Customise the system. Provide the sales team with a customised system that only presents the functions that are absolutely necessary to the sales process. Resist the temptation to include something because it may be of some use in the future.

Provide top-quality training. Once you’ve got a system provide top-quality training so that the sales team really understands how to use it for their own benefit, not only the company’s.

Introduce the system in stages. The most common way of introducing a CRM is to give the sales force a generic, out-of-the-box version, while simultaneously working on the customisations and improvements. This alienates the sales team and forces them to do the same job twice – a big mistake.

Run a pilot. Successful CRM implementations begin with a pilot using a small part of the sales team. When the system proves useful, the salespeople who participated in the pilot will spread the good word.

Evolve to a better system. Sales methodologies change frequently and the CRM implementation needs to be flexible enough to reflect new processes without starting over.

Use sales effectiveness as the touchstone. Whenever you talk about the CRM system to salespeople in the company, emphasise how much it will help salespeople sell more effectively. Remember that in the phrase “ease of use,” the third word is as important as the first.

Provide rewards for using the system. Give early adopters, and enthusiastic users in the sales team additional perks and bonuses. Establish a special prize for the salesperson who uses the CRM most effectively. Publicly praise salespeople who embrace CRM. When salespeople feel that using the system is a plus for their career, they’re far more likely to consider it easy to use.