Many of us will always be highly resistant to change. This is particularly apparent when it comes to new technology, where the instinctive reaction among some of us is to be sceptical.

The typical response may be along the lines of: 'I'm doing my job just fine as it is. Why do I need this new technology?'

So when we find a system that suits us and – more importantly - that works, we tend to stick to it.

This is a mindset particularly apparent amongst sections of sales professionals, who can be – perhaps understandably – wary of any change that will affect the way they're able to do their jobs.

A good salesperson will have got to where they are due to creating a way of doing things that best reflects their personality, goals and abilities. This means they will often argue they don't need any software, or - sometimes – any marketing to help them improve.

As we have previously discussed, hostility still exists within large sections of the Sales community towards Marketing, despite the fact that – with systems such as Microsoft CRM – they could help each other to improve their overall performance.  A recent discussion on a LinkedIn Sales group confirmed this, with a section of users questioning whether any marketing – including having a company website - was neccessary at all, even in larger businesses.

When you consider the changes in the approach of the modern B2B buyer, that seems a tad unrealistic.

When it comes to CRM, sales professionals may also argue that they don't have the time to input data and regularly update the system, because they're out doing what they do best: Selling.

But while there are perhaps logical reasons for Sales professionals hostility towards CRM, they are ignoring its key benefit: it will help to improve their performance in their job without majorly altering how they do it.

A good CRM system will act as an organisational tool to a good Sales team, giving them all the information they need instantly to hand, showing them all the previous activity that any prospect has had with their company. This makes trying to sell a much easier process.

CRM isn't a threat to Sales Professionals; it's an electronic PA, an instant enabler that can help them improve their performance by selling to qualified prospects. By simply dedicating a small amount of time to regularly updating its database, the sales professional is ensuring he has the best possible chance of making an already very successful salesman even better.

Which goes to show that change, sometimes, isn't neccessarily a bad thing.

We are hosting two upcoming seminars specifically tailored for Sales Managers. Stay Tuned for more information.

At Contact Edge CRM, we specialise in Microsoft CRM, which helps businesses find creative ways to engage with customers. And by accurately tracking how the first engagement was initiated, this allows you to ensure you are tailoring your information and boosting your sales productivity by selling to the right people.