A Sales CRM = Good Sales Management (Part 2)

By Jim Elliott

April 27, 2021

Last week, we talked about some salespeople who resist using the CRM system their publishers provide.  I promised to explain how we are able to get all the salespeople at the James G. Elliott Co. to use our clients’ systems or our own default CRM system.

The answer is pretty simple; using the CRM system is a condition of employment.  Every seller is expected to use the CRM system.  They add prospects, track proposals, schedule to-dos and follow-ups, and keep notes on important account progress.   

We use, or have used, Salesforce, MagHub, Datatrax, AdManager, Elan, LaunchPad, Magazine Manager, and others.  Each has different strengths and weaknesses, but all enable salespeople to save time by keeping records centralized in one place.  Most CRM systems have ways to link to emails and calendars and offer various degrees of automation.  As salespeople become familiar with their particular CRM system, they often become proficient at generating required reports and projections easily.  Some systems link with other departments as well, such as marketing and production.

However, when we do consulting projects for media owners through our Ads&IDEAS company, we often encounter some of their salespeople who are adamant that CRM systems are a drag on their sales productivity.  As we interview sellers, we generally discover that they either have experienced frustrations with specific requirements of a CRM system used previously or they are afraid that management will establish arbitrary KPIs and monitor their activities too closely.  Sometimes their concerns are valid, and the systems need to be adjusted; sometimes the salespeople just don’t want to be managed.

In my experience, CRM systems are valuable tools for both sellers and management.  They can help sellers become more effective and more efficient.  And, they help ensure that our clients have access to their important data.