Why Salespeople Shouldn't 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 are exploring the many reasons why salespeople seem, almost universally, to HATE CRM. 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.

Our first article explored why salespeople hate CRM.. Onto …

How CRM can increase your sales

Let’s talk about everybody’s favorite radio station … WIFM. What’s in it for me? These are the questions that salespeople will need answers to prior to becoming willing to adapt and to adopt. Here’s what’s in it for them …

A complete and organized electronic record of engagements – All salespeople will, at the very least, organize their files into customer folders. Beyond that, good luck with finding anything. Even if they are well organized, trying to organize scraps of paper has huge limitations.

Compare this with a contact record in your CRM where all activities are ordered chronologically and, with one click, can be filtered to show only messages, notes, tasks, deals, and calendar events.

If you have connected your current email and calendar services to your CRM, these are logged to the contact record automatically. Looking for something or someone in particular? No problem. You have total record search capabilities.

Take your files with you – Somehow, lugging a 3-drawer file cabinet around with me everywhere I go is lacking in appeal. Today’s modern CRMs are cloud-based and probably all come with iOS and Android apps. Not only can you access your records, you can edit and update them on the go!

It’s a tickler file and more – I started out in B2B sales with a shoebox full of index cards. A tickler file. It kept me on track regarding when I needed to get back with a customer. Now my CRM does that for me. Even better, it will automatically remind me when I need to engage with customers in order to continue to build relationships.

CRM levels out the revenue/income rollercoaster – Everybody knows that sales performance often resembles a rollercoaster ride of peaks and valleys. If your paychecks are tied directly to revenue … they look the same. While there may be a number of reasons for this, some of the most common are …

Lack of awareness. You simply do not know what you have in your pipeline let alone if that number is enough to meet your goals and needs.
You have a pipeline, but you are not managing it correctly.
You don’t have a pipeline. You have a pipe dream. Some deals are stuck while others might be long since dead.

It increases your sales – All of these capabilities allow me to increase my sales by providing me with the critical information that I need anytime and anywhere. I don’t miss due dates. I know what we talked about last time and I can refresh my memory before we talk next time. I know their interests, their hot buttons, because all of this has been documented.

Keep it simple!

CRM does not have to be complicated. In fact, if you can do four simple things (you are probably doing much of this, albeit poorly and manually) … your sales will increase substantially …

Create a contact record. You are doing this now when you grab a folder, write their name on it, and staple their business card to it.
Keep good notes. You are already keeping notes on the back of gum wrappers and you also need the time to source the gum wrapper, write the note, and stuff it in your file folder.
Let your CRM remind you when things are due. You are already putting these on your calendar or your day timer. At least, I hope that you are!
Manage your pipeline. Please tell me that you have some kind of system for keeping track of your deals!?

Now, I can complete any four of these tasks, each in under a minute, in my CRM. I’m also a betting man and I am willing to bet you $20 that I can do all four in under a minute … total time.

Master these first and then worry about everything else (more advanced tactics and strategies) later. Do you remember the first time you worked with email? I do. It sucked. It takes practice.

It’s simple muscle memory. I’m teaching myself how to play guitar and whenever I attempt to learn a new song, or a new riff … I don’t think that I will ever get it down. But, with a little practice … muscle memory kicks in. Same ‘o same ‘o. No diff.

CRM is nothing more than the electronic version of those same tasks that I performed manually back in 1977. These are selling fundamentals. At its core, CRM is really only about contacts, calendars, and communications.

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!