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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If you have a team of inside salespeople you may find our sister site’s (TeleSalesUniversity.com) up coming free selling skills webiar of value. You can get more information at: TeleSalesUniversity.com/sandwich/

When is the last time a sales training organization offered to let you participate in a full scale version of their training so you could evaluate it before you committed to buy?

I am guessing no one has ever made you that offer, but I’m going to.

So what makes a telephone sales training program great?

• That the program was designed to change behaviors not present a fixed content
  Most telephone sales training is driven by a fixed set of content developed by the trainer. This content may or may not with the most common errors salespeople are making.

• That the content of the program focuses on “telephone sales” content and doesn’t simply repackage classic sales theory
  Most telephone sales training programs don’t cover key subjects like communication and the key differences between the telephone and in person sales effort.

• That the program attacks the actual errors being made by sellers in real time
  A program that operates primarily on a tactical level that focuses on the actual issues in today’s calls gets immediate results and typically better results as these errors will likely naturalize the gains any new techniques produce.

• That the program documents the corrections in a way that management can continue to coach them
  Most importantly is the fact that without follow up results almost always leave within weeks of the training. It is not practical for companies to keep a training organization on retainer — management must be able to continue what was done. The problem is that most training models don’t empower managers to do this.

Because my program is so unique I have created a Pilot Training Program you can test drive with NO risk.

The program consists of 5 sessions run similarly to the standard training (There are some minor differences due to time restraints.)

There’s no contract, no payment, and no risk to you. If you’re not completely satisfied after the first two sessions we will stop the pilot and you pay nothing. To read the details please click here.

And there’s a huge bonus that is a by product of the structure of the sessions.

Because of the way this telephone sales training program operates you will literally get a “mini skills evaluation” of your team.

The sessions work with live calls and engage salespeople in critical thinking about their selling activities. These two things produce a powerful birds eye view into the real issues in your team’s selling efforts.

I assure you it will be obvious after two sessions that progress is being made.

Example of the Actual Results Obtained From a Recent Pilot

Here are just some of the items found in a pilot run with one of my clients. Remember that each of these items results in corrective documentation and training material that the manager can use going forward to coach or retrain the sales team on these items. Many of the corrections you experience in the pilot may be specific to your sales process and products.

These are the non optimum behaviors discovered in the pilot program.

• Poor or weak process for selling evaluation units

Resulted in a draft for the  selling process for selling these units

• Improper or weak closing of the call, poor next step

Resulted in a best practice sales process document* (*The sales process document is a “script on steroids” description of the actual segment of the selling process. It can be used as a guide for sellers during their sales presentations, a tool for management to collect best practices and as a coaching and training tool.)

• Weak questioning of partners for the purpose of driving business

Resulted in a draft of key questions reps should ask partners

• Weak voice mail messages

Resulted in a training discussion about leaving messages

• Inefficient handling of a non registered product

Resulted in a draft best practice for handling this situation

• Poor use of “voice” in presentation

Resulted in a training piece being presented in one session

• Beating around the bush on critical questions

Resulted in an in depth training discussion

• Handling “negative” price situation to make rep look good

Resulted in and in depth training discussion and best
practice for handling this issue

• Lack of or ineffective qualifying

Resulted in a discussion, and this item being schedule
for future attention.

Each of the above items will eventually result in a sales best process document and training piece.

Here is a testimonial from the CEO of a company where this whole process was executed fully for the purpose of improving sales results.

Testimonial

Here are the words of the CEO of a company where these telephone sales training strategies were used in full.

“When I hired Flyn to help me bring our sales team to the next level he said he will double our sales in 6 months. He achieved this goal in 30 days. He brought new ideas, strategies and methods that were revolutionary, and worked very effectively for us. He is the best telesales expert I have ever worked with.” Gal Almog

What Gal doesn’t say in this recommendation is that in the third month we had moved to about 285% of original revenues.

In this case I was more than an external trainer – I was responsible for “sales performance” as an interim manager responsible only for sales performance and spent 25-30  hours per week with the team.

This result is typical for teams I managed directly, Logitech 300% in 8 months, GoldStar start up computer sales to reseller group 30% better results that the other 4 equivalent teams — but my group worked 6 versus 8 hours each day.

You have nothing to loose except some bad habits.

Here’s one other valuable thing you will receive in this process. Even at the end of the two sessions sales management will have a much clearer understanding of the real quality of the sales calls being made by the team. In the above pilot the VP of Sales realized that even his best person in the group could be doing far better that he was.

Knowing what your potential is, and seeing a clear method for achieving it is invaluable. This program will provide that knowledge, even in the first couple of sessions.

Call now to schedule your NO RISK Pilot Training Session — 408-296-6880

I’ve just made a discovery that will  literally turned the inside sales training industry on its head.

My new inside sales training  program is so revolutionary it makes all the standard methods of training inside salespeople obsolete.

Why?

Because my program is the first to actually fix the root causes of non-optimum behavior using a system that actually changes the behavior of salespeople.

If you think I’m kidding, click here to read more about it.

Compare this program to what you’ve done in the past and see how the old methods simply don’t stack up.

You’ve never seen a training program that will do what this one does! Ever!

And that’s not even including my incredible unbeatable training guarantee.

Regards,
Flyn

PS: I have made an incredible discovery about training inside sales people that you must see – Click here to check it out!