Episode 9: How Even the Best CRM System Can Kill ProductivityCRM is great . . . until it isn't. It is up to you as a sales manager, not your salespeople, to strike a winning balance with a CRM platform. If not used the right away, it can kill productivity! In this episode, you will learn:· Common mistakes managers make with CRM· How CRM can kill productivity· The best strategy for using CRM When used correctly, a CRM system can be very beneficial. But if not managed with care, it can wreak havoc for any sales team.Don't Miss an Episode - Subscribe for Free Now!Subscribe to this podcast today and stay up-to-date on the latest in sales psychology. Additional ResourcesIf you are looking for additional ways to increase your sales team's productivity, check out our blog: 7 Easy Ways to Boost Your Sales Team's Productivity.If you are a new sales manager and want to avoid common pitfalls, check out our blog: The Biggest Challenges of First-Time Sales Managers & How to Overcome Them. More About SalesDrive, LLCAt SalesDrive, LLC, we help companies perfect the salesperson hiring process by offering a variety of tools, like a sales assessment and psychologically-based interview guides, that aid companies in never hiring a bad salesperson again. SalesDrive was founded in 2005 based on the single biggest frustration many companies face, selecting sales candidates who interviewed well, only to flame out when placed on the line. Dr. Croner reviewed more than 80 years of academic research as well as his own work in conducting intensive behavioral interviews and discovered that high-performance salespeople shared three innate personality traits. After identifying a gap in the marketplace, he went on to develop The DriveTest® sales assessment. The only sales assessment to measure the three non-teachable traits necessary for new business acquisition.   If you are hiring salespeople, request a free DriveTest assessment today: https://salesdrive.info/free-trial-request--Transcript[soft melody theme music]  [00:00]  Katherine Abraham: Hello and Welcome to the Sales Psyched podcast, where we discuss strategies for leveraging psychology within the world of sales. Each episode is hosted by Dr. Chris Croner, who has a PhD in clinical psychology and has spent his career helping companies around the world build stellar sales teams. [00:20]  Let's get started. [deep drum, marching intro music] [00:30]  Chris Croner: Dr. Chris Croner here with the hidden way that CRM can kill productivity.[00:37]  Where would we be without our Salesforce? Salesforce and other CRM platforms have been embraced by business owners and managers all over the world. And at their best, they're great. We use a CRM program at our company and it really has been a great way to keep track of prospect and client action. [00:57]  That is, unless as managers, we take CRM too far. We become obsessed with our salespeople filling in ever more information which builds and builds until it begins to swallow the universe. [01:11]  Managers may love CRM, but ask most salespeople and they'll tell you it competes with their selling time and it often does. [01:20]  It's therefore incumbent upon managers to follow the K.I.S.S rule when it comes to CRM programs. That's K-I-S-S, as in, Keep It Simple Stupid. [01:30]  We have to resist overloading our salespeople with ever more demands for information. And we should go through it several times per year to eliminate information we really don't need. Of course, that's harder than just adding ever more information fields, which is easier for the manager but can weigh down a salesperson like barnacles on a tiger shark. [01:54]  Psychologically, I also want you to ask yourself if you use your CRM to manage and motivate salespeople or to control them. [02:04]  Salespeople hate being controlled. That's one of the biggest reasons they choose sales as a profession. For the freedom they perceive in pursuing it. The last thing they need is a manager who's constantly haranguing them for not keeping up with their CRM program. [02:21]  That's why it pays off, at multiple levels, to keep the program as simple and streamlined as possible. CRM is great, until it isn't. It's up to you, not your salespeople, to strike the winning balance. [02:37]  See you next time.    [soft melody theme music] [02:41]  Chris Croner: Thank you for listening to the Sales Psyched Podcast. If you haven't already, please be sure to click the subscribe button and leave us a five-star review. If you found this information helpful, please consider sharing it. We'd love your help in spreading the word. [02:58]  Until next time, take care!