why crm's are holding your sales team back (and what you can do about it)

Why CRM’s are holding your sales team back , and what you can do about it.

@jamesepember@spartasales

Ah, the trusty CRM. The sturdy backbone of every sales team. The workhorse.

The storage for all our sales data.

The holy mecca of sales enlightenment, helping us to close more deals with all that great information

right at our fingertips.

@jamesepember@spartasales

IF ONLY SALES PEOPLE WANTED TO USE THEM!!!

@jamesepember@spartasales

CRM’s are built for sales managers, not sales people.

Sorry to the makers of this software…

Why do reps dislike CRMs?

http://blog.capterra.com/6-things-salespeople-hate-about-crm-and-what-can-change-their-minds/

• CRM’s feel like a mandate from above, so sales reps feel they are being strong-armed. Reps think managers use CRM like Big Brother, to micro-manage, and not as a tool that helps them. !

• It’s too time consuming to enter data after a busy day. They don’t see how it benefits them personally or has money-making impact.

!• Sales people love interacting with customers, not

CRM programs. They’d rather be out selling and closing deals than logging a bunch of info.

!

Before we start, let’s look at what motivates sales people

Source: http://sales20network.com/blog/?p=467

OVER 60% of what motivates sales reps has NOTHING to do with cash.

“Making progress” = 40%

“The thrill of the chase” = 14% “Recognition” = 9%

@jamesepember@spartasales

“Ok, I get it - carrots and sticks don’t necessarily motivate my team. What’s this got to do with CRM?”

@jamesepember@spartasales

“Does your CRM system provide feedback to the user on the progress they are making – or

is is just used for data entry to supply management with whatever reports they

need.”

Source: http://sales20network.com/blog/?p=467

Question time…

If we agree that the best salespeople are motivated by recognition and personal development (and not just cash), we must also agree that traditional sales support software

is failing us.

@jamesepember@spartasales

So what’s the answer?

@jamesepember@spartasales

THROW OUT YOUR CRM!

@jamesepember@spartasales

Just kidding :)

!

CRM’s are important and they aren’t going anywhere.

The key is to realise that your CRM is not a tool to drive performance, energy and motivation

amongst your sales team.

@jamesepember@spartasales

What can I do then?

Try using leaderboards and gamification to drive performance, energy and motivation amongst your

team.

@jamesepember@spartasales

Why leaderboards?

Leaderboards drive:

1. Transparency

2. Real time feedback loops

3. Recognition

@jamesepember@spartasales

Summary

• CRM’s are important, however they are not tools to drive energy, results and motivation on the sales floor.

• In order to get your team focused, motivated and performing - use leaderboards, gamification and non-financial motivators to drive accountability, transparency and recognition on your sales floor!

• If you’re looking for an easy way to get started with sales gamification and leaderboards, sign up for a 2 week free trial of Sparta at http://www.spartasales.com

@jamesepember@spartasales