LotTalk Tuesday Tune-up 10.9.18: Can You Hear Me Now?

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) a technology for managing all of your company's relationships and interactions with customers and potential customers. (Salesforce.com)

 A dealer meeting this morning revealed the following: Sales people do not complete their tasks in the CRM, Period.

 #doh

 How many dealerships deal with this situation? The answer is irrelevant for any store except yours.

 The question to ask … has anyone explained to the sales staff the unintentional disruption of the path to the purchase? The disruption bleeds over to the path to future purchases. 

 Is too much emphasis placed on the importance of the CRM and the completion of tasks vs the value of building and nurturing relationships?

 A tremendous amount of time and money is spent on facilities, websites, marketing, and personnel. A store creates and implements a sales process facilitating an efficient path to the purchase.

 Included in the process is sales training, and in sales training, of course, training on the CRM tool.

 Remember, the CRM is a tool, not a solution.

 Sales staff are instructed on the functions of the CRM … input information, track information, and follow up with the customer by completion of tasks … a path, if you will.

 Completion of the task or tasks is the point of contention within the dealership … straying from the path.

 Daily, sales management confronts sales staff about uncompleted tasks within the CRM … Yes, daily.

 #insanitydefinitionanyone

 The situation devolves to threats, suspension of leads and even $$ fines for tasks not being completed; and still, stores manage to grow in number of units sold.

 The situation begs the question: does the CRM play a part in completing the customer’s path to the purchase?

 Or, has a tool been purchased, implemented, trained on … and we’re programmed, taught, yelled about, and made to believe we can’t live without it?

 #morethingsmakingmegohmmm

 Does completing tasks build relationships with customers?

 Various answers to this question might reflect this sentiment; it depends upon the task? Not much of an answer, IMO.

 #confirmationbias

 Examine this perspective.

 If growing sales depends upon the task, we would be better served creating better relationships within the store and with the customer.

 Is the relationship between the sales manager and the sales rep measured by the tasks completed, or not, within the CRM? 

 Likewise is the relationship with the customer also measured by the tasks completed within the CRM?

 The first relationship the dealership should investigate deeper is the relationship between the sales manager and sales rep. The CRM is suppose to track the developing relationship between the customer and the sales rep. If the CRM detracts from the relationship between the sales manager and sales rep, how can it benefit building a relationship with a customer? It can’t.

 A customer will determine their path to the purchase with or without a cooperating dealership or CRM tool. A dealership’s goal however, is to make the purchase as enjoyable as possible so the customer considers the dealership in their future purchases.

 Still with me?

 Activities growing relationships is the foundation of a successful dealership. Those dealerships creating exceptional relationships between sales management and sales staff out sell all other dealerships.

 They understand the interactions between sales management, sales staff, and the customer matters, not the CRM.

 The better question asked by sales management of the sales staff … How do we create better relationships?

 Here are examples of questions NOT creating better relationships:

•  “Have you called the customer back yet?”
•  “Have you emailed the customer back yet?”
•  “Are you going to complete these tasks today?”

 More appropriate relationship building questions resemble these examples:

•  “How did the customer’s son do in their ball game this past weekend?”
•  “How was the outing to the lake for the customer with friends and family?”
•  “How did the customer celebrate their birthday this past Tuesday?”

 These questions show you care about the sales person and the customer, creating relationship building dialogue.

 Want better execution with the CRM tool?

Begin keeping notes of personal activities of the sales staff … your staff learns best by example. What is going on in their personal lives? You’ll be surprised when the staff imitates your example with their customers.

 In order to capture the customer lifestyle experiences in the CRM you must be directing your sales staff with the right questions.

 I believe Salesforce.com has the definition about right; “managing all your company's relationships and interactions with customers and potential customers”.

 Looking for more insight into this thought process? Ask us a question to start the dialogue.

 #lottalk  #pathtothepurchase #teachat51