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Cracking the CRM Code : How to prevent failures in buying, implementing and using CRM
COVID has changed the game for all of us. It has forcefully fast-forwarded everyone into a digital era. Now, we have no other choice but to adopt technology to run our businesses. Although small businesses are agile to adopt changes, sometimes adopting technology can be challenging. Three friends – Anubhav, Jagdeep and Irshad – are running different businesses of different sizes in various industries. One of them already bought and failed CRM and the others still thinking of buying one. Liladhar Shastri, their class-mate, guides them through this bumpy but exciting journey of making a decision and actually buying CRM, then implementing it, solving user adoption problems and growing their business with CRM. I am sure you will find answers on their journey. If you have not yet thought of implementing CRM or you are in the process of buying one or you have already purchased it and struggled, I am sure Cracking the CRM Code will help you. This book will be specifically useful for business owners, sales managers and sales team leaders. CRM sellers and consultants will find useful insights into customer behavior and their CRM buying process. It will help them sell better.
168 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 6, 2020
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11 people want to read
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March 2, 2021
Book review: Cracking the CRM CODE written by Limesh Parekh
Limesh Parekh who is a C. A. dropout by choice is a business leader and CEO of a software company. He has not only successfully implemented and deployed CRM solutions for his business but has also executed them for many businesses.
The narrative in the storytelling form is very effective, as he says in the preface and I quote, “The learning becomes very easy when told in the story form.” This thought came to him probably from the Ancient Indian Culture and its oral tradition. Also, he is inspired by Eliyahu Goldratt and his work The Goal, a book that explained the concept of the Theory of Constraints.
Like Shakespeare’s theatrics, he opens his preface with a profound statement that captures the readers’ attention and retains it till the last word of the book.
One should always know three things in life. What you should do, what you should not do, and what you should never do.
Throughout the 159 pages of the book, the storyline of CRM is in sharp focus. The situations, problems, benefits, challenges are taken from real life. This information/data is generated out of customer surveys, feedback, analysis, and over fifteen years of experience in using CRM at their own business and with their customers. Though the storytelling is fictional, but not the situations. All the situations are real.
The book deals with these situations and how to deal with them in five chapters.
1. Deciding to buy CRM
2. The actual process of buying CRM
3. Implementing CRM
4. Making your users use CRM
5. Growing your business with CRM
The story begins with the introduction of the characters. Liladhar Shastri, the central character and the protagonist is waiting for his three friends, Irshad Rangoonwala, Anubhav Bajaj, and Jagdeep Khurana. These three friends represent the business categories of SME (small and medium scale enterprises) and the curious, conservative, cautions, careless mindsets. The charter of Liladhar Shastri is possibly much the same as the author himself!
Each chapter opens and ends with a quote from a popular Bollywood movie, mainly Mr. Amitabha Bachchan’s movies and the last quote from a dialogue of Mr. Paresh Raval from the movie Maharathi that aptly captures the essence of being in business. The quote at the beginning of the chapter creates a context for content that is to follow in the chapter. The same quote, at the end of the chapter, presents a summary that is deeply engraved in the readers' mind. The reader gets it completely.
As the story unfolds and the CRM project progresses within the companies of the three friends, the protagonists distinguish and clarifies about what the CRM tool is all about. For example, he says, “CRM is not a reporting tool.” “It is not for bosses and team leaders.”
He says, that Fundamentally, the only two responsibilities of a business owner are Marketing and Innovation. Owners can delegate everything else. He has boxed key learning in the flow of the text for a reader to make a quick reference.
While answering a question, Liladhar explains the basic difference between an ERP system and a CRM system vis-à-vis their respective purposes. Simply put, an ERP system measures Money and Material, while a CRM tool manages People and Processes.
It is always beneficial to involve the Sales & Services team from the evaluation stage through the buying decision as it makes them feel involved and important and secondly it makes the implementation of the CRM tool effective and timely. The sales and Service team know their respective processes the best in comparison to a CIO or CTO. While the involvement of the CIO and CTO is important from the Technological point of view.
The author has addressed the various questions and concerns through the characters of the story. Like where to host the CRM? Onsite or go for a cloud-based setup. What and How much data needs to be plugged into the CRM tool? Who ideally qualifies to be the admin for CRM? How to engage the employees in using CRM?
Answers to all the above and many other questions are answered in this book by the author through the protagonist.
Through Liladhar, Limesh conveys a very important message about establishing the importance and integrity of CRM tool and that is to use data from the CRM system for Sales and Service Review meetings.
He also warns against too much customization for first time CRM users.
At the very basic level, he defines criteria for organizations who may want to get into CRM. Take a look at the 2 X 2 matrix given in the appendix. The thumb rule is if your Sales process is simple and the value of sales id low, you don’t need the CRM tool. However, if you have a High Value & Complex Sales Process, a CRM tool is a must for your organization. This assessment brings absolute clarity to the entrepreneurs who wish to take the CRM journey.
