{"id":41171,"date":"2020-09-17T10:03:08","date_gmt":"2020-09-17T09:03:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nettl.com\/uk\/?p=41171"},"modified":"2021-03-25T16:24:14","modified_gmt":"2021-03-25T16:24:14","slug":"crm-new-graphics-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nettl.com\/uk\/crm-new-graphics-business\/","title":{"rendered":"CRM for New Businesses in the Graphic-Arts Sector"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id='elevate'  class='avia-section av-2qwy3ht-25e3e254369c509abf1a91080ba05dea main_color avia-section-default avia-no-border-styling  avia-builder-el-0  avia-builder-el-no-sibling  avia-bg-style-scroll container_wrap sidebar_right'  ><div class='container av-section-cont-open' ><main  role=\"main\" itemprop=\"mainContentOfPage\"  class='template-page content  av-content-small alpha units'><div class='post-entry post-entry-type-page post-entry-41171'><div class='entry-content-wrapper clearfix'>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-jp009ut1-c2a891abf735c7eb7a5c24d037e4b61f\">\n.flex_column.av-jp009ut1-c2a891abf735c7eb7a5c24d037e4b61f{\nborder-radius:0px 0px 0px 0px;\npadding:0px 0px 0px 0px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='flex_column av-jp009ut1-c2a891abf735c7eb7a5c24d037e4b61f av_one_fifth  avia-builder-el-1  el_before_av_three_fifth  avia-builder-el-first  first flex_column_div av-hide-on-mobile av-zero-column-padding  '     ><\/div>\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-28z32gh-8306082e681bdb1a559cb023abad5737\">\n.flex_column.av-28z32gh-8306082e681bdb1a559cb023abad5737{\nborder-radius:0px 0px 0px 0px;\npadding:0px 0px 0px 0px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='flex_column av-28z32gh-8306082e681bdb1a559cb023abad5737 av_three_fifth  avia-builder-el-2  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding  '     ><section  class='av_textblock_section av-1txvxe9-b00ea93861545631179200d41110c8e4 '   itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop=\"text\" ><h1><b>Best CRM for new Graphic-Arts Businesses and those <\/b><b>Managing Remote Teams<\/b><\/h1>\n<p>\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-v4g6ak-1d639df38b074c4c8eeb90b09a79d152\">\n.av_font_icon.av-v4g6ak-1d639df38b074c4c8eeb90b09a79d152 .av-icon-char{\nfont-size:1em;\nline-height:1em;\n}\n<\/style>\n<span  class='av_font_icon av-v4g6ak-1d639df38b074c4c8eeb90b09a79d152 avia_animate_when_visible av-icon-style- avia-icon-pos-left av-no-color avia-icon-animate'><span class='av-icon-char' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue862' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello' ><\/span><\/span>\u00a0<em><strong>approx 9 minute read<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><br \/>\n<section  class='av_textblock_section av-1txvxe9-b00ea93861545631179200d41110c8e4 '   itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop=\"text\" ><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Entrepreneurs should be applauded. Starting and <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">building a business from scratch<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is hard. It takes many cogs to power even the smallest business and to keep it running smoothly. Everyone knows the old saying,\u00a0 \u2018work smarter not harder\u2019. It captures the very essence of newborn companies &#8211; time is money and cashflow is king when it comes to building a new venture. In order to be profitable and successful, a business must run efficiently.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to an article published in The Telegraph in 2019, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/politics\/2019\/01\/24\/start-ups-across-uk-going-bust-need-careful-management-economy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201c660,000 <\/span><b>new<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> companies are registered in the <\/span><b>UK<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> every <\/span><b>year<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. That&#8217;s equal to 70 <\/span><b>new businesses<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> being formed every hour\u201d.<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> During the same year, the National Federation of Self Employed &amp; Small Businesses recorded <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fsb.org.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">5.8 million small businesses, an increase of 3.5% in 2018.<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> It seems that the UK is a hub for entrepreneurs. Perhaps in a time where services and products are more \u2018instant and on-demand\u2019 than ever before, professionals are preferring to be their own bosses. To choose their own working hours. To focus on something they feel passionate about.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Despite the events of the last few months, this entrepreneurial trend is far from over. In fact, for some budding business owners, it became the catalyst they needed to get started. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.itv.com\/news\/channel\/2020-06-26\/startup-businesses-boom-during-lockdown\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In Guernsey alone, over 70 new companies were formed during lockdown.\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<h2><b><i>But what does it take to make these new enterprises successful?