Here’s How to Get Sales Reps to Use a CRM
Learn the secrets to getting your sales reps to adopt CRM. Implement these tips and watch your dealership sales grow!
Empowered, educated shoppers continually push for progress and innovation, and they make no secret of the high expectations they’ve set. If your dealership is going to earn their business, you’ll need to show them you’re connected, innovative, and attentive. CRM adoption can enhance how you meet these customer demands.
There’s no better way to demonstrate this than with streamlined communication and collaborative processes highlighting your commitment to providing an excellent customer experience. The only way to achieve this is to engage your entire team in a united effort to get your dealership noticed. The only way to accomplish that is to execute a full dealership CRM. But how do you motivate your team to learn the CRM platform, use it, and continue to use it to its fullest capabilities?
Teams + Tools = Service
It takes more than a one-man band to provide a great dealership experience. In fact, sometimes there’s so much going on that it can seem like a 3-ring circus. That’s why you can’t do it alone or without an engaged team and the tools and technology to help you tackle it all.
It requires a combination of employees who recognize the importance of great customer experiences and a powerful CRM platform that can wrangle even the most complex processes into an organized flow. When these things come together, you end up with excellent service that will keep customers coming back to you.
When a dealership team is aligned with its CRM, you’ll see smiling customers in the service drive, engaged employees communicating across departments, valuable conversations with customers, repeat business, and great reviews! Your staff becomes better at building relationships and credibility with their customers because they’re streamlining their internal communication and collaboration, mainly because of how well they interact with their CRM.
Take it From the Top
When introducing your CRM, ensure the importance of using the tool proficiently comes from the top. The dealership GM should endorse the requirement to utilize the CRM to its full advantage, and they believe in the product and its capabilities to increase success. Set clear expectations around using the CRM and maybe even include it in job descriptions and performance evaluations.
Managers and team leads should also lead by example. Show your team that you value the CRM by using it yourself. Demonstrate how it can improve productivity and drive sales.
If you go this route, your dealership will undoubtedly believe in the broad spectrum of benefits a comprehensive CRM can provide.
For insights on why employees might resist new technologies and how to address these barriers, this Harvard Business Review article provides valuable perspectives.
Demonstrate the Logic
Demonstrating how the product works and how it will help increase sales is imperative for employee buy-in. Actively show how an efficient use of the product eliminates or improves daily work friction, makes things easier, and saves time. This is where you can prove how a CRM can increase job satisfaction.
Visualizations of how to navigate the CRM and the immediate and long-term results that are achieved from it will send a clear message of why full adoption is advantageous.
Understanding the data behind adopting new technology and creating new processes goes a long way. Data showing improvements through real-world scenarios can be impactful, especially for those in the car business, where it’s a constant numbers game.
Share success stories of other sales reps who have benefited from using the CRM. Highlight how it has helped them close more deals, improve customer relationships, and increase their commissions.
Gather Your Implementation Team
A great place to start is by developing an implementation team to help lead the charge. These can and should include team members from all areas and levels of your dealership.
They could be the types who easily adopt new technology or processes, those who demonstrate leadership skills (even if not in a management position), those who show enthusiasm for change, and those who are good teachers or mentors.
Once determined, the team can devise a strategy for how best to onboard the staff and maintain motivation for the long term. Ensure the rest of the staff knows who these representatives are and how they can help them with any questions or troubleshooting.
When dealerships offer opportunities for growth, mentoring, and leadership, employee job satisfaction and confidence in the CRM tool increases.
Tap Into Internal Motivation
Modern professionals are driven to perform and do their best in careers where they feel valued and can make a difference. Dealerships that lean into what drives their employees and create opportunities that allow them to grow in their careers will reap the most value from their staff.
Show your sales reps how using the selected car dealer CRM will benefit them personally. Highlight features such as time-saving automation, improved organization, and easier access to customer information.
You can always incentivize your staff’s use of the CRM. Offer rewards or spiffs for sales reps who consistently use the CRM. This could include bonuses, prizes, or recognition during team meetings.
Ensure Adoption is Successful
Once you have buy-in, focus on providing proper training. Your CRM provider should have training baked in and a training schedule that builds on itself without overwhelming your staff. Make sure the benefits of the training are communicated so staff understand that engaging in training will make their jobs easier. Again, to maximize the seriousness of the training for the staff, it would be beneficial to have the GM and other managers present and participate.
If it’s not already part of the training program, you can offer certifications for completing training. People love being rewarded and recognized for simple tasks, encouraging them to engage more with the new tool.
Offer Transparency
Dealerships should create open, honest environments where feedback is welcome and interaction between all levels of professionals is encouraged. They should also make it more enticing for staff to adopt new technology and strategies. If staff members feel they have a say in how things are being run and know their opinions matter, they will have a more positive attitude when adopting new operations.
To encourage employees to participate in the implementation process, it is good practice to foster continuous improvement with open communication, solicit feedback on how the CRM is performing, adjust processes to meet the needs of the staff, and schedule reevaluations of the new operations.
Support the Goal
Offer ongoing support and guidance to your sales team as they learn to use your CRM. Regular check-ins, Q&A sessions, and access to a dedicated support team contribute to long-lasting success.
You shouldn’t be left alone to navigate your new platform. Support from your CRM provider is key, and you should offer a dedicated dealer support team. They can help your staff set and reach sales goals, track overall progress, and evolve objectives.
It’s also a good practice for managers to monitor CRM usage and provide feedback to their sales team. Identify areas where they may be struggling and offer additional training or support as needed.
The Technology Has to Deliver
Have you heard of “too many cooks in the kitchen”? This can happen at a dealership when your team has to manage multiple platforms and pieces of technology to do their job effectively. A single hub of productivity, communication, and collaboration – where you don’t have to juggle between platforms and remember to use them all –makes sense. Who wouldn’t want to visit a single place to perform all the tasks and gather all the info you need to contribute to a sale?
Select a CRM system that is intuitive, user-friendly, and meets your team’s specific needs. Better yet, choose one with built-in and customizable workflows that offer transparency and flexibility to keep your dealership running smoothly.
A CRM that can streamline the data entry process as much as possible will also be appreciated. Choose a CRM that can automate data capture and minimize the manual input required from your team. They will thank you for it!
By leveraging a comprehensive CRM tool and implementing these tips, you can connect your entire team with shared information and objectives.
A CRM that can streamline the data entry process as much as possible will also be appreciated. Choose a CRM that can automate data capture and minimize the manual input required from your team. They will thank you for it!
Ensuring your dealership team embraces your CRM will not only help your dealership make more sales and gain repeat business, but you’ll also gain an empowered team that drives measurable results and crushes sales goals!
Give your employees a CRM that unites your efforts and drives success. They will want to work every day.
