HubSpot ranks as one of the best, most innovative CRMs to grow sales. With an intuitive platform, user-friendly design, and free version, HubSpot CRM continues to grow in popularity across the globe. 

Despite being effective and easy to use, it is not always easy to persuade sales representatives to use HubSpot CRM consistently. Between pre-conceived notions and a lack of support, some sales reps are reluctant to fully embrace all that HubSpot CRM has to offer. Below is your step-by-step guide to convincing your sales reps to use the HubSpot CRM.

What are some reasons why sales reps avoid using the HubSpot CRM?

Before diving into the steps you can take to encourage sales reps to use the HubSpot CRM, it is helpful to understand why some sales representatives shy away from using it. Here are some of the top reasons why sales reps refrain from using the HubSpot CRM:

1) They lack the proper onboarding and training

The path to getting the most out of HubSpot begins with robust onboarding and ongoing training. Without sufficient onboarding and training, it is nearly impossible to get the maximum benefit from your HubSpot CRM. 

2) They are accustomed to using another CRM

Veteran sales reps who have operated for years on a different CRM are the most likely to use this reason to explain why they do not embrace the HubSpot CRM. Despite the unique benefits HubSpot brings, you may hear things like:

• "Our old CRM was so much easier to use."
• "Why do we have to move to a new CRM? Our old one worked just fine."
• "This new HubSpot CRM is really slowing me down."

3) They are not aware of HubSpot's benefits

It's hard for sales reps to be enthused about a CRM when no one has told them how it can positively impact their bottom line. When CRM benefits are not clearly outlined, your sales team is more likely to focus on any perceived inconvenience related to learning the system.

4) They worry that the HubSpot CRM will be difficult to use

"If there is one takeaway from our research it's this: the CRMs that dominate today's market are not user-friendly. In fact, they're so difficult to use, most salespeople only use a fraction of their functionality." - Lou Orfanos, VP Product & General Manager, HubSpot

A common fear among many sales reps facing HubSpot implementation is that they won't be able to learn how to use it. This fear can make reps feel vulnerable and defensive. In reality, their fears are unfair, as they often stem from past experiences with other CRMs that are difficult to use.  

5) They view them as a barrier to selling

Most top sales performers try to engage in as much direct selling activity as possible. Like meetings and training seminars, new CRMs are often viewed as a distraction or barrier to maximising their sales results.

What steps can you take to encourage your sales team to use HubSpot CRM?

Now that you are aware of some of the potential barriers that may stand in the way of your sales team flourishing with HubSpot, you can map out a strategic plan to get your sales pros on board with implementation. By having an implementation plan in place, you can overcome potential objections and help ensure your reps feel comfortable and confident when using the CRM. Below are five steps to help you maximise HubSpot CRM usage by your sales team.

Step One: Secure the buy-in of your top reps

Before you start trying to win over your entire sales force, take some time to meet with some of your leading sales performers. Then, go over the key features and benefits of the HubSpot CRM and ask for them to support your efforts to boost usage of the system among their peers. Here are some tips to make your initial meeting with your top reps a successful one:

• Choose reps who consistently exceed their goals and who highly regarded by their peers.
• Arm yourself with compelling performance statistics on how HubSpot's CRM has helped top reps increase their sales.
• Encourage them to voice questions and concerns. Then make sure you address them.
• Tell them how much you value their input and support. Then make yourself available after the meeting to listen to their suggestions.

Step Two: Schedule a meeting with your sales force to go over the HubSpot CRM

By the time you arrive at this step, your upcoming move to HubSpot has likely already been the topic of conversation within your office grapevine. So it's important to schedule a meeting with your sales force as soon as possible to prevent any rumours or inaccurate information from circulating.

As you prepare for your initial meeting with your team, remember to maintain a positive tone and avoid going into too much detail. Remember to make the meeting relevant and be sure to answer the five Ws:

• Who will benefit from the HubSpot CRM? (Suggested Answer: All employees and clients, but salespeople stand to benefit the most)
• What is HubSpot? (Suggested Answer: HubSpot is a software company that develops products and systems designed to grow sales)
• When will onboarding take place? (Suggested Answer: Give your sales team a firm date when onboarding will begin)
• Where can you use the system? (Suggested Answer: Anywhere you can connect to the internet, including remote locations)
• Why is HubSpot being implemented? (Suggested Answer: To help you organise your sales activity and help your business achieve its goals)

Step Three: Let your sales team know exactly how individual reps will benefit from the CRM

At the end of the day, most sales reps will want to know the answer to one key question: "How will this move to HubSpot benefit me?" If you do a good job of answering this question, you are likely to enjoy a smoother move to HubSpot. But if you only focus on general company benefits, your sales team will be much less enthusiastic about using the CRM. Here are some tips to help sales reps understand the many ways the CRM will help them increase their sales and income:

• Be specific: Rather than saying, "It will help you sell more," say, "You can expect your sales cycle to shorten and sales to increase about 10%."
• Provide examples: Reference a competitor or local company whose sales steadily increased after introducing the HubSpot CRM.
• Involve your sales leaders: Invite your top reps to share an early success story and then mention three ways the system helps them.
• Ask a previous user to speak: If you have any sales reps who have used HubSpot CRM in the past, ask them to discuss their experience.

