Does this sound familiar to you?
“I don’t have time to learn a new program”
“I don’t have time to use a CRM system – it’s going to give me more work!”
“My admin does this for me so why should I need this?”
The list goes on of fears people have when told a CRM system is going to be implemented and training will be provided. Instead of accepting their fears, create a paradigm shift – show them how CRM will benefit them in saved time and more revenue.
There is internal buy-in that is essential before purchasing a CRM system. The system is a technology tool to streamline your business’ data – it is not a magic bullet. The magic comes from combining willing and informed employees with the right technology tool for your company. If there is no buy-in from the people that you expect to use the tool, then the implementation will fail and you will have wasted not only the money for the system, but the time and money necessary for the training, data migration, and all other facets of getting the system ready for your company.
So before spending the money and investing the time and energy in fighting your employees to use the system, work on gaining their buy-in by showing them why they should use the system, not just why you want them to use the system. There has to be a WIIFM (what’s in it for me) prominently available to your employees before they will buy into the notion of using CRM.
Some of these common WIIFMs are:
• Time – once you are familiar and comfortable with the system, you will save time in your day by not entering things in multiple locations and having the necessary information at your fingertips
• Money – with a closely tracked pipeline of prospect information, you will be able to better close deals and know what to expect from future revenues. You will also be able to convert that saved time into more sales calls, presentations/meetings.
• Better Conversion Rate – Saving time and knowing your pipeline produces a higher conversion rate for each salesperson in your organization. You may not have a sales force, but whoever is out there closing deals for your company is considered a salesperson. More time in your day leads to more calls/meetings. More calls/meetings leads to more prospects. More prospects leads to more clients. More clients leads to more revenue.
Armed with this information, you can create an internal company culture that will embrace CRM and the changes that come with its implementation.