Some important tips that are extracted from the book are shared here. These may certainly inspire and lead you to get a copy of this book for yourself to read and implement CRM if you are considering having one. These will also be of immense value to take your existing CRM to a different level of efficacy.
TIPS about …
• Evaluation: Don’t refer to comparative charts of various CRM these may have a bias
• Trials: Trial versions have limited scope, instead opt for a guided tour
• Vendor selection: Before you finalize a vendor, speak with their existing customers and users
• Vendor evaluation: Share your pain points with a vendor and ask him how the CRM tool will help
• Templates: Templatized everything that needs to be sent more than once
• CRM Audit: Follow an audit cycle of 60 days
• Communication: Keep single point contact with the vendor and internal team… and many more!
He also connects with the Ancient Indian (AI) Knowledge System and the basic principles of Ayurveda to dig deep into analysis and diagnosis. To explain this, he uses an example of a Vaidya (an ayurvedic doctor) and Nadi Pariksha (examination of the pulse). The Vaidya observes, touches, and asks questions.
While one may be excited to implement a CRM tool, it must be remembered that the process of adopting a CRM tool is a change management process and must be dealt with due diligent.
There can be a few obstacles while reading. The references are explained in the narrative. This can be avoided as they hinder the flow of the story.
In conclusion, it can be said that this book is a must-read for all who are in customer services, complaint addressal and redressals, helpdesk management, etc. for developing a new paradigm. Also, to learn how CRM tool helps in cross-selling and upselling to the same customer.
Happy Reading. Welcome to the world of CRM.
Limesh Parekh who is a C. A. dropout by choice is a business leader and CEO of a software company. He has not only successfully implemented and deployed CRM solutions for his business but has also executed them for many businesses.
The narrative in the storytelling form is very effective, as he says in the preface and I quote, “The learning becomes very easy when told in the story form.” This thought came to him probably from the Ancient Indian Culture and its oral tradition. Also, he is inspired by Eliyahu Goldratt and his work The Goal, a book that explained the concept of the Theory of Constraints.
Like Shakespeare’s theatrics, he opens his preface with a profound statement that captures the readers’ attention and retains it till the last word of the book.
One should always know three things in life. What you should do, what you should not do, and what you should never do.
Throughout the 159 pages of the book, the storyline of CRM is in sharp focus. The situations, problems, benefits, challenges are taken from real life. This information/data is generated out of customer surveys, feedback, analysis, and over fifteen years of experience in using CRM at their own business and with their customers. Though the storytelling is fictional, but not the situations. All the situations are real.
The book deals with these situations and how to deal with them in five chapters.
1. Deciding to buy CRM
2. The actual process of buying CRM
3. Implementing CRM
4. Making your users use CRM
5. Growing your business with CRM
The story begins with the introduction of the characters. Liladhar Shastri, the central character and the protagonist is waiting for his three friends, Irshad Rangoonwala, Anubhav Bajaj, and Jagdeep Khurana. These three friends represent the business categories of SME (small and medium scale enterprises) and the curious, conservative, cautions, careless mindsets. The charter of Liladhar Shastri is possibly much the same as the author himself!
Each chapter opens and ends with a quote from a popular Bollywood movie, mainly Mr. Amitabha Bachchan’s movies and the last quote from a dialogue of Mr. Paresh Raval from the movie Maharathi that aptly captures the essence of being in business. The quote at the beginning of the chapter creates a context for content that is to follow in the chapter. The same quote, at the end of the chapter, presents a summary that is deeply engraved in the readers' mind. The reader gets it completely.
As the story unfolds and the CRM project progresses within the companies of the three friends, the protagonists distinguish and clarifies about what the CRM tool is all about. For example, he says, “CRM is not a reporting tool.” “It is not for bosses and team leaders.”
He says, that Fundamentally, the only two responsibilities of a business owner are Marketing and Innovation. Owners can delegate everything else. He has boxed key learning in the flow of the text for a reader to make a quick reference.
While answering a question, Liladhar explains the basic difference between an ERP system and a CRM system vis-à-vis their respective purposes. Simply put, an ERP system measures Money and Material, while a CRM tool manages People and Processes.
It is always beneficial to involve the Sales & Services team from the evaluation stage through the buying decision as it makes them feel involved and important and secondly it makes the implementation of the CRM tool effective and timely. The sales and Service team know their respective processes the best in comparison to a CIO or CTO. While the involvement of the CIO and CTO is important from the Technological point of view.
The author has addressed the various questions and concerns through the characters of the story. Like where to host the CRM? Onsite or go for a cloud-based setup. What and How much data needs to be plugged into the CRM tool? Who ideally qualifies to be the admin for CRM? How to engage the employees in using CRM?
