Beyond POS and CRM (Point of Sale and Customer Relationship Management)
Do you think you are “Next Gen” customer and sales savvy? Then take this simple five-point test to find out:
1. At my cash-wrap POS, I can:
a. Ring up a sale, but sometimes the SKU isn’t in our database or the system says I have no inventory. POS means Piece of S*** to me.
b. See my customer’s key dashboard facts at a glance including last purchase and purchase history.
c. Walk around my store with my customer and ring up sales as I consult with him/her.
2. My website sales are:
a. Insignificant to my overall sales.
b. Growing and/or difficult to manage.
c. Integrated into my POS and CRM customer accounts.
3. When new customers purchase from me, I:
a. Say thanks and hope they come back.
b. Ask them a few questions about their needs, hopefully remembering for next time.
c. Send out an email or letter welcoming new customers, possibly including a coupon for their next purchase.
4. How social media savvy are you?
a. I’m in Kindergarten: I may have a Facebook or Twitter account but rarely use it.
b. I’m in 6th grade: I have an account and I log in to LOL with friends.
c. I’m a High School senior: I have an account and I use it to chat it up with my friends and recruit them into my activities.
5. Mobililty is:
a. Being able to get out of bed in the morning.
b. A new high-grade gasoline.
c. The new way customers prefer to research and buy.
It’s a simple and obvious test. If you answered “A” for most all of the questions, you have ample opportunity to develop new sales channels and bolster old ones. If you answered mostly “B,” you are somewhat aware, but maybe scared of the time or cost investment to go to the next level. If you answered mostly “C,” you are a thought leader and early adapter of the Next Gen CRM, which is knowing your customer one transaction at a time.
And if you want to learn more about how all of this can factor into better retail sales, stay tuned for the next print issue of Angling Trade, which will be coming your way in two weeks…
