The Center for Sales Strategy Blog

Teams that intentionally track performance measures and leading indicators also tend to reach their goals faster and more consistently, especially those who study the data and communicate expectations to their teams.

While I have seen teams track this data in many ways, a CRM is a critical component to effectively tracking sales performance. Without it, sales leaders often make educated guesses about how their sales team is performing.

If that’s you, you owe it to yourself and your organization to use one of the dozens of good CRMs that work best for your organization.

Do you ever feel like you're using your CRM, but not really using it?

Many seem to fall into this trap, believing they've mastered their software when, really, they're only scratching the surface. After all, The 5th Annual Media Sales Report found that 74% of salespeople believe they use their CRM effectively.

This data point may, in fact, reflect reality. Maybe there are scores of salespeople out there who are utilizing the many capabilities that their CRMs have to offer.

The truth is that most CRM software holds a treasure trove of features and functionalities that are left to gather digital dust, waiting to be explored.

So, let’s unlock the full potential of your CRM and transform it from more than a simple contact list to a sales and customer service powerhouse.

A Customer Relationship Manager, also known as a CRM, can be a powerful tool. It can help to streamline your sales process and provide benefits to complete sales teams.

Here are five ways using a CRM efficiently can help improve your sales process.

In this fast-paced digital era, staying ahead of the competition requires mastering the art of customer relationship management (CRM).

A robust sales CRM system is the key to optimizing your sales process, improving team productivity, and ultimately driving revenue growth.

From selecting the right CRM platform to implementing automation and analytics, we will uncover the secrets to maximizing your sales efforts.

This season on Improving Sales Performance, we’re analyzing the findings from our latest Media Sales Report. With data collected from surveys conducted in Q4 of last year, the responses from sales managers and salespeople alike will help us chart a solid path forward through the media sales landscape.     

In each episode, Matt will be joined by a rolling roster of outstanding experts from our team at The Center for Sales Strategy.   
 
Here, Matt is breaking down the Sales Process section of the Media Sales Report with VP/Senior Consultant, Alina McComas and Senior Consultant, Michael Mayer. 
 
Both Alina and Michael have such awesome takeaways on some top questions that arise from the report, like: 

• Why do you think appointments are becoming harder and harder to secure? 
• With 41% of salespeople telling us that finding qualified leads is only getting harder as well, what do you think is causing this? 
• What would you say to sales managers that are having a tough time with CRM adoption amongst their team?

Click here to listen to this episode on your preferred podcast platform or keep reading as we break down the conversation from this episode. 

It’s widely believed that the first Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software was introduced in the 1980s. Since then, businesses have made large investments in time and money to launch CRM initiatives, only to have their salespeople misuse them or not use them at all.

Over the years, business leaders have begged, threatened, bribed, and cajoled their salespeople to use these powerful tools. But in the long run, threats and bribes simply don’t work.

So how can you increase the adoption of your CRM by your sales team? How can you get them to actually use the tool you’ve invested in? Here are a few ideas.

For as long as there have been Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tools in existence, salespeople have been suspicious of management’s motive for insisting their sales teams use the software.

Sure, when everyone on the team is using a CRM, the sales manager’s job can be made easier, but what’s in it for the rank and file salespeople?

If you're a manager trying to get your salespeople on board with using a CRM, below are five reasons you can give them that convey what's in it for them.

“CRMs are just another tracking tool.”

“I’ll spend more time trying to learn how to use it than actually using it.”

You’ve heard the complaints from your sales team about using a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system. And, chances are if you’ve considered implementing a sales enablement tool like a CRM into your strategic plan to drive revenue, you’ve read a lot of articles that discuss the various reasons why most sales CRM systems fail.

There’s even a strong possibility this is why you’re hesitant to commit purchasing a CRM. No one wants to invest in a tool that statistics show to fail (mostly) because a sales team is reluctant to use it. As a sales manager, what can you do to ensure your sales reps use a CRM to its full potential?

First, you must understand why they’re wary.

From a management perspective, a properly deployed Customer Relationship Management (CRM) allows you to assign and reassign sales goals to your sales team, transfer responsibilities, and enhance the client and sales rep experience.

However, many organizations and sales teams are quick to dismiss CRM software’s effectiveness, and many stop using it for several reasons. Merely investing in a CRM solution will not help your business grow until your sales team effectively uses its functionalities.

Below is an example of a 10-minute strategy that will help put into perspective the effectiveness and value of the right CRM system.

Why is sales enablement important? Because buyers are more informed, and selling is more challenging than ever before. Our 2019 Media Sales Report found that some of the major challenges in sales today are that sales reps’ time is not actually spent selling and salespeople are simply not equipped with relevant materials.

Sales enablement is a strategy that aligns marketing, sales, and operations while lowering costs, increasing revenue, ensuring brand integrity, and ultimately closing more deals. Even the most talented sales reps can benefit from the right support, structure, and technology.

So, why did nearly 1 out of 4 sales managers feel that they don’t have the right sales collateral pieces to help their sellers in all stages of the sales process?