The main reason salespeople hate CRM has to be the dehumanization of the whole sales process, which can occur with the implementation of a CRM system. The main challenge you can encounter when implementing a new CRM system is to overuse the customer database you now have. This course of action can result in the dehumanization of the whole sales process, so you need to make sure you are not sacrificing quality for quantity. We’ll explore the different aspects of that dehumanization in the text below.
1. Salespeople feel like it’s big brother
Salespeople often find themselves feeling like Big Brother is watching them. The main reason behind this is that a salesperson might think that a CRM is a hindrance for them and only a data capture tool. If you do decide to implement a CRM system, it will give other members of your company the ability to fully see the sales pipeline, as well as insights into the whole process. While accountability is created, there’s a fear that the CRM will be used against them.
While this course of action will only benefit both your business and your employees in the long run, salespeople can feel threatened at first, especially if they do not see the benefits CRM brings to the table right away. One of the proven ways to prevent this is to ensure that your sales team knows that their performance will not be measured solely by the metrics the CRM system will generate. By doing this, you will ensure that the feeling of dehumanization will not occur.
2. Ensure salespeople have a real reason to use the CRM
One of the main reasons people dislike using CRM is that it can be time-consuming and a difficult thing to learn. To prevent that from happening, you should look to present the CRM as a new tool that will help them achieve better sales results, which is something a practical implementation of CRM should accomplish. If you dedicate enough time, effort and resources in the training of your staff, you will be in a position to quickly explain to them exactly how they will directly benefit from using the new CRM.
3. Ensure that all users are aware that the CRM is a tool, not a tracking mechanism
To avoid discontent salespeople may have with a new CRM, you need to establish a position, which conveys to the users that it’s just a tool and a powerful one. If they perceive the CRM as a tool that will assist them in their endeavours, as opposed to a tracking mechanism used to find shortcomings in their work.
However, to ensure that you are telling the truth, you need to make sure that the CRM integrated well. Salespeople already have many tools to aid them, including social media channels, calling and prospecting lists and others. The main benefit of having a CRM is to have all the information they collect through those channels stored in a single location. A good CRM system will surely have the ability to integrate with numerous applications and third-party software.
Consequentially, it’s vital to ensure that the integration of the CRM with those applications is done correctly, not just to provide your sales team with the right tool to do their job, but also to motivate them to use the said tool. In addition to that, you need to be 100% sure that you choose the right software for the job. We recommend using SugarCRM, as it has many perks that differentiate it from competitors.