J. Todd Bennett, Managing Partner
decimal152 www.decimal152.com

Learn the basics of Customer Relationship Management

(CRM)
Discover how to position your organization for effective

CRM
Understand the role of technology in data collection and

marketing
Obtain simple tools to begin measuring the results of

your marketing efforts

The Basics of
Customer Relationship
Management (CRM)

Have more choices
than ever
Expect immediate, high
quality, personalized 24-7
service

Are expected
to do
MORE…
with the
same or
FEWER
resources

Plan, program,
market, sell and
service
SMARTER
With faster, better,
more personalized Good
service? Information

Know
Do
Measure

CRM is about…
finding customers

 collecting info about them along the way
 using that info to enhance their
experience and foster long-term
relationships

Customer
Product/Program
offerings
Marketing, Sales,
Support
Technology

What are their needs?
Do you offer programs/products in response to their
needs?
…or your organization’s
convenience?

Source: OSAT

Positioning Your
Organization for CRM

Decision-making
Information flow
Customer contact

Many organizations place customers in the hands of
entry-level staff who are…
Poorly trained

Poorly paid

Lacking information to do their jobs


No longer just a communication channel

Customers interacting with your site are

interacting with your business
Are the people creating your website’s content

poorly trained, poorly paid and lacking
information?

How do we bridge the

customer information
and interactions being
collected on the front
lines with decision-
making throughout the
organization?

The Role of Technology in
CRM

CRM is a philosophy that is
supported and enhanced
by technology

dotCMS has the power to
bridge islands of information

Before you worry about CRM, make sure your
website:
Is easy and intuitive to navigate, with a focus on

customers’ information and task needs
Provides up-to-date, well-written and accurate

information

Present your potential customers with a seamless
website experience.
Avoid multiple, disconnected sites

Avoid duplication of effort by integrating info from

other systems
Begin to bring everything you know about a

customer together in one view

Customer account preferences and

personalization of content
Customer self-service

Event management and registration

E-communications tools


Customized catalogs and automated

fulfillment
Planning and tracking marketing campaigns

Promotions and discounts

Analytics and measurement

Evaluation and follow-up


CRM, Marketing Strategy
and Measurement

AWARENESS What do they know about you?
INFO SEEKING Will you be on their short list?
Consider the 4 Cs
SHOPPING Customer, cost, convenience,
communication
PURCHASE How difficult do you make it?

Traditional Marketing Funnel
Stranger
strangers
friends Friend
shoppers
Shopper
Customer
customers
Loyal Customer

Prospects Prospects
Alumni
Inquiries
Visitors
Event Attendees
Applicants
Members
Admits
Volunteers
Conference Attendees
Matriculants
Leaders Contributors
Alumni

Goal is to move people through the funnel

Success measured by conversion rate

# people at one stage/ # people at the prior
◦ Conversion rates higher as you move down
◦ May vary by segment, program, strategy,etc.
On avg 0.5% of strangers become customers


Need to track over time to establish baseline.

Technology can help here.
Start with educated guesses, refine with better

data
Once you know your conversion rates, you can

better target your marketing strategies

You need 20 attendees for an upcoming

seminar.
Goal: Convert strangers to friends (get

them to visit your website
You plan to purchase a list and send

postcards

How many postcards do you need to send?
◦ If you have tracked past conversion rates, this is easy

Convert the website visitors to shoppers
◦ Offer with registration? An incentive for them to create
an account or log-in? This is your opportunity to build a
customer’s profile.
Convert shoppers to customers
◦ Follow-up with an email or phone call to seal the deal

Conversion rate alone not the best measure of
success

A consistent, positive measure to compare success

Starts with Market Research
◦ What is your target market? Are there many?
◦ What are people in each market segment
looking for? (needs, preferences)
◦ What do they know about you? How do they
learn about you?

Identify market segments

Match your program offerings to markets

For each segment, develop specific strategies for each

stage of the funnel
Implement strategies, collect data, measure results

Take what you learned and refine


Marketing plan is fluid

Programming/ products should meet the needs of

the customers
Your past customers are your best future

customers
Your organization, programs, technology and

strategies should evolve