The Real Reason Your CRM Isn’t Up to Date
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Do you have a CRM?
I bet you do.
Now for the critical question. How effectively does your team use your CRM?
If you squirmed in your seat, rolled your eyes, or heaved a giant sigh….
….you’re like most other entrepreneurs.
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I’m framing this article in the context of a CRM because it’s a near-universal pain point for companies.
But really, the points I’m making apply to any tool you are trying to adopt in your business. And with the proliferation of AI, I imagine you have somewhere between one and two dozen tools you’re currently trying to adopt.
But, back to CRMs.
A CRM is designed to be very useful when used properly.
The problem is that it’s so rarely used properly.
Every one of these tools has a learning curve that ranges from “somewhat intuitive” to “like learning another language.”
Often the full capabilities of the platform go unused.
And a vicious cycle ensues.
Teams find it difficult to learn the CRM.
So they don’t use it.
The CRM is then discounted because it isn’t accurate, and everyone knows it.
The sales leader recognizes the CRM isn’t effective.
And eventually, the team’s “Why bother” approach wins out.
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I believe the perfect should not be the enemy of the good.
So I want to impart two important things right here.
First, you must be able to status your company’s pipeline. That means having one place where you can identify every potential deal, what stage it’s in, and what needs to happen next in order to close the deal (or not).
Second, do not let a poorly adopted CRM prevent you from getting the first thing done.
The information you need is nonnegotiable.
While using a CRM is important and something that will absolutely benefit your business, it is negotiable.
(Because you already aren’t using it)
I can’t tell you how many times, with my own companies and with clients, I’ve gone back to Google Sheets to status our pipeline. It’s a tracking system that lacks the fancy bells and whistles of just about any CRM. But, critically, it’s very simple for people to use.
So they can’t hide behind the CRM itself.
The problem is likely not the tool. It’s that your team hasn’t built the muscle of compliance around data and following a sales process.
Never let a platform prevent you from holding people accountable.
The best tracking system isn’t a CRM—it’s the system you’ll actually use.
Important bonus point (because you will eventually need to be using a CRM if you want to scale) - once you get your team using their muscle of properly updating a google sheet on a daily/weekly basis, getting them to implement a CRM will then be much easier.
Need help learning how to walk with some Google Sheet tracking before you learn to run with your CRM, just reach out. We’re here...and we’ve been there.
