Just How Hard Can it Be?
I just finished reading a 1998 paper by Richard Cook at Cognitive Technologies Laboratory in Chicago on ‘How Complex Systems Fail’. This is well worth reading – twice – by anyone tasked with deploying any IT solution today. It will change the way you look at systems.
Dr. Cook has broken his paper into eighteen separate rules (or truths) such as “complex systems run in degraded mode” or as “broken systems”. The paper is available for download at the CTL website or in Michael Krigsman’s post at ZDNet.
But you don’t have to be working with a large, conplex system or process in order to recognize the warning signs of a project in trouble. In fact, most of them are easy to spot:
No clearly defined target or objective
No plan or roadmap to get there
Not enough resources available
No accountability
….feel free to add your favorites here
I was brought up (yeah, I know, old scool and all that) with the concept that a ‘job worth doing was worth doing well’. And in order to do that we need to have a few things in place before we begin:
Reason (Why?)
Goal (What?)
Resources (How?)
Responsibility (Who?)
Plan out your next project, no matter how small it may be… it my take only a single sheet of paper. It will make a difference in the outcome.
Oh yes, the title of this post… When Kinky Freidman was running for Goveror of Texas in 2004 one of his campaign slogans was “How Hard Could It Be?”. Great campaign slogan but I don’t think you would want to manage your project that way. Project planning is not that hard either!
Five Easy Ways to Make CRM More Productive For You
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is discipline, abusiness process – not a product you purchase. However with just a little bit of elbow grease (remember elbow grease?) you can start building a system that can be one of the smoothest running machines in your business. Here’s a good start:
1- Customize Your Database
This is one of the easiest yet most powerful ways to make your customer database more productive. All CRM software products give you the tools to change the database and the screen layouts. Why not change the way your database looks and feels to match the way you do business?
And with most everything, there are right ways and not-so-right ways to make these changes. Sometimes it is just the simple things… if you want to add a field to record a date, add a new ‘date’ field to the database, not a ‘character’ field. For dollar amounts, use a ‘currency’ type field. Just re-arranging the data fields on the form can sometimes provide a productivity increase.
2- Track Sales Opportunities
Opportunity Management (sometimes called Potentials) is a great way to begin to manage your Sales Pipeline and to generate accurate Sales Forecasts.
Once you start looking at your customer database as a repository of potential revenue instead of a gigantic digital ‘Rolodex’ you will begin to start managing your sales activities in a more focused manner.
3- Automate Business Processes
Having your customer database to doing work for you is almost like having another assistant working for free.
Each CRM software product differs in the type of workflow automation offered. On occasion the automation may require purchasing a specific ‘add-on’ software product such as KnowledgeSync but the value you get is well worth the investment. Some easy examples are:
- Sales forecasts e-mailed every Monday morning
- Notification of upcoming opportunities that are closing
- Sending an alert an hour before each meeting
- Automated follow-up e-mails
4- Follow-ups
Sales 101 tells us that we need to ‘touch’ a lead or prospect 7-9 times before they begin to have an awareness of who we are and what we have to offer.
It is pretty easy in most CRM products to see which customers, prospects or leads have not been contacted in the last 30 or 45 days. A phone call or an e-mail to keep in touch will keep the relationship moving forward.
5- Start Using Social Media
Many CRM products are now integrated with social media sites like LinkedIn and Facebook. But even if you don’t have a product that does, you can still make social media a valuable tool for your business.
The next time you are getting ready to call an important client or hot prospect, take a minute or two and check LinkedIn or Facebook. Some days you won’t see anything new, other times you will have the chance to congratulate them on something they have just posted — like a new baby or returning from a vacation overseas — that will reinforce your relationship with that person.
Following the steps above will get you off to a good start using your CRM system. Remember, CRM is a journey, not a destination.
Back to Basics – Four Rules
OK, sometimes we really need to go back to basics – I have been hearing from too many people recently that have had emergencies that should not have happened. Maybe we just got a little careless over the summer.
Backup, backup, backup! Really, though, you only need to backup what you don’t want to lose. And don’t forget to make sure at least one of those backups are off-site. Somewhere on-line is fine.
If you have ever had a fire or flood where all your database was at the scene you will understand.
Don’t leave your laptop in the back of your car while you go shopping or otherwise unprotected. Put the laptop (and any other valuables) in the trunk where it is locked and out of sight. Again, you only need to do this for the things you don’t want to lose.
Encrypt your password file(s). Do this now! If you carry a password file around with you on a USB drive or a laptop it is the same as having all the keys to your home, car, office and possibly all of your clients all in one place. TrueCrypt is great open source encryption program that will allow you to secure everything from a file on a USB drive to a full laptop or workstation.
Don’t burn bridges behind you. The older you get the more you will find out how important this is to your success. Today’s competitors will be tomorrow’s partners.
OK, now that I have gotten that off my chest I can go back to helping my customers be more successful!
