Sales Team CRM adoption problem and eight quick and easy to implement ideas that can help to reduce or resolve this issue

1. Sales Team CRM Resistance
Eight ideas you can
use which will help
reduce or resolve
this Issue
©Marketing Answers and Solutions Limited
2014

2. Introduction
This ebook is intended to give you some ideas of how you can resolve one of the most
common issues encountered by clients when implementing a New CRM system.
This is where your Sales Team (or members) are reluctant to embrace the new CRM
These ideas have been chosen since they are quick and easy to implement and should be
included as part of your planning process before you embrace a new CRM system.
More importantly, these are practical, tried and trusted methods we have utilised over the
last 16 years and all help to reduce the resistance to change found in many organisations
introducing CRM for the first time.
The ebook is divided into two parts:-
1. What are the core Issues found with Sales Teams
2. The ideas you can use to reduce resistance to change (one of these is outside of CRM!)
Using these ideas should increase your user adoption
©Marketing Answers and Solutions Limited
2014

3. Sales Team “Resistance Issues”
After 16 years in the CRM industry, whilst the other issues
are important, once the decision has been taken to
introduce the CRM system, the biggest and most
intangible and difficult resistance to overcome is that
posed by the Sales Team. This may be down to a number
of different facts and can include:-
1. Fear
2. Resistance to Change
3. Previous Experience
4. Poor understanding of benefits of CRM
5. Bad Timing
6. IT literacy concerns
Although this last item is less common nowadays. There
may be a whole host more, no doubt including personal
agendas, but these are a good starting point!
©Marketing Answers and Solutions Limited
2014

4. Reasons given by Sales people
These are the most common reasons we have come across in the last 16
years when talking to especially the Sales Team about the introduction of a
New CRM system. Do any of these sound familiar?
• “My boss is only interested in my results”
• “We just need more good quality leads, not a CRM”
• “I don’t need to use one, I know what to do”
• “I have my own system/diary”
• “I know my customers well enough”
• “I’ve only got a few customers”
• “We have other systems for this already”
• “CRM is too time consuming”
• “I don’t have time to spend on admin”
• “We are unique or our process is unique”
• “team are not very computer literate or savvy”
• “Bad internet access”
• “We’ve managed without a CRM well enough”
• We used one previously, it never worked!
©Marketing Answers and Solutions Limited
2014

5. Ideas on Reducing CRM Resistance
In our experience the single biggest group resisting the
introduction of a new CRM system are likely to be the Sales
Team or more often than not, certain members within the Sales
Team!.
As discussed in the blog, we find it is rare to find Marketers or
even less so Customer Service teams having any strong
resistance to introducing CRM, since they tend to see the
benefits to themselves of better quality, more up-to-date and
accurate data on contacts not available from their Finance or
ERP system.
However, it does seem to be mainly Sales Team or certain members who tend to see more of
the negatives, typically they tend to see the impact on their time and the fact and that they
will now be more:-
©Marketing Answers and Solutions Limited
2014
• Visible
• Accountable
• Measurable
In their encounters and dealings with Customers, Leads and Prospects!

6. So what can you do?
The introduction of new CRM software
can be unsettling for some. You need to
be able to reassure and understand these
concerns.
You must also be able to justify the
Business Case.
As with any new IT system, the key is to
ensure that you adopt ideas that can help
breakdown, overcome or reduce the
inherent resistance to change.
Now follows a list of ideas that you can
consider and use when dealing with Sales
Team resistance
©Marketing Answers and Solutions Limited
2014

7. “Who Moved My Cheese?”
One idea that we have found useful in our organisation
and have had many clients inform us of its benefits is
using the book:-
“Who Moved My Cheese”
As an aside, if the sales team are very resistant, then we
have often recommended this book and the Youtube
video. Watching this takes only about 16 minutes and can
be introduced in a Sales Team meeting. The book itself,
slightly better in my view, takes around 40 or so minutes
to read. You could do both and:-
• Introduce and issue the book
• Follow up with the YouTube video.
Those who are more enthusiastic will no doubt read the
book, you can then discuss and show the video at the
meeting!
©Marketing Answers and Solutions Limited
2014

8. 1. The Five Minute Rule
This is important , since it can create a virtuous circle or loop, with the extra time saved by
marketing for example, can result in more:-
• Improved Leads Analysis and feedback
• Better more accurate Target profiling
• Better campaigns and less wasted spend
• Better analysis and reporting to enable a focus on what works!
Extra time saved by the Sales Manager can mean :-
• More focussed and shorter meetings
• More Hands-off Management
All leading to MORE selling time! Surly what every sales ©Marketing Answers and Solutio nps eLirmsitoend wants!
2014
The key here is to ensure and repeat
and embed the key point , that 5
minutes extra of the sales person time
can actually save hours of time later
for:-
• Sales Managers
• Marketing
• Customer Service

9. 2. Engage your Users
Typically we start this with our one and two step CRM Discovery meeting process.
Here we are trying to find out about requirements and importantly understand the business
issues as well as any internal issues such as lukewarm sales reception and the culture within
the business. A CRM Discovery meeting should be with all members of the team, likely to be
affected.
Early involvement helps to reduce resistance to change and provided there is senior
management commitment to the project, word will start to seep out. The feedback we find
from user is often very positive since their views are being heard at an early stage and more
importantly their ideas start to come to fruition and can be documented early.
©Marketing Answers and Solutions Limited
2014

