It’s Valentine’s Day and love is in the air. It’s the perfect time to make a love connection of your own; between your sales team and your CRM that is.
Sales teams are “people” people. They crave human interaction and have little interest in most software. As a result, getting them on board with your new CRM may be tricky business but it will be essential to your success. CRM failure rates are overwhelmingly caused by a lack of adoption from users. So, you need to not only get your team to buy into your CRM solution but also want to use it. Get them to love it!
Let’s look at 10 ways to get your sales team to fall in love with your CRM just short of shooting them with cupid’s bow:
01. Do It Together
Involve the entire team in the decision-making process when you are purchasing a CRM platform because after all, they will be the ones using it. Provide demos and FAQs where they can ask pertinent questions and receive the answers right on the spot. They will be able to see exactly how the platform will benefit their sales process and make their day-to-day much easier. Through these demos and FAQs, you can also gauge your team’s needs to choose a system that works best for everyone. For example, if your reps are often on the go you will need to choose a platform with mobile access. Use this time to get your team excited about the platform before it is even purchased and implemented.
02. Explain The Worth
The first thing you must do is explain to your reps how this new platform will make their lives easier. Run through the benefits of the CRM system and show them that it’s a solution to their problems and not another problem in and of itself. Show them how the system can streamline their day and provide benefits to each of them individually. It can keep them organized and help them do their jobs quicker and more efficiently making them more productive and giving them more time in the day to spend with people, doing what they do best: selling.
03. Give a Little Gift
Negative reinforcement rarely works. So, threatening your sales reps if they don’t use the platform isn’t the way to go. Instead, incentivize. Use gamification to turn adoption into a little game and set up rewards for milestones that your sales reps achieve and celebrate their successes. If one sales rep is successful in something, have them share their achievements with the team to motivate and to show that the new platform works. Continue to promote the benefits of the CRM platform and reward good behavior.
04. Help Them Through
Most importantly, provide your employees with training. If your reps can’t figure out how to use your new platform they will likely get frustrated and give up on the platform altogether. Providing adequate training will give them a leg up and allow them to hit the ground running. Also, make sure you provide ongoing help for any problems or questions that arise in the future. Make sure to train your supervisors and managers first so that they can lend a helping hand to anyone who has a question. Or, you may want to assign an in-house expert who reps can direct their questions so that everyone can stay on track.
05. Just a Little Test
Make sure that you test out your CRM before you purchase, because even if you think you have chosen the right one, your team may not agree. Allow them time to test it out and make sure it has all the features they need to do their jobs right. You may even want to consider allowing different teams to trial different CRMs to ensure that you pick the right one.
06. Keep It Simple
When implementing your CRM make sure that you start simple. Deploy the platform in phases giving your team time to get comfortable with the platform bit by bit. Provide your team with dashboards that are already loaded with presets to make it easier for them to start working on the platform. Once they get comfortable reps can then build upon their individual dashboards as they see fit.
07. Keep it Clean
Certainly, make sure that your data is clean and up to date. Incorrect or outdated data can lead to crucial mistakes and embarrassments for your sales team which will result in their distrust in the platform and they will ultimately stop using it. Consider assigning one person that is responsible for keeping your data updated to ensure that your team receives the correct information.
08. Come Together
Integrate your existing systems. If your sales team has systems that they already use that are essential to their job process for example, like Outlook, Microsoft Office, or a sales database, make sure that you integrate all of those systems so that they have everything they need in one place. This will keep them more organized and make their jobs much easier.
09. Don’t Ghost
Certainly, make sure that your follow up with your teams and listen to their feedback. Find out where they have been successful and where they have pain points. If a lot of your team is having the same issue, look into it, and provide a solution that can be distributed to the entire.
10. Lead The Way
Set an example. Your team will not be keen to use the new system if the company leadership isn’t on board as well. Ensure that your managers, supervisors, owners, and CEOs are all on board and using the platform as well. But this will show your sales team that the company has complete buy-in.
Also, show the company buy-in by removing all other alternatives. Stand behind your CRM investment and wipe out all of your “old” methods. This will prevent laggard and stubborn sales reps from reverting to their old ways.
So, make a love connection by equipping your sales team with the tools to do their job to the very best of their ability and watch them soar. If you want to find out more about which CRM platform may be best for your sales team, contact one of our experts today!
