CRM Implementation

With so many options to choose from, selecting the CRM system that best fits your company can be time-consuming and exhausting.

The key: Build a solution around your business, not just what the vendor offers. Sure, their software may have plenty of bells and whistles, but if those added features don’t cater to the needs of your company (or worse, if they’re inefficient and distracting), there’s no reason to invest in them.

I frequently will ask my clients early in their CRM evaluations to provide me with what they want from CRM. What I frequently get back is a long list of features. This includes linking with Outlook, web-based, mobile capability and so on. These features are all great, but I urge you to take another step back and focus first on the processes you want to improve with CRM. Frame your wish list with these needs in mind.

CRM has become a commodity due in part to the rise of cloud-based offerings, which have made the technology cheaper and easier to develop and adopt.

If you missed the recent SalesProcess360 webinar, ROI from CRM: 3 Takeaways in 30 Minutes, access the on-demand video here.

MDM recently spoke with me about getting the most from your existing technology for its annual Distribution Trends Special Issue, out now at mdm.com. I spoke with Associate Editor Eric Smith about the importance of starting with processes, not systems, when considering new technology.

So you’ve spent the right amount of time and money to clean up your data, and have had a successful CRM implementation.

But remember: The work doesn’t stop the minute you hit Go.

Before implementing a new CRM, most companies think they have their arms around their data, but when they really dive in, they realize their data is all over the place. Multiple salespeople with the same contacts, spelling issues, no connections between contacts and companies – you name it.

I’m excited to announce my new book, ROI from CRM: It’s About Sales Process, Not Just Technology, is now available from MDM. Order your copy here.

My goal with this book was to provide simple yet effective strategies to get the most from customer relationship management. When you read this book, you will learn how to approach CRM as a system for leveraging knowledge throughout your business, and gain an edge with a revamped sales process and engaged team.

One of the most common reasons that CRM fails for industrial sales organizations is because they try to do too much, too quickly.

I encourage you to start slow and grow. Don’t try to do everything at once.

There’s more to success with CRM than your initial investment in a system. In fact, the cost in time and money can be up to four to seven times that of the software itself, depending on what you want to roll out to your team.