As someone who has worked with countless CRM systems, I’ve seen firsthand how organisations can make common mistakes with their sales process. While a new CRM system can certainly bring benefits and efficiencies, it’s important to remember that the system will only reflect what the organisation is already doing.
In this article, I will explore four common sales process mistakes we’ve seen when implementing new CRM systems and how these mistakes can impact sales and marketing efforts.
The first mistake is failing to come prepared to meetings and missing important information about the customer. While a CRM system can help keep track of details, salespeople must ensure they’re prepared for each meeting by knowing basic public information and not making the mistake of asking about it, as the customer would expect you to know the information already.
The second mistake we found when implementing CRM was that many organisations committed resources incorrectly to closing deals. This meant a huge focus on activities and a huge focus on closing the fastest deals available, irrespective of long-term repercussions; therefore, organisation received less revenue compared to their capabilities and wasted valuable sales team time on less effective deals that brought in less revenue.
We also know that in 2008, the most successful company to survive the financial crisis focused its resources on a few deals, investing the maximum resources in a few deals and getting the maximum return.
In summery many organisations struggle to establish a clear process for prioritising activities based on ROI. Without a framework for evaluating the effectiveness of different strategies, salespeople may struggle to make the most efficient use of their time and resources. This can lead to missed opportunities and lost revenue, as well as frustration and burnout.
The third mistake is selling on price and relying too heavily on discounting. While these tactics may be effective in the short-term, they can erode profit margins and create a culture of price-based competition that ultimately harms the business. Salespeople should instead focus on building relationships with customers based on value and trust by providing tailored solutions that address their specific pain points.
It’s important to address the underlying mistakes in the sales process that may be holding your organisation back. CRM implementation can be a great catalyst to achieve it. Otherwise, sales training is the best option to learn how sales value.
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