\u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In this article, we\u2019ll be focusing on the importance of having the <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">best CRM system for new businesses<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> within the graphic-arts sector and for managing teams from afar.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to an article published by Business Strategy Hub in April 2020, online marketing businesses <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/bstrategyhub.com\/businesses-that-are-recession-proof\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cprofit the most from the recession period as many companies around the world tier down on their traditional marketing campaigns and budgets\u201d.<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> So we\u2019ll look at how these businesses can use <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">top CRM processes<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to grow by successfully <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">managing their teams<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and thus enhancing their client\u2019s experience.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-41186 alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nettl.com\/uk\/wp-content\/smush-webp\/2020\/08\/crm.jpg.webp\" alt=\"-\" width=\"795\" height=\"530\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nettl.com\/uk\/wp-content\/smush-webp\/2020\/08\/crm.jpg.webp 795w, https:\/\/www.nettl.com\/uk\/wp-content\/smush-webp\/2020\/08\/crm-300x200.jpg.webp 300w, https:\/\/www.nettl.com\/uk\/wp-content\/smush-webp\/2020\/08\/crm-80x53.jpg.webp 80w, https:\/\/www.nettl.com\/uk\/wp-content\/smush-webp\/2020\/08\/crm-768x512.jpg.webp 768w, https:\/\/www.nettl.com\/uk\/wp-content\/smush-webp\/2020\/08\/crm-705x470.jpg.webp 705w, https:\/\/www.nettl.com\/uk\/wp-content\/smush-webp\/2020\/08\/crm-272x182.jpg.webp 272w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 795px) 100vw, 795px\" data-smush-webp-fallback=\"{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.nettl.com\\\/uk\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/08\\\/crm.jpg&quot;,&quot;srcset&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.nettl.com\\\/uk\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/08\\\/crm.jpg 795w, https:\\\/\\\/www.nettl.com\\\/uk\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/08\\\/crm-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\\\/\\\/www.nettl.com\\\/uk\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/08\\\/crm-80x53.jpg 80w, https:\\\/\\\/www.nettl.com\\\/uk\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/08\\\/crm-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\\\/\\\/www.nettl.com\\\/uk\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/08\\\/crm-705x470.jpg 705w, https:\\\/\\\/www.nettl.com\\\/uk\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/08\\\/crm-272x182.jpg 272w&quot;}\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><br \/>\n<section  class='av_textblock_section av-1txvxe9-b00ea93861545631179200d41110c8e4 '   itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop=\"text\" ><h2><b>What is CRM and why is it important?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">what is CRM<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">CRM stands for Customer Relationship Management.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Salesforce defines CRM as <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/uk\/learning-centre\/crm\/what-is-crm\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201chelping users focus on their organization\u2019s relationships with individual people including customers, service users, colleagues, or suppliers\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. This could be through either;<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">CRM as a piece of software, normally referred to as a system or a solution that stores, identifies and analyses information and interactions between seller and customer. <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">E.g. What CRM do you use?<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">CRM as a business ideal or mantra &#8211; how an individual company uses their own beliefs and approach to manage customer relationships. <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">E.g. What&#8217;s your business CRM strategy for retaining customers?<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">CRM as a business blueprint &#8211; how a business uses a specific CRM system to cultivate customer relationships. <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">E.g. What&#8217;s your CRM process for keeping in touch with clients?<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We\u2019ll be looking at a mix of all three \u2018types\u2019 of CRM as they all have their part to play in effectively managing teams within a new business. For example;<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How does <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">good CRM software<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> help to keep all team members, even if working remotely, up to date on individual client projects?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The best CRM ideology<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> within a business and how it helps to minimise touch points and unnecessary noise between team members when communicating with clients.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What\u2019s an effective CRM process within a system that helps team members to identify potential problems with client accounts?