The Essence of a Good CRM Consultant
A CRM consultant is a wearer of many different hats. Some people are confused as to what a CRM consultant actually does, while others think that the person with CRM software for sale is a consultant. Neither of these are consultants; one is a sales person, and the latter is known as a contractor. Contractors deal with input that is related to tasks, deliverables, activities, and methodology. This job isn't what produces results, or value. Business owners must learn what a CRM consultant is, and why their company may need them.
CRM consultants are developers that essentially create and continuously develop CRM systems. Some CRM consulting firms focus on certain areas of CRM technology and may work for a CRM vendor. Others work for implementation partners while some practice the trade through freelancing and recruiting their own clientele, such as My Sales Butler at Salesforce.com. A successful consultant is dedicated to creating a client relationship based on consistently positive results like those at SMM. These are things that help and positively effect the situation of the company, leading to improvements. These improvements should be shown on paper and results should be seen in either monetary or production value. These factors both have bottom line value.
Some CRM consultants analyze projects, helping design business systems for business analysts and architects. Others act as salespeople, while some may be a little sketchy, there are some that are knowledgeable in their field. Some consultants double as strategists and help clients gain, retain and grow a good customer base. Then there are CRM consultants that work on the smaller end of businesses for boutiques or tiny shops, some even freelance.
The ideal CRM consultant is a hard worker at the end of the day. They put emphasis on maximizing the positive aspects of the customer's experience. Though consultants don't generally sell any software, they still need to know what it does and how it works. Their main goal should be helping a business identify problems, or even predicting problems and already having solutions in mind. The solutions consultants come up with will help the business be more cutting edge, profitable or maximize value in some way. When the position of a CRM consultant is done correctly the client have a greater selection of up to date tools at hand. The CRM consultant's focus will be clearer and more successful when everything is in working order. A client really only needs what they need, and a reliable consultant can help them figure that out.
