Sales

Crm In Sme – The Changing Scenario In India

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CRM is one of the most exciting areas that organizations are looking at these days. We have seen a significant spurt in demand given the accelerated growth and competitive scenario emerging on the business landscape.

Let us look at THREE scenarios here which are clearly emerging in the Indian SME market from a CRM perspective,

First, standalone CRM solutions which many organizations are implementing. I am taking the example of a Brokerage House that has a Customer Service team and a Sales Organization. For a brokerage, the customer service team is the heart of their business as prospects and customers are constantly calling them with requests, issues, requirements, account set up and what have you. This internal Call Center has to be CRM enabled to manage this steady flow of telephone calls, emails and other contact points from their prospects and customers. Invariably their telephony systems have also to be integrated with the CRM. All elements of the Call center have to be truly integrated for seamless delivery of customer service. Likewise their sales team needs also to be tightly integrated in to manage leads allocated by the Call center. This could be within the CRM system or even via SMS to alert mobile sales persons of potential customers. Imagine the customer delight, if you log in your requirements and within minutes the appropriate sales person calls you to set up a meeting. Indian brokerages which are on a high growth path given booming stock markets have realized the importance of CRM systems that will truly drive their business growth. The need has got cemented with brokerages rapidly expanding across multiple locations and the need to manage remotely branch operations. Further many organizations which started small have grown exponentially in the last one year. We have seen the emergence of a high growth industry in the Financial Services business.

Secondly, more and more organizations are seeking end to end solutions with best of breed offerings. The classic example is of ERP integrated with CRM. This is increasingly seen as a trend in the Indian market now. By having this integrated solution, the sales, operations and finance organizations can work together as a team to manage their customers, deals, payments, receivables, inventories and orders. This can powerfully transform the way organizations are run and reduce lead times and improve information flow. This approach has to be taken by organizations seeking exponential growth in an economy where things are happening. Here again we are witness to a new trend that has emerged in the last 6 months or so across SME businesses. This seemed to have been a major requirement for larger organizations until sometime back. This again reflects the rapid growth potential seen by SMEs in India today. This technology driver has accentuated the need for employees to become more result oriented as well as increasingly accountable.

Thirdly, hosted offerings are here to stay for SMEs looking for CRM application. The trend we see is of relatively smaller SMEs adopting this approach quickly as this minimizes investments in hardware, trained technical manpower and infrastructure. It also helps them get off the ground rapidly. CRM is best suited for SaaS (Software as a Service) model given the fact that sales persons are generally on the move and can therefore work from any location as long as internet bandwidth is available. The other major driver of SaaS is the fact that organizations prefer to get started with vanilla applications which makes sure that they focus on user adoption in the initial phase. Further this model makes it easier for SMEs to decide if they wish to rent or buy as the on-premise should always exist in case organizations decide at some point in time to move the application in-house. Flexibility is a huge advantage from a deployment and investment perspective. Lead management, Sales force automation are the two major areas of CRM that are best enabled though the SaaS model.

Controlling The Financial Performance Of Your Business

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There are numerous factors which impact on the performance and viability of your business. It is therefore imperative that you monitor and control your financial performance. Debt control and budgeting are two elements of this, and of particular importance is your business cash flow.

Many profitable businesses have gone under due to a lack of attention to their cash flow; they have insufficient cash available to pay their bills. Thus, you must plan and control your cash flow in order to effectively manage your business.

Some strategies that may assist in this include:

* Increasing the speed of cash receipts by good debt control strategies

* Avoiding excessive stock holdings by managing stock levels and obtaining reliable, prompt suppliers

* Planning the purchase of equipment and other capital expenditure for periods when surplus funds exist

* Planning to have sufficient reserves to carry your business through the inevitable periods when unexpected expenses are incurred

* Avoiding excessive investment in plant, equipment and other fixed assets which may leave too little working capital available (particularly in periods of falling prices, declining sales or increasing interest rates)

* Avoiding over borrowing as this may place a strain on working capital, loans still have to be repaid even if revenue is decreasing

* Maintain adequate working capital to fund the growth as increasing sales also means increasing costs, your working capital requirements therefore, need to be continually reviewed

* Delaying outgoings by taking advantage of the credit terms offered by your suppliers and paying when it suits your cash flow

* Reducing outgoings by taking advantage of discounts when appropriate and working capital permits

* And most importantly, regularly comparing your actual cash flows to your budgeted cash flows, analysing the differences, and taking action based on this analysis

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Effective Warehouse Management Solutions

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Many logistics software companies offer supply chain solutions which covers the complete process of merchandise delivery from seller to buyer. Leading logistics software company Magaya, offers Supply Chain Solution which gives companies the functionality of an ecommerce system, warehouse management system and a Cargo System. You also get additional sales and purchasing capabilities to connect all your processes from Quotations to Purchase Orders and shipments.
The Purchasing Process
The purchasing process begins with a Purchase Order (PO) created in the Magaya Supply Chain Solution, containing all the information about the order. The PO is sent to the manufacturer or supplier. Convert the PO into a Pickup Order. Then the merchandise is sent to the warehouse. When the cargo arrives, the Pickup Order can be automatically converted into a Warehouse Receipt (WR). The accounting department can instantly use the original PO to create a bill that goes to Accounts Payable and is later used to pay the provider.