Server Madness
One of the advantages of being a consultant in the IT field is that you get to do site visits with customers in many different cities. And you usually get access to their ’server room’. Sometimes you get just a tour but frequently we get to spend some ‘quality time’ with our customer’s servers.
I still remember a server upgrade we had to do in an office in downtown Manhattan. The server room was nicely located with no windows and secured by passkey. And when they opened the door to let me in… Wow!
CAT5 cables, power cords and who knows what else was literally swinging from wall to wall – it looked like Monkey Jungle in there. Have you ever seen a functioning modem swinging in mid-air? Yeah, me neither.
Apparently no one in their IT department had ever heard of wire ties. The far wall had cables cascading completely down the wall like the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Luckily we didn’t have to replace too many of the cables during the upgrade but cleaning up the mess was a challenge.
Sometime later in a small town in NJ I had to upgrade a server that was located in the basement of their office building. I was led downstairs, through a conference room and down a long hall. At the end in a small alcove sat the server. All alone except for hot water heater sitting right next to it! And just to make sure it was safe the server was resting on a layer of bricks so it would not get wet when the water tank leaked.
Many of the customers I visit have kitchen facilities in their offices. Some of those kitchens are used for their intended purpose, others have seemingly been taken over by a rogue IT staff in the last coup.
One of my favorites was located in GA. The cutout where you would normally find a dishwasher now contained two servers, side-by-side. The cables let to the counter top where more electronic equipment sat next to the sink as if it had just been washed and was now air drying. Open the cupboard and instead of cups you found the switches and several modems. Oh, and this was a working kitchen complete with microwave and referigerator.
The kitchen areas do seem popular, perhaps because they are not ‘normal’ work areas. Just recently I have seen a sever installed partially over a sink with the cables draped over the water spigot. And a server centrally installed on the top of a refrigerator.
And kitchens really weren’t that bad compared to the server I was introduced to some years back. I was ushered into a men’s room in this particular office building. OK, where is it? My customer pulled back a shower curtain and there was the server… sitting on the floor of the shower. I think I asked if the water was still connected but I don’t recall the answer.
Ahhh, the good old days weren’t that far back. But today I could have video blogged these gems of server deployment for everyone to enjoy!
CRM is Dead, Long Live CRM
There, I said it!
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is just more TLA geek-speak to make us think that that there is a technology which will do all the selling for us. All we have to do is ‘implement’ CRM and wait for the orders to come pouring in…
CRM is a process, a discipline, a methodology whereby we continually touch our customers and prospects to reinforce our brand or our message. CRM is just the tool we use to manage the process.
So then, just how are we ‘managing’ relationships with our customers?
Relationships are nurtured – processes are managed. I am convinced that no customer is really ’sold’ — only made aware of who we are and what we do. Our goal is to have a favorable impression on them when they decide that they want to buy a product or service that we offer.
Really I think my biggest problem with CRM is that when I am speaking about or discussing CRM, about third time I use the term I feel like I am in an episode of ER or House - CRM, CRM, serum…
So I propose a newer, better, faster term — CAR: Customer Acquisition and Retention. Add an ‘S’ to the end and you now have a Customer Aquisition and Retention System.
Add a ‘TS’ and you immediately have a ‘Tracking System’. And it doesn’t sound like a medical term. My golden rule for acronyms is that they must have at least one vowell as so to be pronoucable. Plus, it fits in well with my NASCAR Approach to CRM CARS.
How Much Do You Charge?
One of the most common questions that we get asked. And one of the least valuable ways to begin a conversation with a potential vendor / partner / service provider.
Of course the answer is “it depends – what do you need’? Or maybe you did really want an hour of my time? What would you want me to do for that hour?
Pretty close to sending me to the hardware store to get a you a drill. I have no idea what size hole you need — what depth, diameter, rock, sheet rock, etc. How do I know that don’t just want to hammer a nail but feel more comfortable doing with a hand drill?
One way to tell professionals from the not-so-professionals is how they answer that question. A professional in their field will begin asking questions to try and understand more about your problem and what solutions would be acceptable to you. This is what they are trained for: solving problems in the best manner for the customer.
The not-so-professional will most likely respond with a dollar figure – after all they are just selling time, not solutions. And they will probably give you a discount if you ask. No mention of problem, situation or expected results.
True professionals will work with you to achieve a solution that fits your situation and expectations. And they will be happy to recommend you to someone else if they feel that you will be better served by the other party.
Oh, by the way, that question also helps professionals select customers that they want to work with…
The Little Things
I was driviing through Richmond’s North Side a recently – a nice sunny afternoon I was between meetings. When I went to signal a right turn I heard that fast click that told me immediately that one of my signal lamps was not workiing.
I had a little time before my next appointment so took a chance and swung by Miles Auto, my local mechanic. And of course all the garage bays are full – just my luck, eh?
I go inside and tell Kevin that I think I just blew out a lamp and ask when would they be able to take a look at it. Kevin glanced around, saw he had a free moment and we walked back out to the lot. Sure enough, it was a bad lamp in the right rear and Kevin had it replaced in a couple of minutes. Wow, I will be able to make my meeting on time.
