For all the advertised advantages and benefits, perhaps the biggest drawback to implementing any kind of CRM or Sales Force Automation system is the simple fact that the people who should be using them the most are initially resistant to get on board. One driver behind this resistance is a basic lack of trust on the part of sales makers, who are very often left in the dark about management’s goals for introducing the CRM in the first place.
The problem often initially arises because of the disconnect between sales accounting needs and sales team needs during the CRM design and implementation stage. Too often, the campaign for deploying a CRM is launched by executives, sales managers and business analysts who are looking for better ways to measure performance and collect data for planning purposes. Most of the time, sales makers are not even in the loop while the initial CRM strategy is being developed, so they are left to draw their own conclusions. What they often conclude is that they are going to be asked to dedicate precious time and effort to log information into the CRM which not only offers no measurable benefit to them, but which will be used to track their performance and could be used "against" them during future performance reviews. Sales reps need all the encouragement they can get, so when confronted with a CRM about which they were not consulted and that is not sales rep friendly, they tend to feel mistrusted, disrespected, resentful and spied upon. They may even begin to distrust management as well. From that point on, conversations about CRM adoption can create conflict and stress for everyone.
The key to avoiding this conflict and creating trust is simple: keep the lines of communication between management and sales makers open at all times during the planning, design and implementation phases. Bring sales reps into the process right from the beginning and be very upfront about the purposes, the process, and the value behind the CRM initiative. Encourage sales reps to ask as many questions as they want, and shoot straight with your answers. Solicit suggestions from sales makers and take them seriously. Nothing builds trust like making promises and then keeping them. If you ask for input from sales reps, make certain that some version of that input is incorporated to the strategy going forward.
Also, don’t neglect to answer the WIIFM (what’s in it for me?) questions the sales reps may be asking. The only way to get past the perception that the CRM is being deployed to only serve the interests of one group is to clearly demonstrate how the CRM will meet the needs of sales makers as well. Of course, that presupposes that you take the time to gain a clear understanding of what their needs are, but if you do that, and if you follow through on the implied promises that come with that, sales reps will trust your motives, and they might even work with you to make the deployment a complete success.
Baker Communications was recently recognized as one of the top ten Sales Force Automation training companies in the world. We know what it takes to make CRM and SFA work for your organization. In this series, we are sharing some of those secrets with you. In the meantime, if you would like to know more, visit http://www.bakercommunications.com/sales-training/.
Walter Rogers is the President and CEO of Baker Communications. Baker Communications is a sales training and development company specializing in helping client companies increase their sales and management effectiveness. He can be reached at 713-627-7700.
This article may be reprinted in its entirety if the following conditions are met:
