Garbage in, garbage out (GI/GO) in customer relationship management systems (CRM). One of the key management challenges in managing sales is implementing and leveraging a CRM system to manage prospects, sales activities, pipeline, track campaigns, and assignment of tasks to sales team members, and sales forecasting.

I’ve worked in two roles in sales management: (1) from the C-level perspective to make key management decisions on sales and go-to-market strategies; and (2) at the sales operations level to implement and maintain sales processes and provide sales reporting from forecasting to measuring individual performance to goals. Based on what I’ve experienced, what are the challenges in rolling out a CRM for sales? Are there typical employee types that resist implementing a CRM to manage sales?

CRM Adoption by Sales Team
There are a couple of challenges in sales operations. Sales people often have two systems to track their sales data-their own Outlook contacts or Goldmine-or sales people choose not to buy in to using the CRM. The former is easy take care of, since CRM systems have easy integrations with Outlook, so you can take care of any concerns with this CRM feature. The later is challenging. Sales people buy-in is the largest hurdle. CRM, once implemented, is good for all parties, especially sales reps and sales managers; it allows you to collect and analyze data to determine your company’s sales cycle time, measure actual results to sales goals, and manage your pipeline.

Selling Power’s 10 Dysfunctional Employees who Scuttle CRM Projects
Selling Power magazine had a powerful article title, “Upgrade in High Gear, How to keep your CRM system on the cutting edge.” The focus on the article is implementing a CRM system, but the part I found helpful was their summary of the “Ten Dysfunctional Employees Who Can Scuttle a CRM Project.” Here’s their list with my commentary:

1. The sales manager, who refuses to hold reps accountable for CRM usage: sales managers have good intentions. There are times, when it’s difficult to hold sales reps accountable. Having moment-of-truth discussions are never easy, but when CRM is implemented, it becomes easier to have tough talks.
2. The sales rep, who balks at having daily work tracked and evaluated: lack of buy-in drives me crazy. There are times when sales reps may believe the data is flawed, but it’s only because they haven’t used the CRM to the fullest extent. After CRM adoption by sales reps, daily work and activities are easily viewed and measured, which can use used in a sales cycle analysis to determine how long it takes to close a deal. “Garbage in, garbage out.” However, a little diplomacy and tact is recommended for the GI/GO issue.
3. The sales rep, who lacks the technical skill to use a computer: everyone must know how to use a computer; it’s 2009.
4. The sales rep, who doesn’t trust managers enough to share information with them: not sharing information is usual a sign of something else going on with the sales rep. It could mean a couple of things: (a) they will use the information as leverage in the future; (b) they can hold back, in case their predictions don’t come true, so they don’t appear to have failed to close when they expected to close on a deal; or (c) they don’t trust you. I’m sure there are other reasons, but if information is not in the CRM, then the company is compromised in making decisions, in case the sales rep is unavailable.
5. The sales manager, who distorts data simple to impress top executives: who doesn’t like an impressive pipeline? However, if it’s all blue sky, then it affects your sales cycle time and close rates.
6. The IT manager, who believes that sales reps don’t know what’s good for them: no comment here. I haven’t experienced this.
7. The customer service manager, who looks only at costs and not at customer satisfaction: ditto.
8. The top executive, who demands unrealistic forecasts to feed a fantasy of future success: executives should always be cautiously optimistic, not seduced with wildly optimistic forecasts by unrealistic pipelines.
9. The corporate bureaucrat, who insists on tracking information that nobody really needs: no comment. I haven’t experienced this type of employee.
10. The CRM vendor who believes that single flavor of CRM is right for every company: Salesforce.com is allows for the number of seats for flexible pricing and tailoring features and functionality for company requirements.

CRM Takes Patience and Commitment
Understanding these ten employee dysfunctions, sales managers and sales reps can anticipate any problems in implementing a CRM. My advice for managers of sales reps, once there’s company commitment to CRM, the data becomes your eyes and ears to daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly sales activities by your sales rep, region, or national level. Sales reps should commit to using CRM to demonstrate how effective they are; it demonstrates they’re performers, assuming they’re also closing deals as forecasted. CRM take patience to implement. Once the data is the system and maintain by sales and marketing people, the executive team, sales managers, and sales rep can all track forecasting and performance to goals.

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