Three things to remember when deploying new tech to a large sales team

Congratulations! You’ve just invested seven figures in a new technology designed to modernize some of your pitch to pay process. Your operations team has done everything right; researched and found the right platform, spent countless hours integrating and

testing, created a thoughtful launch and training program and rolled it out perfectly.  The meticulous planning and execution of the launch and training program speak volumes about your commitment to innovation.

However, despite your team's dedication, it's not uncommon for new technologies to face challenges in gaining traction, especially within large sales teams. So, what went wrong?

Chances are, if you’re like a lot of leaders, you failed to gain buy-in from your sales staff and underestimated the power of inertia inherent in large sales organizations. In such environments, workarounds and resistance to change can hinder adoption of the new tech, leading to suboptimal results.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. Below are a few simple steps you can take to improve adoption amongst your sales team and improve results on your next big upgrade.

• Standardize underlying processes before introducing new technology. Maximizing the impact of new technology generally requires standardization in processes and behaviors. What you may not realize is that you lack foundational standardization using your current platform.  For instance, in market A the sales coordinator inputs the sales order, while in market B the sales rep does it. Before rolling out the new tech, it’s worthwhile to document your current pitch to pay process and seek to standardize wherever possible.  By establishing consistency across your organization you will help ensure that you’re understanding what will change for users with the new technology and will be able to document and train using a common base.  That will lead to one new way for each step from the old to new process.

• Create a diverse task force. Inviting key sales stakeholders into the upgrade process early and often is crucial to a successful transition. It’s not enough to include the Chief Revenue Officer and a couple of high-ranking VPs though; to truly get traction you’ll need to engage a much larger group than you may imagine. At a minimum, you should include a sales task force made up of at least one member of each sales role that will realize significant change from this process, and the task force should be in place from beginning to end. For large transitions, such as CRM installations, we’ve also found it helpful to appoint incentivized “ambassadors” at each sales office to help with the rollout and post-training adoption.

• Communicate the WIIFM for both employees and customers. When asking a sales team to adopt new technology and standardization in process and behavior, it’s critical to explain the “What’s In It For Me” (WIIFM) for both the employee and their customers. It’s not enough to point out that the company will realize significant savings doing things a new way; honestly most employees don’t care. As you’re rolling out the change, communicate early and often how the new way is better for the employee and better for customers. Regular and transparent communication about the benefits of the new approach will foster understanding and buy-in among stakeholders.

Another tip: for large projects, consider adding a trusted advisory resource to help with functional coordination and sales force adoption.

We hope these insights will guide you towards a successful technology upgrade and improved sales performance. Share your thoughts below, and best wishes on your journey towards innovation and growth!