Challenges with CRM Adoption? Try Lead Management
Last week this blog published an article called Hammering Nails with Screwdrivers, about the results of using the wrong tool for a job. Using the wrong tool for the job never yields results, and the example that was explored was using CRM to manage leads.
Understanding that CRM is not designed to manage leads gives one an insight to one of the most common challenges associated with using trying to implement a CRM solution: Adoption. So often, the proponents of CRM say something along the lines of, “If everyone just uses this, it’ll be great.” So it’s not a case of “If we build it they will come.” It’s a case of “If we build it AND if they come, then we’ll see some results.” Companies implementing CRM all too often buy into the all that CRM promises and make pledges to commit their teams to its ongoing use.
Meanwhile they’re so deep into the cost and effort of CRM that abandoning it would create unbearable amounts of cognitive dissonance. But that’s throwing good money after bad.
But trying to get sales reps to adopt CRM for lead management is a losing battle. It doesn’t work for the task at hand, so it’s a drag on employees. It’s a drag on their efficiency and a source of frustration. It’s red tape. It’s a tax they pay on their time.
Lead Management is more of an “if you build it they will come” experience. Why? Because when you use it, and you use an intelligent lead dialer, sales reps phones ring, and lead info pops up on their screen.
It is easy, efficient, and it makes them successful. They want to use it, because it brings up their contact rate, qualification rate, and close rate. And when all the sale agents want to use it, that means adoption is up. With lead management, you get out what you put in.
If you are using CRM to manage leads and you don’t believe the premise that CRM is for customer relationship management and not for lead management, ask yourself this, “Where am I having more difficulty getting my sales staff to use the CRM solution? The account managers who deal with established customers? Or the new sales team that is in charge of turning prospects into customers?”
It’s definitely going to be the part of your sales team who deals with leads, not established customers that is lagging on CRM adoption.
Blaming your sales reps for not using the wrong tool for the job is just adding to the drag they are experiencing. Unleash their potential by giving them a tool that really works: Lead Management.
Last week this blog published an article called Hammering Nails with Screwdrivers, about the results of using the wrong tool for a job. Using the wrong tool for the job never yields results, and the example that was explored was using CRM to manage leads.
Understanding that CRM is not designed to manage leads gives one an insight to one of the most common challenges associated with using trying to implement a CRM solution: Adoption. So often, the proponents of CRM say something along the lines of, “If everyone just uses this, it’ll be great.” So it’s not a case of “If we build it they will come.” It’s a case of “If we build it AND if they come, then we’ll see some results.” Companies implementing CRM all too often buy into the all that CRM promises and make pledges to commit their teams to its ongoing use.
Meanwhile you’re so deep into the cost and effort of CRM that abandoning it would create unbearable amounts of cognitive dissonance. But that’s throwing good money after bad.
But trying to get sales reps to adopt CRM for lead management is a losing battle. It doesn’t work for the task at hand, so it’s a drag on employees. It’s a drag on their efficiency and a source of frustration. It’s red tape. It’s a tax they pay on their time.
Lead Management is more of an “if you build it they will come” experience. Why? Because when you use it, and you use an intelligent lead dialer, sales reps phones ring, and lead info pops up on their screen.
It is easy, efficient, and it makes them successful. They want to use it, because it brings up their contact rate, qualification rate, and close rate. And when all the sale agents want to use it, that means adoption is up. With lead management, you get out what you put in.
If you are using CRM to manage leads and you don’t believe the premise that CRM is for customer relationship management and not for lead management, ask yourself this, “Where am I having more difficulty getting my sales staff to use the CRM solution? The account managers who deal with established customers? Or the new sales team that is in charge of turning prospects into customers?”
It’s definitely going to be the part of your sales team who deals with leads, not established customers that is lagging on CRM adoption.
Blaming your sales reps for not using the wrong tool for the job is just adding to the drag they are experiencing. Unleash their potential by giving them a tool that really works: Lead Management.
