CRM Software is Marketing's Secret Weapon

Stop and think for a minute of the highest performing companies in any industry.

What separates them is their focus first on the customer and second, on products. It's not their size or prestige; in fact many smaller companies have the highest growth because everyone stays focused on a common goal. And we're not saying that products are any less important, but companies growing today are using CRM strategies to harness the information their companies and increase sales and customer satisfaction, and manage their companies more effectively than competitors who rely on products alone and not increasing their insights into customer needs.

Marketing in these world-class companies we are talking about is all about building trust with the existing customers and attracting new ones. With customers at the core of everything they do, these companies are discovering how to turn CRM into a secret weapon, and in the process realizing there are major differences in sales, marketing and service strategies. Here is a brief explanation of each of these strategies:

Product Marketing - Sales strategies designed around the features and benefits of products, many companies use this strategy to appeal to as wide an audience as possible. Product-centric, these strategies don't necessarily mean that a company does not have an understanding of its customers, but it does commit a company to staying current with product generation timelines an entire industry adopts.

Target Marketing - Sales, Marketing and Support plans and strategies that are based on insights into consumers' preferences and needs versus product features, functions and benefits. As companies have started analyzing the customer data they have, these strategies have started to take hold. Everything from lead forms, to sales receipts and shipment records, to warranty registrations and product returns all contribute to a company's ongoing intelligence. Targeting marketing are the strategies that companies develop based on their growing base of intelligence about their customers.

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