Step Four: Schedule onboarding

Now that you have built excitement among your sales team, it's time to launch an award-winning onboarding kickoff. Ideally, your HubSpot CRM onboarding should be carried out by a skilled HubSpot expert who has taken time to learn your business and specific needs. An experienced onboarding pro can make sure implementation is not overwhelming for your team, and will help you customise the HubSpot CRM to meet your needs.

As you approach Step Four, you face an important choice: Will you choose direct HubSpot onboarding or HubSpot Partner Agency Onboarding? There are advantages to both onboarding options, and it is important to review these with your leadership team before making your decision. While direct HubSpot onboarding offers training straight from the horse's mouth at a predictable price point, HubSpot Partner Agency Onboarding offers the following benefits:

• More hands-on training, which sales reps often crave
• A customised approach that addresses your company's unique pain points
• Long-term support that extends past the standard 90-day support offered with direct HubSpot onboarding
• Control over which agency will provide the onboarding

Step Five: Celebrate Successes

After completing the onboarding process, most of your sales reps should feel fairly comfortable using the platform to organise their sales leads and activity. But you will likely notice that there are some star performers who are consistently using HubSpot to log their opportunities into their sales pipeline. You will probably also spot a few reps who are struggling a bit, or who aren't using HubSpot regularly for one reason or another.

Throughout implementation, take time to recognise your most consistent users. Be sure to tie their sales results to their HubSpot activity and encourage them to share their success stories. Then, arrange for reps who are behind to spend some time with your onboarding pro to identify and address the barriers to success. Through positive support, you can help bring them up to speed and boost their sales.

What should you avoid doing as your sales reps adjust to using the CRM?

Avoiding common implementation errors is critical to helping your sales reps adjust to using the HubSpot CRM. Fortunately, many of these errors are entirely preventable and easy to avoid. Here are some common mistakes business owners make when introducing a new CRM to their sales team:

1) Use threats or ultimatums

Some business leaders attempt to drive CRM usage by issuing threats or ultimatums. There are multiple problems with this approach, but the worst consequence relates to the negative way sales reps begin to view the HubSpot CRM. Rather than seeing it as a helpful tool to organise leads and boost sales, they view their CRM as a necessary evil to avoid punishment. Here are a few examples of some common threats that cause reps to dread a CRM:

• "Any sales rep who doesn't use the CRM won't get paid"
• "You can count on a poor performance review if we don't see enough tasks in HubSpot."
• "If you don't enter the customer into the CRM, we are going to give the account to another sales rep."

2) Refuse to learn anything about the HubSpot CRM

As a business owner or operator, you may not be directly involved in the selling process. For that reason alone, you may be tempted to skip any onboarding sessions and meetings to focus on other business activities. While this approach will not necessarily have an immediate negative impact on CRM usage, it will certainly not help motivate your sales pros to get on board.

On the other hand, you can have a positive impact on your sales force if your reps see you attending onboarding and training sessions and actually using the HubSpot CRM yourself. Employees often take cues from company leaders and owners, and your participation will help prompt them to pay attention. You can also be on hand to reassure them that their concerns and questions will be addressed, which builds confidence among your sales team.

3) Ignore challenges or glitches

A learning curve is inevitable whenever you adopt a new CRM. It is not uncommon for sales reps to feel frustrated, especially in the early stages of implementation. Challenges with HubSpot onboarding are likely to arise, and you should expect a steady stream of questions, complaints, and suggestions from your sales force. 

If you fail to address the issues that arise during implementation, you can expect frustration among your sales reps to grow. But if you address challenges quickly and thoroughly, your reps will gain confidence in your HubSpot CRM. You can also prevent some of these challenges from developing in the first place with robust onboarding that involves discovery, implementation, and ongoing training.

What is the single best way to get sales reps to use the HubSpot CRM?

The single best way to encourage sales reps to use the HubSpot CRM is to partner with a Diamond HubSpot partner (Like DigiKat) with a proven track record of success accelerating sales within organisations. With the guidance of an experienced digital sales strategy expert, you can maximise the many benefits HubSpot CRM offers. 

As Australia's most trusted Diamond Hubspot partner, DigiKat has the tools and resources to transform your sales process. We invite you to contact us to schedule a complimentary consultation with one of our sales strategists. We look forward to helping you accelerate your sales through the HubSpot CRM!