How to Keep Sales Engaged with a Lead Management System
After choosing a lead management system, the system won’t have value for a company unless Marketing and Sales are in agreement on what makes a marketing-accepted lead, a sales-ready lead, and the definitions of each stage in the sales process and how those stages will be measured and reported.
Ultimately, companies won't reap the benefits of a lead management system unless their sales people, dealers and distributors actually use the system.
When the system is rolled out to sales team, executives should consider the human factor to make the system’s adoption and use a smashing success. Here are seven keys to success:
1. Seek Buy-in From Influencers Before Roll-Out
This step ensures long-term buy-in by key influencers and all involved in your sales channel. During the system’s set-up stage, make sure a few key sales people or dealers understand the strategic and tactical reasons behind the system. Choose those that are key influencers over your entire sales channel. Their buy-in can make or break adoption of the system. With high adoption rates the company is more likely to reach its goals for the system.
Ask these key people to test the system and provide feedback. Respond to their feedback and incorporate the ideas that have merit and match your goals.
2. Roll-out Communication
The first step to the roll-out process is clear communication. Everyone who will use or manage the system must understand their roles – why and how their correct use of the system is important to the company’s goals. Create a series of Q&A phone conferences, internal educational webinars, live events, e-newsletters to the sales team, and a page on the company’s intranet with FAQs.
3. Train
Schedule required training sessions with all users. Conduct multiple sessions to accommodate sales people and dealers living in various time zones or people with unusual work or travel schedules. SmartLead by AdTrack conducts web-based training sessions.
Employ procedures that identify which sales people attended training and those that didn’t. Add make-up training sessions for these people to make sure they don’t fall through the cracks.
Be sure there is a mechanism for Q&A, feedback and follow-up.
Follow training with web-based surveys to see if the training was effective and identify the potential need for additional training. See a case study describing how SmartLead's training increased user adoption 122%.
4. Refresh Training, Get Accurate Data
The SmartLead system has the ability to track who is using the system and who isn’t. You need high adoption rates and proper use of the system to provide your sales and marketing executives with accurate data about sales success and to precisely measure the effectiveness of your lead generation and lead management programs.
Ask non- or low-users if they have issues with the system that may require refreshment training. SmartLead by AdTrack can conduct additional training.
5. Tips, Tricks and Best Practices
Regularly
email tips, tricks and best practices advice to users. Share what your best users have learned with the whole team. This increases system knowledge and productivity and helps the company continue to reach its goals. It also increases the likelihood that data in the system is accurate and up-to-date.
6. Accountability, “This is Going to Be on the Test”
Sales managers can encourage heavy use of the system when the system is the centerpiece of weekly sales meetings. When sales managers require each sales person to have the system open during meetings, and frequently ask them to refer to the dashboard or ask individuals to explain information in their lead files, it’s very likely that users will make sure they know what’s in their corner of the system. If they know “it’s going to be on the test,” sales people will really know the system.
7. Service to Increase Adoption
SmartLead by AdTrack provides training and outstanding customer service. If your sales team and dealers have trouble adopting the system, we have solutions to increase adoption.
A SmartLead account manager assigned to your account monitors system usage and will let you know when the sales force is under utilizing the system. Our in-house Contact Center can make follow-up calls directly to sales people, dealers and distributors to help them maximize use of the system. Or we can email sales people and dealers with gentle reminders to use the system.
We helped one manufacturer increase dealer lead reporting compliance by 122% and conversion rates by 48% in one year through training for better system adoption. Our user adoption training and best practices can help your team achieve high adoption rates.