10. 3. CRM Scoping or Design Workshop
After you have held your CRM Discovery and
provided all other items including budget, senior
management commitment together with time and
resources are approved. The next concrete step is
to hold a CRM Scoping Workshop
This will ensure that with all key parties present,
ideas can be developed and more importantly a
FSD or Functional Design Document can be
created.
It is important that this is then reviewed and
feedback from this document fed to a Project
Review or Kick-Off meetings. With changes made
to design at this stage can save many hours of
wasted time and effort for all parties.
The Sales Team do need time allocated to digest
and give feedback together with any additional
ideas and comments.
©Marketing Answers and Solutions Limited
2014

11. 3. CRM Prototyping
Where there are larger projects or Projects with
more complex customisations required and
particularly on new CRM systems where the
feedback from users is important then we
recommend:-
Building a Prototype or ‘rough cut’ of the CRM
system.
This can help those new to CRM better understand and recall the initial demonstrations and
concepts related to their own requirements.
This again can save time and importantly, ensure users know the CRM project is moving
forward.
It also gives another firebreak in the design of the system since users often need to see a
working system to fully understand and see their ideas in action.
©Marketing Answers and Solutions Limited
2014

12. 4. User Acceptance Testing (UAT)
Possibly one of the most important
ideas in any major CRM project. These
gives users, when supplied with
suitable Scripts and a set of SOP’s
(Standard Operating Procedures) the
ability to test and measure their new
system.
Generally, we recommend enthusiastic
members are in the UAT team, since
feedback will be more rapid and
constructive. This should be done in a
quiet environment in teams to review
ideas.
Again, this helps to reduce the resistance to change since the CRM is being tested by
respected members of the Sales Team with the sales teams own interests at heart.
Other ideas such as automating workflow will also come out, all feeding into the overall
Scoping Design Change Requests and with the ability to add to future phases. Good ideas
can be given higher priority or included in future phases.
©Marketing Answers and Solutions Limited
2014

13. 5. Training and Training and Training
This is one area that consistently comes
up in any IT project, but also one with
the most likelihood of being reduced
when pruning budgets.
However, our view here is they you
need to be wary of false savings, poorly
or inadequately trained users will do
create problems such as:-
• Creating problems in processes
• Create more resistance to change if
the system is not understood.
The first month or so are crucial in gaining acceptance of the new system. Training can of
course can be internal or external although we find external training tends to be received
and embedded better. More importantly, missing external training does reflect badly on
those that may be resistant to change and reduces their arguments in the future.
©Marketing Answers and Solutions Limited
2014

14. 5. Have a “On-Boarding Process”
All these ideas really focus on the need to have a
true on-boarding process.
Your Users need to understand that a great deal
of thought has gone into the introduction of their
new CRM system and that the company has been
investing time and money to ensure it is a
successes.
Key components for your on-boarding process include:-
©Marketing Answers and Solutions Limited
2014
• User Training Manuals
• Addendum Manuals for your customisation
• Updated SOP’s
• Clear processes on How to send feedback and to whom
Senior management presentations highlighting the importance of the CRM system at
each outset training session

15. 6. Regular CRM Reviews
Once you have gone “Live”, then it is important
to hold a regular Review meeting with each
member of the project team.
This should be done weekly in that first month
and move to a Monthly or Quarterly Review.
Feedback from the Team should be
encouraged and sent to possibly a single email
address which can be communicated
©Marketing Answers and Solutions Limited
2014
In any event,
CRM alongside your whole Sales and Marketing Technology software should be audited
and reviewed every year and should form a key part of the agenda for any joint Sales
and Marketing or other department key meetings.
CRM systems evolve and not everything can be introduced in the first phase so these
reviews help to prioritise changes and also feed in the next phase.

16. 7. Consider a “Carrot and Stick” Approach
One key fundamental in my view, your CRM
needs to be implemented top-down . so
consider some sort of “carrot and (at least) a
small stick”, since if people don’t use it, it is just
wasted software….
More importantly the reasons why it was
purchased need to be clear to all, and so do the
penalties, in whatever form. Other penalties
can form part of your terms and conditions.
©Marketing Answers and Solutions Limited
2014
My best working example?
This could be as simple as two Reps arguing over whose lead is owned. Often these are
passed and not acted on or its been re-assigned or picked up by a new person re-working
old leads. When it becomes a Hot Lead /Opportunity, that is when the debate begins!....So
“If it’s not in the system it didn’t happen”
is one of my favourite mantras, so someone saying they have been speaking with them, but
there is no system record of this! Well, tough!

17. Conclusion
Introducing CRM for the first time is not without its
challenges and the software is only one part of the story
and overall project.
Encountering some resistance to change is common not
just to CRM but to many business and IT projects. CRM
projects can bring their own set of unique challenges.
These revolve around most often, Sales Team resistance
to change and as mentioned, often a fear which can be IT
based and also because CRM historically has been seen as
a way for management to uncover issues. This need not
be the case. Stressing the savings that can be made and
giving Sales Team better tools is all part of the story.
Using the ideas can all help to reduce this resistance and
increase CRM Take-up and User enthusiasm.
©Marketing Answers and Solutions Limited
2014

18. What Should I Do Next?
MAS have spent many years managing CRM
implementations and have gained a wealth of
experience and ideas to support our process. The
need for a CRM SOP’s I just one example of how we
can help with the introduction CRM.
So, if you are looking into how a CRM system can be
used more effectively or you are looking at how you
can improve your existing CRM to embed these
processes to maximise your own productivity and
reporting, then speak to a MAS consultant to see how
we can help on 01905 380920
Or visit this page to learn more about either our CRM
Audit and Review service or our CRM Discovery
Review.
More
Questions?
©Marketing Answers and Solutions Limited
2014