Is Your Sales System, or Database Working?

A checklist for getting the most from your most vital Sales & Marketing Tool.

There is one essential ingredient of effective sales and marketing in all companies - that is an up-to-date and easy to use database. It drives the sales process – from sales prospecting to account management – making the contribution of all those in sales and marketing focused, efficient and clear.

Here is a checklist to help you examine how effectively your company is using, what is potentially at least, it’s most important sales and marketing tool:

1. How widely used is the database?

· Do the user logs show regular use by key people?

· How up to date is the information?

· How thoroughly used is it (e.g. prospecting, nurturing, tasks completed, etc.)?

· Do key accounts have next actions assigned to various people and dates for completion?

· Do all priority account have an owner?

2. How easy to use is the database?

· Have users received training?

· Is good documentation available?

· Is support available? Has it been taken advantage of?

· Are key features being used?

· Is there a consistent approach to how information is updated across all users?

3. How much information does it contain?

· Number of accounts (clients, past clients, prospects, etc.), opportunities, contacts and leads?

· By sector/market?

· How representative are accounts of your company’s:

o ideal customer base/target market?

o the companies sales and marketing activity for this year?

4. How up to date is the information?

· How recent are the last modified date on key accounts, last date on actions, cases, etc.

· Is contact information on the accounts and contacts up to date?

· How much screening / cleansing of the data is undertaken?

5. How thorough/detailed is the information?

· How well kept are records, for example are there web and address details, company description, contact information, notes of actions/meetings, accurate ratings, etc.

6. How does the database comply with best practice and the law?

· Does it comply with any legal requirements re direct and database marketing (e.g. TPS (Telephone Preference Service) in the UK)

· Are opt-outs offered on any emails sent

· Does your company have a privacy policy (is it on emails, web sign-ups, etc.)

7. How well it is managed

· Does one person have responsibility for it?

· Who is responsible for keeping the information cleansed and up-to-date?

· Is administrative support available for users in such time consuming tasks as finding telephone numbers, entering new companies, mail-shots, etc?

· When is the last time there was a discussion on how the database was to be used, or developed?

· Are campaigns using the database measured for their effectiveness?

· How customised is the database to your company’s needs? Are there redundant fields? Are there important fields missing? Have drop down menus been customised?

8. How effectively is it guiding sales activity?

· How regularly do sales people log into it?

· Can the company’s present sales and marketing targets be readily identified from the database?

· Is it used as part of sales campaigns?

· Does it have up to date opportunity/forecast information?

· Are top ranked accounts easy to find and do they have next actions allocated to them?

· Can the activity level of sales people been seen from the database?

· Is it used to trigger next actions in respect of advancing sales cycles, progressing opportunities, nurturing prospects, etc.

9. How effectively is it employed:

· As a marketing tool (mail-outs, email campaigns, etc.)?

· How easy is it to use in monitoring and reporting on the success of campaigns, reporting on activity, etc.

· How effectively is it employed as a sales pipeline forecasting and management tool?

· For customer relationship management, fulfillment and other purposes?

· How well does it integrate with other systems, e.g. accounting systems?

10. How effectively is it being use in account management?

· Are customer accounts prioritised or categories in the database?

· Does it have details of account revenue targets and plans?

· Does it record notes of meetings, cases, etc.

· Does each account have an owner?

· Are the names of all decision makers, influencers in the account company identified?

· Are there a list of tasks completed and next actions in respect of managing and servicing the account?

11. How does the database perform in terms of:

· Accessibility?

· Security?

· Back-ups?

· Availability (e.g. down time, remote access, etc.)?

· Service/support?

· Does it integrate email, document storage, calendar, etc.?

· How good is the reporting function?

· What degree of customisation is available (e.g. customisable down menus, etc.)

12. Cost and payback

· What is the annual cost? Licence costs and software (if used) together with time spent gathering and updating information, undertaking mail-outs, set-up and customisation, etc.

