Salesforce CRM Implementation Plan – Start Here

Considering a Salesforce CRM Implementation – Here is a Good Starting Place

One of the best investments you can make in your Salesforce CRM success is to have a clear plan. Just as you wouldn’t build a house without a blueprint, you don’t want to start with Salesforce CRM without a plan. A plan will help you to communicate with everyone, to do things in the right order, identify key resources, and keep a clear end date in mind.

As you plan and prepare to get Salesforce CRM up and running, complete the following steps (in this order):
• Build your team
• Define and prioritize your goals and requirements
• Define your process
• Map your process to Salesforce CRM functionality
• Define the reports you need
• Train your administrator
• Communicate with your users

Build Your Team

To a small business with limited resources, the term “project team” may sound intimidating. But it doesn’t take a huge team, you just need to cover the following key roles—in fact, the same person can cover more than one role.
• An executive sponsor
• A project owner to get the application up and running (this could be a Salesforce Partner)
• An administrator to manage Salesforce day to day
• A power user who really knows your company’s business processes

The executive sponsor lends his or her influence to the project by becoming its champion. Having that person’s full support and participation—from the planning stage until the go-live date and beyond—is absolutely critical.

The project owner, who leads the implementation project, must understand the organization’s business processes to map them to Salesforce. This person would also manage the Salesforce Partner.

The person who is the designated administrator manages Salesforce day to day and makes new functionality available. It’s also a good idea to have the administrator involved in the implementation project. A technical background is not necessary, but may be helpful.

And to make sure that Salesforce CRM meets the needs of your end users, it is essential to involve key power users in the planning process

Qualities of a Good Salesforce Administrator

Software as a service (SaaS) makes system administration much easier than it was with traditional software. Setting up, customizing the application, maintaining it, training users, and “turning on” the new features that become available with each release—all are just a few clicks away.
The administrator is one of the most important people when it comes to making Salesforce CRM a success. The role of the administrator for a small business is not necessarily a full-time position. In the initial stages of the implementation, the role will require more concentrated time (about 50 percent). After go live, managing Salesforce CRM day to day will require much less time (about 10-25 percent). [In the event you do not have this personnel bandwidth, your Salesforce Partner could train an administrator post implementation]. Find the right person for the job and continue to invest in that person’s professional development.

Here are some qualities to look for in an administrator:
• A solid understanding of your business processes
• Knowledge of the organizational structure and culture to help build relationships with key groups
• Excellent communication, motivational, and presentation skills
• The desire to be the voice of the user in communicating with management
• Analytical skills to respond to requested changes and identify customizations

Set Your Goals

In addition to a clear destination, it also helps to have a plan that breaks down the journey into manageable steps.
Setting your goals includes three key steps:
• Define the company's vision
• Define the goals that support this vision
• Prioritize and document your requirements

Define the Company's Vision

Every successful CRM project starts with a clear vision of where you want to be as a result of the project. It's very important that your key executives are involved in defining this vision, that you document the vision, and that it is understood by everyone.

Define Your Goals

Next, determine which concrete goals support your vision. Keep in mind that different groups within your organization are likely to have different goals. For example:
• Executives want to improve sales and track top performers or customer issues
• Sales managers want better visibility into their pipelines and reports that summarize key information
• Sales reps want to easily access the sales materials they need and cut down on administrative work

Prioritize and Document Your Requirements

Most people-and most organizations-want to take on more than they can handle at any one time. Clearly defining your goals and then prioritizing them will make it easier to decide what to put off, should that become necessary. Having some early "wins" is essential: when people experience the value of Salesforce CRM first hand, they're more likely to support adding additional features.

[Thanks to Salesforce.com for the blueprint to starting an implementation]

Improve Sales - Recognize Selling and Buying Styles

Selling & Buying Styles

Selling is a People Business

Have you ever met someone whom you liked instantly? You hit it off with the person the moment you met? That’s great when it happens, especially when the other person is a prospect.

How about those times when you didn’t hit it off with the other person? You just couldn’t seem to get it together. Not so good, especially when the other person is a prospect or customer.

We’ve all met salespeople whom we wouldn’t buy from if they were the last salesperson on earth. Ever wonder why this happens?

The Golden Rule

We all know the Golden Rule:

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

The Golden Rule doesn’t always work when you’re selling. In fact, if you exercise the Golden Rule, you stand a good chance of annoying a large number of your prospects! Why? Because it’s the Platinum Rule, not the Golden Rule, that applies in the real world of personal interactions.

The Platinum Rule

The little known rule for improved interpersonal relationships is:

Do unto others as they want done unto them.

Or, put into terms of professional selling:

Sell unto others as they want to be sold unto.

Importance of Selling Styles

It’s no secret that people buy from people. In fact, people buy from people they know, people they like, and people they trust. That’s why it’s important for you to have an understanding of the personality of the person you’re selling to and why you need to be able to flex your own personality style when necessary and appropriate.

Selling requires the sales professional to sell to many different individuals. In addition to their own agendas, these people bring their particular personality styles to the transaction. An understanding of how their personalities, and yours, can impact the sale is important.

The first step in being able to flex your personality is to understand your own personality and selling style a bit better.

People buy from
people they know,
people they like, and
people they trust.

Once you know your own selling style and the style’s inherent strengths and weaknesses, you will be in a better position to capitalize on the strengths and minimize or work around the possible weaknesses.

Have you ever wondered why you might get along so well with some people and not so well with others? Some of that has to do with each person’s personality.

If you come across someone whom you instantly take a liking too, chances are they’re the same, or complimentary, personality as you. We’ve all heard of people who have had a “personality clash” with someone. This occurs when two people have opposite personalities.

Next time: Helping your sales force recognize styles and personalities