Did you know that, according to a Gartner study, between 40 to 70% of CRM implementations fail? If you’re a small or medium-sized business, this can seriously impact your budget, and you could lose out on profitable opportunities.
CRM can be a game-changer for your business or waste your valuable time and money. The difference comes down to how you approach it. This highlights the need for using best CRM practices rather than relying solely on consulting firms, which may not always deliver the desired results.
Over the past twenty years, we’ve identified four key principles that can ensure a successful implementation. These insights come from hundreds of projects and can greatly influence the success of your CRM journey. By following these steps, you can avoid costly mistakes and set yourself up for long-term success.
Starting Small
When you first start with CRM, you may want to move fast and do everything all at once. This is a common problem we see with new CRM users.
Even though it’s tempting to use all the features right away, it’s better to start with your core needs and iterate as you go along. This approach shortens the project time, speeds up your ROI, makes managing the project easier, and helps your team learn faster.
When you establish a strong foundation, you can shift your focus to optimizing CRM for your team’s specific needs.
Focusing on Performance
Just like in sports, where improving a team’s performance isn’t just about the scoreboard, CRM shouldn’t just focus on dashboards and metrics at first.
The main goal should be to help get your salespeople on board by having them incorporate CRM as part of their daily routine.
Having your team use CRM to help them close deals faster and reduce their busy work will get them on board faster. Automating tasks can significantly speed up their work, allowing them to sell more effectively.
Once your sales team is fully engaged, the next step is ensuring CRM works for everyone across your organization.
Making CRM Accessible
Convenience is key when it comes to using CRM. It should be as easy to access as going to a restaurant near your office for lunch.
One of the great features of Dynamics 365 is being able to integrate your system with tools your team already uses, like Microsoft Teams, Outlook, and SharePoint. Features like this make it much easier to use and incentivize your team to use CRM for their tasks.
A well-integrated CRM removes friction and makes adoption effortless. But accessibility alone isn’t enough—you also need the right mindset for long-term success.
CRM as a Continuous Journey
Implementing CRM isn’t a one-time project. It’s an ongoing journey of improvement. It’s important to create a culture of continuous feedback and improvements that involve your team.
This approach of constant refinement to the system will help boost productivity, keep CRM useful to your team, and help you become more efficient.
Implementing CRM can transform your business if approached with these best practices in mind. Avoid the common pitfalls, focus on what truly matters, and put your business on the path to CRM success.
Ready to Transform Your Business?
CRM can be a game-changer for your business or turn into an expensive burden. Without a clear plan, it’s easy to waste time, money, and end up with a system no one uses.
We can help you avoid those pitfalls. Book a FREE discovery call today, and we’ll help you take the right first steps to set your CRM up for success.
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Peter Wolf is the president and founder of Azamba. He has spent the last 20 years focused on helping small and medium-sized businesses become more profitable through effective and efficient usage of CRM.
His passion is blending the promise of CRM with the realities of business needs to create successful outcomes.