4 MIN. READ
If you’re not using the build-in list creation feature in your customer relationship management (CRM) platform, you’re missing out. Creating lists allows you to manage your contacts and ensure that no prospects fall through the cracks. The result is often a more personalized experience. Read on for some helpful tips on working lists in a CRM platform to build a better sales process.
List creation features can vary from one CRM to another, and so do the types of lists available. For example, some tools let you create static lists where you can add profiles manually. At the same time, other platforms have a dynamic list feature that uses tags automatically when adding new profiles.
Tags are also convenient because you can easily add multiple tags to a profile to create an advanced segmentation strategy. As a result, you can group users into various segments based on geographic, demographic, or behavioral factors. You can also choose other manufacturer data relevant to your industry.
It’s best to keep lists manageable, typically with 20 to 30 profiles per list. The way you organize your lists should reflect how you work.
A common approach is to create lists based on where users are in their buying journey. For example, you can have a list of prospects you haven’t met with yet, a second list of prospective buyers actively considering a purchase, and a third list of existing customers.
This segmentation strategy reflects the different goals you’ll want to achieve when you contact manufacturers in the U.S. While you’ll want to focus on meeting with people from your prospect list, you’ll mainly engage in retaining existing customers.
This approach makes your CRM contacts easier to manage, but there are many other types of lists you can create:
• Geographical lists: If you travel, geographical lists can make sense. You can get the most out of each trip by scheduling meetings with prospects in a specific area.
• Product lists: If you have an extensive product portfolio, you may want to create lists based on the solutions prospects have expressed interest in.
• Behavioral lists: You can also segment your audience based on behavioral factors, such as their preferred communication channel, the content they consume on your website, or their buying habits.
• Time-blocking lists: Lists are a great way to stay organized. With time-blocking lists, you can dedicate your time to nurturing users in the same stage of the buying process.
Other potential approaches include creating lists based on buyer personas or organizing your contacts based on how you got their information to track attribution.
The current trend for B2B sales is to invest in technology, especially CRM data. Leveraging lists is crucial to remain competitive as more organizations focus on data-driven methods. You’ll get the most out of segmentation with the following tips.
1. Schedule your time effectively
Prospecting can be one of the most challenging aspects of B2B sales. So, give this activity your full attention by blocking time to work on your prospect list in the morning.
Sales coach Ryan Dohrn has a smart tip for boosting retention. Since people tend to be more relaxed and chattier toward the end of the workweek, block out time on Fridays to work on your client retention list. See the video below for more.
2. Use lists for hybrid selling
The hybrid model is becoming prevalent in B2B selling. Using lists to segment your audience makes sense for this model since you can associate profiles with specific digital campaigns and generate lists for in-person interactions. You can also use lists to flag users ready for a first in-person interaction after they have consumed digital content.
3. Focus on personalization
One of the benefits of segmentation is that you can deliver content that feels tailored to the unique pain points a prospect is experiencing. Personalization is easy with lists, and it can increase email open rates by 41%. For instance, you can tailor communications and recommendations based on a user’s preferred channel, industry, business size, and the content they have interacted with in the past.
4. Target users for re-engagement
If users remain in your prospect group for a while without moving on, you can target them for a re-engagement campaign. In addition, segmentation makes it easier to spot profiles that have gone inactive and either re-engage them or remove them from your CRM database.
5. Prioritize how you work lists
You can use segmentation to isolate customers who have made large purchases in the past or flag users whose profile matches what you look for in a high-quality lead. Creating a premium list lets you prioritize these prospects and potentially increase the ROI of your different sales activities.
With IndustrySelect, you can incorporate CRM lists into your sales strategy and get better results thanks to a half-million industrial business profiles with accurate data. For instance, you can use filters to generate a list of manufacturers by annual sales, geographic location, SIC code and more, then easily export this list into your CRM platform to save time on segmenting your audience.
Let this convenient sales tool give you a competitive advantage while providing you with detailed profiles and contact information. Try a free demo of IndustrySelect, loaded with 600 sample profiles! Or see why IndustrySelect is the #1 most trusted sales platform here.
Watch Ryan Dorhn's tips on working lists in your CRM below!