A Response to Inc. Magazine's June 1 guide, "How to Build Business Alliances"
http://www.inc.com/magazine/20100601/how-to-build-business-alliances.html
The process involved in determining which CRM solution is right for your organization is one that should not be underestimated and takes careful consideration. If from the start your CRM solution does not work well with your organization's goals, then there could be trouble.
This is the way in which the adoption of a CRM application is comparable to forming a business alliance. Inc. Magazine, the publisher that advises business leaders on starting, operating and growing their businesses, created a guide to forming a strategic alliance. After reading this guide, it became apparent that I could draw a lot of parallels to the process of CRM execution.
Inc. divides its guide into three sections: "Selecting a Partner," "Cutting a Deal," and "Making it Work."
Although best practices for CRM implementation has to be broken down into more than just three major categories, this guide definitely hits the nail on the head when it comes to making an important decision or investment meant to improve a business operation of any sort.
As Inc. insinuates, the selection of a partner is a very important part of the formation of a successful business alliance. It states that, "it pays to be very selective about whom you team up with." This holds true for organizations that seek to invest in a CRM application to improve operations, as well. While it shouldn't scare you away from adopting a CRM solution, you want to be sure that the amount of time and money you use to research solutions, purchase one, and train employees (which rightfully comes along with the implementation process) will be worth it in the end. You don't need to be skeptical if you are certain from the beginning that the CRM you choose is a good fit for your organization.
Inc. also claims that "cutting a deal" involves planning that sets your organization up for success with its new alliance. The same goes for CRM adoption. We can safely say that how well-though-out your organization's plan is for using CRM will determine the success of your investment. Inc. suggests that in this stage you need to "draw the big picture" and "establish subjects and a timetable for the talks." The better your employees understand the benefits of CRM to the team as a whole, the more everyone will get out of it. Time should be set aside for employees to be trained and educated adequately so they will know how to use the system to the benefit of the organization.
When you choose to implement a CRM system, "making it work" is very important. Similar to the importance of planning who will make which decisions in a company once an alliance is formed, it is important that a plan is in place regarding how the CRM will be used routinely and how each person can make the most out of it. In the case of business alliances, Inc. suggests finding a person within the partnering company who is really passionate about having both firms work towards moving in the right direction. Similarly, you should identify a person who is very skilled and consistent with using the CRM application within your company. This person would be someone who can lead by example and who employees can look to for help if they have questions. This should help improve the CRM adoption rate amongst your employees.
Although building business alliances and CRM implementation are two separate subjects, the best practices for building business alliances can be applied to how your organization goes about adopting a CRM system.