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>What makes a <\/b><b>top CRM?<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Before we look at the above from a graphic-arts perspective, it\u2019s important to understand what makes a <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">top CRM system<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. It\u2019s all fine and well to \u2018have CRM\u2019 or to think that you adopt effective CRM processes. But what\u2019s the point if they don\u2019t improve communication and streamline efficiency within a team?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are many different CRM \u2018products\u2019 out there in the market for a new business to choose from. But the end goal of implementing CRM, especially when <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">starting a business from scratch<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, should be improving and enhancing <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">project management. Be that within teams<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and consequently the end client experience. <em><strong>F<\/strong><\/em><\/span><b><i>rom one place. <\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A value-adding CRM will let business owners manage their staff to bring about a higher level of efficiency. Greater transparency across all projects. An easy centralisation of knowledge and improved analytics. <\/span><b><i>From one log-in.<\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> With more <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">teams working remotely,<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> it\u2019s also important to consider implementing a cloud-based CRM solution, rather than an on-site product.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><b><i>That said, let\u2019s hone in on the graphics-art sector.<\/i><\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Two friends decide to set-up a business together. One comes from a sales background, the other is a graphic designer. They want to form a local agency and service their clients with print, website design, branding, marketing and possibly even SEO.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As one is the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">seller<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and the other the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">creative<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, it\u2019s very likely they will work on different aspects of each project. The sales lead will manage the prospecting, enquiry and project management aspects of the communication. Creating and processing quotes, order confirmations, payments, invoicing and probably act as the account manager, dealing with questions and queries that arise. The graphic designer is in charge of interpreting artwork briefs either from their colleague or client, receiving existing branding and assets and producing the aesthetic elements to the specification suitable for their intended use. This generates many new channels of communication, each linked to the same project. Regardless of whether the pair are working remotely or are sitting together in we-work, in order to <\/span><b><i>bring about a higher level of efficiency, increase\u00a0 transparency across all projects, share knowledge and client information<\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the duo must use some kind of CRM.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Let\u2019s break it down further.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Things businesses within the graphic-arts sector, starting from scratch, need to consider are;<\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">CRM for sales<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">CRM for marketing<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">CRM for design and project management<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">CRM for finance<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>CRM for Sales<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Think about how clients \u2018buy things\u2019 in 2020. They need to have a plethora of options. Online and offline. And they need to be able to \u2018buy\u2019 things quickly. One channel of communication and one entry point to a sale. More and more businesses want their customers to be able to self-service. Whether that\u2019s being able to make a payment online at 8pm or approve a proposal for a website on a Saturday. And these interactions need to be acknowledged and processed so that each team member is ready to push the button on the next step of the project in order for it to move forward seamlessly. And if the sales lead and the graphic designer aren\u2019t in the same room come Monday morning, there needs to be a centralised way of understanding recent client interactions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is an example of where the top CRM systems help to manage cross team collaboration. Having a helicopter view of all active customer communication makes it simpler for teams to pre-empt a client\u2019s journey and any possible bumps in the road. This leads to an<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nettl.com\/uk\/effectively-manage-customer-experience\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">improved client experience<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> without customers having to repeat their recent actions to each member of the team.