Sales goals are important to your whole organization and how sales people manage those goals are just as important. Microsoft Dynamics® CRM can greatly improve how sales manage their goals, ultimately improving your bottom line.

There has been a slight shift from Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 to CRM 2011 that sales should pay close attention to. In CRM 4.0, sales use the quota feature to manage their sales goals. In CRM 2011, the goals feature has been added as a replacement for quotas. Quotas are still supported in 2011, but will not be available in later versions. Out with the old and in with the new! Here are a few reasons we’re excited about this transition:

Goals in Microsoft Dynamics CRM are directly tied to opportunities. So if you enter revenue for a particular lead, it will account for your all- up goals. This tracks your actual money in relation to your in-progress revenue so that goals line up in real-time with sales information and accounting data. Once a lead is closed, then CRM automatically records this as actual money (updating goals simultaneously). This backend workflow for goals makes sure financial information stays up-to-date and your sales reps always on their toes to meet their sales goals.

Goals can be set up for opportunities, but are not limited to this. For example, sales reps may be encouraged to look for influencers as well. Managers can set up goals for users or users can do this for themselves. There are parent goals and child goals- specific goals, sales team goals, department goals, company goals. You can really take goals as far as you want to go to support your unique business processes. By default, goals recalculate every 24 hours, but you can manually do this as well. You just have to change the setting to recalculate more often.

So how do you set up sales goals in Microsoft Dynamics CRM? In the sales module, select “goals” and choose the type of goal you’re looking to set up. By default, there are two choices 1. Revenue or 2. Accounts, but you can create your own goal metrics as well if this isn’t what you need to track. Then these goals automatically pull information from opportunity updates. Once goals are set up, you can also pull that into your dashboard view so you always have information at hand.

If you have any questions about setting up goals in Microsoft Dynamics CRM or the transition from quotas to goals, please contact us at Pangea Business Solutions.

By Alexandra Gonzalez with PANGEA Business Solutions- http://www.pangeabsi.com/

Whether you have a small or very large sales department, you likely have your reps separated by geography. You don’t want your teams stepping on one another’s toes and you definitely don’t want to have a valuable customer fall between the cracks. With this said, it’s also important to keep competition amongst your sales team at a good level.

The easiest way to establish territories with your CRM solution in mind is by zip code. I find that many companies complicate things when they try to evenly distribute territories based on their client base in a certain area. It may take more planning up front, but for streamlined automation between sales, marketing and customer service, zip code territory definitions are the way to go.

No matter what you decide when it comes down to this, you want to make sure your CRM solution is flexible because you’ll experience turn over, client needs will change, and you can bet things won’t stay the same for long. Contact us at PANGEA Business Solutions to learn how Microsoft Dynamics® CRM can be the flexible platform you’ve been looking for: http://www.pangeabsi.com/contact.html.

By Alexandra Gonzalez with PANGEA Business Solutions, Microsoft Dynamics Partner out of Florida

Without data, your CRM software isn’t worth much.  So how do you manage your current data imports from tradeshows, website information, integrations from other systems?  That is just the question that many people wrestle with after having made the decision to utilize new CRM software or to switch from one software package to another.  Luckily features and tools from Microsoft Dynamics® CRM can give you the options you need to manage your data effectively.

Like other commonly used Microsoft software, Microsoft Dynamics CRM is easy to use right out of the box.  The latest upgrade to Microsoft CRM 2011 includes new features like the Data Import Wizard that are sure to save you lots of time with the data import process.  The two new features include changes to Data Mapping Identification and Field Mapping.  When selecting a data map, your source – and destination fields will automatically match up.  For businesses migrating from Salesforce and Business Contact Manager, the pre-built data maps make that transition seamless.

Changes in the Map Field section of Microsoft Dynamics CRM will allow you to pick the column headings from the data source and match them with a field on the CRM record before starting the import wizard.  Changes to the Field Mappings feature will allow you to input information into an Option Set and match values to available Option Set Choices.  This new feature provides a level of customization that can be saved for future data imports and will save time from data verification.

For additional details on Microsoft Dynamics CRM and how it can help you turn marketing opportunities into sales, contact PANGEA Business Solutions.

