{"id":576,"date":"2018-04-06T12:25:43","date_gmt":"2018-04-06T10:25:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sage-new-clone.local\/en-za\/blog\/?p=461"},"modified":"2026-02-04T16:56:02","modified_gmt":"2026-02-04T14:56:02","slug":"what-is-crm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/what-is-crm\/","title":{"rendered":"What is CRM software?"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"entry-header has-dark-background-color entry-header--has-illustration entry-header--has-illustration--generic\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__row row align-center\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-lg-7 col-xlg-6 entry-header__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"component component-single-header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__misc text--subtitle text--uppercase text--small\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/category\/growth-customers\/\" class=\"entry-header__link\">Growth &amp; Customers<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-title-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"entry-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tWhat is CRM software?\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"entry-header__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"single-post-details container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2018-04-06T12:25:43+02:00\">April 6, 2018<\/time><\/span><span class=\"reading-time\"> min read<\/span>\n\t\t<button\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\tclass=\"social-share-button button button--icon button--secondary js-social-share-button\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-title=\"What is CRM software?\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-url=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/what-is-crm\/\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-text=\"Please read this interesting article\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__share-label\">Share<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-label\" hidden>Copy Link<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\" hidden>Copied<\/span>\n\t\t<\/button>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<\/header>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author has-dark-background-color alignfull\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"co-authors\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-author-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"entry-author\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/author\/keirthomasbryant\/\">\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"40\" height=\"40\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/04\/Keir-350x350.jpg\" class=\"entry-author__image\" alt=\"Keir Thomas-Bryant\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/04\/Keir-350x350.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/04\/Keir.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 40px) 100vw, 40px\" \/>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"entry-author__name\">Keir Thomas-Bryant<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>CRM stands for customer relationship management. It typically refers to software used by customer-facing staff in a business\u2019s sales, marketing, and customer support teams. Businesses use&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/crm-software\/\">CRM software<\/a>&nbsp;to get a single view of their&nbsp;interactions with customers. CRM also allows employees to view the latest information about each customer, so that they can offer better service and, ultimately, generate more sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this article, we\u2019ll unpack CRM systems and explore how you can make a success of your investment with a winning customer relationship management strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-are-the-benefits-of-crm\">What are the benefits of CRM?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Increased sales and satisfied customers are&nbsp;obvious benefits of using a CRM. One&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/nucleusresearch.com\/research\/single\/crm-pays-back-8-71-for-every-dollar-spent\/\">study<\/a>&nbsp;found that companies that use a CRM system report an average return on their investment of $8.71 for each dollar spent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With a central view of your customers and leads, you can:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Discover more sales opportunities,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Send effective marketing messaging to leads, and<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Resolve customer problems faster.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are the top 10 benefits small and medium-sized businesses can realise when using a CRM system:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Reliable customer information<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>Within a CRM system, all your employees can find detailed information about your existing customers and leads. This includes contact details, information about their businesses, and details about previous calls and email exchanges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"2\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Open data for all employees<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>In many organisations, information about customers is stored in the heads of key staff or in files that only people in one department can access. This makes it impossible for other employees to know what\u2019s going on. A CRM makes this information available to everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"3\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>View interactions from all channels<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>Today\u2019s customers make contact through a huge range of channels,&nbsp;or contact points, like telephone, email, or social media. A CRM gives you a central place where employees can get an overview of all interactions, regardless of channel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"4\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Save repetition for customers<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>A big frustration for customers is being asked to repeat information to different service reps. As a CRM stores all information from previous interactions in a central place, this problem disappears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"5\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Understand problems in your pipeline<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>A CRM gives you a full view of all marketing communications sent to clients. It can track how customers move down the pipeline, how they interact with salespeople, and how long it takes to close deals. With CRM analytics, you can pinpoint problems in your pipeline and change your strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"6\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Maintain subscriptions<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>A customisable CRM can be designed to automate various stages of the customer lifecycle, like triggering automatic reminder emails to clients when a subscription is about to expire, or reminding your sales team to follow up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"7\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Identify and categorise leads<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the most important CRM concepts is the ability to categorise leads. A CRM can automatically