Setting up a CRM: how to take the step with confidence

Implementing a CRM for a sales force is always a delicate phase.

The beginning can be tedious and generate resistance to change… But once the machine is well-oiled, your sales force will wonder how they ever managed without it!

Because the benefits of a CRM are multiple: centralization of sales data, better tracking of interactions with customers and prospects, improved efficiency and profitability…

‍Once adopted, the CRM will work wonders at all levels. Let's discover together the mistakes to avoid when setting up a sales CRM and tips for a successful implementation with your teams.

Slow and unequal democratization

Long considered a complex and expensive tool to set up, and therefore reserved for large structures, CRM software has successfully made its way into French companies.‍

Implementing a CRM is no longer necessarily synonymous with headaches and divisions between the company's various stakeholders! This is partly due to the emergence of new ready-to-use solutions, where the tool is configured directly by the user, without necessarily needing technical skills, thanks to so-called "low code" or "no code" solutions (allowing users to configure the tool and adapt it to the specificities of their company autonomously).

Paradoxically, many companies are still hesitant to take the plunge, too often with the same fears: in Europe, according to Eurostat, only 31% of companies use CRM solutions. Indeed, there is a magic recipe for making a CRM project fail every time. And unfortunately, too many companies continue to make the same mistakes.

Today, it is estimated that 50% of CRM implementation projects will not succeed, representing a considerable waste of time and money for companies.

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Mistakes to avoid during the selection and implementation phases of the CRM tool

Setting up a sales CRM is not doomed to failure, provided you keep a few basic rules in mind.

Here is a quick overview of the 7 classic mistakes to avoid to make the selection and implementation of your CRM completely painless.

Mistake #1: Not involving the sales teams

The first mistake is not involving the sales team in the process of defining needs and selecting tools. Your sales reps will be the first users of your future solution, and will be the primary entry points for data.

It is therefore necessary to involve them as much as possible to understand the real needs and challenges faced by the sales teams daily and in the field. The CRM software is first and foremost a sales enablement tool for your area managers.

A tool that does not make life easier for your sales reps will eventually be abandoned or used under constraint, and the main function of the tool as a steering tool for management cannot be fulfilled smoothly.

Our tip: Prepare the ground by gathering feedback from your teams.

• What aspects of their job do they find complicated?

• How much time would they save if a tool guided them in their route planning?

• How much time do they spend entering and sharing information in the field?

• How could they schedule their appointments faster, or even automatically?

Mistake #2: Misidentifying the needs of field sales reps

Misidentifying needs will surely lead to over-scoping the project. Setting up a CRM takes on average between 6 and 18 months. This is actually very often closely linked to the lack of involvement of the sales teams.‍

The cause: an inaccurate identification of needs, which leads to choosing a CRM not scaled for the team size and/or not adapted to field needs.

It is essential to remain as pragmatic as possible before embarking on the search for your future CRM. Ask yourself "what functional scope is essential for my teams to make their daily life easier", and "which features will only weigh down their daily routine", and become counterproductive by creating those famous over-complex systems too often criticized by sales reps.

‍To avoid this pitfall, writing a specification sheet, even a very simple one, can be a good way to target or eliminate available tools.

Mistake #3: Fighting the wrong battle

Another too common mistake is to perceive the CRM as a way to control teams.

The CRM should absolutely not be designed to "spy" on sales teams, otherwise sales reps will abandon it at the first opportunity.

The CRM must be the tool you provide to your sales reps to make their daily lives easier. Put in the best conditions, your teams will have the keys to perform, and trust, human relations, and quality management will do the rest.

When you implement a CRM software, the primary goal is to simplify the life of your sales force, and therefore, increase their productivity.

Mistake #4: Banking on siloed tools

There are many CRM solutions on the market.

The concept of CRM is essentially a "catch-all" term. There are different types of CRMs, addressing very different challenges: sales CRMs, billing CRMs, marketing CRMs, customer service CRMs, etc. It is therefore not easy to navigate through the CRM jungle. And not all solutions are equally open to the outside and third-party platforms.

Once again, beware of bad surprises. A provider tells you that the tool can interface with your email, with a few days of specific development? Run away! Modern tools allow communicating with each other via APIs in a totally native way.

