The 1/3 versus 3x Law for CRM Deployment Success
It’s no secret that implementing and adopting a CRM system is fraught with risk. In fact, nearly 50% of implementations fail. Yep, success is basically a coin toss.
Those odds surely put fear into anyone in charge of a CRM system. A failed project could mean missing sales targets, wasted time and money, but it could also often result in good people losing their jobs. How do you improve your odds of success?
Benjamin Franklin once said, “By failing to plan, you are preparing to fail.”
Enter the 1/3 versus3x law for CRM deployment success. Invest 1/3 more-time, energy, and effort upfront to create a detailed business requirements document (BRD), and you will save yourself 3x as much in unnecessary rework and scope creep over the first 2years. Also, by engaging key stakeholders in defining the platform requirements you ensure accelerated adoption and platform utilization.
We created this law over the last 9 years based on CRM platform deployments and enhancements spanning nearly every industry and company size. Whether you are implementing a new CRM platform or enhancing an existing one, the first step is to create a detailed BRD that outlines what data, actions, layouts, and setups required by user type to optimize your lead-to-closed/won sales lifecycle.
Your unique BRD needs to include those level 1 process flows, and level 2 - account, contact, lead, and opportunity - data elements, required to provide sales visibility for your entire enterprise from sales teams to managers to executives.
A BRD:
> Provides a blueprint on how to integrate your defined sales process into your CRM platform
> Limits the time, scope, and expense to deploy your enterprise CRM platform
> Identifies the minimum viable information (MVI) required to support your complete lead-to-cash lifecycle
Additionally, creation of your BRD needs to include interviewing key sales, marketing, operations, and executive stakeholders to:
> Facilitate buy-in, adoption, and utilization of the new platform to optimize success
> Identify the impact, both positive and negative, of deploying your new CRM platform
> Assess all current tools and technologies used across your sales process
Your unique BRD is a ‘living’ document to not only accelerate the deployment of your CRM platform, but document, manage, and communicate all future platform enhancements. Keep your change in your pocket – and plan, document and execute your success.