flag warm leads. For example, if someone on your mailing list is frequently opening marketing emails or downloading brochures from your website, your sales teams can tailor messaging to that customer, based on his or her level of engagement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"8\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Data-driven view of your pipeline<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>With CRM analytics, your sales and marketing decisions are not made on gut feeling. Rather, they\u2019re based on concrete data that helps you decide the best approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"9\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Always up to date with mobile<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>Your sales staff specialise in visiting \u2013 or calling \u2013 customers and closing deals. A mobile CRM lets them record the outcome of their meetings in real time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"10\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Reports and insights<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>A CRM can provide you with a powerful dashboard that can help you understand exactly how your customer-facing teams are performing \u2013 from sales calls logged, to marketing emails sent, and customer enquiries resolved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-an-example-of-crm-in-the-workplace\">An example of CRM in the workplace<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Imagine a firm that provides storage solutions for expats who work part of the year in Nairobi. Without a CRM, different teams would store customer information in different ways:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The customer service team has a spreadsheet that staff update each time they receive a call from a customer asking about their storage space.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The marketing team tracks email blasts sent to existing customers on a different spreadsheet.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The sales team cold-calls clients, while \u2018warm leads\u2019 are written on a whiteboard in the office.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>There are countless ways that this storage firm could lose clients, while also missing out on opportunities. The customer service team might not notice that an account has come up for renewal; the sales team cannot see which customers have read emails sent by the marketing team; and different members of the sales team often call the same client multiple times, which only irritates them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By introducing an easy-to-use CRM, the company would avoid all these problems while boosting efficiency, improving the customer experience, and increasing turnover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-is-a-crm-strategy\">What is a CRM strategy?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A CRM strategy helps you to deploy a CRM in the most effective way for your business. Like most technologies, employees may be averse to trying something new, especially if they can\u2019t understand how it will benefit them<mark class=\"highlight-and-share\">. A CRM strategy is about making the tool easy for your employees to use, and ensuring it supports your wider business goals.<\/mark><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s our six-step plan for creating your own CRM strategy:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-step-1-review-how-your-customer-facing-teams-are-currently-working\"><strong>Step 1: Review how your customer-facing teams are currently working<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Map how departments interact and identify break points and communication issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-step-2-nbsp-set-goals-for-your-crm-project\"><strong>Step 2:&nbsp;<\/strong><strong>Set goals for your CRM project<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>You can only have a plan if you know the destination, so set goals that you can easily measure. This could be improving customer satisfaction by 50% or doubling the number of conversions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-step-3-map-out-steps-towards-full-deployment\"><strong>Step 3 : Map out steps towards full deployment<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Work out a clear plan for achieving your longer-term business objectives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-step-4-train-employees-on-how-to-use-your-crm\"><strong>Step 4: Train employees on how to use your CRM<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Provide CRM training sessions that are tailored to the different teams in your business, so that they get the most out of using the software.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-step-5-start-small-then-deploy-wider\"><strong>Step 5: Start small then deploy wider<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Trial your CRM with a single department \u2013 typically the sales or marketing team. This can generate curiosity from other teams when they see the success that department is having and motivate them to use the tool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-step-6-monitor-crm-success\"><strong>Step 6: Monitor CRM success<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Have you achieved your original goals with your CRM?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Your CRM will evolve with your organisation. If you\u2019re just starting out, you might only need a simple platform. However, by the time you have 50 employees using the tool every day, you will need something scalable, sophisticated, and customised to your needs.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">Subscribe to the Sage Advice enewsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Get a roundup of our best business advice in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-84fe79b5-668d-41f8-a0cc-6229018c4ac9\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Subscribe<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1181404518-1440x810.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1181404518-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<section class=\"more-topics alignfull has-grey-light-background-color wp-block-sage-post-topics\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"row\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-12 col-lg-4\">\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"more-topics__title h2\">Browse more topics from this article<\/h3>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-12 col-lg-8\">\n\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"post-tags__list\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"post-tags__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/tag\/crm\/\" class=\"post-tags__link button button--secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCRM\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"post-tags__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/tag\/customer-acquisition\/\" class=\"post-tags__link button button--secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tcustomer acquisition\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"post-tags__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/tag\/customer-retention\/\" class=\"post-tags__link button button--secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tcustomer retention\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<div class=\"alignfull wp-block-sage-related-posts\">\n\t<section class=\"related-posts card-grid has-dark-background-color\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"row\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"related-posts__heading 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srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/11\/Black-Friday-1675x1275-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/11\/Black-Friday-1675x1275-768x585.