As a starting point, ensure you assess your sales team’s existing processes and capabilities before implementing a new CRM. This is a good way to predict and prepare for potential adoption challenges. Here’s a helpful CRM Readiness Checklist to get your started.

So, let’s say you’ve taken the plunge and invested in the HubSpot CRM. It's sleek, powerful, and ready to revolutionize your sales processes. There's just one tiny problem: your sales team is treating it like a gym membership – full of good intentions but no follow through. This is a common challenge. According to a recent study, more than 50% of businesses say that their CRM adoption rate is below 90%. 

A poor CRM adoption rate often has cascading effects. These range from decreased employee engagement, poor customer experience, and a loss of time and revenue. Fear not! We’ve got you covered with some best practices to transform your sales team from CRM skeptics to power users. Let’s dive in.

1. Get Buy-In from the Top

Actions speak louder than words, especially when it comes to adopting new tools. Your sales leaders should champion the CRM by integrating it into their daily work and demonstrating its value. When the team sees the higher-ups valuing and utilizing the tool, they’re more likely to follow suit. It's a bit like watching your boss make a fool of themselves at karaoke – if they can do it, so can you. 

2. Show Them the ‘Why’

People resist change when they don’t understand the benefit. Your sales team needs to know why this shiny new tool is worth their time. HubSpot makes life easier by streamlining workflows, tracking interactions, and providing valuable insights. HubSpot also integrates with existing tools, such as email, calendar, and Slack. Seamless integration reduces the learning curve and makes the CRM feel like a natural extension of daily work. 

3. Train, Train, and Then Train Some More

Training is non-negotiable, but let's be honest, nobody wants to sit through a dry lecture. Use a mix of videos, hands-on activities, and live demos to keep training engaging. Break the sessions into bite-sized chunks – like episodes of their favorite binge-worthy show. Also, use HubSpot Academy's resources which cover most aspects of your CRM. Remember, practice makes perfect. Or atleast, proficient enough to navigate without calling IT for every hiccup.

4. Customization is Key 

Make the CRM feel like it was built just for them. Customize the dashboards, reports, and workflows to match their specific needs. Once it reflects their daily routine, it feels less like a foreign entity and more like a tailored suit. Comfortable, fitting, and efficient.

5. Appoint CRM Champions

Every team has its stars – the ones who are tech-savvy and enthusiastic about new tools. Appoint these individuals as your CRM champions. They can train others, troubleshoot issues, and spread positive vibes about the CRM. Peer influence can often be more powerful than any directive from management.

6. Incentivize Usage 

Turn CRM adoption into a game by creating friendly competitions around its usage. Award points for logging interactions, updating records, and closing deals through the CRM. Prizes can range from gift cards to extra time off (or just the sheer glory of being the HubSpot guru). Gamification can turn a mundane task into something engaging and, dare we say, fun. 

7. Keep the Data Clean (Like, Really Clean)

Nothing kills CRM adoption faster than a mess of data. Conduct regular data audits and encourage your sales team to keep HubSpot updated. Accurate data enhances its effectiveness and builds trust in the system. Kind of like a well-organized sock drawer.

8. Collect Feedback and Adapt

Listen to your team’s feedback. If they’re struggling with certain aspects of the CRM, address these issues promptly. HubSpot is constantly evolving, and so should your approach to using it. By showing that you value their input, you reinforce that the CRM is a tool designed to help them, not hinder them.

9. Track Usage and Progress 

Track your team’s usage through analytics and reporting tools. Some key metrics are login frequency, data entry completeness, and pipeline updates. Use these insights to celebrate the high adopters and support the stragglers. It’s like having a fitness tracker – it keeps everyone accountable and on track

10. Automate the Mundane Tasks (Because Who Has Time for That?)

Take advantage of HubSpot’s automation capabilities to handle routine tasks. Automate follow-up emails, meeting schedules, and lead scoring. This frees up your team to focus on what they do best – selling. 

HubSpot CRM Adoption Made Simple With Sidekick

The struggle for CRM adoption is very real, and painful. Teams spend months consulting with leadership to build their sales process on HubSpot. But adoption remains a challenge despite the tools, training, and resources mentioned above. This is because the CRM is often viewed as too complex to navigate, with too many things to remember to update. 

But getting your sales team to fully embrace the CRM doesn’t have to be an uphill battle anymore. With Sidekick, your sales team can work with your complex yet elegant CRM processes just like they’d text a colleague on Slack. No adoption challenges, no onboarding, no training. Just ask your sales team to remember to respond when Sidekick messages them on Slack. That’s it, that’s your whole process onboarding call.

Sounds too good to be true? Book a demo with Sidekick and get one step closer to saying goodbye to your CRM adoption woes forever!