Getting the Most Out of CRM - OPEESA...1 Manage customer contact information. 2 Manage sales pipeline or territory results. 3 Provide access to customer data for salespeople. 4 Provide

Getting the Most Out of CRMAn Executive Guide for Planning and Execution

Mark Dancer

OPEESA Annual Meeting

St. Petersburg, FL

March 3, 2015

OPEESA 2015 Annual Meeting - Getting the Most Out of CRM

Today’s objectives

• Adoption, benefits and barriers

for the use of CRM by

distributors

• Distributor executive

perspectives on planning,

implementing and achieving

results

• CRMs role in enabling

common distributor strategies

• A peek at the larger topic of

becoming a digital distributor

2

Insights are “by distributors” and “for distributors”

OPEESA 2015 Annual Meeting - Getting the Most Out of CRM3

“CRM is a standard practice for any sales organization. Companies that don’t use CRM will fall behind”


Data represent findings from online survey of distributor executives.

CRM is new again …


Innovative

Flexible

Mobile

… but CRM has it’s place!!


“CRM is a tool, not a solution!”

CEO, Distributor

Competitiveness = unique solutions for common challenges

• OPE market dynamics

• Customers = commercial service dealers,

consumers

• Price, margin and channel pressure

• Whole goods and parts

• Marketing programs and lead management

• Seasonality … and variability

• Long sales cycles (new account acquisition)

• Potential threat from online disruptors

• Acquisitions / consolidation

• …


What is your strategy?

Will CRM change information sharing and collaboration between distributors and suppliers?



• Examples:

• Velocity and win

rates

• Full cycle lead

management

• Force multipliers

vs. joint calls

• Proof of value

Lessons from the school of hard knocks


Technology ≠

strategy

Top 10 Benefits of CRM

1 Manage customer contact information.

2 Manage sales pipeline or territory results.

3 Provide access to customer data for salespeople.

4 Provide data for coaching by sales managers.

5 Improve handling of leads and prospects.

6 Automate reports for salespeople and management.

7 Provide data for management decisions.

8 Execute marketing programs through salespeople.

9 Optimize product mix sold to customers.

10 Improve accuracy of sales forecasts.

The “Top Ten” benefits of CRM





New results

require new

behaviors

Distributor strategies vs. priority CRM modulesStrategy determines behaviors information improves results


Strategy

Contact

Mgmt.

Call

Planner

Customer /

Territory

Dash Board Call Reports Pipeline

Marketing

Automation

Social

Comm.

Right information,

Right customer,

Right time,

Every time

Sales Activity

Management, or

Territory

Optimization

Account

Optimization, or

Customer

Stratification

?

?

?

Alignment of strategies with priority modules will vary for each distributor’s unique information enablers



Start small before

you go big

Strategy

Contact

Mgmt.

Call

Planner

Customer /

Territory

Dash Board Call Reports Pipeline

Marketing

Automation

Social

Comm.

Seasonal

Loading, or

Product / Solution

Sales

Demand

Creation, or

Marketing

Optimization

Field, Inside and

Web Activity

Coordination and

Optimization

Distributor strategies vs. priority CRM modulesStrategy determines behaviors information improves results


?

?

?

Alignment of strategies with priority modules will vary for each distributor’s unique information enablers

Improving sales productivity is a top priority for more than 75 percent of executives



Formula for organic growth


Value

Selling

Sales

Coaching



The people you have

may not be the

people you need

Talent upgrades begin with defining the required sales role and competencies for your business


Business

acumen

Relationships

Solutions

Proving

Value

Confidence

Influence

Trusted Advisor Deal Maker

For a discussion of value selling, see “Addressing New Sales Roles” by Michael Vaccaro and Tom Hill of Hay Group,

World and Work Journal, 2014 (2nd Quarter), Vol. 23, no. 4

http://www.haygroup.com/downloads/us/addressing new sales roles.pdf



“Discipline: the bridge between goals and accomplishment.”

Jim Rohn

Value selling requires a disciplined process


Ideas Possibilities Solutions

Measures

Business acumen

Relationships ConfidenceSolutions

Influence

Proving value

One distributor’s journey

• From account maintenance (farming) …


Informal

Plans

Favorite

CallsOpportunities

Territory plans Milk run

Personal

relationships

Inventory checks

and order status

Reactive pricing

21

• To business development (hunting)


One distributor’s journey

Plan Qualify Assess Propose Close Grow

Targeted

accounts

Onsite

analysis

Quantified

gains

Non-price

negotiation

Opportu-

nities

Territory

plans

22

Fitting CRM to your sales model


Results!Behaviors

Information

Processes

Customers

Designing your CRM tool kit


Your Sales Process Here



“Stick to it, the end is worth it.”

DistributorExecutive

“Move the Middle” – A Strategy for Organic Growth


Unskippable: Three Phases of CRM implementation and ongoing execution


Recognize

Resistance and

Push Forward

Overcome

Barriers and

Create Success

Improve

Performance

and Expand Use



Focus on making

salespeople

successful

Sales people will resist



Overcoming barriers


Top 10 Methods for Overcoming Barriers

1 Include active support from leaders

2 Develop follow on training after launch

3 Implement face-to-face training

4 Add online and telephone training

5 Include coaching by sales managers

6 Match CRM to your sales process

7 Assign CRM champions

8 Recognize and reward top users

9 Make CRM mandatory

10 Roll out CRM in phases, not all at once




“CRM is not about micromanaging, it’s about changing the way we manage.”

National Sales Director

A “distributor approved” framework for managing organizational change


CRM is part of a larger, ongoing “digitalization” of businesses and distribution channels


… the way we do our work …

… the way we live our lives …

Digital tools are changing ….

34

… and ultimately, the way we create value!

35 OPEESA 2015 Annual Meeting - Getting the Most Out of CRM

CRM, in combination with other digital tools, can create strategic value for distributors


A multichannel strategy is essential for leveraging information and optimizing the use of digital tools


Lessons from the school of opportunity


““If we are smart, digital tools will dramatically improve our productivity and solutions. Customers and suppliers are also using digital tools. In the end, digital tools will transform the value chain.”

President, Wholesaler-Distributor

Thank you!

Documents

Getting the Most Out of CRM - OPEESA...1 Manage customer contact information. 2 Manage sales pipeline or territory results. 3 Provide access to customer data for salespeople. 4 Provide