High-performing sales teams use nearly three times more sales software than underperforming teams. But that doesn’t mean purchasing sales tools, alone, will increase performance.
In fact, a common error of sales management is botching the implementation and rollout of the sales software they purchase. Not only does this increase the amount of time it takes for you to see ROI, but it might prevent your team from using it all together.
The good news is that you can avoid that mistake with four easy steps. Here’s how.
4 steps to properly roll out sales software
1. Clearly articulate your pain point
Proper implementation and rollout for sales software starts before you make a purchase. Every sales tool that you come across sounds like a great idea, and can be easily perceived as a silver bullet for your sales organization.
But don’t start evaluating vendors until you can clearly articulate the pain you’re trying to solve. Look at your organization and be honest about the areas where you’re falling down. It might sound something like this:
- “Our team needs a way to electronically send, sign and track agreements.”
- “We need to improve the quantity and quality of our prospecting calls.”
- “The marketing team needs a central system to design and track marketing campaigns.”
- “Reps aren’t consistently executing the right activities that lead to closing business.”
When you don’t clearly articulate the problem you’re trying to solve with technology, you could end up with the wrong product (a huge waste of time and money for your team). When you think you’ve identified the pain point, do a little research on what category of sales software best fits your needs. For each of the pains listed above, you might consider one of these corresponding solutions:
Come up with a hypothesis of your top pains, and then interview some reps and managers to get feedback.
2. Configure and test software.
Once you’ve evaluated sales software and selected the tool(s) you want to purchase, you’ll need to get technical. Work with your sales operations managers to install the tools in a way that aligns with how your software and sales reps already work.
Don’t change your sales process on account of one tool. Let a few of the end users test drive the tool and provide feedback for how it should be implemented.
When you feel ready to go live, roll out the software to a few small groups in your organization. Give them time to learn how to use the tool properly. Ask for feedback and suggestions, then make any necessary adjustments.
3. Roll out sales software.
When you’re confident you have the right tool, roll it out to your entire sales organization. Be transparent about why you purchased this tool and how you expect reps to use it. Share your testing process with the entire team, and explain that you used feedback from their peers to make sure this tool actually helps the sales process.
Be patient and communicative throughout this process. Your team will need time to adjust to the new sales software.
4. Retain best practices.
After implementation and rollout, commit to consistent best practice reviews with the provider of your sales tech. For some teams, that means weekly. But others only need them quarterly. Whatever frequency you choose, make sure that your team is following best practices, utilizing new capabilities and brainstorming new ways to get ROI from the sales software.
Evaluating, purchasing and implementing sales software is not a process to take lightly. Use these steps to ensure you get the most successful rollout possible.
