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by Martina Sanchez
Why is CRM considered essential?
Well, organizations are now seeing CRM as something that can improve their performance. This system is built to track, analyse and manage customer interactions and this drives sales. Entrepreneurs are buying it as quickly as possible.
But, before you run to buy the CRM, consider the fact that while CRM systems are supposed to help your sales staff, they are not using it nearly enough. With the huge investment that is CRM, why is this so?
CRM has been constantly gaining more fans in the corporate world since it arrived in 1990s. But fewer and fewer sales people actually achieve goals with CRM and the numbers are always going down.
Here is why:
CRM is a tool for executives, not so much for the sellers. While it was designed to offer data and pipeline revenue, it hasn’t been as rewarding for the sales reps, coaches or sales managers. It actually takes the time away from selling. CRM became a distraction because there are too many admin activities and sales reps aren’t really selling but rather spending time on these tasks.
“CRM also doesn’t offer real-time insights. Sales rep teams are challenged by the huge quantities of data that they need to provide and analyse. Some of the data is not even that accurate. Sellers, on the other hand, need specific guidance.”, says Velma Perkins, a regular contributor to Draftbeyond and Writinity.
So the fact is that sales teams aren’t opposed to all technology. They need it and want it in order to perform better. But, they expect the technology to help them have more time for selling and take away less of their time. They need clear information on behavior and methods that they can use in real life, not just record of data.
So, how can you as an entrepreneur approach this?
Companies need to understand that CRM isn’t enough to help their sales teams. Sure, CRM is nice to have and to use. But, they also need other tools that can help them address tangible, real needs of their sales reps and managers. Different elements of the organization need to collaborate to come up with a range of tools which can help sales rep use the CRM in an effective way. If you want to stay competitive on the market, you have to build a tool that can:
Support sales – Innovative technologies can help sellers make their methods a regular part of their selling activities. Look for solutions that suit their methods well. Drive actions – Sales analytics platforms need to provide specific actions which sales reps can use and perform better with more win rates and building better relationships with the customers. Provide value – “Technology is often a burden and sales teams don’t find it as useful as they should. A good tech solution will help your sales team do their job properly and make it easier for them to sell.”, says Sally Winslow, an author at Researchpapersuk and Last Minute Writing.
Companies still struggle to get their sales team to use the CRM. But they are learning to use it better and find solutions for all of the pesky tasks that they don’t want to perform. Companies are also learning to adapt to provide a better environment for their sales teams to thrive. Most companies are in search of better tech solutions and the ones who do manage to invest in it see an immediate ROI and they constantly see improvement in the sales performance.
Martina Sanchez works as a sales rep manager at Lucky Assignments and Gum Essays. She loves writing and is a constant contributor to her blog where she writes about sales, marketing etc.
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