A provider tells you that you are master of your data (import and export as you wish). Test it first! Bad surprises can happen.

Once again, keep it simple and start with the software you already use. Ask yourself which other software and business tools you want to integrate with?

• Your calendar?

• Your email?

• Your billing software?

• Your ERP?

• Power BI tools?…

Sometimes, CRMs integrate this entire ecosystem under the hood. In this game, it is the CRMs designed from the reality of the field that win.

Base your choice on your real needs to use a tool. A hammer, in itself, will bring you nothing… unless you have a specific project that prompts you to use it. Unsurprisingly, CRMs follow the same logic.

Mistake #5: Choosing software with inadequate support

Few companies look into what happens post-implementation, starting from the wrong assumption that all CRM solution providers offer high-quality, adapted support. Many find themselves in the unenviable position of being left to their own devices, with no one to answer their questions or provide solutions to their problems.

‍The provider's language is also an important factor to consider when selecting the solution. It has become easy to translate software into different languages and market it across borders. But make sure you can benefit from training materials understandable by everyone. If you are comfortable with Shakespeare's language, this may not be the case for all your employees, and you could lose a lot of time because of this error in judgment.

‍Videos, training webinars, chat,... The resources offered can come in various formats. Prioritize these tools over a solution that offers no support once the invoice is paid.

Mistake #6: Not cleaning data properly before integration

A CRM is nothing without data. Whether it is retrieving data from your old CRM or your various Excel spreadsheets (to which it is time to say goodbye), there is a good chance that the data is unevenly qualified and more or less clean. It is absolutely crucial to clean the data before starting its integration.

Indeed, you can choose the best tool available, but without clean data, the tool will be unusable and become counterproductive.

Our tip: some providers offer simple ways to retrieve verified data, either through the integration of pre-existing and pre-qualified databases (e.g., the integration of all supermarkets in France), or through features allowing the integration of data from third-party platforms (whether your own data, like that from your billing software, or data from Google, for example).

Mistake #7: Not communicating on the benefits of the tool beforehand

The last mistake on our list is not communicating beforehand on the benefits the chosen solution will bring to the users, and presenting them with a fait accompli.

Communicating internally and supporting your sales reps in adopting the CRM will help them transition faster and more willingly.

As with any new tool or new working method, there will be a phase of getting used to the tool, which may take more or less time depending on the software's complexity. It is your responsibility to make this period as digestible as possible, and it is therefore crucial to prepare the ground beforehand.

Again, be very factual about the advantages that using the new CRM will have for your sales teams.

The most enthusiastic sales reps will play the role of ambassadors: identify them now, we will see later how to mobilize them.

Also, identify the roadblocks of the most resistant sales reps to address their hesitations. In short, be attentive to the (legitimate) fears of your teams to support them.

Do your field sales reps (area managers, medical reps, regional managers, etc.) complain about a new workload related to entering more information? Reassure them by explaining that logging events can be done quickly, especially via mobile solutions.

Do they anticipate a waste of time? In practice, they will save time by entering these items in the field, in real time!

Change management, or the art of getting your teams to adopt the CRM tool

It's done, you have successfully navigated the delicate phase of defining needs and selecting the tool, avoiding the mistakes mentioned above. You have set your sights on a solution that will meet your team's needs and help you achieve the ambitious sales targets you have set for yourself. Well done!

But do not make the mistake of thinking you have already arrived. Now that you have put your new tool in the hands of your sales force, it is time to take action and bring all your employees on board with you! To continue with your steady approach and smoothly support this change, there is nothing like choosing the right words…

A mistake too often made by CRM project leaders is not taking the time to train teams on the tool. Training has historically put off many managers. Yet, training doesn't necessarily rhyme with boredom.

Here are a few tips to make your CRM implementation a success:

Tip #1: Opt for short sessions

Forget Friday afternoon training from 2 PM to 6 PM. Your sales reps won't have the motivation or the focus to work on these types of issues, and you will waste your time trying to engage them.

