We’ve never met a sales pro who just loves updating the notes in the CRM after a sales call. We get it. It can be tedious and annoying. Especially if you prefer taking notes on paper or keeping notes elsewhere on your computer.

But it’s so important. 

It helps you and your sales manager remember and key track of important details about your prospect, their needs, and preferences. Keeping everything up-to-date in the CRM ensures all the information is in one place and accessible to anyone who needs it. 

We know you don’t want to, but let’s discuss some best practices for taking sales call notes in CRM. We’ll cover everything from what information to include in your notes to how to organize them effectively. By the end of this article — and when these tips help you close more deals — we hope you’ll have a greater appreciation for taking good notes and getting them updated in the CRM.

Importance of Sales Call Notes

Taking and keeping track of sales call notes in the CRM is critical for enhancing customer relationships and improving sales strategies. Here’s why:

Enhancing Customer Relationships

Sales call notes help you keep track of important information about your customers, such as their preferences, pain points, and goals. By reviewing these notes before each call, you can personalize your approach and show your customers that you value their time and needs. 

Additionally, taking notes during the call shows that you are actively listening to your customers, which can help build trust and rapport. You’ll want to reference these notes on future calls. Doing so will help your prospects understand that you know them, and that you want to help them solve their problem — not just make a sale. 

Improving Sales Strategies

Sales call notes can also help you identify patterns and trends in your sales process. For example, you may notice that certain objections come up frequently or that certain products are more popular than others. By analyzing these patterns, you can refine your sales strategy and tailor your approach to better meet the needs of your customers.

Moreover, sales call notes can also help you track your progress and measure your success. By keeping track of your sales activities and outcomes, you can identify areas for improvement and set goals for the future. This can help you stay motivated and focused on achieving your sales targets. 

You can use your notes from a prior call to kick off the next call. Do a quick recap of the prior call, and check to see if the key goals are still in place. Has the situation changed? Is it better or worse? Without clear notes, you may find that each call feels like two-steps-back-and-one-step-forward as you rehash things that you’ve already discussed and fail to make consistent progress.

Data Accessibility for Teams

A key reason why it’s critical to have good notes in your CRM is to make them accessible to your team. This can include giving your team members access to your notes or creating a shared folder where everyone can access them. 

This can be especially useful for team members who are working on the same project or account. By having access to the same notes, they can stay up-to-date on the latest developments and work more efficiently. 

The reality of sales is that some deals may have a long sales cycle — and things change. You may choose to switch to a new role, either within the company or in a different company. On the flip side, you may have to take over a deal from a rep who changes roles or leaves the company. 

Regardless of the cause of the change, it’s critical that if someone new has to take over the opportunity that they aren’t starting from scratch. They’ll be able to access your notes in the CRM to pick up where you left off and give the deal the best chance of closing.

Recording Sales Call Notes

Taking notes during a sales call is important to keep track of the conversation, gather insights, and follow up on action items. Recording sales call notes directly into your CRM system is an effective way to keep all your notes organized and accessible. These tools can also make the process of taking good notes much easier! Here are some essential tips for recording sales call notes in your CRM system.

Essential Information to Capture

When recording sales call notes in your CRM system, it’s important to capture essential information that can be used for future reference. Here are some key pieces of information you should capture, much of which will be captured automatically if you use a call-recording or note-taking platform:

• Date and time of the call
• Name of the prospect or customer
• Purpose of the call
• Key points discussed
• Action items or next steps
• Any follow-up required

By capturing this information, you can quickly review the call notes and understand the context of the conversation. This can also help you prepare for future calls and follow up on any action items.

Best Practices for Recording

Recording sales call notes in your CRM system can be a time-consuming task. Here are some best practices to help you streamline the process:

• Use shorthand or abbreviations to capture notes quickly.
• Focus on capturing key points and action items, rather than transcribing the entire conversation.
• Use bullet points or numbered lists to organize your notes.
• Review and edit your notes after the call to ensure accuracy and completeness.
• Use tags or labels to categorize your notes for easy reference.

By following these best practices, you can record sales call notes efficiently and effectively in your CRM system. This can help you stay organized and improve your sales effectiveness.

Analyzing Sales Call Data

Once you have stored your sales call notes in the CRM, you can use the data to analyze trends and patterns and improve your sales process. Here are some ways you can use your sales call data:

Identifying Trends and Patterns

Analyzing your sales call data can help you identify trends and patterns in your sales process. For example, you may notice that certain products or services are more popular with customers, or that certain sales reps are more successful than others. By identifying these trends, you can adjust your sales strategy and improve your overall performance.

To help you identify trends and patterns effectively, consider using tables or charts to visualize your data. This can help you see patterns more clearly and make more informed decisions about your sales process. 

(Today, many CRM and call-recording systems will do this for you automatically — but it’s only as good as the data that you feed into it.)

Using Data for Training Purposes

Sales call data can also be used for training purposes. By analyzing your sales call notes, you can identify areas where your sales reps may need additional training or support. For example, you may notice that your reps struggle with objection handling or closing deals. By identifying these areas, you can provide targeted training to help your reps improve their skills and performance.

To make the most of your sales call data for training purposes, consider using lists or bullet points to highlight key areas of improvement. This can help you communicate your feedback more clearly and make it easier for your reps to take action on your suggestions.

Leveraging the CRM for Follow-Up

Every salesperson knows that  following up with clients is essential to building strong relationships and closing deals. A CRM system can be a powerful tool to help you manage your follow-up process efficiently and effectively. Here are a few ways you can leverage your CRM system for follow-up:

Scheduling and Reminders

One of the most useful features of a CRM system is the ability to schedule follow-up tasks and set reminders. By setting reminders, you can ensure that you never miss an opportunity to follow up with a client. You can also use your CRM system to schedule follow-up tasks, such as sending an email or making a phone call, which can help you stay organized and on track.

Personalizing Client Interactions

Another way to leverage your CRM system for follow-up is by personalizing your client interactions. Your CRM system can help you keep track of important information about your clients, such as their interests, preferences, and previous interactions with your company. This information can be used to tailor your follow-up communications to each client, making them feel valued and appreciated.

Pro Tip: When scheduling reminders, be sure to reference key points in your notes so that “future you” can be well-prepared for the next call. This may include key commitments that the prospect made, or references to internal decisions that are critical to your project. 

Or they can also be more personal in nature. If your prospect mentions a vacation that they’re excited about taking, remind yourself to ask them about it when you speak in a few weeks. If they mention that they’re headed to their child’s graduation over the weekend, check in with them on your next call to see how it went. Doing this will help you build a better relationship with your prospect over the course of the sales cycle.

Using your CRM system for follow-up can help you stay organized, save time, and build stronger relationships with your clients. By taking advantage of the scheduling and reminder features and personalizing your client interactions, you can ensure that you are following up with your clients in a timely and effective manner.