· What is potential value of this information?

· What would the cost be if purchased, or gathered in other ways?

· Does it save people time, or make them more efficient?

9 Ways To Turn Your Sales Database into a Powerful Sales Tool

Want to get more from your Sales Database or CRM system? Here are 9 ways you can transform it into a powerful sales and marketing tool:

1. Purge your database!

A database with a well-used 200 entries can be much better than a database with 4000 names that is disorganised and out-of-date.

So screen all those contacts, accounts and opportunities in your database, re-classifying them as appropriate (based on relevance and potential). Do a random spot check – taking 20 or so entries to see where contact information (e.g. contact name, address, etc.) is out of date, or where the last contact is dated.

This will help you set the criteria for cleansing the database – for example identify those past customers who have not purchased in the past year and mark as priority, eliminate those that have been dormant for than 5 years and so on. Then allocate those that have a priority to an owner and assign an action or next step to it.

2. If its not working, scrap it

If your existing database is difficult to use, cannot be accessed remote and do not provide basic functionality such as dairying next actions, sending emails, capturing web enquiries directly, or providing real time management reports, then scrap it.

From as little as $9 per user per month you can provide your sales team with access to the most sophisticated CRM (Customer Relationship Management) and SFA (Sales Force Automation / Administration system).

Take out a demo account on Appshore.net, Salesforce.com, Sugar CRM or Sage CRM to see what your sales database can and should look like.

3. Use it for pipeline mgt and forecasting

Transform your sales database into a powerful management tool, by using it to track leads all the way through to orders. That begins with leads and enquiries, the meetings, opportunities, deals won. Track progress at each stage, generating metrics to enable you to identify salespeople who may be under performing, or areas of the sales process that require attention.

4. Organise training

One of the key barriers to the more widespread, expert and consistent use of a sales database is the level of skill and support available to users. So classify users into basic, intermediate and advanced user skills, in terms of their present skills levels and what their jobs require. Then organise a programme of training, supported by the necessary manuals, or documentation. Certification may be important to encourage extra there is a quick test of user skills levels before and after.

5. Incorporate Sales process and a common sales language

Getting the most out of your sales system will depend on having a consistent definition of sales process and sales language across your sales team. That means ensuring the way sales opportunities are ranked is consistent, with the associated probability of closing relating to some agreed and hopefully objective standard. This curbs the natural optimism of the sales person.

Defining your organisations sales progress takes forecasting another step further. For example, if a deal is forecast for January and given a 90% probability, the sales manager can assess the validity of this assessment by reviewing if key aspects of the sales process have been satisfactorily completed, such as:

• identifying and covering the buying group
• formal needs analysis completed
• notes of meeting in the database
• client feedback on draft proposal, etc.

6. Put it in people’s job descriptions

Encourage people to use the sales database, providing them with the training and support requirement required. But don’t stop there. Make it mandatory. Write it into people’s job descriptions and job reviews. Calculate commissions and other payments based on sales data as presented in the system.

7. Stop relying on spreadsheets

Stop relying on spreadsheets and make your sales database do the work of managing sales opportunities and forecasting sales revenues. This is a real test of the degree to which you are using your system. If your team is putting in the right information and keeping it up to date, you should be able to view an up-to-date dashboard of sales KPIs every time you log in.

8. Put somebody in charge of it

Give somebody overall responsibility for managing the sales database, that includes organisation of the training, reviewing data quality, cleaning out the system, tracking usage levels, managing compliance, etc.

9. Run campaigns using it

If you are having problems adopting your sales database, then put some new leads into it and use them to run a campaign. Allocate them to various reps and direct them there to find them. Use the system to send a campaign email as well as to automatically capture enquiries made from your web site..

Sales Systems: a framework for developing user skills

The functionality of today’s Sales and CRM systems is impressive, however that means they require higher levels of training and skill on the part of users. Insufficient, or inadequate training of users is a key factor explaining why the fact that most organizations have not reaped the benefits of their systems. It directly translates into low levels of usage, sales productivity and sales effectiveness.

