Stop Doing Stupid Stuff? Podcast: CRM Vendor Selection

In this insightful episode of the Stop Doing Stupid Stuff? podcast, host Tim Keefe from Transform CX is joined by co-author Dave Trzupek to tackle one of the most critical decisions businesses face: CRM selection.?

Drawing from decades of combined experience, Tim and Dave offer invaluable guidance on avoiding common pitfalls in the CRM selection process while sharing real-world examples that have been woven into their book.

Episode Summary

CRM selection doesn't have to be a back-room deal or a multi-year process. Tim and Dave break down the essential elements of effective CRM selection, from building a solid business case to evaluating vendors based on your specific needs. They emphasize the importance of defining clear, measurable success criteria and conducting thorough validation through reference checks. The discussion highlights how proper selection goes beyond features and price points to consider implementation resources, ecosystem support, and long-term partnership potential. For companies considering a new or replacement CRM system, this episode provides a roadmap to making an informed decision that aligns with business objectives.

LISTEN TO THE FULL PODCAST HERE

Building the Business Case

• Start with clear objectives and define what you're trying to accomplish before looking at vendors or features
• Dave emphasized: "You always need to say, Why do I need that? And then you really need to pivot off of that with what are the requirements."
• Develop comprehensive requirements (business, technical, people) rather than starting with a vendor list
• Create measurable success criteria (improved sales numbers, reduced customer attrition, increased profitability) rather than vague goals
• Establish ROI modeling and business justifications that go beyond just "taking headcount out" to understand true costs and benefits
• Tim noted they've seen projects where companies jump straight to vendors before defining requirements, which often leads to poor outcomes

Understanding Your Goals

Tim identifies four common buckets of business goals for CRM implementation:

1. Growth - Adding new customers through lead and sales funnel management; focusing on the entire sales funnel activity within CRM to drive customer acquisition
2. Retention - Keeping existing clients, reducing customer churn, and lowering cost of acquisition; building features that foster customer loyalty and satisfaction
3. Profitability - Improving margins by removing costly processes; Tim referenced Klarna's case where they eliminated 700 people handling tier one contacts through AI implementation, though noting it took 9-12 months of machine learning to achieve sufficient accuracy
4. Business Model Evolution - Adapting to changing industry dynamics, like in automotive where OEMs now want to sell direct to consumers, changing the traditional dealer model and requiring different CRM approaches

Power Quotes

Tim Keefe: "I think the clarity of measurable success really is important, because it moves it from these kinds of generic things of 'we want to be better.' Okay, we all want to be better. But what would that look like? And how would I know that I was making progress?"

"The product doesn't do anything without someone helping you deploy this. That is so critical."

"It's easier to get unmarried than it is to get out of a contract with a vendor, especially a multi-year contract for something like this."

Dave Trzupek: "You always want to start with the business case. Like, what am I trying to accomplish? Really? You need to write that up and make sure that people are buying into that. It can't just be, 'Hey, the current one stinks. We don't like it, or we don't really have one. Let's go get one.'"

"No CRM has it all. The days of generically like, 'Hey, I'm just managing a sales pipeline' ... as we know, we get into more and more complex industries, and the demands are higher, more requirements."

"At the end of the day, you—company, organization—you own this process, you own the outcome. You may have a lot of help along the way, but you really don't want to just delegate the whole notion."

Call to Action

Ready to stop doing stupid stuff with your CRM? Tim and Dave's upcoming book, Stop Doing Stupid Stuff? with CRM, offers decades of hard-earned wisdom in an engaging, sometimes humorous format that turns real-life experiences into valuable lessons.?

Whether you're selecting a new CRM, replacing an existing system, or trying to get more value from your current implementation, this book provides practical guidance to help you avoid costly mistakes and achieve better outcomes.?

Look for Stop Doing Stupid Stuff? with CRM coming soon, available in both print and audio formats. Follow Transform-CX for the latest updates on the book release and more episodes in this informative podcast series.