Harvard Business Review

JULY 3, 2015

Example: Carol owns a small business and needs a customer relationship management (CRM) platform. Example: Jim’s firm has used the same CRM software for ten years. Example: Ann just switched to a new CRM platform and has heard from the sales team that it saves time and increases conversion.

CRM 8

CRM Brand Business Model Intangible Assets 8

Harvard Business Review

DECEMBER 29, 2014

•Administer quarterly sales incentive compensation plans and the goal setting process. •Manage sales force automation and CRM systems and processes. Operations: Tasks such as administering quarterly incentive compensation plans or managing sales force automation systems require specific technical knowledge.

Offshoring 10

Offshoring Outsourcing Analysis Incentives 10

Harvard Business Review

DECEMBER 20, 2018

In 2017, CIO magazine reported that around one-third of all customer relationship management (CRM) projects fail. But in my work with clients, when I ask executives if the CRM system is helping their business to grow, the failure rate is closer to 90%. That was actually an average of a dozen analyst reports. The result?

CRM 12

CRM Project Succession CIO 12

Harvard Business Review

JUNE 16, 2015

If we use an automobile analogy, sales efficiency (SE) initiatives — like CRM, training, and KPI dashboards — improve the engine’s horsepower. Companies will spend about $30 billion on CRM alone by the end of 2015, according to Gartner. A confusion between efficiency and optimization plagues many sales efforts.

Productivity 8

Productivity Products CRM Efficiency 8

Harvard Business Review

DECEMBER 21, 2011

These salespeople earned lucrative commissions on sales to current customers and had little incentive to hunt for new customers. Capturing account information using a CRM or other system: That way, people throughout the company, not just one salesperson, can learn the needs and history of each customer.

Company 14

Company Market Penetration Long-term Short-term 14

Strategy Driven

MARCH 11, 2013

Personal pride should give you the incentive to be at your best, respond at your best, and serve at your best at all times. It’s not how you feel about the customer, it’s not how do you feel about the circumstance. It’s all about how you feel about yourself. Your personal pride.

How To 50

How To Short-term Customer Loyalty Training 50

Harvard Business Review

MAY 19, 2014

It’s the difference between needing another feature from your Salesforce-based CRM system and spending hours and hours tracking information in Excel because you can’t justify the expense of implementing Salesforce in the first place. Oculus, of course, was wildly successful.

Entrepreneur 9

Entrepreneur Advice Disruptive Innovation CRM 9

Harvard Business Review

JANUARY 26, 2017

Companies fail to get the most out of the $12 billion a year they spend on sales enablement tools and the billions more on CRM technology. The sales force gets better and better at things that leaders and customers value less and less while remaining unclear about performance expectations.

Execution 8

Execution Cost Telecommunications CRM 8

Harvard Business Review

AUGUST 15, 2014

But look at what that survey also found: “Less than 40% of executives say their companies have accountability measures in place, either through targets, incentives, or ‘owners’ of digital programs, while only 7% say their organizations understand the exact value at stake from digital.” are picking up steam.”

Media 10

Media ROI McKinsey Survey 10

Harvard Business Review

MARCH 10, 2017

Yet much of the data from sources such as CRM reporting tools and time studies is self-reported, and thus inherently flawed. Aligning Sales Priorities and Incentives. Sales executives with even moderately large, distributed sales forces rely on data to help them understand which activities and behaviors lead to the best outcomes.

Software 10

Software Metrics CRM B2B 10

Harvard Business Review

JULY 25, 2017

Advanced marketers are taking this a step further, integrating CRM with loyalty systems to identify when a customer hasn’t been in for 90 days, then automatically putting an offer in their mobile wallet. While tech is the secret sauce of the eBays of the world, it’s also leveling the playing field for small businesses.

Loyalty 8

Loyalty Retail Real Estate Discount 8

Harvard Business Review

JANUARY 9, 2014

The key difference is the degree to which reps have taken advantage of new technology (largely built into their CRM system) to share and learn from one another. As organizations have begun to see the benefits of collaboration, they’ve also, unsurprisingly, started to change their sales incentives and reward systems.

Team 10

Team Metrics Compliance Attrition 10

Harvard Business Review

JANUARY 6, 2015

They are self-motivated to a fault, often not buying in to any incentive system that would infringe on their autonomy — promotions, money, grades, or credentials. New founders struggle to provide consistent direction, and very few start-ups have operational procedures for recognition or incentives. There are caveats, sure.

Software 8

Software Engineering Incentives CRM 8

Harvard Business Review

JULY 12, 2012

Obviously, the higher quality lead is much harder for the marketing team to generate, so we make sure that they get 20 times the credit for these leads, and we align our incentives accordingly. These patterns are programmed into our CRM, Salesforce.com. Work those leads with the same process every time.

Team 14

Team Analysis CRM Quality 14

Harvard Business Review

JANUARY 6, 2016

CRM), tools (e.g., Too many sellers have wasted millions of dollars on sales technologies such as CRM systems and data warehouses that never lived up to their potential. As sellers need a more customized approach to reaching customers, they have a big arsenal of data and technology at their disposal. Systems (e.g.,

B2B 8

B2B Information Information Technology CRM 8

Harvard Business Review

JUNE 22, 2018

In some cases, training, incentives and performance management can redirect salespeople’s effort to strategic activities and enable success with a single sales role. If the handoff takes time, you may want the account acquisition person to share incentives with the account manager for a brief period.

Business Model 10

Business Model Guidelines Team Incentives 10

Harvard Business Review

APRIL 12, 2018

Use coaching and CRM systems to help the replacement get up to speed on the customer’s needs quickly. Use performance management and incentives to keep salespeople focused on important sales activities and customers. Ask a sales manager to participate in the transition.

How To 8

How To CRM Uncertainty Cost 8

Harvard Business Review

MARCH 19, 2015

When you’re shopping around for a new technology — be it a customer relationship management (CRM) program or software to better manage employee timesheets — bear your team’s interests in mind. ” Employees might accumulate points, gain financial incentives, or achieve new levels of “status.”

Technology 8

Technology CRM Training System 8

Harvard Business Review

MARCH 23, 2015

We have a global audience that has an unending thirst for mobile content, and a sophisticated CRM database that allows us to be a state-of-the-art marketing operation. When you don’t need to win games to make money, what’s the incentive to win? It comes back to our mission statement.

Price 8

Price Team Sports Franchising 8

Harvard Business Review

SEPTEMBER 29, 2014

Some will remember or hear stories of failed projects – big investments to give salespeople tablet computers, to develop data warehouses, and implement CRM systems that ended up racking up huge costs, while generating little value for customers and salespeople. While some jump in, many are reluctant to move forward.

Incentives 10

Incentives CRM Metrics Benchmarking 10

Harvard Business Review

NOVEMBER 6, 2013

The theory is that this provides an incentive for African decision-makers to think more radically about leapfrogging than their counterparts saddled with baggage from a bygone era. The types of compliance tools, CRM (customer relationship management) platforms, and supplier network systems a company adopts need to reflect this reality.

CRM 8

CRM Marketing Supply Chain NGO 8