So, how many users are at advanced, expert, or just foundation level? What level do they need to be at, given their various roles? The following checklist will help you assess and develop the CRM/SFA skills levels of your team. It is also an ideal structure for planning user training in respect of new systems implementations.

Put a tick in the box beside each activity users are able to complete. Those activities un-ticked then represent the ideal starting point for further training.

Level 1: Developing Foundation Skills

Here are the key tasks, or foundation skills, you will need to successfully use the CRM / sales automation tool:

1. Can you create an account and set Type, Source, Industry and Rating as appropriate, or to default? 

2. Can you create a contact in a specific account, add notes of a conversation to it, schedule a call with the contact and send an email to the contact person? 

3. Can you change your password? 

4. Can you search for a company or a person in the database and view their information? 

5. Can you edit a contact and an account and save the changes? 

6. Can you order accounts in alphabetical order, both in ascending and descending order? 

7. Can you order accounts by a specific category in rating, type, or source to show only a list of the ones in the category you have chosen? Can you see the number in the category without counting them? 

8. Can you enlarge the number of accounts shown at any one time to 50? 

9. Can you send and email with an attachment to yourself and check that it arrives correctly? Can you view the sent email in your sent folder? 


Level 2: Becoming an Advanced User

Here are the key tasks, or advanced skills, that will demonstrate your proficiency in the use of the CRM/sales automation tool:

1. Can you create opportunity, setting probability, start and end dates, etc., and assign follow-up call to it? 

2. Can you view opportunity created in Forecast tab, viewing under quarter and year tabs? 

3. Can you assign an account to another user, view accounts and contacts owner by other users? 

4. Can you open accounts, or contacts, in edit and in view mode? 

5. Can you change dashboard layout? Putting neglected accounts in the right panel, top activities by priority and by date in the centre column and open cases in the right panel of the screen? 

6. Can you send test email using a template & change if required? 

7. Can you export a file containing account details for backup? 

8. Can you upload a document to the database and rename it? 


Level 3: Becoming An Expert User

If you can complete the following tasks they you will have reached an expert level of proficiency in using the CRM/sales management tool, and managing or administrating the system for your company:

1. Can you import a list of companies or contacts from an excel spreadsheet, then set rating, type, source and industry as appropriate to the records entered en masse? 

2. Can you review a selection of 6 accounts (randomly chosen) in the database? Are they completed correctly? Is each one assigned, is there a next action, is there a type, rating, source and industry rating? Are notes kept of meetings and conversations? Are emails and documents present? 

3. Can you quantify & compare activity and progress by 2 users, in terms of number of accounts\contacts, level of activity & effectiveness? 

4. Can you generate a report? 

5. Can you create an email template, using different typefaces and colours. Send a test email using the template and make changes as required? 

6. Can you add a category to the ‘type’ drop down menu? Then update an account – changing type to the new category you have added. 

7. Can you add a new user, reset a user password, reset roles, or priviledges, change the order in which different applications (e.g. accounts, contacts, etc.) are displayed? 

8. Can you customise the database to company standards: Dashboard, Drop down menus, User set up, etc. 

Sales Systems: Why People Don’t Use Them & What To Do About It

Most companies have implemented some form of sales system (CRM or SFA system). However, few have achieved the promised payback on their investment. One of the key reasons is patchy use of the systems implemented. Indeed, our experience shows that such systems are under-used, or not used at all, by a majority of sales reps, sales support and sales administration staff.

Our clients point to 7 reasons why people don’t use (or at least don’t use properly) their sales / CRM systems. They represent real barriers to achieving the expected sales effectiveness and customer relationship management benefits. These reasons and what to do about them are examined overleaf.

