Why Salespeople Hate CRM

The unfortunate fact is that a large majority of CRM implementations fail. Even a substantial percentage of those that have been deemed to be successful, are probably failing (you will need to look below the surface). A large part of this is due to HATE.

In this series of articles, we’ll explore the many reasons why salespeople seem, almost universally, to HATE CRM. Don’t believe me? Google it. This phenomenon will be particularly acute for salespeople who’s earnings are largely based on making sales. Commission based, vs. salaried, reps.

This is pretty easy to understand if your perception is that CRM will, at best, inhibit your selling. Perception is a key in all of this and whether or not that perception is well-founded or not is largely irrelevant. If it exists, you will have to deal with it.

These three articles will explore …

Why salespeople hate CRM.
How CRM can increase your sales.
What management can do to ensure a successful implementation.

Let’s get started with …

In order to begin to understand why salespeople hate CRM, you first need to understand salespeople themselves. I’ve been in sales my entire life and in B2B sales since 1977. The bulk of my career was spent in sales management.

Yeah, I know salespeople. I love salespeople. I identify first as being a salesperson and many of the characteristics that make salespeople so difficult to manage are the same characteristics that make the good ones successful.

While these should not be considered to be blanket statements, by and large they are …

Independent. Make that fiercely independent. They enjoy the freedom of managing their own business.
Adrenaline junkies. The thrill of the hunt. The rush of the sale. CRM? Boring!
Self-confident to the point of being cocky.
Self-absorbed. Can you guess where the center of the universe lies?
Resistant to change. Any change. They are also resistant to authority.
Focused on selling and not the ancillary tasks that are a necessary part of that process. Selling is how they put food on their tables.

Their perception of CRM is that it is …

It’s a data entry task. It’s paperwork and salespeople HATE paperwork!
It’s time consuming, a waste of time, and it takes time away from selling.
Can you say … “ball and chain”? How about “a weight around my neck”?
A way for their manager to control them. Big brother is watching.
An open book to their prospects and their customers. They are highly protective and will oppose sharing their customer information. It’s a control thing and salespeople like to maintain control.
CRMs are way too complicated and too much of the information collected is totally useless.

Even salespeople who have never used CRM, let alone the specific CRM that you may be considering, will likely share many of these perceptions. It’s a part of their DNA and that’s even before they get started on using it! Yep. You’ve got work to do.

Now that you have introduced your new CRM …

They were not involved in the decision making process. Woops!
They don’t see the big picture of how it will help them to sell more.
They don’t know how to use it properly, or to leverage it, to increase their sales. It’s going to take more than a username and a password.

If all of this were true (it isn’t) … I’d hate CRM too! Anything that gets between me and my burrito (making sales and earning my living) … no bueno. It does not have to be that way.

Sure, there are tasks that will need to be completed regularly. Mind you, these tasks will help you to sell more and they will increase your closing ratios substantially!

There will be some new skills to master and learning new skills is always uncomfortable until … they become comfortable and that can be accomplished in a very short period of time.

The keys to salesperson adoption will always fall under gaining buy-in and then providing effective training and we will cover those topics in our next two articles.

Would you like to learn more about the CRM that was built for salespeople who hate CRM? We are Solution Partners for Nimble CRM and we even offer a full course on how to implement and use Nimble. See it here and watch the first lesson for free!

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Craig M. Jamieson

Managing Member at Adaptive Business Services

Craig M. Jamieson is a lifelong B2B salesperson, manager, owner, and a networking enthusiast. Adaptive Business Services provides solutions related to the sales professional. We are a Nimble CRM Solution Partner. Craig also conducts training and workshops primarily in social selling and communication skills. Craig is also the author of "The Small Business' Guide to Social CRM", now available on Amazon!