Ruthlessness required and applied!

By Mark Annett

The relatively new MD of a company at one of our customers where we did a CRM software implementation commented on how well the system was working for them and how the feedback they were getting from the staff was very positive. Many of them stated how their efficiency had improved, as well as having more time to spend with their customers and prospects. This had quietly translated into earnings that improved greatly but at the same time had not gone unnoticed.
Although the vast majority of our implementations are successful, a few miss the mark. I mentioned this to him and wondered why that was. His response was emphatic, “I was completely ruthless with regard to the implementation, it was a case of do as I say, use our new Maximizer CRM solution as directed or get another job”.
Prior to the CRM implementation the company was not doing as well as it should have been and the MD had identified one of the main reasons for this – there was a disconnect between their customers and themselves. They had a vague idea of what their customers wanted and this worried the MD as he knew that collecting that information was not possible with their current database-based CRM system. He had used Maximizer CRM very successfully in the past and it made sense to replace their current inherited CRM database system with Maximizer CRM. Planning was very important and we started with simple data updating processes which soon progressed to adding notes, scheduling meetings and updating important fields. A “take no prisoners approach” was instigated from the start. The buck stopped at the MD’s desk and he was one of the most active users, leading from the top.
The aphorism that there is no place for sissies at the top certainly applied here. The dust is slowly settling on a much more streamlined and cohesive, customer- centric organization that is set for a very successful future!