Cover
Photo: StockSnap (CC0)
Spotlight
PAGE: https://alison.com/course/digital-marketing-and-crm-for-increased-sales
PROMISE: Map CRM functions to marketing strategy basics in 1.5-3 hours
WHO: Solo operators connecting CRM workflow to a basic marketing plan
WHYNOW: The course is available online and fits a short time window
DESC: Learn to grow your business by managing your company's relationships (CRM), building brand reputation and conducting digital marketing to increase product sales
BEFORE: CRM feels like a static address book with no purpose
BEFORE: Digital marketing choices are random and hard to defend
BEFORE: Marketing and sales activities happen in separate silos
AFTER: CRM usage is tied to clear business objectives
AFTER: Marketing channel selection is based on stated pros and cons
AFTER: Marketing strategy directly supports product and service sales
GAIN: Clear list of CRM use cases for a solo sales operation
GAIN: Honest assessment of digital marketing benefits and limits
GAIN: Understanding of how marketing enhances product sales
STEP: You wonder how customer data actually drives new sales leads || Outline the potential uses of the CRM system || You can name specific CRM tasks that feed into your sales pipeline
STEP: You struggle to justify digital marketing spend to yourself || List the advantages and disadvantages of digital marketing || You decide which digital channels fit a solo budget and which do not
STEP: You feel disconnected between your brand and customer interactions || Outline the role of marketing in enhancing the sale of products and services || You link daily marketing actions to concrete product sales goals
STEP: You treat CRM as just a contact list without structure || Describe the CRM system and digital technologies || You see how CRM tools and digital tech work together in a workflow
NOTFOR: Teams needing advanced automation or enterprise CRM features
NOTFOR: Users looking for hands-on tool configuration tutorials
FACT: Average duration: 1.5-3 Hours (Contains Video)
FACT: CPD-accredited certificate available
FACT: Advanced level
COVERS: Outline the role of marketing in enhancing the sale of products and services
COVERS: List the advantages and disadvantages of digital marketing
COVERS: Outline the potential uses of the CRM system
COVERS: Describe the CRM system and digital technologies
COVERS: State the various digital technologies and data cleansing methods
COVERS: Explain the concept of market segmentation, its types and benefits
COVERS: Discuss digital marketing and the 4 Ps of marketing
COVERS: Management
COVERS: Customer Service
COVERS: Digital Marketing
COVERS: Marketing
MODULE: Digital Market and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) || Introduction to Marketing | Marketing Strategy | Managing Customer Relationships
What you are probably seeing
You track deals in spreadsheets or notes, and manual follow-ups consume hours that should be spent on selling.
You notice missed deadlines or lost leads because your current setup lacks automated reminders and a structured pipeline view.
Why it happens
Spreadsheets require manual entry and do not automatically log activity, causing data gaps and time waste.
Without a structured system, you cannot easily segment leads or track where each prospect sits in the journey, leading to inconsistent follow-up.
What changed recently
2026-10-08 · sales plan review
No Hire Needed is now evaluating Zoho CRM free tier for that gap:
• Zoho CRM tested as a sales-ops replacement.
• Free tier analyzed for solo use.
• Specific limits identified.
Source: autocomplete
Step by step
1. List every manual task you perform weekly for lead management and follow-ups to identify repetitive work.
2. Compare these tasks against the feature list of a free CRM plan to see which are automated by default.
3. Test the free trial by importing your current data and creating one sample deal to verify workflow compatibility.
4. Check the free plan’s limits on contacts, users, and fields to ensure they match your current volume.
5. Schedule a weekly review of the CRM reports to confirm the data captures your actual sales performance.
Ways to go further
Start here: Digital Marketing and CRM for Increased Sales For when you want to connect CRM usage to marketing strategy. Open the free course on Alison ↗
Affiliate links: CHEAPUNO may earn a commission if you buy through them, at no extra cost to you.
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