CRM has become a "must have" for most B2B sales organisations, and yet few CRM systems deliver the hoped for results. Fewer still truly achieve their potential. The problem is particularly prominent with "out of the box" implementations in which the vendors default systems are accepted without thoughtful analysis.
All too often, we see pipeline stages that are related to sales activity rather than the progression of the buying process, forecasts based on hope rather than evidence, probability percentages that bear no relationship to reality, and sales people who use the system only because they have to rather than because they want to.
Our first recommendation is that you configure your CRM system so that the pipeline stages relate to key phases in your prospect's buying decision process, and that the promotion of a deal from one stage to the next must be associated with evidence of buyer activity rather than sales activity.
Closely associated with this, we have rarely come across a sales environment where the true probability of a deal closing from any particular stage bore any reality to the arbitrary percentages set as default in the CRM system. If you are going to associate percentages with sales stages (and there are some very good reasons why you should not - ask us why) then you must at least ensure that they match the realities of your own sales environment.
But the most important challenge is clear - user adoption. The primary user - the sales person - needs to believe that using the system will help them qualify better, sell more effectively, and earn more commission. They need to feel that they are getting out more than they are putting in. Your CRM system needs to pass their “WIIFM” test - “What’s In It For Me?”
Without user enthusiasm, sales management won't be able to rely on the information. Forecasts will be inaccurate and you can guarantee that they will suffer more than their fair share of end-of-quarter surprises. And cracking the whip may simply amplify the garbage in - garbage out effect. But it doesn't have to be that way. We can help you get more out of your CRM.
Take the Next Step
We would be pleased to share what we’ve learned about helping high-growth-potential organisations to improve CRM adoption as part of a balanced programme of sales and marketing performance improvement. As a first step, you may find it useful to self-audit your current sales and marketing processes.
As soon as you are ready to learn more, please email us at crmadopt@inflexion-point.com, or call us on +44 (0) 118 975 0595. We look forward to discovering whether we might be able to help your organisation to improve its performance in this critical area.