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This kind of streamlined interaction will be integral as the duo grow their business. With each new sales executive, account manager or designer they employ, the importance of a CRM system that will ensure clarity of communications across all roles will become more and more prominent.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-41185\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nettl.com\/uk\/wp-content\/smush-webp\/2020\/08\/CRM-working-together.jpg.webp\" alt=\"-\" width=\"795\" height=\"479\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nettl.com\/uk\/wp-content\/smush-webp\/2020\/08\/CRM-working-together.jpg.webp 795w, https:\/\/www.nettl.com\/uk\/wp-content\/smush-webp\/2020\/08\/CRM-working-together-300x181.jpg.webp 300w, https:\/\/www.nettl.com\/uk\/wp-content\/smush-webp\/2020\/08\/CRM-working-together-80x48.jpg.webp 80w, https:\/\/www.nettl.com\/uk\/wp-content\/smush-webp\/2020\/08\/CRM-working-together-768x463.jpg.webp 768w, https:\/\/www.nettl.com\/uk\/wp-content\/smush-webp\/2020\/08\/CRM-working-together-705x425.jpg.webp 705w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 795px) 100vw, 795px\" data-smush-webp-fallback=\"{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.nettl.com\\\/uk\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/08\\\/CRM-working-together.jpg&quot;,&quot;srcset&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.nettl.com\\\/uk\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/08\\\/CRM-working-together.jpg 795w, https:\\\/\\\/www.nettl.com\\\/uk\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/08\\\/CRM-working-together-300x181.jpg 300w, https:\\\/\\\/www.nettl.com\\\/uk\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/08\\\/CRM-working-together-80x48.jpg 80w, https:\\\/\\\/www.nettl.com\\\/uk\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/08\\\/CRM-working-together-768x463.jpg 768w, https:\\\/\\\/www.nettl.com\\\/uk\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/08\\\/CRM-working-together-705x425.jpg 705w&quot;}\" \/><\/p>\n<h3><b>CRM for Marketing<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In order to survive, businesses need to attract and retain customers. Attracting customers means outreach. Sending offline and online collateral. On a regular basis. But remember, we now live in a world where GDPR exists. So team members need to know who to send things to, and who to leave out. And they need to know who received your marketing materials and when so it can be followed up in a timely manner to improve the probability of conversion. It\u2019s no good if the sales guy puts in a call and tries to pitch a starter marketing pack to a client who never received the promotional e-shot. Because they unsubscribed the previous month after having a conversation with the graphic designer.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Retaining customers means understanding client spend, trends and habits. Which means reporting. The graphic designer may have created a branding concept for a new client during expo season which led to the sale of printed collateral, some soft signage and a landing page. But if this sale isn\u2019t documented and recorded in a shared system, how does the sales guy or girl know to reach out to the same client coming up to next year\u2019s expo season?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">best CRM systems<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> will enable reporting so that teams are better able to understand who has bought what, when and why. So they can capitalise on past expenditure. And what needs sending out, and to whom. Was that e-shot campaign effective? Yes? Then send another.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-gallery wp-image-41184\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nettl.com\/uk\/wp-content\/smush-webp\/2020\/08\/CRM-Marketing-845x684.jpg.webp\" alt=\"-\" width=\"845\" height=\"684\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nettl.com\/uk\/wp-content\/smush-webp\/2020\/08\/CRM-Marketing-845x684.jpg.webp 845w, https:\/\/www.nettl.com\/uk\/wp-content\/smush-webp\/2020\/08\/CRM-Marketing-495x400.jpg.webp 495w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 845px) 100vw, 845px\" data-smush-webp-fallback=\"{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.nettl.com\\\/uk\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/08\\\/CRM-Marketing-845x684.jpg&quot;,&quot;srcset&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.nettl.com\\\/uk\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/08\\\/CRM-Marketing-845x684.jpg 845w, https:\\\/\\\/www.nettl.com\\\/uk\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/08\\\/CRM-Marketing-495x400.jpg 495w&quot;}\" \/><\/p>\n<h3><b>CRM for Design &amp; Project Management<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Managing design projects means circumnavigating all sorts of touch points. File checking, sending proofs, accepting changes and making amends. All these things need communicating back to the client every step of the way to ensure expectations are managed. And this back and forth is time that the newly founded studio isn\u2019t being paid for. It\u2019s easy to build up unbillable hours on admin. And if the graphic designer takes a day of annual leave, how does the salesperson know\u00a0 the progression of the project? No-one wants to take a call from an angry client on a Friday afternoon who is upset because they were expecting their flyers to arrive in time for their weekend event. And after some digging the sales guy realises that the files weren\u2019t sent to print because the job hasn\u2019t been paid for. An easy mistake to avoid.