If you’ve been sedentary for years, you won’t immediately lose 20 pounds and finish a marathon the first time you put on your brand new running shoes. We all understand that can’t happen. You have to start with a quick, doable goal like walking one mile.
Likewise, when you’re heading into the roll-out of a new CRM system, set up success by planning to phase it in. Pick one specific objective out of your complete CRM strategy and focus first on how to achieve a quick win on that. Who can be your champion for that first phase? Seeing and experiencing meaningful results will help get momentum started and increase end-user buy-in. From there you can build toward complete system adoption, step by step.
Wise business leaders also recognize that CRM is not a one-time investment. As you grow you might need to add users, and as you set new business goals your software functionality could very well need to be amped up. Think of business developement with a CRM system as a ‘program’, like the USA ‘Space Program”. It will have may different projects over its lifetime of your business growth. Of course just like a runner can run farther with better shoes, you’ll also experience greater benefits.
