Arrrrrgh the pain!!!!

Management and Reps Need Information

Timely. Daily reports without daily input and updates have little to no value. Wouldn't it be better to keep everyone on the team informed with the latest data changes - tasks completed, close date and forecast amounts updated, new appointments, etc?

Rich Data. To keep managers happy, a rep may log meeting notes as "Good meeting - need proposal." Stats are updated but the is no value. Wouldn't it be better to give more information, "Met with Jim and his boss. They asked questions about delivery and price discount if they bought by the end of the month. Need to create two proposals - one for closing by the end of this month and the other for additional purchases next quarter. Price was agreed to at 4% discount. Delivery has to be within 10 days. Thy have the budget and must spend it."

Accurate. Updating forecasts and opportunity amounts at the end of the day is fine until you are at the end of the month, quota period, or fighting for resources. Wouldn't it be better to update the opportunity as soon as you hear the changes and commitments?

Shareable. If you work on a team, you have to make extra calls to keep everyone in the loop. Wouldn't it be better if everyone could just see your latest updates and notes from just minutes ago with much richer information? That will save you time better spent selling.

Continuity. Remembering all the details from previous meetings is not easy to do. What about birthdays, kid's names, hobbies, etc. that make a great relationship? Wouldn't it be better to have that summary briefing information read to you on your way to the meeting?

ROI. Does your manager value the customer and prospect data as a rich source of information? Do you value your time? Wouldn't it be better to Have all your calls and updates made before you get home?

Productivity and Salesforce Adoption

Adoption. The biggest issue for most organizations is adoption of Salesforce by their sales reps. Management wants the data and reps "don't have the time" to update everything. "Do you want me to spend more time selling or updating Salesforce?" is a frequently heard objection. Wouldn't it be better if Reps easily and happily updated Salesforce with rich information of their activities and progress?

No data or Weak data. When you are busy all day and sit down at night to do your Salesforce updating, who wants to type a lot? What ends up happening is nothing gets updated or some trivial note gets put in to make the stats show up (how many calls today?). Wouldn't it be better to record your notes throughout the day while you are waiting for appointments or walking back to your car?

Drive Time Wasted

Meeting Notes go stale. Sure you take good notes... but they are just facts and action items without the nuances and details that make great relationships. Woudn't it be better and easier to just "talk" about the meeting and have all the information saved in the notes or comments?

Check voicemail. Now you have new information that may be important for others to know or for you to save? Wouldn't it be better to log a call, update a record or create a task/appointment about the voicemail?

Make calls. How do you write down notes while driving? How will you remember details from multiple conversations later that night? Wouldn't it be better to just log a call with all the comments from the phone call while it is fresh in your mind?

Briefing for next meeting. How do remember the details for your next call? Wouldn't it be better to just listen to a quick summary from the appointment or task related to this meeting?