In this down economy, most organizations are taking a herd mentality toward CRM and viewing it as just a way to cut costs and bolster efficiencies. But such outlooks are shortsighted, according to a recent whitepaper written by Adam Honig, president of Akibia Consulting, a Westborough, Mass.-based CRM consulting group.

In fact, with the rest of the herd acting as though growth is unachievable, now might just be the best time for companies to focus their CRM programs on growth, Honig says.

The whitepaper details cases in which organizations have bucked the CRM trend and reaped benefits. For example, in the ‘30s during the Depression, IBM bucked the cost-cutting trend most organizations were adopting and instead focused more heavily on fostering sales growth. As a result, it was able to consolidate its lead and even move into new areas of product leadership.

But whatever the focus, successful CRM programs need to strike a balance between the key business outcomes of CRM: business efficiencies, value and growth. Focusing on one to the detriment of the others is a recipe for disaster, Honig says.