We spent all this money and time on this CRM and I can’t get my sales people to use it!
I know. I feel you!
This is the #1 reason that over 50% of CRM implementations fail.
But I’ve got some unpleasant news for you…
The blame doesn’t lie with the sales team.
Their sales people. They’re going to resist any sort of structure instinctively.
The blame falls mainly in your lap.
I mean, they are sales people and inherently challenging to manage but, there are things that you require them to do as part of their job right? And there
are things that you would never tolerate right?
Well, the reason they’re not using the CRM is mostly that you haven’t told them they have to. Or if you have, then they know you’re not going to do anything
about it anyway.
Sorry. I know. That’s pretty harsh.
But, its the truth.
Bottom line – if you are not clear on how your CRM system is strategically critical to your business, then you shouldn’t be wasting your time and theirs
on it.
If it is strategic, then sell it to them that way. Help them see how you’re going to use the CRM to open up new opportunities for growth.
That’s it. It’s not different than if you had decided to introduce a new product or service that not everyone is on board with. If you’re going to do it,
you’ve got to make it clear why you’re doing it and that you’re doing it, with or without them.
Most often, the sales people aren’t really part of the process of deciding to put a CRM in place or selecting one and so, they just reject it out of hand.
That coupled with a less than compelling pitch from management and its no wonder its not going so well.
But, here’s the good news! Even if the ship has sailed and seems like its headed for the rocks, you can fix this!
All you have to do is get the sales team involved. It may mean a big bitch session where they vent for a while but, let them get it all out and then let
them help you decide what the crucial strategic goals of the CRM are and make decisions to reach those goals.
One of those things has to be to define and implement a sales process that can be measured. The CRM won’t be worth
while to you and the business or to them if there aren’t at least some minimal things that the team enters consistently in the system so they can be
measured and that information can be used to make better decisions.
To learn how to define your sales process, watch this video.