(Too) Many sales organisations undertake a CRM strategy and associated hefty investment ……. and then when the software vendors come on site to undertake their (too) often “generic customisation”, the purchasing sales organisation is jolted into a process that forces them to retro-think about the functionality and the process support that can be derived from their investment.

This common egg-and-chicken scenario usually results in one or both forms of investment sub-optimisation…………..

Paying for functionality embedded in the system that is not needed but the organisation was not well enough prepared to say they didn’t want it
Conversely, the software is not adequately tailored to provide the functions or support the processes needed

Truly understanding this point often aligns to the difference between a CRM investment being a software purchase vs a customer relationship business system and cultural journey.

Specifically, when it comes to the sales team, we often see that the members are the main users of the software and key subjects of the system. A year down the track, they are usually the ones who bemoan the legacy of the investment as destroying productivity value, not adding to it.

Leading sales organisations make the pre-investment in their CRM strategy more valuable than the actual investment in the software tool that supports the philosophy. The analogy is as simple as getting the architecture, designs and plans right first before building a house.

Come back next month when we will pick up our discussion on this topic once more.

Visiting The Next Level’s website can help put this discussion in perspective. Or simply send us a message via the Contact Us section or an email (info@nextlevelenterprises.biz) and we will gladly answer any questions you may have or organise to come out and have a discussion as to what The Next Level Sales System can do for you and your business.