Customer relationship management – more commonly known as CRM – has taken a new form with the birth of cloud computing. Cloud CRM is delivered through the Internet which means that agents, supervisors and executives can all access the same information in real time. The onset of cloud computing has impacted many aspects of business, and customer relationship management is no exception.

So, how do businesses use their own CRM systems and analysis to target clients, and, more important, where to begin?

Turning to this recent blog post authored by marketing consultant Richard Kohn, we are reminded that not enough companies are putting their money with their mouths are when it comes to CRM practices.

“If your company, a CRM solutions provider, is finding it challenging to maintain, develop and grow your business ask the question: Are we using our own services and solutions properly and effectively? I think that a lot of companies are not,” asserts Kohn.

The point Kohn makes is rooted in the expression “eating your own dog food” – a.k.a. using your company’s own product or service.

“If our CRM solutions are so good, should we not be able to ‘prove’ that by demonstrating that we used our own systems and solutions to target and convert our new clients?” writes Kohn, who advises companies use their own services, and perhaps write a case study “to explain to the prospect you are sitting across the table to that it was by using your own solutions that you got to them and soon you will see how growing your sales by 100% needs you to do nothing more than truly and passionately live your brand.”

Showing your customers and prospects that your own cloud CRM service works successfully for your business carries more weight then simply talking the proverbial talk.

As TMCnet’s Juliana Kenny explained, ultimately, the cloud is a growing trend amongst businesses hoping to take advantage of the ability to host technology without having to maintain the cumbersome database, and the CRM industry is steadily coming into play in the cloud-based arena.