Why Do Salespeople Hate CRMs So Much?

CRMs (aka customer relationship management) is an integral part of any salesperson’s job, even though lots of us don’t think of it as a process or “something we do….”.  After all, if you don’t maintain a relationship with your clients, you can’t close deals, you can’t build a referral network. Guess what? None of this happens – you are out of a job…

Most CRMs such as Salesforce, Zoho, or Insightly might work for some industries or marketing teams, and they are very effective for the job they are intended to do.  But for field-based, always-on-the-go salespeople? It’s a totally different ball game. It isn’t even the same sport.

That’s why there are five reasons why salespeople hate CRMs.

Oh, and take it from me, as a former device salesperson, we had to limit to five. For many of my former colleagues as well as the sales reps I don’t know personally, the list doesn’t stop at five.  If we missed your reason, let us know in the comments!

Reason #1: It’s Time-Consuming As All Get Out

Well, I don’t need to tell you how annoying and time consuming it is to fill in up to 98 required fields before moving on to a new task. 95 of those 98 required fields have absolutely nothing to do with the “relationship”.

When you have meetings all day, new products and services to learn inside and out, and any kind of personal life, data entry is not high on the list of priorities.

Data entry isn’t even on the list! Selling is top priority period.

Reason #2: The “Big Brother” Effect

If working as a part of a team, CRMs are often used as a resource management system. But, salespeople with managers can often feel the “Big Brother” effect – that they are being unduly spied on or monitored. This can affect morale and performance in detrimental ways that can hinder overall career progress.

But let’s go ahead and totally unpack this. WHY is this a concern? And, let me be transparent, I was definitely one of those people.

I would say to myself, “I’ve worked here “X” number of years; I’ve won every award there is to win. Why on Earth do I need to fill out these 98 required fields?”

If my employer at the time had given me something that allowed me to collect beneficial information or streamlined workflows, I would have used it. I wouldn’t care if someone from corporate was looking at it if, at the end of the day, it helped me do my job better. But….it didn’t.

So, like receipts I don’t need and so many lost pens….to the floorboard of my car you go CRM!

P.S. This issue relates to reason #5 on this list.

Reason #3: I Shouldn’t Have to Share Information I Don’t Need To Share

Whether it’s because the size of the sale doesn’t necessitate the full gamut of info or the sales rep being protective of their leads, CRMs force information sharing. As Yesware contends, some companies even go so far as to claim that, because the sales rep is using software paid for by the company, the contact “belongs” to them.

Not only is that a flawed concept, it strips a sales rep of the “agency being” a sales rep requires.

While collaborative work environments are great for some jobs, sales is all about closing deals and making relationships. If someone on your team has competing goals with you, information becomes your biggest commodity.  

After all, having information and knowledge is the same as having power. Right? The person who holds both, holds the cards in a given geography. It’s their leverage, right?

That’s one of the biggest reasons why CRMs fail salespeople: you can’t harness the power of the information in a substantial and practical way.

Reason #4: Forecasting Inaccuracies

This is a huge deal breaker for sales reps. Forecasting is essential to our line of work. Without tools to accurately project sales numbers, we can’t plan ahead. We can’t do our jobs.

But what’s worse — not being able to make sales projections or making INACCURATE sales projections? Arguably, incorrect forecasts are more harmful than a lack of them. Most CRMs use a linear function to predict the “Probability To Close”, as David Brock points out. This is flat out wrong.

The big box CRM wants me, the healthcare salesperson, to attach a percent probability of closing a “deal” as a result of the “step” of the selling process I’m in with the physician?  

If I sold capital equipment or one-time deals, this would work, but these physicians do cases every day! This process makes NO SENSE in my line of work…So, tell me again how I am supposed to “forecast” appropriately when the software you give me doesn’t make sense for my industry?

Second or third meetings don’t guarantee a close just like current clients won’t buy everything you pitch them. But, all of these reasons are just symptoms of a greater cause. That’s reason #5.

Reason #5: Square Pegs Can’t Fill Round Holes

CRMs were not designed for field sales reps. Period.

They are rarely user-friendly (more like never user-friendly), requiring demo session after demo session after demo session. You know the drill.

Your eyes get glazed and everyone on the call is falling asleep, saying to themselves, “I have no idea what these people are talking about. This is supposed to help me? Sound more like torture…” It all becomes another “let me just ‘check’ the box and move forward type thing.”

Combined with forecast inaccuracies, this can make any sales reps’ job and life 10,000% more difficult. This tool is supposed to make a sales rep’s job easier. So what’s the solution?

While some would suggest that it is just a matter of perspective, it’s 2017. We don’t have to settle for subpar and dated sales tech that never worked for us in the first place.

No CRMs Needed; ProSellus Growth Engineers Can Streamline Your Business

Don’t dive into confusing and overwhelming CRMs like Salesforce and a whole host of others. Here’s the big “secret”: you don’t need a CRM to maximize your success as a medical device sales rep. Maybe you need something that was actually designed FOR you by people LIKE you.

I say this with love: it is time to step away from the spreadsheet and come into the digital age.

Noted sales guru Geoffrey James said this in 2008: “If CRMs actually made it easier to sell, sales pros would be clamoring for it.” ProSellus is exactly the tool healthcare sales reps need to ditch the CRM forever. Not only does it combine the data management aspect of CRMs, it can track your territory, help you keep in touch with current clients, connect with new prospects.find the physicians you need to be talking to — the works. It’s a healthcare data “brain” with CRM features.

Interested in learning more? Email me at Scottwalle@ProSellus.com. Say goodbye to CRM and spreadsheets and hello to your all-in-one sales enablement tool. And lastly, for entertainment purposes, feel free to reply with your, “Top 5 Reasons for Hating CRM’s”. I’d love to hear them!