Answers to all the above and many other questions are answered in this book by the author through the protagonist.
Through Liladhar, Limesh conveys a very important message about establishing the importance and integrity of CRM tool and that is to use data from the CRM system for Sales and Service Review meetings.
He also warns against too much customization for first time CRM users.
At the very basic level, he defines criteria for organizations who may want to get into CRM. Take a look at the 2 X 2 matrix given in the appendix. The thumb rule is if your Sales process is simple and the value of sales id low, you don’t need the CRM tool. However, if you have a High Value & Complex Sales Process, a CRM tool is a must for your organization. This assessment brings absolute clarity to the entrepreneurs who wish to take the CRM journey.
Some important tips that are extracted from the book are shared here. These may certainly inspire and lead you to get a copy of this book for yourself to read and implement CRM if you are considering having one. These will also be of immense value to take your existing CRM to a different level of efficacy.
TIPS about …
• Evaluation: Don’t refer to comparative charts of various CRM these may have a bias
• Trials: Trial versions have limited scope, instead opt for a guided tour
• Vendor selection: Before you finalize a vendor, speak with their existing customers and users
• Vendor evaluation: Share your pain points with a vendor and ask him how the CRM tool will help
• Templates: Templatized everything that needs to be sent more than once
• CRM Audit: Follow an audit cycle of 60 days
• Communication: Keep single point contact with the vendor and internal team… and many more!
He also connects with the Ancient Indian (AI) Knowledge System and the basic principles of Ayurveda to dig deep into analysis and diagnosis. To explain this, he uses an example of a Vaidya (an ayurvedic doctor) and Nadi Pariksha (examination of the pulse). The Vaidya observes, touches, and asks questions.
While one may be excited to implement a CRM tool, it must be remembered that the process of adopting a CRM tool is a change management process and must be dealt with due diligent.
There can be a few obstacles while reading. The references are explained in the narrative. This can be avoided as they hinder the flow of the story.
In conclusion, it can be said that this book is a must-read for all who are in customer services, complaint addressal and redressals, helpdesk management, etc. for developing a new paradigm. Also, to learn how CRM tool helps in cross-selling and upselling to the same customer.
Happy Reading. Welcome to the world of CRM.
Read
March 28, 2021If you’re expecting a data-rich study of the best tools available, this is not the book. It’s better. Cracking the CRM Code serves up the big picture of buying a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) in a refreshingly easy read.
Four alumni of the South Indian Business College reunite for coffee at their old hangout, the Madras Cafe . In short order, the businessmen catch up on the ups and downs of running a business. Anubhav, Jagdeep and Irshad have all been successful. (Black S Class Mercedes, anyone?) But they could be even more so, and happier, if only they had a way to manage their successes. Liladhar, a seasoned business professional himself, has a solution: a Customer Relationship Management tool, or CRM.
BOOM! In short order, the three businessmen acquire CRMs. We plunge into the real substance of the book: what will the intrepid explorers do with this new tool? How will they introduce the new puppy to the old dogs? Jagdeep has questions, as does his business-partner spouse Jaspreet. Anubhav brings baggage from an earlier CRM attempt. Irshad is concerned about scaling up. Over the next few months the four friends unpack their new tools, with insights from CRM professionals.
Their insights: workplaces are sensitive to changes from their leaders. A CRM’s ripples are strong, changing processes, expectations, and culture. Lildhar, a seasoned business executive himself, hammers home the most important lesson of all: The CRM will fail unless the business owners participate. The owners must be part of the process, demonstrating that the business is committed to the new process. “So that’s where I went wrong before,” muses Anubhav embarrassed about his earlier failed adoptions . “So that’s where you can go right now,” says Liladhar. Parekh’s easy tone makes it easier to overcome reluctance. Under Liladhar’s patient, incisive questioning, the old dogs reconsider their assumptions and learn new tricks.
Parekh’s insight through Liladhar is particularly illuminating when it comes to sales, the lifeblood of the business. He carefully notes that a CRM is a tool for sales, not a replacement. Sales people are the first to tell you that they are different from other departments: they compete for commissions, they must treat their customers like family and they serve up the all-important quotation. Sales people will also tell you that the quotation is the easy part. Accounting can produce a quotation with spreadsheets and a week’s notice. In sales, the real work is spent wooing and winning the customer. Then they work on strengthening the bond, with an eye towards repeated sales. Liladhar walks his three friends to the realization that managing quotations by one process and tracking the actual sale in a CRM frees the sales team’s time to focus on the customer relationship: knowing their current customers’ needs, vetting possible buyers, and improving their product knowledge.
Parekh sidesteps questions dear to an owner or accountant’s heart (cost, return on investment) adroitly. Perhaps it’s a bit unreal: One coffee and 15 days later, seasoned executives jump into a decision that will affect the bottom line of their businesses, their staffing, and their culture. Is 15 days really long enough for such a decision?