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/11\/Black-Friday-1675x1275-1064x810.jpg 1064w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t<div class=\"card-post__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__label\">Recommended<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2024-11-21T18:12:04+02:00\">November 21, 2024<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">1 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h3\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__title-link\"\n\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/black-friday-dos-and-donts-for-small-businesses\/\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tBlack Friday: 9 top tips to help small businesses boost sales\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"card-post__description\">\n\t\t\t\tMany businesses plan all year for Black Friday. Discover nine essential tips to help you boost Black Friday sales for your small business.\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"row related-posts__non-featured\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-12\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"related-posts__heading related-posts__heading--more h4\">More on this Topic<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-1 post-69234 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-business-process category-strategy-legal-operations tag-business-intelligence tag-crm tag-erp tag-supply-chain-management business_type-medium-business\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/7-principles-for-quality-control-in-your-food-manufacturing-business\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1175111291-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1175111291-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1175111291-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1175111291-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2023-05-13T09:54:00+02:00\">May 13, 2023<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">6 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\t7 principles for quality control in your food manufacturing business\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-2 post-69457 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-money-matters tag-customer-retention tag-entrepreneurship tag-expenses business_type-small-business\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/how-it-started-how-it-s-going\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/11\/Black-Friday-1675x1275-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"Shop owner holding tablet\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/11\/Black-Friday-1675x1275-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/11\/Black-Friday-1675x1275-768x585.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/11\/Black-Friday-1675x1275-1064x810.jpg 1064w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2022-04-11T05:00:46+02:00\">April 11, 2022<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">1 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tHow it started: Poor credit history and no capital. How it&#8217;s going: A thriving township business, a training centre, and big plans for the future\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-3 post-68567 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-getting-customers category-strategy-legal-operations tag-business-strategy tag-customer-acquisition tag-sales-management business_type-small-business\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/how-to-prepare-your-sme-for-black-friday\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/11\/Black-Friday-1675x1275-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"Shop owner holding tablet\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/11\/Black-Friday-1675x1275-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/11\/Black-Friday-1675x1275-768x585.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/11\/Black-Friday-1675x1275-1064x810.jpg 1064w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2019-11-19T07:46:49+02:00\">November 19, 2019<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">1 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tHow to prepare your small business for Black Friday\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-4 post-68557 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-getting-customers category-growth-customers tag-customer-acquisition tag-sales-management tag-staying-competitive business_type-small-business\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/6-black-friday-strategies-for-smes\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/04\/GettyImages-627471569_super-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/04\/GettyImages-627471569_super-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/04\/GettyImages-627471569_super-768x585.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/04\/GettyImages-627471569_super-1064x810.jpg 1064w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2019-11-11T08:15:23+02:00\">November 11, 2019<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">1 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\t6 strategies SMEs can use to win customers this Black Friday\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\t\t\t\tDo your customer-facing staff ever miss sales opportunities, send ineffective marketing messages or fail to satisfy customers? A CRM is designed to help. So, what is CRM and how can you benefit from a CRM strategy?\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":280,"featured_media":323,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"sage_hide_published_date":false,"sage_hide_read_time":false,"sage_hide_share_buttons":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,44],"tags":[324,325,326],"business_type":[2,3],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[12,16],"imagine_tag":[55],"coauthors":[405],"class_list":["post-576","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-growth-customers","category-todays-tech","tag-crm","tag-customer-acquisition","tag-customer-retention","business_type-small-business","business_type-medium-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-za","author_name":"Keir Thomas-Bryant","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/04\/GettyImages-175138091_super.jpg","imagine_tags":{"55":"CRM"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice South Africa","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/576","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/280"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=576"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/576\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/323"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=576"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=576"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=576"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=576"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=576"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=576"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=576"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=576"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=576"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=576"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}