What are three lessons sales reps can learn from a 4 year old when it comes time to use a new CRM software system? Learn to share, Use your words, and Watch others.
During a recent interview David Peterson from , an IT executive (and self proclaimed power pivot geek), gave me some humorous insights into what he has learned about salespeople during the Microsoft Dynamics CRM software implementation.
We agreed that indeed some sales people can take a few lessons from his 4 year old.
1) Learn to share
“I have found that sales people tend to be hoarders.”
As a sales person, have you ever felt this way? “It is my knowledge, I worked to get it, I'm not going to share it.”
But according to David, that is an interesting dilemma for the IT guy. “I can bring you tools to collaborate, yet if you only take information and don’t give any back, it doesn’t work. After all, that’s how sharing works, right? I give you something and you give me something in return.”
Think of it this way, if they keep giving and you never give back, that is why they call you a USER ……and not in a good way.
2) Use Your Words
David told me that Trek is a wonderful place to work. And it's wonderful because they will give their team any tool they need to do their job. In his words, “I don't care what tool it is, all I care is that you do your job and you do it well. So if you come to me and ask me hey, can we put this field in here? Can we do this, or can I have this dropdown? No problem. Fifteen minutes, it's fixed, we got it done.”
But again, you have to think like a 4-year old and use your words, ask for what you need; the CRM team can’t read your mind. If you refuse to use the software because you “don’t like it” that won’t help. Be specific about what you don’t like. Perhaps it is something that can easily be changed.
Then again, maybe it can’t be changed and you’ll have to learn that the world does not revolve around you. Sometimes we all have to do things we don’t like, just like a 4 year old.
3) Watch Others
Have you ever noticed that if a 4-year old doesn’t like a toy, but then someone else picks it up, suddenly they need it?
That is a strategy that Trek is using to increase user adoption for Dynamics CRM. David recalled, “Dynamics CRM was originally brought in just to augment inside and outside sales in North America. No one else really got to share the love. We had about 80 licenses and that was it. But we've got a lot of different people that we do business with. And Dynamics CRM is malleable to the point that I can make it work for everybody.
We started going to different groups within Trek and getting other people to use it. And those teams have been able to improve their business units, through process, better communication, and transparency, the whole 9 yards. I find that if other people are using it and they use it really well, eventually the inside and outside sales force will come around.”
Can you find other groups within your organization that would benefit from Dynamics CRM? Perhaps if they have it, others will want to play with it too.
So what is the lesson for the IT guy?
Listen to sales people and learn what makes them tick. Help them to like the CRM system they have and have the CRM system they like. If they like the CRM system, see the benefits of it, and use it, everyone will have much more fun.
By CRM Software Blog Editors, www.crmsoftwareblog.com
