5 Ways to Get Sales Rep Buy-in for CRM

Adopting a new CRM is a big investment – both of time and money. After months of preparation and investment, how do you ensure your end users will actually use the CRM? Employee pushback can happen with products that are both good and bad, as buy-in for the CRM begins with the implementation process.

To ensure high adoption among your end users, here are 5 ways to keep the sales reps engaged with the project for early CRM buy-in.

1. Choose a CRM that matches with their current business processes

Adding a CRM or switching CRM’s is already a big transition for the sales team. If the CRM won’t fit in with your current sales processes, the sales reps will have to learn new processes while trying to add in technology, which can cause frustration and slow down business.

A CRM should be able to configure to your sales processes, rather than be forced to fit into it. Having a solution that is “tailor-made” for your industry, rather than one size fits-all, will ensure that your objectives can and will be supported.

Adding a CRM should simplify the workload and process for the sales reps, not complicate it. If the CRM fits the current processes, the team can transition easily into using the solution and discovering the value it provides.

2. Choose a CRM that will not require extra work for the reps

If a CRM isn’t integrated or does not have a way of easily importing your existing data, the information that sales reps need will not be immediately available. This will require the end users to enter in their data before they can even use the solution, which means, they won’t be as motivated to start using the new technology.

The information they need should already be in the new system for them when they first log-in. That way, they can hit the ground running with using their new CRM without wasting any time.

3. Involve sales department early on in the adoption process

The decision of selecting new business technology can come from a variety of different departments. To ensure that the technology being selected will benefit the sales team, the sales department should be included early on in the project. Having them a part of the process allows them to understand the problem, ask questions, and make a plan.

In our experience, we have found that projects and ongoing utilization of the system are for more successful when lead by sales versus IT. IT needs to support the initiative, but the sales department is critical for the final execution and accountability of the project.

4. Show the value that will directly impact them

Sales reps are not interested in a tool that is designed to micro-manage them, and unfortunately, CRM is traditionally thought of as such. To be interested in using a CRM, the sales reps need to see and understand the direct benefits and value the CRM can provide.

End-users of CRM are typically influenced by two factors:
1) Making their job easier and simplifying actions.  A CRM should support their function, it should elevate key areas of focus, and it should reduce the amount of data entry required.  When this happens, sales reps gain the greatest reward, time.  Time to see more customers, or time to enjoy the things in life that motivate them and keep them engaged.

2) Increasing their earning potential.  A well-integrated CRM will bring opportunities to the surface and position them in a manner that does not require the end user to hunt.  The CRM should clearly outline the history of the customer.  This 360 degree view of the customer provides the sales rep insight into previous activities, email communication, marketing engagement and as important, sales history.  Meaning, what product groups or SKU’s do they buy from you, what did they use to buy that they are not buying any more.

5. Effective training and beyond “go-live”
Finally, end users can be ready to dive in and use the software once they have effective training that shows the best way to use the solution. If there is not effective training and they are not confident in using it, they can become frustrated and unlikely to keep using it.

Providing incentives based on CRM engagement can be a way to drive early adoption.  Place quarterly incentives around activities created, opportunities created, percentage of opportunities that do not have past due next action steps and executing on lead follow up timelines.  Incentives or kickers to commission are great ways to demonstrate the commitment to organizational culture change.

CRM is an important part of the sales organization, but if the end users are not interested in using it and there is no user adoption, there is no value. Selecting the CRM solution that fits with your industry and processes, taking the right steps during implementation, and having successful training will lead your team down a road of high user adoption.

Learn more about WPCRM, the CRM that Sales Reps love and is fully-integrated to provide them with the information they need right from implementation at https://www.webpresented.com/Who-Uses-WPCRM/Sales-Professionals.