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">good piece of CRM software<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> will help all teams to automate touch points, i.e payments, and to reduce manual touches so that designers spend more time on billable creative and less time on admin.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-41182\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nettl.com\/uk\/wp-content\/smush-webp\/2020\/08\/CRM-Creative-Project-management.jpg.webp\" alt=\"-\" width=\"795\" height=\"530\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nettl.com\/uk\/wp-content\/smush-webp\/2020\/08\/CRM-Creative-Project-management.jpg.webp 795w, https:\/\/www.nettl.com\/uk\/wp-content\/smush-webp\/2020\/08\/CRM-Creative-Project-management-300x200.jpg.webp 300w, https:\/\/www.nettl.com\/uk\/wp-content\/smush-webp\/2020\/08\/CRM-Creative-Project-management-80x53.jpg.webp 80w, https:\/\/www.nettl.com\/uk\/wp-content\/smush-webp\/2020\/08\/CRM-Creative-Project-management-768x512.jpg.webp 768w, https:\/\/www.nettl.com\/uk\/wp-content\/smush-webp\/2020\/08\/CRM-Creative-Project-management-705x470.jpg.webp 705w, https:\/\/www.nettl.com\/uk\/wp-content\/smush-webp\/2020\/08\/CRM-Creative-Project-management-272x182.jpg.webp 272w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 795px) 100vw, 795px\" data-smush-webp-fallback=\"{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.nettl.com\\\/uk\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/08\\\/CRM-Creative-Project-management.jpg&quot;,&quot;srcset&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.nettl.com\\\/uk\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/08\\\/CRM-Creative-Project-management.jpg 795w, https:\\\/\\\/www.nettl.com\\\/uk\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/08\\\/CRM-Creative-Project-management-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\\\/\\\/www.nettl.com\\\/uk\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/08\\\/CRM-Creative-Project-management-80x53.jpg 80w, https:\\\/\\\/www.nettl.com\\\/uk\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/08\\\/CRM-Creative-Project-management-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\\\/\\\/www.nettl.com\\\/uk\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/08\\\/CRM-Creative-Project-management-705x470.jpg 705w, https:\\\/\\\/www.nettl.com\\\/uk\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/08\\\/CRM-Creative-Project-management-272x182.jpg 272w&quot;}\" \/><\/p>\n<h3><b>CRM for Finance<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Boring perhaps but an essential element to consider when <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">starting a business from scratch<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Admin can often prove to be a black hole of sunken time within a new business with unpolished processes. Salespeople are paid to sell, designers to design. Hours allocated to chasing payments, creating and sending invoices and balancing the books would be better spent on value-adding tasks that bring in revenue.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s also important that each team member has complete visibility on credit and cash terms, who has paid for what, and when, as to prevent any awkward and embarrassing mix-ups. Oh, that \u00a33k spot-uv folder order has been sent to print already? But the client never paid. And now wants to change the specification of the order.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Top CRM systems<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> will sync and automate manual tasks like invoicing, reminders, statements and payment processing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-gallery wp-image-41183\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nettl.com\/uk\/wp-content\/smush-webp\/2020\/08\/CRM-finance-795x684.jpg.webp\" alt=\"-\" width=\"795\" height=\"684\" title=\"\" data-smush-webp-fallback=\"{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.nettl.com\\\/uk\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/08\\\/CRM-finance-795x684.jpg&quot;}\"><\/p>\n<h4><b><i>In conclusion&#8230;<\/i><\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to CRM.org, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/crm.org\/crmland\/what-is-a-crm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the CRM market grew 15.6% in 2018<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/crm.org\/crmland\/what-is-a-crm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">CRM continues to be the fastest-growing software category out there.<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> There\u2019s no doubt that more and more businesses are looking to <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">streamline their workflow<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and implement processes that will help to better manage their teams which leads to happier customers. And more profitable projects. Remember, cashflow is king, especially for <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">businesses starting from scratch<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. CRM is a solid investment and good systems will grow with you.