The CRM Wars
“Our CRM data is less than ideal”
“We struggle to get our sales reps to update CRM”
“We have shadow data everywhere as reps store things outside of CRM”
Sound familiar? It is a common theme amongst sales teams. The challenge is that two parts of the organisation are working against each other…
Fact: Sales people do not enjoy admin and filling out CRM is deemed as admin.
Fact: Business & Sales Leaders need accurate data to make decisions.
These two different perspectives are working against each other and causing friction and distraction, neither of which are good for the overall outcome you are looking for as a business. So how do you change this and align the thinking?
There are 2 simple things you can do to correct this misalignment:
Context
Have you ever communicated to your sales team WHY you need certain data and how it relates to them?
Sales teams work best when they are pulling in the same direction, when there is a shared goal they are all aiming for. Understanding the context and link between that shared goal and the day to day things a sales rep must do is essential.
If you haven’t aligned your goals to your leading indicators and sales rep behaviours yet, there’s a handy whitepaper that walks you through the process.
In simple terms:
Understanding the connection between the end goal and the importance of tracking the leading indicators enables a sales rep to understand a) their part in the journey and b) the part CRM data plays in that, i.e. to identify gaps and adjust.
Of course, this needs to be backed up by action.
There’s no use in just using CRM dashboards to beat sales reps over the head (which drives fear and is the reason behind the emergence of shadow data). Sales Leaders need to demonstrate that they are using this data to focus coaching and development efforts, to hone in on training needs and to strive to close the gaps. They need to commit to the data. They need to show that they are applying data driven action consistently across the team - no excuses.
The overall objective being that if the sales rep and sales leader do not have the visibility, how can they apply the right corrective action. And if the Sales Leader cannot do this on a team or 1-2-1 basis, how on earth can the business make appropriate decisions.
Be clear about what data you need to collect and why you need it
Use this data consistently to drive improved outcomes and demonstrate the value of the data
Once you understand that looking at your call : meeting ratio can bring you additional coaching on improving your closing skills rather than a PiP, it helps provide the context for the data. Which brings us to the next point…
Value
This is the what’s in it for me conversation… What value do I derive, as a sales rep, in making sure CRM is up to date?
Firstly, you need to clearly understand what is driving each of your reps on a personal level. What are their goals? What do they want to achieve?
Then you need to take the great things you have done around ‘context’ and directly align that to supporting the sales rep meeting their goals.
Personal Goal: “To get promoted to a BDM by the end of the year”
How?: By demonstrating that they can generate well qualified opportunities from well researched calls and meetings. By using their ‘problem discovery’, ‘solution evangelism’ and ‘closing’ skills.
Indicator: Conversion rates of meetings to opportunities
Data required: calls, call outcomes, meetings, meeting outcomes, opportunity and problem discovery
As a Sales Leader, every 1-2-1 coaching session should focus in on the core leading conversion metrics. Together with the rep, this identifies focus areas for coaching and improvement. Tracking the movement in these metrics demonstrates achievement and a move towards reaching the sales rep’s goal of being promoted.
If the data is not representative of progress then this prompts a further coaching discussion. You should be looking at the single version of the truth. Not “but I have had loads more meetings than that they are just not is CRM”. “If they are not in the CRM then how can I, as a sales leader, support you through our process of continual improvement and coaching to get to your goal”.
No excuses, no stick to beat, just a coaching first mentality that drives understanding and aligned value.
e4enable’s customers often start with a concern that they are not yet ready to align sales competencies to leading CRM metrics. They feel they have to solve that problem first. However what they find is by aligning ‘what good looks like’ to individual goals, coaching and developing people to that standard and tracking the outcomes consistently, the context and value is visible to all and drives away the CRM completion problem.