The Sales Process
The sales process begins with a customers inquiry for merchandise and delivery. Create a Quotation in the Supply Chain Solution and email it to the customer. All the information from the Quotation can be converted into a Sales Order and automatically transferred to a shipping order. Local deliveries and international shipping can be processed with all trade documentation included such as the Bill of Lading, Air Waybill, Cargo Manifest and others. The details from the Quotation, Sales Order, and shipment are processed automatically through the integrated accounting system in the Magaya Supply Chain Solution. Invoices are automatically created and processed.
Main Feature Of The Warehouse Management System
Quotations
Delivery and storage prices included

Pickup Orders
Pickup and delivery charges included

Warehouse Receipts
Keep a record of arrival and location of cargo
Create tasks to receive and put away cargo using Magaya WMS Mobile

Cargo Releases
Keep a record of release date, time, and delivery carrier
Create tasks to Pick and Load orders using Magaya WMS Mobile

Warehouse Inspector
Define locations for receiving, storage, quality control, a holding area, etc.
Manage storage capacity to reduce empty spaces and create efficiency

Inventory Control Software

Just-in-Time Inventory
Inventory Cycle and Physical Counts
Control Inventory by SKU and/or Serial Numbers

24-Hour Inventory Visibility
Available to your customers in real-time via Magaya
Automatic Billing
Charges are calculated automatically by the Tariff feature
Invoices are created automatically by the Recurrent Invoicing feature

Integrated Accounting System Features
Accounts Receivable
Accounts Payable
Banking and Checking
Financial Reports
Collections Reports
Multicurrency options

Consume Whole Books In Minutes With The Opir Method

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Use the OPIR method to accelerate reading and learning.

Overview

Read the front and back covers. Look at the flaps inside each cover. Read the table of contents, looking for subjects and headings that are of special interest to you. Use a highlighter to mark out anything that stands out. This should take no more than 5 minutes.

Next turn the pages quickly, about 30 to 40 a minute. Get a feel for the way the book is structured. Read a paragraph here and there to get a sense of the style. This should take no more than five minutes for a 300 page book.

At this point you can decide if the book is worth reading. If nothing has caught your attention, discard the book. Throw it away, put it on a shelf, or give it away. You will never read it.

Preview

Turn the pages again one at a time. Stop and read an occasional sentence or paragraph. Read the first sentence or paragraph of each chapter if it helps to have some structure. Read any questions or summaries at the end of each chapter. Seek a better sense for what you will learn when you read more. Use a highlighter to mark out sections that you want to spend more time on. Limit this phase to ten minutes.

In-view

Return to the parts that you are interested in and skim the relevant material. Read each paragraph or page quickly. Drag your hand or finger down the page to keep your eye moving. Slow down for anything that is particularly interesting for you. Use a coloured pen or highlighter to mark useful passages. Make notes in the margins. Turn down the page corners or colour page edges for any pages that you might want to access quickly. You should find it relatively easy to cover the good parts of a 300 page book in less than half an hour.

Review

Review what you have learnt. Return to the pages you have marked. Read your notes and what you have highlighted. Make a separate aid memoir of what you have learnt. Mind maps are a useful visual way to create your learning record. Google Mind maps if you havent come across the term or want to know more.

Finally, note how you plan to use the learning and schedule any relevant actions in your ‘To Do’ list or calendar.

The whole OPIR process should be complete in less than an hour. The you use it, the faster your will become. This will save you at least an hour and probably two for every book you apply it to as well as double or triple retention.

The Function Of A Site Manager

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No matter where you may be in the world, the building industry has its fluctuations, and that includes the United Kingdom and Europe. Some areas tend to be harder hit than others are, such as the residential markets are, but in spite of those trends, little of the industry declines affect the job of a site manager.

Though there may be some residential areas where a site manager is utilized, such as in new construction of entire areas of homes, the job of a site manager is more visible in the commercial building industry. It is also not a position that is limited to that of new construction, either. So just what is the function of a site manager? Some of the duties that he may be required to perform include the following:

#Ordering new material

#Replacing material that has been exhausted

#Assuring that his site has enough manpower to perform the assigned tasks within contract guidelines

#Preparing reports and status updates for regional and other managers of his company

#Seeing that workers follow all safety procedures and that any accidents are recorded and reported to the proper authorities

#Using his expertise in the building industry as a means of knowing when changes in the original plans or projected completion dates are necessary

#Being on the site to follow the daily operation of the project

Of course, the construction industry is not the only industry that may have a site manager, but they are the most common and usually the one to which advertisements for this position refer. Although the commercial building site manager is more common, that of a residential site manager is just as demanding and in addition may require him to assume the role of a sales agent as well. When new residential construction is in the process, sometimes potential buyers will take the time to look if they like what they see. If there is not sales office they can visit, the site manager may assume the role of a sales manager. This may include a tour of the neighbourhood, review of blueprints and plans, a discussion of the sales price, and answering any questions the potential buyer may have.

For someone who has an interest in a position as a building site manager, be prepared for something very diverse that may something require your expertise and knowledge of the building industry while in other situations, you may need to be a liaison between your company and the potential buyers.