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Business start-ups<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> also have an advantage here. Most will not be tied to existing, separate pieces of software that are hard to extract information from. And it\u2019s easier to avoid bad habits when you\u2019re brand new. Make sure to spend time looking for a system that feels right for your company. The <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">best CRM systems<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> will enable you to do everything you need to run your business, in one place.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><br \/>\n<section  class='av_textblock_section av-1txvxe9-b00ea93861545631179200d41110c8e4 '   itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop=\"text\" ><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you do operate within the graphic-arts sector, take a look at <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nettl.com\/uk\/secrets\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Secrets &amp; Chandeliers.<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The book, published last year by Nettl\u2019s CEO, Peter Gunning, gives a detailed insight into the software that powers the largest network of print, signs, web and design studios, in the world. The software, W3p, helps new and existing businesses to improve the client\u2019s user experience by enhancing communication between the seller and the client, and between internal studio teams.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><br \/>\n<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It seems appropriate to end on this quote from CRM.org<\/span><b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/crm.org\/crmland\/what-is-a-crm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cit certainly seems like the future is going to be very CRM-y\u201d.<\/span><\/a><\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>If you\u2019re in the graphics, signs and print industry and are looking to streamline your processes and access a CRM, built over 20 years experience, with you in mind, Nettl partners can help you begin your journey today.<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nettl.com\/uk\/nettl-partner\/\"> Take a read here to learn more<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/lindsey-boyes-28877b55\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">drop a message to our Nettl team<\/a>.<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><br \/>\n<div  class='avia-button-wrap av-jinlazj9-3525d73e2fe405921712e6e7a87a2329-wrap avia-button-center  avia-builder-el-8  el_after_av_textblock  avia-builder-el-last '><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nettl.com\/uk\/nettl-partner\/\" class=\"avia-button av-jinlazj9-3525d73e2fe405921712e6e7a87a2329 av-link-btn avia-icon_select-yes-left-icon avia-size-large avia-position-center avia-color-theme-color\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span class='avia_button_icon avia_button_icon_left' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue803' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/span><span class='avia_iconbox_title' >Become a Nettl Partner<\/span><\/a><\/div><\/p><\/div>\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-jp00a0tr-ca081bd21a4ac0057905c2c9922a0c55\">\n.flex_column.av-jp00a0tr-ca081bd21a4ac0057905c2c9922a0c55{\nborder-radius:0px 0px 0px 0px;\npadding:0px 0px 0px 0px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='flex_column av-jp00a0tr-ca081bd21a4ac0057905c2c9922a0c55 av_one_fifth  avia-builder-el-9  el_after_av_three_fifth  avia-builder-el-last  flex_column_div av-hide-on-mobile av-zero-column-padding  '     ><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/main><!-- close content main element --><\/div><\/div><div id='after_section_1'  class='main_color av_default_container_wrap container_wrap sidebar_right'  ><div class='container av-section-cont-open' ><div class='template-page content  av-content-small alpha units'><div class='post-entry post-entry-type-page post-entry-41171'><div class='entry-content-wrapper clearfix'>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Looking for a CRM to improve your sales, finances, projects and mange teams? Here&#8217;s all you need to know about CRM for creative businesses.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":261,"featured_media":35535,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"iawp_total_views":4,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-41171","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nettl.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41171","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nettl.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nettl.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nettl.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/261"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nettl.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41171"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.nettl.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41171\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nettl.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35535"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nettl.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41171"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nettl.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41171"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nettl.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41171"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}