Your business interacts with its customers everyday and often on many levels with different
personnel. What if you can capture and use the information from these interactions to help find effective ways to further boost sales? That’s where a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) comes in. The information and help that a CRM provides is crucial if you want to find further ways to increase sales. So whether it’s a new initiative or a relaunch of the program, these 6 tips will help guide you towards your successful implementation.
6 Tips To Get You Started
1) Secure Executive Sponsorship – Any and all successful implementation starts at the top.
Successful change management strategies require a strategic direction from the company and
overview from the people that will be using the CRM system. When management embraces and supports the new system, their involvement gives the implementation credibility and helps others to embrace the system too.
2) People and Process Over Technology – Most CRM decisions are made based on fancy features. In all technology implementation, it’s important to consider the people. Invest the time upfront to make sure your people and processes are in alignment, then introduce technology to streamline those processes to realize a much higher return on your investment.
3) Define What Success Looks Like - Success should be a clear goal, not a loose definition or fuzzy vision. Why are you implementing a CRM system? Define, document, and communicate the value proposition for each pain point you are trying to address, then structure your CRM project to meet those goals. You have to know what success looks like for your business for you to achieve it.
4) Communicate, communicate, communicate - A clear vision of your goal won't help much if you don't share it. Managers are critical to keeping employees engaged and productive, and can be instrumental in helping leaders manage change. Give them the tools to lead the change, understand the strategy, communicate a purpose, and then translate it in a way that is relevant for each employee.
5) Celebrate early wins - Celebrating wins reminds you of the goal you set and why you set it in the first place. Employees who feel appreciated and know their efforts have been noticed become even more productive with the next round of projects. When a success is celebrated, everyone is reminded that their ability to reach one specific goal indicates just how close they are to achieving even greater goals.
6) Identify the What’s-In-It-For-Me Factors – To get people onboard change initiatives, authority
can only get you so far (top down change). In order for you to succeed, you need to persuade them that it is in their interest to change (bottom-up); people have to want to change.
Even the best strategy will ultimately fail if it is not implemented effectively. It is crucial to create an environment that connects employees with the business strategy and that the system rewards success. By putting people first, a well implemented business strategy like a CRM implementation, can supercharge the effectiveness and success of the entire business operation. Your business interacts with customers everyday, let’s make that process even more efficient and useful for your sales.
If you need help with CRM implementation for your business, then, it’s time to make the Change Connect call. As leaders of change, we link people, process, and technology together to bring efficiency to your salesforce.
