OK, I guess I feel a rant coming on. Help me, can't sales be a team sport? I'm not talking about those sales jobs that don't have protected territories and such. I realize those folks have to fight to put food on the table. I have two gripes about sharing.
First is non competing sales people in the same territory, especially those who call on the same industry.It used to be that you knew other salespeople with other products in your territory and if one of your customers were looking for something, you could tell them about your friend, or call your friend, and tell him about the opportunity.We would share contacts and other info and we all came out ahead. Since I've started with my new company about a year ago, and I have tried to build bridges with three different salespeople that I know who work in the area and call on my type customers, but no takers.Why can't we work together?
The second problem is within my own company. We don't seem real good at sharing information that would help us all. The territories are protected, so the salespeople aren't taking a chance on losing a sale, in fact, we often call on branches of the same business, and working together would help to provide consistent pricing through the company.Another gripe is if a sales person is going to poach in my territory, because they have a connection they want to follow, then call me and tell me you're coming in, and why. I always hate to find out over the back fence when I call on the person and they tell me they have a relationship with someone else.
In past sales jobs, I've been a mentor to new salespeople that started out, they would do ride along with me, and they could always call when they faced a problem. I had relationships with the salespeople in adjoining territories, and we would talk or have lunch together almost weekly. If I figured something out about our product or services, I'd share it, and they would do the same. It seemed to make us all better, and made money for the company and our 401K. Why isn't that happening any more?
Maybe I'm old fashioned, but I'm someone who is proud of the profession that I'm in and want everyone who is part of our industry better and more successful at what they do, what's wrong with that?
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Sunday, May 2, 2010
CRM Master or Servant?
The company that I work for will be starting working with a CRM tomorrow morning. I have worked with CRMs before and I always find the sales forces reaction to them very interesting. They seem to drop in to several differnet groups.
GROUP 1: These folks are the ones that see the CRM as the servant that they will use to improve their sales. The CRM will allow them to organize their business, organize their presentations and all their interactions. These folks will take this and use it constantky to improve themselves. They will understand that the time they put in is an investment, and they will quietly go to work.
GROUP2: This group will look at the CRM as a huge waste of time, they have their own system that they've always used and they don't want to put any time or effort in, what they have works, and they always feel that this too shall pass. They complain about the system at every opportunity and they only use the system to the minimum, they don't want to say they aren't using it, they are passive agressive.
GROUP 3: This group sees the CRM as a big brother intrusion on their freedom as a salesman, they will ignore the system and refuse to engage and hope it'll go away. They are active in their reaction, they hate it, they don't care who knows how they feel.
Part of what will cause these reactions is the way in which management uses the CRM. Some managers are like the third group, they don't believe in the CRM and they think upper management will stop using it. They pretty much ignore the program and the way sales uses it.
Oter managers use it as a micromanagement tool, they aren't really interested in what you put in to the system, only how often you log in, how many open contacts, how often you move things along. They are looking at the system and not the activity.
The third group, looks to see that you are using the system, how you are improving by using it, and where they can help you. These folks use the system as a contact oppotunity and a coaching aid.
Obviously, a CRM is a tool that can be used, abused or igonored,it all depends on the person. Be the person that you want to be.
GROUP 1: These folks are the ones that see the CRM as the servant that they will use to improve their sales. The CRM will allow them to organize their business, organize their presentations and all their interactions. These folks will take this and use it constantky to improve themselves. They will understand that the time they put in is an investment, and they will quietly go to work.
GROUP2: This group will look at the CRM as a huge waste of time, they have their own system that they've always used and they don't want to put any time or effort in, what they have works, and they always feel that this too shall pass. They complain about the system at every opportunity and they only use the system to the minimum, they don't want to say they aren't using it, they are passive agressive.
GROUP 3: This group sees the CRM as a big brother intrusion on their freedom as a salesman, they will ignore the system and refuse to engage and hope it'll go away. They are active in their reaction, they hate it, they don't care who knows how they feel.
Part of what will cause these reactions is the way in which management uses the CRM. Some managers are like the third group, they don't believe in the CRM and they think upper management will stop using it. They pretty much ignore the program and the way sales uses it.
Oter managers use it as a micromanagement tool, they aren't really interested in what you put in to the system, only how often you log in, how many open contacts, how often you move things along. They are looking at the system and not the activity.
The third group, looks to see that you are using the system, how you are improving by using it, and where they can help you. These folks use the system as a contact oppotunity and a coaching aid.
Obviously, a CRM is a tool that can be used, abused or igonored,it all depends on the person. Be the person that you want to be.
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