By Alexandra Gonzalez with PANGEA Business Solutions, Microsoft Dynamics Partner out of Florida

A CRM system should show you more information about your customer relationships sales, service, operations and otherwise. What you do with that information and how you get to it varies from organization to organization. But this is where data analytics should come into play. You should be able to use the data in your CRM to make more informed business decisions and increase profitability.

We see a lot of companies going about CRM implementation the wrong way. When they implement CRM software, they try to make their processes fit the software. This can backfire quickly as it’s not working the way your people work and probably not producing the data you need to do your job well. With Microsoft Dynamics CRM and an experienced partner, organizations have the option to define processes and reports before implementing the software. Then Microsoft Dynamics CRM forms to their way of working, helping them be more productive and ultimately putting their data to work…the right way.

If you’re interested in getting more out of your CRM solution, contact us here at PANGEA Business Solutions. As a Microsoft Dynamics CRM partner, we are dedicated to providing companies with flexible and powerful business solutions.

By Alexandra Gonzalez with PANGEA Business Solutions, Microsoft Dynamics Partner out of Florida

In the past, CRM software had a stigma that it was only good for sales teams and general customer management. Today it is a much different story, through the flexibility of XRM framework solutions; CRM can be tailored to meet the specific needs you have.

Instead of just focusing on customers, Microsoft Dynamics xRM can help you manage all relationships and the information those relationships generate. This means that even if you don’t have a huge customer base, xRM can help you improve profitability. By streamlining your connections with vendors, members, contributors, suppliers (the list could go on and on), you’re improving overall operations while keeping everyone on the same page.

If you’re interested in the flexibility that xRM brings to relationship management, contact us here at PANGEA Business Solutions. As a Microsoft Dynamics CRM partner, we are dedicated to providing companies with flexible and powerful business solutions.

By Alexandra Gonzalez with PANGEA Business Solutions, Microsoft Dynamics Partner out of Florida

It often seems like each sales person has their own unique way of collecting and storing important customer data.  Although specialty software, fancy spreadsheets, and detailed files seem like a safe way to organize important details, you can’t see a consistent or detailed view of your customer relationships or track marketing effectiveness when each person on your team is using a different method.  Get everyone on the same page with a technology that can strengthen customer relationships, as well as provide the insight you need to drive growth.

Microsoft Dynamics® CRM is a comprehensive customer relationship management (CRM) software that will encourage consistency and collaboration throughout your entire sales team.  You can import data from other sources into Microsoft Dynamics CRM and eliminate duplications or redundant data.  Once data is safely imported into this single software solution, you can begin to track activities as well as gain valuable insight with your customer data and marketing activities.

Track each prospect and customer touch point in Microsoft Dynamics CRM.  Automatically score leads so that sales representatives can respond to the most promising leads first, and automatically assign leads to the staff most qualified to respond.  Improve the rapidness and consistency of response so that each prospect receives pertinent information about the products or services you offer.  Once prospects turn into loyal customers, build a detailed case history that you can use to observe buying trends.  Using the predictive analytic functionality built-in Microsoft Dynamics CRM, you will be able to anticipate your customer needs before they call you, providing a whole new level of customer service.

Create and release customized marketing campaigns faster and easier than ever before.  Mail Merge capabilities will quickly release mass emails to targeted prospects or customers, saving you time and money by fine-tuning marketing efforts.  Track marketing responses, including responses from Internet landing pages, and use that data to determine which marketing efforts yield better results, and which efforts to avoid in the future.

With the right tool, your sales team can turn more leads into sales, streamline marketing efforts, and improve customer service.  Optimize collaboration throughout your entire sales team by connecting them with the right CRM software – Microsoft Dynamics CRM.  Contact PANGEA Business Solutions for more ideas on optimizing customer data collection with Microsoft Dynamics CRM.

By Alexandra Gonzalez with PANGEA Business Solutions, Microsoft Dynamics Partner out of Florida

Once you deploy your CRM software, the data you get is only as good as it is entered.  Taking short-cuts or entering information in the wrong fields is a quick way to sabotage the data in no time.  While you can’t control every data-entry scenario, here are a few of the most common mistakes.

