store, and nurture leads. It boosts your business performance in the long run.
- The fourth step in lead management is to create a way to keep your sales data clean and relevant. Inaccurate or duplicate data records can waste time and reduce your sales team’s effectiveness. Incorrect data can also damage your reputation and lower conversion rates.
Methods for Importing Data into Salesforce
The Salesforce platform makes the job of your sales administrators much easier as it offers built-in modules and functions that apply best practices. For instance, the data integration and import function offered by Salesforce is one of the best in the market and allows you to load data in a matter of minutes.
There are two ways for importing data into Salesforce; the data import wizard and the data loader. The data import wizard launches when you run Salesforce for the first time and allows you to import common standard object lists. The wizard has a simple interface and allows you to set field mapping to match the field names in your imported files.
The second method for importing data into Salesforce is through the data loader. This is done through a client-based app that can import as many as 5 million records from a database connection or a file. The method allows field mappings and you can set other parameters as well.