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04.22.04
 By
Sharon Drew Morgen
For years we’ve been enamored with technology.
Do you even remember how you worked without email? Or the internet?
We’ve gotten so accustomed to using technology as part of our daily
business practice, that we seem to focus on it as a solution rather
than a business tool.
When CRM came along several years ago companies jumped on
the bandwagon, believing it would help them improve lagging sales.
That’s the equivalent of having a new fork make your cooking taste
better.
Technology became the focus: how to choose it, who to use it, how
to customize it, how to get users to use it, and how to manage it
so companies would get the biggest bang for the buck. |
Then
came the implementation problems: why was it costing companies $5
in fixes for every $1 spent on the technology? Why were there so many
difficulties in getting users to use the system? Why were techies
and users and managers having such a tough time communicating through
the implementation – each wanting something different, and not having
the skills to easily work through the execution. Some companies got
smart and did upfront simulated systems for users to play with. Sometimes
there were beta tests. And sometimes the system was brought in with
great fanfare, with users and managers having to manage their own
interpersonal issues with use and customization.
As a result of all of the above, CRM has gotten a bad rap. Of course,
if they had known then what they know now about people issues, and
implementation issues, and technology issues, they might not be having
any difficulty now. But it’s all conjecture. At this point, companies
aren’t even saying they are using CRM. They are calling it by other
names – customer care initiatives, or customer loyalty technology.
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But the original problem remains: what, exactly
is CRM, and how can it be best used to a company’s advantage?
What is CRM?
CRM is not a technology – it is a solution to a business problem.
Because it has been trapped in the ‘technology’ field, we’ve thought
of CRM systems as ‘technology’. Just as we’ve confused the activity
of ‘selling’ products with the true aim of sales which is to support
buyers in solving business problems, we’ve put CRM systems in the
wrong sector.
By designating CRM a technical support tool, we’ve overlooked the
true strength of the solution:
CRM solves a business problem and, by virtue of its features, can
offer high quality customer service. The technology serves the solution,
not the other way ‘round.
If we understand that the use of CRM systems is only to solve our
business problems, we must then go about discovering what our problems
really are before we look to any technology to support us. Once we
focus on our business problems and understand all of the elements
that must be managed, we’ll then know:
· what success needs to look like;
· what a solution must entail;
· who/what must be addressed to maintain an orderly flow that addresses
all parts of the problem;
· how to maintain the integrity of the business operation.
Let’s look at the elements that need to be addressed, managed, and
before we know if a CRM system is part of our solution.
Facilitating the Decision: CRM or Not
Here are some facilitative questions that will help teams discover
the elements to their unsolved problem – before they consider the
efficacy of a CRM solution. [Obviously these questions are static
since this article is a one-way communication, but readers can go
to www.newsalesparadigm.com
for a more detailed view of the process.]
What is causing us to be working less effectively than we need to
be working?
What outcomes do we seek that we are not currently achieving? What
is stopping us?
What do we need to do differently in order to achieve our goals? What
is stopping us from being able to do these things?
How can we solve the problem with our current resources? What has
stopped us from using these until now?
What would we need to do differently to fix any problems we’re now
facing? What would need to happen for us to have the flexibility to
make the changes we’d need to make?
What resources do we have that we can use differently to solve our
problem? What resources would we have to bring in in order to be successful?
How would we need to (re)organize in order to bring in new resources
(including technology, consultants, etc.
Once we bring in the new resources, how will we know when there is
a problem? How will we know how to align all of the business groups
that touch the problem so they can become a part of the solution and
not be disenfranchised?
How do we know the timing on all of the above?
I use these types of questions to help business
define, examine, and recognize their problems and solutions. Until
or unless they understand their business case, see/know how a CRM
system would fit in, be managed with existing resources, be adopted
and accepted through current channels, CRM will not be a viable solution.
It will only be when we recognize all of the natural elements that
must be included within a business solution can we consider implementing
a CRM system. Then – and only then – can we customize a CRM system
to fit with the solution we have defined.
As in sales, the solution and the buying patterns must be named before
the product gets introduced. Otherwise, you’ve got a solution looking
for a problem rather than the other way ‘round.
Hopefully, by using this system, the decision to have a CRM system
be a part of the business solution will not create any change management
problems, but will include an appropriate route to go from problem
to solution to implementation in the smoothest way possible.
About the Author:
sharon drew morgen is the author of NYTimes Best seller Selling
with Integrity. She speaks, teaches and consults globally around
her new sales model, Buying Facilitation. She can be reached at sdm@austin.rr.com.
http://www.newsalesparadigm.com
http://www.decisionconnection.com
512-457-0246
Morgen Facilitations, Inc.
Austin, TX
Read
this newsletter at: http://www.crmnewz.com/2004/0422.html |
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