Both business development (BD) and marketing teams recognise the value of CRM individually, but there is a need for meaningful cross-functional engagement between the two disciplines and your CRM team which often is lacking when it comes to campaigns and initiatives.

Here’s some best practice guidance to facilitate such engagement:

Align your goals

While there may be nuances, at the core, both functions are driven by business and revenue growth objectives. Aligning the function goals with each other as well as the firm’s broader strategic objectives is a good starting point. This will help both teams to understand the respective plans as well as how the CRM system can be optimally used for the achievement of the larger firm objectives.

Prioritise

Understand each other’s priorities – is it key account management (KAM), campaign measurement, intermediary and referral management, extreme targeting or anything else?

Let’s say that KAM is a priority for the BD team. Clearly identifying the key clients, segmenting employees of key clients into decision maker and primary contact types, determining the strength of the relationships and so on; in the CRM system will grant the marketing team visibility of the same. This will enable them to pay more attention to those clients should they reach out to them for their own marketing activity.

Processes

New initiatives in CRM systems are likely to impact both BD and marketing and so often require both teams to be involved to ensure all aspects of the campaigns are considered. This approach also brings fresh thinking and uncovers potential obstacles – at the start – rather than down the line when the new initiatives are well underway. Begin initiatives by determining the overall objective – as opposed to what the team thinks the CRM system can facilitate. Thereafter, put down on paper the ideal process and indeed, the desired outcome so that the process changes required in the CRM system can be worked out. A top tip – don’t underestimate the level of change management needed to make those process changes. Don’t hesitate to ask your Client Advisors for guidance here.

Measurement

Measurement is the only way of determining success. Using the KAM example above, potential success factors can include metrics like opportunities for more work with the key clients, real-time visibility of status of opportunities in the CRM system, correlation between team relationships and work win rates, determining the NPS scores for each key client, instances where marketing campaigns supported the KAM plan, occurrences of information sharing between BD and marketing and so on.

Communicating with the business

This is crucial. Let the business know of your successes. Take testimonials from individuals in the firm who have benefited from your aligned approach to BD and marketing. This will also encourage broader CRM usage in the firm, which in turn will help make the discipline more embedded in the business. BD and marketing teams will agree that the better the adoption, the better the value of the CRM system to the business.

BD and marketing engagement is perhaps the most obvious and logical activity when it comes to CRM adoption. If you are looking to improve this involvement, speak to your Client Advisor, who will be able to offer practical and valuable ideas to configure InterAction in a manner that will make BD-marketing engagement seamless.