Key lessons for building a business

Jennifer Benz runs Benz Communications, an award-winning boutique firm that specializes in creating employee benefit communications programs with a unique approach to motivating, engaging, and inspiring employees.

Choosing a technology to support a growing business

Just 4 years ago, Jen had quit her job and was taking a plunge into unfamiliar territory. How did she grow her business in that time?

In the early days of her venture, Jen realized she needed help getting organized. She wanted to keep track of all her activities, the people she was meeting, and her communications with customers. And she wanted to make it easy for people to access all the resources she was creating.

Choosing Salesforce CRM was easy, and Professional Edition seemed to be a good fit. “We didn’t even seriously consider other products,” she said. We knew Salesforce was the gold standard, and we didn’t want to have to switch applications again later.”

However, Jen also remembers being overwhelmed initially by all the things you could do and not knowing where to start. And because her company’s sales cycle wasn’t typical, she realized it was crucial to figure out how Salesforce CRM could fit into her business.

The importance of having a process—and an administrator

At first, Jen did everything by herself. But as the business grew, she asked project coordinator Kristin Thompson to take on the role of system administrator. “Originally it wasn’t my idea,” said Kristin, “but when we considered passing it off to someone else recently, I realized I didn’t want to because I really like it.” Although she had no formal training, Kristin’s previous experience with databases helped her understand what was going on under the hood. But she mostly credits her personal inclinations for her success. “I like lists. I like being organized. I like figuring things out,” she said.

One of Kristin’s first tasks was to import Jen’s existing data into Salesforce CRM and come up with a plan on how to support the company’s unique business process. “That was a real turning point for us,” Jen said. “We really needed to take a step back and figure out, as a team, exactly what our sales process was.” Together, the team came up with a simple diagram that illustrated their workflow—something they’d never done before.

Matching Salesforce CRM to your business

With the basic process nailed down, Kristin used that information to match how the company worked with Salesforce CRM. This customization process involved modifying field names and dropdown choices, identifying customers according to their locations and preferences, and setting up Web-to-lead functionality. For example, many leads come in from the Web, with requests for different types of services. Some prospects may want a ready-made solution, others really need consulting. By creating different types and subtypes of leads, Kristin made it easy to send potential clients the right response and materials to move them through the sales funnel—and to avoid inappropriate communication, such as offering customers something they already have.

Once the customizations were in place, Salesforce CRM became an indispensable tool for everyday business as well as for special situations. Now, whenever Jen travels to a particular city, she searches her prospects and clients and sets up meetings with those in the vicinity. “It really gives us a chance to be proactive,” she said.

In addition to using the basic Salesforce CRM functionality, the company integrated the VerticalResponse application for creating email campaigns. “With Salesforce and VerticalResponse, we can keep track of all the moving parts in customer acquisition, so nothing falls through the cracks,” Jen said. She always knows which programs are working, can track website visitors, monitor which resources they download, and track client gifts. “All of that helps us to fine-tune our messages and campaigns,” she adds.

What’s next for Benz Communications?

As the company grows, Jen plans to develop additional products for her customers. She’s also interested in doing more with all the power that’s already at her fingertips. “Your [Insights] issue about reporting really caught my interest,” she said. “We’re definitely looking to make better use of dashboards and reports.” She also plans to explore how to incorporate any remaining scraps of paper floating around the office as well as making all her customer resources available online.

What would Jen tell others who dream of turning their passion into a successful business? In general, she’d encourage them to dream big. But Jen has also learned that, when it comes to putting a foundation under your castles in the sky, you need a well-defined process for dealing with the day-to-day business—and a tool to support that process. “Map out your process and make sure your tool matches it,” she says “and make sure to get someone on board who acts as your administrator.” For the person who takes on that key role, Kristin has the following advice: “Organize the application so it really means something for your business. It’s easy to do, so you might as well make it your own.”