‍Instead, opt for short formats of one hour maximum, in the form of workshops with very specific topics. For example: how to plan a sales route properly or how to perform in-store presence checks.‍

Tip #2: Prioritize continuous training

There is a good chance that the chosen CRM will evolve over time, and new hires will need training on the tool.

‍Again, prioritize continuous training and organize refresher sessions to ensure the tool is correctly used by all your employees.‍

Tip #3: Rely on resources offered by the provider

As we saw in the first part of this article, not all CRM providers offer the same level of support and resources for your employees.

‍Since you didn't make the mistake of selecting an unsuitable tool, you can offer your sales reps, in addition to the training you provide, numerous resources that will help them grasp this new tool as best as possible (videos, webinars, chat access, tutorials to name a few).

‍And if they still have questions, they can turn to customer support, which will guide them through getting started with the software and the app.‍

Tip #4: Identify ambassadors to spread the word

Rely on the tech-savvy and/or enthusiastic sales reps mentioned earlier.

‍Turn them into product ambassadors: this will motivate them even more to share their eagerness to use the CRM. As real allies, they will spread energy and provide very useful tips that will eventually convince the most reluctant.‍

The steps of implementing a CRM

To summarize, here are the steps of implementing a CRM. By following them, along with our advice above, you maximize your chances of success for your CRM project.

Step 1: Definition of your teams' needs and company goals

• Assess the specific needs of the business, your sales forces, and the operational issues you encounter today (with your current solution, or because you don't have one).

• Determine the goals to achieve with the CRM: improving customer relationships, sales automation, etc.‍

• Determine the mandatory features (those without which your sales reps cannot complete their missions): shelf audits, mapping, route planning, mobile app…

• Determine the features and support you lack today: no automatic sync, no English support, CRM unusable without internet connection…

Step 2: Selection of the CRM solution

• Research and compare different CRM solutions available on the market. Take into account the specialization of CRM software. If you are a brand distributed in supermarkets, there is no point in investing in a Marketing CRM. Furthermore, if your sales development is based on a geographical approach, we advise against opting for classic CRMs. They are not adapted to these specific needs.

• Consider ease of use, customization, integration with other tools, and cost. Hidden costs may apply!

Step 3: Planning the implementation

• Develop a detailed project plan and share it with the different departments concerned: finance, marketing, sales, IT...

• Define a schedule for deployment and training, and share it with the various departments concerned.

Step 4: Data migration and integration

• Transfer existing data to the new CRM system. For this, it is important to perform a "cleaning" job beforehand.

• Ensure integration with other information systems (ERP, marketing tools, etc.). If your software has an open API, you can perform integrations internally with your IT department.

Step 5: Customization and configuration

• Adapt the CRM to your company's specific processes.

• Choose permissions and roles for each user.

• Configure dashboards and reports.

Step 6: User training

• Train your sales reps on using the CRM.

• Train other teams involved in the processes. Beyond introducing the tool to them, you include them in the project, which allows for better synergy among all teams, and thus higher adoption of the software.

• Create training materials and user manuals.

Step 7: CRM Deployment

• Perform a gradual deployment or a one-time launch, depending on the strategy adopted.

Step 8: Evaluation and continuous improvement

• Monitor CRM performance and its impact on sales operations.

• Gather feedback from users for continuous improvements.

• Measure your Return on Investment (ROI): Analyze the CRM's effectiveness in terms of achieving commercial goals and adjust the CRM strategy based on the results obtained.

In summary,‍

Implementing a CRM solution is not an insignificant milestone in the life of a company. The CRM will be one of the cornerstones of your organization, and will be the repository of all your company's exchanges with its commercial ecosystem.

Modern SaaS CRMs (hosted in the cloud) have democratized access to these tools, and all companies, regardless of size, can now equip their sales force with a CRM.

However, for the project to be a success, it will be crucial to make the right choices and ask the right questions during the needs analysis phase.

A good framing of needs and the involvement of all stakeholders will allow you to avoid a majority of the pitfalls on which many projects break.

‍Training is also too often neglected and is probably the main key success factor for any CRM project. You may have implemented the best CRM solution, but if you cannot convince the user to use the tool and to do it well, you will expose yourself to blind steering based on shaky or incorrect data.