That’s, in a nutshell, what I sometimes hear from some professionals when we connect their business ambitions with their challenges and naturally arrive at the topic of their sales practices.
Agreeing that better results won’t come from ‘doing the same things and simply working harder’, we move on to discuss sales processes and sales tools. And one of the key tools we zoom in on is the CRM platform.
The feedback is usually more subtle than the title of this post, though.
1. What I hear instead is:
- It’s an admin tool, few sales reps really use the platform,
- I’ve got everything in my head,
- I’ve got my own pipeline in Excel.
Let’s agree this all means the same thing: “CRMs are a pain.”
2. However, when the CRM is used more than in the cases above, the feedback I get changes to:
- We track the number of calls and appointments in the CRM,
- Only deals that are likely to close quickly are included in the pipeline.
- Updates are made the day before our business review meetings.
This usually means the CRM is seen as a necessary pain, one the company can live with, but not worth serious investment.
3. What I hear far less often however is this:
- The CRM helped us challenge and fine-tune our sales strategy,
- It provided enough information to anticipate our recruitment needs,
- Because it’s open to other departments, operations (ops, presales, etc.) run smoothly, without pressure, hidden costs, or bad surprises.
So how do you get there? First things first.
1. What did (or do) you expect from your CRM?
I’m not talking about features. I’m talking about business benefits.
- A central platform to increase visibility and predictability of the business?
- Or simply a tool to track sales calls and appointments?
2. Who should be using the platform?
A CRM is a corporate platform.
One of the most common mistakes comes from confusing:
“The sales department feeds the CRM”
with
“The CRM never goes beyond the sales department.”
3. Who can use the CRM, and for what?
- General Management: visibility and predictability,
- Marketing: lead generation and market trends,
- Finance: budgeting and forecasting,
- Presales: alignment on opportunities,
- Operations (delivery): knowing what’s coming next.
A well-managed CRM helps companies:
- Assess resource needs more accurately,
- Build realistic budgets,
- Anticipate recruitment needs,
- Challenge their overall strategy.
4. Make the CRM non-optional
Make it the single point of entry for sales data.
Eliminate parallel sources of information such as Excel pipelines and other “parallel universes” that coexist.
5. Go beyond KPI tracking
CRMs today offer a wealth of functionalities.
Are you still stuck tracking only the pipeline and the number of appointments made by your sales team?
Then it’s time for a refresher training and a serious look at what your CRM platform can actually deliver for the business.
6. Use it, and make it central
From now on, the CRM should feed management meetings with real-time analysis.
Extensive use of dashboards allows all involved departments to access the information they need.
Get rid of Excel and PowerPoint consolidations disconnected from real-time CRM data.
From my experience, no matter how long a CRM has been partly ignored, the good news is this: the situation can be reversed.
Don’t waste any more time. Start:
• Selling the platform internally,
• Training your teams,
• Listening to their feedback.
And use the CRM for what it should be: a central business platform delivering real, tangible value to your teams.
👉 Is your CRM a reporting tool, or a decision-making platform?
At what point did your CRM stop being “just for sales”?
