Adopting and implementing a new CRM solution can be challenging for companies in the home building industry. One of the biggest challenges is the sales team often views a Home Builder CRM as an unnecessary tool that they are required to utilize and management will use it to track, evaluate and micromanage job performance. Under this scenario, the sales team may be more inclined to manipulate data. 

To help overcome and avoid potential challenges, it is vital to start by enlisting buy-in from the team and showcasing the benefits a CRM has to offer. It’s all about changing the perception of your Customer Relationship Management system to celebrate, recognize and motivate.

Adopting Your Home Builder CRM

When a company is considering adding a Home Builder CRM, one of the first mistakes you can make is failing to include members of the team that will use the system daily in the selection and implementation process. Enlisting involvement from the sales team through a thoughtful implementation and interactive training program will increase long-term success. Show the sales team how aCRM solution will help track customer leads and ultimately generate increased revenue and commissions. 

Embrace & Encourage

A CRM solution provides users with reports and dashboards that allow them to track and manage sales. It also provides information or stats on neglected activities, conversion rates and adoption reports, which specifically reveals CRM system usage. Rather than focusing on negative data, position your CRM to celebrate, recognize and motivate your team.  Here are some tips on how to start:

• Change your dashboard POV

Avoid using a dashboard that displays negative data such as neglected activities and conversion rates. Instead, create a dashboard that showcases members of the sales team that are on track with their goals. 

• Reward best practices

Identify ways to reward positive CRM usage. For example, if you expect the sales team to maintain a ranking and projected sale date field updated, reward the sales representatives that have clean pipelines. Recognize those who made a sale and celebrate those who were able to use the CRM to project it.

• Data driven decision making

When reviewing requests from the field regarding action items such as pricing changes or marketing initiatives, prioritize the requests that are properly recorded and utilize data to justify the request. For example, when a salesperson is tracking traffic results, they can use that data from the CRM to support a request for an ad or a price reduction. When others see that their request was approved, it will help motivate the team to utilize the system. 

• Make your CRM a daily practice

It is crucial to encourage the team to use the CRM. Learning to let go of emails and Excel reports and replacing it with the capabilities a CRM offers can become a new and more productive way of working. Utilizing internal CRM collaboration tools like Chatter to communicate rather than going back and forth via email can help increase efficiency. To motivate employees, consider rewarding and recognizing individuals at company sales meetings for successfully adopting and embracing your CRM. 

When used consistently and effectively, a CRM solution should not feel like an administrative task, it should be a vital resource with tools that help your team achieve success.  If your company is interested in learning more about how ApostleTech’s CRM solution for home builders can help, contact us today to schedule a demo of HCP.