Reason # 1: The wrong system has been implemented / inherited – the system in place does not meet user needs. Typically that means it is:

• Cumbersome, unsteady/unreliable, or slow
• Difficult to use (rather than being intuitive and easy to follow)
• Inadequate in terms of help/instructions
• Lacks key functionality (e.g. does not have a diary function, no remote access, or does not allow you to enter 8 digit product codes)
• Does not integrate with other applications that staff must already use (resulting in duplication of effort)
• Not tailored to the needs of users (e.g. drop down menus, field names, etc. do not correspond to the business in question)

What to do about it: Management should review if the existing system can be improved, or should be replaced.

Reason # 2: The information contained in the system is of poor value – the company and contact information in the system is incomplete, out of date, or not relevant. The system is not being purged, or updated on a regular basis.

What to do about it: Management should institute periodic reviews of the quality of the information in the database. Then provide the administrative resource to purge the data, replacing redundant information with new target lists and contact information, and importing for reps information that is kept in other locations (spreadsheets, outlook address books, etc.).

In addition the automatic capture and assignment to users within the system of web, or email enquiries should be set up.

Reason # 3: The system has been implemented without sufficient user buy-in, or understanding of the benefits (both to users and to the company overall).

What to do about it: Re-launch the system, starting with one small group of users who can most immediately benefit from using the system (or are suffering as a result of not being able to use it) and provide the support to enable them to reap the benefits for themselves. With this group as advocates spread news of the benefits to others.

Reason # 4: A lack of leadership - the system is not being used, or aggressively promoted by senior management (e.g. sales managers, or directors).

What to do about it: If the sales manager is not using the sales database, then he is not in a position to expect anything different from others. He/she has to demonstrate a commitment / competency in respect of using the system. That includes moving from spreadsheet based forecasting and paper-based sales reports, to conducting every conversation with reps or the team by reviewing the relevant account, opportunity or lead in the database.

Reason # 5: Lack of appropriate incentives, where the proper usage of the system is not written into job descriptions, staff and team performance reviews, or linked into the receipt of bonus and commission payments.

What to do about it: Increasingly job descriptions stipulate that keeping sales records, account and contact information up to date in the sales system (including notes of meetings, telephone conversation, etc.) is mandatory. This aspect of job related performance is formally reviewed at staff reviews and moreover payments of bonuses or commissions are linked to the same.

Reason # 6: Inadequate system administration and support to users, including help in terms of lost passwords, user problems, importing lists, organizing mail outs, etc.

What to do about it: Every database or CRM system requires an administrator. But that is not just somebody who can, when requested, set up a user, or change a password.

It is a more active role of reviewing usage levels on an ongoing basis to ensure users have the skills required, that data is being entered in the correct/uniform manner, that neglected leads, accounts, or opportunities are being followed up, etc.

It is also a resource that can pro-actively anticipate and meet the needs or users and teams, such as assisting in the creation of new lists for entry to the database, input of sales letters, proposal and other templates, etc. – all designed to ensure that users can gain the maximum benefit from the system.

Reason # 7: Insufficient, or inadequate training of users. That means not just an intensive one day training session, but periodic training in line with a progressive building of skills, from foundation to expert levels (depending on the specific role and requirements of the user).

What to do about it: The functionality of today’s Sales and CRM systems is impressive, however that means they require higher levels of training and skill on the part of users.

Although salespeople in particular may have little time, or patience for office based training, or indeed may not even admit that it is needed, it is clear that one of the key reasons why sales systems are not used is the frustration experienced by users who have inadequate systems familiarity, or skill.

Office based staff tend to fare best in terms of the training traditionally provided for CRM and sales systems implementation and much of that training tends to be provided up front.

Greater care is needed in terms of providing training to non-office-based staff. Training participation must be mandatory, with certification and providing access to ongoing training and intensive support provided, based on scheduled follow-up between each rep and the system administrator.

When it comes to user training we recommend a 3 steps process to building user skills, including establishing foundation, advanced and expert levels of skills depending on users requirements (see related article/checklist).