Why Do My Salespeople Refuse to Use Our CRM?
To be real blunt, they don’t use it because they don’t realize how it will help them make more money.
Show your salespeople the value of using a CRM, how it will affect their sales and revenues, and you’ll have salespeople who use it!
Ask yourself, Do you have a Salespeople’s CRM, or do you have a system that just requires extra work with no benefits?
In talking with different business owners, sales managers and salespeople in regards to the implementation of CRMs or tracking systems, one common feedback is that they can’t get salesperson “buy in”, and in fact, they meet up with salespeople having an absolute disdain for CRM tracking systems.
Hearing this common theme, I have deduced two major issues: 1) The salesperson feels like every move is being watched, and 2) the salesperson does not recognize the value in why you want him/her to “buy into” the tracking system.
We all know that salespeople are salespeople for a few reasons, but one main reason is because they want to be their own boss. They are those “free spirits” in so many ways, especially those salespeople who are being compensated on straight commissions. They are moved by the possibility of getting on to the next sale, not by keeping immaculate notes. Most of them are not really interested in being tracked and having every call, correspondence or move monitored. They feel squelched and almost kept under a thumb, so to speak.
Their feelings are not unsubstantiated. Well, sometimes they are, but think about this! We are living in a different world, and some people have gotten so caught up in technology and the methodology, that sales as they were are being forgotten, and the whole picture is not being seen. Salespeople are not being allowed to do what they do best: sell!
Companies are implementing expensive systems and, understandably, expect their people to use it. A sales manager is expected to report such and such data to the owners, and the only way they can get that data is through the cooperation of the salespeople. The salespeople, however, see this only as something that requires a lot more of their time each day, and they not only lose precious time, but they also lose their good attitudes, and take on the frustration of delivering just because they have to, or outright not delivering and then feeling lousy about that choice.
So why is this such a big conflict? Business owners know that tracking will increase revenues, but not everyone recognizes this, and so it is up to business owners to show their people how the system will make them real money! Show your salespeople how a system will make them more money, and they’ll be all over it! Make sure that whatever system you are using and the information you are requiring of your salespeople is indeed providing an easier and faster path to sales, and will be of value to them when they put it to use!
Keep it Simple, and Make Their CRM Be One that Makes Them Money!
The perceived value to the salesperson has to be there in order for them to use it. Don’t worry about the little bells and whistles in a system that are not necessarily money-makers; just provide a simple system that your people can get going on easily and see the value in quickly. Once they can see that, then it is no longer an issue to get them to use a tracking system. A good salesperson is definitely savvy enough. In fact, those good salespeople are kind of like a bunch of mini businesses right within your business – they want to follow the cash, and that’s their main concern. Let them do that in a way that benefits them, which in turn will benefit you and the company.
It is true that winners know their numbers, yes, even the best and most successful salespeople. Just make sure those numbers mean something. Provide a simple system that will work for them, yet will provide the numbers you need to make adjustments in your marketing, lead assignment, and sales training. You will all benefit. It’s a win-win situation.
WINNERS KNOW THEIR NUMBERS!