Here are but a few excerpts from a very good article by Marshall Lager, Senior Editor of destinationCRM.com, Selling CRM to Your Sales Force. Be sure to check out the complete source article for much more information on this topic:
Salespeople as a breed are resistant to change, especially when the change affects how they do their jobs.
They don’t get very far in their field without knowing how to work a prospect, stay in touch until closing the sale (or getting a definite “no”), and track their numbers against projections. Over time, they develop their own ways of doing things that fit best with their individual personalities and goals. Whatever else it may be, it’s effective–if it weren’t, the salesperson would wash out.
CRM and other integrated business tools often represent a new way of selling, and therein lies the problem.
Salespeople–especially commissioned ones–feed themselves on their ability to translate their way of doing things into revenue for their employers and themselves. How do you ask people to change something so central not just to their livelihoods, but to their lives?
Salespeople also know a sales pitch when they hear one–while the old saw “You can’t con a con man” may not be fair in the context of hard-working professionals, the concept does apply. They know what a hard sell looks, feels, and smells like. Going at them with random product stats, a few testimonials, and some feeds ‘n’ speeds will alert them that you’re trying to sell them something they might not want. So how do you make salespeople want to incorporate CRM into their work style?The sad fact is that, despite the tremendous value CRM tools can bring, most research pins market penetration at around 50 percent–and it’s been hovering there for some time, with some variations depending on how the analysts choose to sort the data. Why hasn’t there been more headway? Too often, the reasons are the same old ones CRM has been telling readers about for years: Executives foolishly believe the technology will magically solve organizational problems, or salespeople mistakenly see the tools as primarily benefiting executive-level micromanagement.
ORGANIZATIONAL
Jim Dickie, managing partner of CSO Insights notes that in his experience, one indicator of how well a business has used CRM technology is how it describes what was accomplished: “Failed implementations start with ‘We installed CRM.’ Successful ones say ‘We solved a problem.’ CRM is a process and workflow enabler.” Once that wisdom became common, CRM sales dropped off as potential customers learned to evaluate their needs and build the technology into the organization.
Still, CRM takes more than mere alignment with processes you already have in place–Dickie calls it an enabler for a reason. The goal is to enable the right things, and you can’t sell into an organization unless you make a case that gets to the heart of its needs. “Executive-level sales decision-makers should know CRM can be a tool for motivation, to empower productivity for reps underneath them, and to maximize repeat business,” says C. Sean Rollings, vice president of products and industries marketing for on-demand business software provider NetSuite. That includes customer service capabilities and the ability to emphasize the “relationship” part of CRM. “Tools for service management influence lifetime customer value” by maintaining the conversation after the deal is done, he adds.
According to Harris Fogel, president of handheld-applications provider O4 Corporation, a major misstep is having non-sales decision-makers buy a solution for sales. The technology, he says, “has got to meet the needs of the organization, and that means the sales organization.” A system imposed from on high will never stick, even if it’s otherwise the right solution enabling good processes. On the other hand, Fogel continues, “[if] sales is involved in process-mapping and defining needs, it will have a vested interest.”
“Overall strategy, user needs, and supporting organizational needs–usually the IT department–should work hand-in-hand.” This is true no matter the size of the company, though the velocity will vary. “Typically you go through the same steps, small or large,” he adds. “It’s just faster in a smaller organization, as one person takes the place of many.”
PERSONAL
Once the company is sold on CRM, you still have to win over individual salespeople. The arguments that got management on board will sometimes work on the reps. More often, though, a new set of tactics will be needed to drive end-user adoption, because what management likes is what individuals fear: accountability.
“One of the biggest things is that salespeople often see CRM as a downside to them, and a benefit only for the organization,” Rollings says. It becomes a database that nobody wants to update and maintain, and thus a wasted investment.
Rollings advises a focus on how CRM benefits the individual. “You’ll get reps who say, ‘I wasn’t part of the decision-making process, I want to do my work the way I always have.’ Show them what’s in it for them. Turn the discussion on how it can be a sales tool, not a tracking mechanism. If it brings more capabilities, makes them better sellers, they don’t mind or don’t notice any extra input.”
Push the capabilities that make them better sellers, not the ones they’ll never use. “Ensure your reps are given an app to manage their business,” says Peter Callaghan, chief executive officer of Maximizer Software. Some do their jobs with a Filofax, Outlook, and a spreadsheet; replacing those tools with the new CRM system isn’t going to break the habit. Speak to their pain points–starting with time.
Another part of the ground-up approach is making sure the sales reps are involved as early as possible, so complaints of “lack of representation” never materialize. “Key users should be part of the process,” Fogel says. While it might not always be possible to include the entire sales team at every stage, they should be represented. “Salespeople on the planning and implementation team should be respected peers,” Fogel says. They should also be chosen from as many different character archetypes as possible–veterans, new hires, overachievers, and socializers all have a part to play in crafting what their peers will use.
Callaghan suggests acclimating sales reps–gently. “Adjunct products can act as a shadow coach, helping reps to be more motivated and more capable,” he says, adding that it’s important to instruct, not scold: “Be a mentor. Use a scorecard, based on results achieved and effort expended.” This shows how the new CRM works better than the old Filofax, and areas where improvement is needed. “Don’t use [the scorecard] as an HR tool, but as a performance-coaching mechanism.”
Above all, Dickie advises sending a clear signal about who the CRM system is there to help. “No managers [should use the CRM system] for the first six months,” he suggests. That will signify the important things, loud and clear: “This is here for reps, not managers. It’s not for bird-dogging, but for productivity.”
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