How much do I owe I ask, reaching for my wallet? Kevin replied “Hey, nothing – you are one of us. Have a nice day” as he waved and went back inside.
Do you really think I will take my car anywhere else?
Lost Opportunity
While sorting though some old files and correspondence this weekend I ran across a letter from a bank – one of the major players in the recent crisis. It contained a brand new credit card and the sticker said I should to call to activiate my new ‘exclusive’ card.
Now I really didn’t need a new credit card. I think we currently have enough to play a small hand of gin. And before you get the wrong idea, they all have a zero balances.
But I thought, hey, maybe another card will be something we might need sometime in the future. So I diall the 800 toll-free number, enter the card number and get transferred to an inside agent.
Remember I said this was ‘old’ correspondence? Well, this letter was several months old!
The agent reviews my account and tells me that since I have had a zero end-of-month balance for the previous 24 months I must not have been using it very much. And anyway, the card they had offered had expired. That’s understandable, these offers can’t last forever.
I said, “really, the offer has expired?”, expecting the agent to offer to re-instate the offer and send me a new card to be activated. ….dead silence…. ”really?” I muttered. “Yes, it has expired… thank you for calling.”
I succeeded in my goal of clearing my desk of one more envelope. But I can’t help thinking that maybe, just maybe, I would have used their card if they had left me with a smile. In the end I have one less credit card and they have one less customer.
If this had been your business would you have done something more that say “…thank you for calling”?
Gibberish… and Why We Can’t Communicate
Or more correctly, using acromym and ‘insider’ terms when plain old English would just fine.
How many times have you had to sit through a presentation by someone who was barely able to communicate with those few people on his (usually) or her own narrow wave length.
Presentations that should be used to transfer valuable information, set goals or otherwise provide clarity to a situation all too frequently disolve into a bottomless bowl of alphabet soup.
Whenever someone is standing in the front of the room it is their responsibility to communicate ideas to the audience in front of them. And whenever a term is used that is not commonplace, everyday use for the group, people begin to groan internally.
I learned my lesson many years ago when I was making a presentation in Norfolk, VA for a major computer vendor. I was helping to introduce one of their newest products.
Having prepared myelf with the vendor material, I was explaining (or so I thought) just how innovative and far-reaching this hardware and software were and how important it was to the members of the audience.
After about 15 minutes or so I noticed more than a few glassy stares in front of me. Being somewhat young and full of myself, I tried to lighten the mood by mentioning that ‘this was not rocket science’.
Immediatey a couple of hands raised in the first row and a gentleman very nicely explained that he and his friend were indeed rocket scientists – they worked at NASA – and still didn’t understand anything of what I was saying.
I managed to finish the presentation but had learned a valuable lesson. My job was to communicate ideas — but I had succeeded only in showing everyone how many acronyms and ‘techie-terms’ I knew.
Since then I have tried my best to stay fom jargon, *TLAs and *FLEAs and anything else that would hinder the understanding of the topic I am presenting.
*TLA – Three Letter Acronym
*FLEA – Four Letter Extended Acronym
The CRM Pit Crew
It’s race day again in Richmond and NASCAR fans have been converging on Virginia’s capital since Thursday. Not quite as many people as last year (econony, manbirdpig flu, who knows) but lots and lots of energy!
I’ve written about this before but it always bears repeating because we all see this too often.
There are four basic steps to implementing pretty much any software project, particularly CRM – you can remember them by the acronym “PITS”. That’s what keeps everything together.
Planning - make sure what you want to accomplish before you even start to look at software. Why do you want to deploy a CRM software system? Would you be better off investing in some other project?
Implementation – What do you have to change in the new software to make it fit your organization? How much customization, how many vendors and will they be in business three years from now? Or maybe you should mold your sales process around the new software.
Are you planning on deploying your new software on the web? If so, will you have a local backup of your data? A distributed system with multiple remote databases on multiple computers is a common approach. Are there there are smart phones and hand-held devices that need to be connected. Oh, did I mention data security?
Training – Why do companies spend tons of money on software and consulting firms and then bail on the training piece of the project?
It seems all too common for a company to expect the end-users of the software to handle training on their own time. Online tutorials and audio/visual training materials are for two purposes: 1- introduction to the software and 2- reference material.
Training should give each user of the software the ability to excel at their particular job. Sales reps don’t need to do e-mail marketing and service techs do not need to manage a sales pipeline. Train to functional objectives and forget the 75% of the system the user won’t use on a daily basis. Then use the on-line or tutorial material to fill that gap as needed.
Support – CRM is a journey, not a destination. Be sure that you have the skill set in-house or a trusted partner as you move through your first steps with a new software system. Everything in business is now a moving target and being able to react quickly and have your CRM software adapt to new markets, new locations and new ways of doing business will be instrumental in your success.
Enjoy your CRM journey! Remember, time flies even if you aren’t having fun…
