Focus on value. Strive for simplicity.

An old approach to CRM

My first job out of college was at a then small pharma company working in the IT department. I was responsible for desktop, application and network support. It was an awesome job for a lot of reasons. One day I was tasked with implementing a new SFA (or CRM?) for the sales team. This software suite was awesome given the state of technology at the time. The mobile app was installed on a Dell Axim X5 and worked completely offline, a major accomplishment! Every night the sales rep would (if we were lucky) connect their modem to their device and use a phone line to dial in and sync their data to the server. It worked, mostly, and was an impressive feat developed by some of the best programmers I have known. This was my introduction to CRM (or SFA?)

Today, this software seems foreign. But the software was simple. It added value. It did everything the home office needed and was easy for the field team to learn and adopt. This concept has stuck with me through my career.

Our CRM was built on the same concept: focus on value, strive for simplicity (without the dial up modem). Give us your data and we will do the rest. Simple.