• Entering The Minimal Required Data: In order to make data entry easier on your team, Microsoft Dynamics® CRM allows you to customize data entry fields as mandatory, business recommended, or optional. This way, they won’t be able to cut corners when it comes to the integrity of your data.
• Data Duplication: Nothing is more frustrating than realizing you have a number of duplicates in your CRM system. In Microsoft Dynamics CRM, you can use data duplication rules that generate alerts when there is a duplicate entry.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM has your back while you’re going through data entry. Yes, it can be a tedious process, but when the solution is checking things on the backend, it can make a tedious process much more streamlined…and accurate! Best of all, your CRM data can remain meaningful for your business.

By Alexandra Gonzalez with PANGEA Business Solutions, Microsoft Dynamics Partner out of Florida

CRM software opens up a whole new world for businesses. One in which you can essentially reinvent yourself to be better, grow stronger, and become more profitable.

Reinventing yourself is a motivational way to put you in the driver’s seat and this is especially true for your business. In order to take charge of your future, you need to gain control and Microsoft Dynamics CRM helps you do just this:

• Be Better: Being better is very objective, yet it can be put into perspective when you involve you competitors. Microsoft Dynamics CRM allows you access to sales and marketing trends in relation to your competitors so you can always strive to be better than the rest.
• Grow Stronger: There are many ways to grow stronger as a business, but the most important of them all is growing a stronger customer base. Microsoft Dynamics CRM gives you the tools and information needed to build a loyal customer base and it even helps streamline customer support or service scenarios, helping you save time and money.
• Become Profitable: Being better and growing stronger ultimately leads to the main goal of becoming more profitable as a business. Who doesn’t want to make more money and do more good? Microsoft Dynamics CRM makes that possible again by connecting your office so you can easily and effectively make the decisions that help reinvent your business.

For more information about Microsoft Dynamics CRM, please contact us at PANGEA Business Solutions.

By Alexandra Gonzalez with PANGEA Business Solutions, Microsoft Dynamics Partner out of Florida

Sorry to break it to you, but there isn’t really a “for sure” way to come to this decision. Unfortunately it takes a lot of time, research, and analysis of your business processes to approach an answer that fits your needs. And even then, it can vary. But don’t let this news discourage you. If you stick to a few important tips along the way, you should be in good hands:

• The software vendor relationship is important: The relationship with your software vendor should be strong and you should have a high level of trust developed before moving ahead with a big CRM implementation project.

• There are no stupid questions: In software implementations, you should know what’s going on. Although your software vendor is there to take care of the process, you still need to make sure things are headed in the right direction. So if you don’t understand a process or an additional charge, ASK!

• Get everyone involved: A CRM solution is meant to connect your business. Ideally, you want everyone to use the solution and use it right so you can achieve a return on your investment. Get them involved in the implementation project by asking them a few basic questions. Write down their wish lists and specific requirements or even gauge how comfortable they are with technology. All this information can increase the chances of success for your CRM implementation.

If you’re wondering where to begin in developing a relationship with a software vendor, sign up for our newsletter and stay in touch with our CRM experts.

By Alexandra Gonzalez with PANGEA Business Solutions, Microsoft Dynamics Partner out of Florida

Marketing teams love the sound of Microsoft Dynamics® CRM 2011 because it simply makes their lives easier! Marketing functionality is a big part of Microsoft Dynamics CRM and really has been since the beginning. After all, sales and lead generation are a direct result of your marketing teams so it’s only natural marketing functionality is built into your CRM system.

Marketing lists, dashboards, and workflow automation are the newest features added to Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 and are making lives even easier for marketing teams around the world:

• Marketing Lists- Lists make it possible for marketers to target their campaigns by filtering contacts or accounts by certain criteria. If a marketer repeats or follows up regularly with a certain target audience, these marketing lists in Microsoft Dynamics CRM are a huge time saver.

• Dashboards- Tracking the effectiveness of marketing campaigns ensures a successful business. Budget is spent in the right places and the marketing team is able to make efficient choices based on the information available to them. Dashboards in Microsoft Dynamics CRM make this type of insight available in a quick and easy-to-read, real-time view.

• Workflow Automation- Workflows give marketing and sales employees a process to follow based on previously determined best practices to increase the productivity and efficiency of an organization. For example, workflow automation in Microsoft Dynamics CRM allows you to qualify a lead by answering default questions.

By Alexandra Gonzalez with PANGEA Business Solutions, Microsoft Dynamics CRM and ERP Partner out of Florida