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CRM Software: The Right Way To Choose One

Apr 302012

Choosing the Best CRM Software

In reading numerous discussions about choosing and using CRM software products I have observed a significant amount of confusion.

My first observation is that people are seeking the wrong advice in their efforts to choose their sales team’s CRM software.

CRM software is very much like clothing, in that it works like clothing fits and looks based on where and how it’s being used. Thus seeking the advice of others can actually be a dangerous thing when that advice comes from a different environment.

Now, I’m not talking about finding out what’s available. I’m taking about perceptions and judgments as to how good or bad any particular CRM software might be.

To help you better understand why this is true, let’s go back to why you purchase a CRM.

CRMs are intended to be productivity tools for the sales force. In other words, they are supposed to increase the productivity of the salespeople.

They accomplish this task in a number of ways. The first and fundamental purpose is as a repository for customer and prospect data, thus providing salespeople and management with the means for analysis and interaction with their marketplace.

Secondarily, they provide a “method of operation” for the process of engaging customers and prospects, including some robust mechanisms form managing the sales cycle while providing tools, such as scripting and product information to aid the salesperson’s efforts.

But the bottom line in choosing a CRM software product, is does it provide increased productivity for YOUR selling environment.

Let me give a blatant example of how this could backfire. Let’s say that you have a group of consumer telemarketers calling on households in the evening gathering donations for the handicapped.

You decide to put them on a CRM software and learn from another sales manager that Salesforce.com is one of the best. But to your amazement sales plummet nearly immediately after the software goes live.

Why?

Because Salesforce.com is not complementary to that particular sales process due to the way it operates. Salesforce.com is very navigation intensive and will reduce the number of calls reps can make by as much as 50 percent over calling out of a phone book or off a printed list. Additionally, these reps don’t need most of the tools that are provided.

The point is that CRM software products all have similar features, but they don’t all work or operate the same way at the user level.

In the above case, even the DOS version of Telemagic® would have been a far better choice because it is more in align with the selling activity.

If you want to make the best decision with regard to CRM software, you need to choose it from the user’s viewpoint.

In other words, you need to choose the software that most enhances YOUR users productivity in their selling process.

Thus the most profitable way you compare CRM software products, is by having the CRM software company or representative come out and demonstrate how their software executes YOUR users selling tasks.

If the users have to make calls everyday, then you need to see how they get that list of people to call and execute those calls including any documentation that might be required.

If the users need to send faxes, emails, or schedule meetings with other people in the organization, you need to see exactly how that is done.

It is only when you carefully compare the user execution of the sales process required tasks that you can truly see how much productivity is gained.

Your choice between CRM software products will likely come down to a trade between lesser evils and absolute necessities. But, making such comparisons will avoid deadly and expensive mistakes.

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Cold Calling, Prospecting, Telephone sales training, Telephone selling No Responses »

Apr 182012

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Sales Team Not Motivated Or Producing: Check The Mirror FIRST

Sales Development, Sales Managerment No Responses »

Apr 032012

There is a great tendency for inside sales managers to blame their teams for poor results. However, a little reflection will show that it is more likely what you aren’t doing that is the root of the problem.

Let’s start with production.

If the sales numbers aren’t what they are suppose to be it is quite possible, and likely, that your team doesn’t have the tools they need to succeed.

And I’m not talking about a good CRM or fancy phone system, I’m talking about a powerful and compelling story to tell.

If sales management has not worked out and compelling and powerful story for reps to tell prospects and customers, you cannot blame sales people for failing to produce.

Believing that your people have the prowess to construct and tell a powerful story on their own, look around because you have slipped through the hedge and are now in Alice’s Wonderland.

Next, once you have constructed a story, you need to coach the salespeople on how to tell and execute that story.

Don’t leave it to the sales reps to figure out how to do this effectively – show them. Doing so will save time and is the only way it will get done.

Now let’s chat about “Motivation.”

You can’t teach motivation, and you can’t manage it either. You can no more make others motivated than you can make a horse drink. Motivation comes from within.

However, there are many things you can do that will spark the motivation in others and get it to grow.

In the 60’s JFK did this when he told the nation America would go to the moon in the next decade.

If you want your team to be motivate you must first give them a reason. That reason comes in the form of a vision that they see and then desire.

I did this once with a group by simply asking them if they would like to be the number one regional team. I included with that some reasons they might wish to achieve this goal.

Whatever you do, you must find some future scenario (the vision) the team members would like to achieve. This is what creates motivation.

There are two additional things you’ll want to do.

First, get them motivated to learn. Doing this insures that they will accept coaching and instruction (Such as on their new story.)

Second, you need to show the team how you will personally empower them to reach their goals. This provides the confidence they need to believe in the vision allowing the motivation to grow. Providing that powerful and compelling story is the beginning.

The actions summarized above are what we call leadership, and it is the most powerful tool you have in creating a team that consistently performs at high levels.

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Uncategorized No Responses »

Mar 312012

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The Real Problem May Be Your Sales Process

Presentation skills, Sales Development, Telephone sales training 1 Response »

Mar 302012

Is your sales process the problem?

I am absolutely amazed to discover how few companies have their sales process worked out in enough detail to guide salespeople through an effective sales call.

Over the past 30 years I have worked with numerous companies many with tens or even hundreds of millions in revenues.

Yet most have almost no documentation of their sales process. And salespeople have no understanding of even the internal best selling practices.

Listening to their sales calls you discover the primary means of getting through the sales process is by the seat of the pants.

You’ll observe salespeople simply wandering through their sales calls most of the time being lead by the prospect. You’ll hear salespeople missing prospect generated clues that should be generating critical questions.

You will also find that salespeople don’t ask for commitments let alone the order.

Why?

Very simply they don’t understand their sales process and how one gets from point “A” to point “B.”

You can listen for this quite simply — listen to a live call. See if the salesperson is “forcibly” directing the call and driving the prospect to an obvious objective. If it’s not obvious, they probably aren’t doing it and it is the sales process that needs your attention first.

Many companies hire outside training organizations to come in and teach selling techniques when the bigger problem is really their sales process.

They would find that cleaning up their own selling process would give them significant improvements in results, even without any telephone sales training.

Teaching sales skills to salespeople that don’t have a good understanding of their own sales process is almost a waste of time.

Without this knowledge they will incur great difficulty applying the new techniques properly. They may even have trouble knowing where to apply the techniques in the first place.

Before you purchase outside telephone sales training make sure you have a well detailed sales process that contains at least the method for getting to the sale, and hopefully the internal best selling practices.

Check out my site for more information on how to address these issues and please leave a comment.