Whether you have a CRM system in place, or are looking to implement CRM, remember the 4 Es and you CRM success is almost assured. Ignore them, and the only thing you will be getting from your CRM system is complaints and blame.
1) Enable
When you enable your users with CRM, you give them the means to accomplish their job. It goes without saying that accomplishing this should be easier than without a CRM system. If your CRM system is not an enablement tool for your users, it will be used only through coercion.
2) Empower
While many think that enablement and empowerment are similar, there is a subtle difference, empowerment means you are giving them the authority to act. If your CRM system is so locked down that your users cannot perform everyday tasks like adding contacts/companies then it is useless to the user. Will they make mistakes? Of course! But monitor for those and correct; rather than requiring the user to jump through internal authorization hoops to accomplish simple tasks that are fundamental to CRM success.
3) Encourage
CRM is scary! It is overwhelming for most sales people that have not experienced it before. It seems so simple to IT people, or to those in your accounting department, but to someone with the personality for sales, it can be daunting. Take the time to encourage your users. Sit with them one-on-one and walk through their day. Guide new users through the process, and encourage feedback from your users. Whatever you do, don’t implement and train and then punish inactivity.
4) Entrust
Finally, entrust your users. You have basically entrusted your sales department with the entire future of your organization; they are the face of your company, and are involved in almost all customer interactions. They know your customers and what they need to know to be more pro-active in service to those customers. They also know what will add value to the customer conversation. Entrust them with design and data recommendations.
All four will not only improve your overall CRM success, they will give your people more time to do what they were hired to do. Imagine having a sales person with more time to sell!
Are you enabling, empowering, encouraging, and entrusting your CRM users? What could you do better? Do you want to collaborate on ideas? Message me with your thoughts, and let me know how I can help.
