Can you teach yourself CRM?
CRM software has become synonymous with modern business. To perform at your best, you need to know your customers inside and out, maximising the data at your disposal. Details as small as how long a reader was looking at your email opens up options for actions that can improve your relationship with them.
But that doesn’t mean they’re getting any easier to use. I don’t know about you, but subscribing to a CRM only to be presented with a 200-page User Manual is my personal idea of Hell, and this is from someone with experience in CRM!
However, teaching yourself CRM, or even a specific CRM, isn’t as difficult as it sounds. Much like learning how to perform your job, learning a tool like CRM is a process that consists of ‘eureka’ moments, and you’ll wonder why it was so scary to begin with.
If you want to learn the ways that will make teaching yourself CRM easier, read on.
Start with the basic terminology
First, it’s recommended that you learn all the terminology used in CRM software. This will prevent an immediate flood of confusion when opening a CRM for the first time, as it encompasses more elements than you’d find in your typical black book.
It’s possible that you know what these are, but they are named differently depending on which software you choose. Every good CRM platform describes the terminology as you use it when required, so don’t worry too much if the names overwhelm you. That said, this base knowledge of the key terms will ease you into it.
We’d recommend making yourself familiar with the following terms, which we’ve provided a basic description of:
- Lead – a new person or business that has shown interest in your product or service
- Contact – a lead that has progressed from interest to enquiry and provided their contact details
- Account (B2B specific) – the company that your contacts are employed by and would be paying for their services
- Opportunity – A business proposition that has been presented to your contact, often in the negotiation stage
- Report – A visual representation of a set of data in your CRM, often to make observations, or highlight strengths and weaknesses
There are more than this, but these are the ones that you’ll become most familiar with in a sales CRM.
Trial and error using a sandbox
Many CRM platforms offer a free trial, but there are also options that you can use completely for free (enable.services offer options that are open-source and free to use, such as EspoCRM). From here, you can go into the software and simply explore all the options and test how they relate to your business.
As it’s a basic system, usually with limited or dummy data, you can learn by navigating to each area and interacting with each one.
It’s best to use it as a ‘sandbox’ while you have no real data in it, so spend some time clicking through to make new leads, convert them into opportunities, generate reports and so on.
Learn from videos/blogs
Providers are becoming increasingly aware of the need to include resources that demonstrate how to use their platforms.
Trial and error is a great way to learn while you’re new to the software, as you build the blocks that create habits, so you remember it more easily. But CRM providers, and some provider partners, offer resources such as blogs and videos to transition from basic user to expert using guided tutorials (like enable does with our SugarCRM Tutorial series).
You can continue building your business as you build your knowledge of your CRM software, and scale as appropriate with video, as well as other visual resources, to guide you.
This works better for easing you into learning your CRM than trial and error, but it tends to be a slower process. It’s also challenging if you don’t have access to the CRM you’re learning from, so ensure you have a way of putting what you see into practice.
Get structured training if needed
They’re complicated beasts, CRM platforms. If you’re still struggling to grapple with them, help is at hand in the form of training. This won’t be explicitly self-taught, but like learning to perform any skill, you’ll only make it stick with practice.
Some platform providers offer training directly, but the majority use their partner network for training services. That’s where people like enable come in!
We offer a variety of options for groups and individuals to bring you up to speed on SugarCRM & EspoCRM. If you want a shortcut to skip the guesswork, that’s where we can help.
So, can you teach yourself CRM?
Absolutely! CRM mastery is a skill like any other, and with time and patience, you’ll be a master of your data in no time.
