Before you answer, ask yourself. Which comes first? The CRM system or the sales system and the sales process? The answer is why things so often go wrong and the CRM system is often perceived more as a burden than a joy.

Alumni of the lectures and master classes provided by the Sales Leadership Academy have long known. Of course, you must first have your own sales system and sales process, or 'Your Way of Selling', in order and then you will have it supported by a CRM system. Not the other way around!

We see it every time

As the most practice-oriented internationally accredited postgraduate Business School in the Netherlands, we see it time and again. Experienced sales professionals and sales managers come on board with us to take their sales skills and approach to an even higher level. Early on in course , they are asked, "What is your current sales system and what does your current sales process look like?

Almost everyone immediately starts telling how he or she proceeds each week as if this is a well-thought-out approach. Rarely, if ever, however, does a trainee put a well-developed sales process on the table. When questioned further with questions such as:

  • What is your approach based on?
  • Does the sales process and Sales Funnel align with the "Buyers Journey"?
  • How do you know this is the best way?
  • How systematic and consistent is this?
  • Does everyone work like this?
  • Is this on "paper"?
  • Where exactly are KPIs and what are they?
  • Does the sales process help visualize at the individual level the sales skills to be improved?
  • Etc.

Most of the time, in the end, it is admitted that there is just fiddling around to the best of one's conscience.

This doesn't sound nice, but if you were to put the average sales approach next to an average production process, in all honesty, you couldn't come to any other conclusion with dry eyes.

Many executives and (sales) bosses actually know this.

And surely there has been someone in the past yelling, "This needs to be better. We need a good CRM system!' And then the misery really begins.

A shortlist is drawn up from which usually the "usual suspects" emerge. Think SalesForce, Microsoft Dynamics and HubSpot. Fine systems, provided they are set up properly and align with 'Your Way of Selling'. Unfortunately, this almost never happens.

The CRM vendor is happy to help you set up their system.

In addition to the annual fees they will be raking in over the next few years, they are not averse to being allowed to write the necessary consulting hours at startup. Once you're on board, to put it mildly, you don't get off so easily. They like to help you build up their CRM addiction, as George Brontém calls it in his article "How Sales Teams Can End Their Salesforce Addiction. Let's call it a healthy and lucrative business model. But uhhh... 'dont blame them, blame yourself'!

'The CRM consultant comes to the resque.'

The CRM consultant will always ask nicely, "How would you like the CRM system set up?" and "What is your sales process and sales systematics? And well ... 99 out of 100 companies don't have a well-defined and proven sales process at all. Let alone that it is well written down. Everyone in the sales department fiddles around in their own way to the best of their knowledge and belief. From a distance it looks like there is an approach, but when you ask questions. In short, there is often no good sales process that can be supported by a CRM system.

For the CRM consultant, of course, this is nothing new. So he goes to help, because fortunately he has many examples of how it could be done. Relieved, the sales boss embraces the most appealing example and the system is set up.

Unfortunately, a way of working is now being systemically set up that does not match the real way of working of the sales professionals. During the rebuild, of course, everyone will just keep doing their thing, until the "Big Hairy Release" of the CRM system is there one day.

Now it's going to hurt, because sales professionals suddenly have to start recording all kinds of things. Things they never recorded before. Things of which they often don't even fully understand, what the point is except to satisfy the control urge of the bosses. And then they have to record things, which do not fit in with the way of working of what they were used to for years. Strange, isn't it, that there is a lot of resistance?

What is the result...

Yes there is a CRM system. This costs thousands of Euros per year in licenses. It contains data that is unreliable and incomplete. The system frustrates employees because it only costs them more energy and doesn't get them anything. Bosses are frustrated that the sales professionals just can't get it into their heads that they need to put all the data into the system carefully, timely and reliably. The organization has put the cart before the horse, so to speak. A typical case of "too bad," shall we say....

How then?

First, get your sales process and sales system in order. Be sure that this is the best way for your company, in your sector and for your ambitions. Make sure the sales professionals have the knowledge and skills to competently execute this sales process and sales system. Following one of the courses of the Sales Leadership Academy or just the Sales Process Management Masterclass will get you a long way. And then ... yes , then you will have 'Your Way of Selling' supported by a good CRM system. And yes, then you will be very happy with this system.

So take another very close look at your CRM system and ask yourself. Should you dump it and start over, set it up right now, or do you keep fiddling?