It’s not rocket science.

I get asked a lot about how easy it is to set-up CRM. At the hands (or fingers) of a skilled consultant, it is remarkably easy. There is a theory that to really be accomplished at something it takes 10,000 hours. I am constantly in awe of professional golfers piping that 300-yard drive, but I can’t, because I didn’t put in the time to learn how. Or the professional basketball players that can run full speed, stop, elevate and make a shot with someone right in their face, but I didn’t put in my 10,000 hours. Or, for that matter, auto mechanics that can take apart a motor and put it back together without any left-over parts (like I tend to end up with), it’s probable they put in their 10,000 hours. They make it look remarkably easy. But that is practiced ease, and it came with lots of training and experience. That is the case with our consultants as well.

For us that practiced ease comes from a commitment to continuing education by everyone on our staff: webinars, events, vendor training, writing and reading blogs, videos, and a tremendous amount of internal mentoring. It comes from the wonderful opportunity to work with a wide variety of businesses that push and challenges us to come up with the best ways – there is almost always more than one – to solve their business issues. And it also comes from a tremendous amount of trial and, yes, occasionally error, but more importantly error correction as we continually hone our skills and apply them in new and unique ways.

Another thing that makes for practiced ease or mastery is to have a methodology. Often, we want to just dive in and start working on a particular pain point, but much better outcomes happen when we follow an intentional path – like a scientist would. My high school science teacher drilled into us that science is a way of doing things. So, in that sense we are scientists – maybe not rocket scientists, but scientists, nonetheless. We have a standard way of doing things – a methodology – that ensures we will ultimately get to success. Sometimes it seems inefficient to have kickoff calls and design sessions and reviews and such, but that way of doing things ensures the ultimate in efficiency: a project done right, on time, and on budget
.
Like the actor, J.K. Simmons, says in the Farmers Insurance commercials, “We know a thing or two because we’ve seen a thing or two.” We have been fortunate that we have clients that get us involved in some really interesting projects, and we, too, know a thing or two. So how hard is it to set up CRM? It’s easy – especially if you put in the training and practice and treat it like science.

For more information or to tap into the mastery of our TopLine Results consultants, email info@toplineresults.com or call 1-800-880-1960. We can take on your CRM project and put your mind at ease.

About the Author
Jim O'Neill is our Senior CRM Account Manager. With more than 15 years of CRM experience, Jim specializes in assisting companies select CRM and marketing automation solutions.