Parekh can pull this speed dating off because he isn’t writing a textbook for the South Indian Business College. His goal is telling a story, walking the reader through the big picture before delving into the nuts and bolts. The four friends are characters, making the story believable and enjoyable. The story’s context draws on city sights likely familiar to Mumbai residents. The frequent cinematic references give Parekh’s story local color recognizable on a global scale. Toto, we’re not in Kansas anymore, we are in Gujarat!
In the end, stories are the most persuasive and memorable forms of marketing. In Parekh’s hands, a reluctant adopter gets enough context to consider the CRM question more fully, and to pursue the critical details that result in a successful implementation. I suggest reading it before inviting a CRM vendor to meet with your business team.
Four alumni of the South Indian Business College reunite for coffee at their old hangout, the Madras Cafe . In short order, the businessmen catch up on the ups and downs of running a business. Anubhav, Jagdeep and Irshad have all been successful. (Black S Class Mercedes, anyone?) But they could be even more so, and happier, if only they had a way to manage their successes. Liladhar, a seasoned business professional himself, has a solution: a Customer Relationship Management tool, or CRM.
BOOM! In short order, the three businessmen acquire CRMs. We plunge into the real substance of the book: what will the intrepid explorers do with this new tool? How will they introduce the new puppy to the old dogs? Jagdeep has questions, as does his business-partner spouse Jaspreet. Anubhav brings baggage from an earlier CRM attempt. Irshad is concerned about scaling up. Over the next few months the four friends unpack their new tools, with insights from CRM professionals.
Their insights: workplaces are sensitive to changes from their leaders. A CRM’s ripples are strong, changing processes, expectations, and culture. Lildhar, a seasoned business executive himself, hammers home the most important lesson of all: The CRM will fail unless the business owners participate. The owners must be part of the process, demonstrating that the business is committed to the new process. “So that’s where I went wrong before,” muses Anubhav embarrassed about his earlier failed adoptions . “So that’s where you can go right now,” says Liladhar. Parekh’s easy tone makes it easier to overcome reluctance. Under Liladhar’s patient, incisive questioning, the old dogs reconsider their assumptions and learn new tricks.
Parekh’s insight through Liladhar is particularly illuminating when it comes to sales, the lifeblood of the business. He carefully notes that a CRM is a tool for sales, not a replacement. Sales people are the first to tell you that they are different from other departments: they compete for commissions, they must treat their customers like family and they serve up the all-important quotation. Sales people will also tell you that the quotation is the easy part. Accounting can produce a quotation with spreadsheets and a week’s notice. In sales, the real work is spent wooing and winning the customer. Then they work on strengthening the bond, with an eye towards repeated sales. Liladhar walks his three friends to the realization that managing quotations by one process and tracking the actual sale in a CRM frees the sales team’s time to focus on the customer relationship: knowing their current customers’ needs, vetting possible buyers, and improving their product knowledge.
Parekh sidesteps questions dear to an owner or accountant’s heart (cost, return on investment) adroitly. Perhaps it’s a bit unreal: One coffee and 15 days later, seasoned executives jump into a decision that will affect the bottom line of their businesses, their staffing, and their culture. Is 15 days really long enough for such a decision?
Parekh can pull this speed dating off because he isn’t writing a textbook for the South Indian Business College. His goal is telling a story, walking the reader through the big picture before delving into the nuts and bolts. The four friends are characters, making the story believable and enjoyable. The story’s context draws on city sights likely familiar to Mumbai residents. The frequent cinematic references give Parekh’s story local color recognizable on a global scale. Toto, we’re not in Kansas anymore, we are in Gujarat!
In the end, stories are the most persuasive and memorable forms of marketing. In Parekh’s hands, a reluctant adopter gets enough context to consider the CRM question more fully, and to pursue the critical details that result in a successful implementation. I suggest reading it before inviting a CRM vendor to meet with your business team.
February 3, 2021
Limesh Parekh – Cracking the CRM Code – Reviewed 2/2/21 – Read 12/30/21.
Are you ready to take the next step in your business in adopting technology to help you succeed?
Life around us has changed drastically and with the COVID many companies are looking for ways to economize their businesses, help their staff be more efficient, therefore realizing a better profit. The author took a profoundly serious business decision and broke it down in a way that anyone would be able to follow his efficient way to introduce this technology to their workplace and be successful in implementing it.
I am a business major but since I was in college, the world has changed many times, and I have not changed with them. Not because I don’t have the desire to learn anymore but simply from the fact that I am not in that type of work any longer. I have complimented my world with the help of technology, in what they call a ‘SMARTHOME’, plus I no longer write checks or use snail mail. Emails, communication apps, video chatting, and computers are now a way of life for me. Saying this was to explain that I am not unfamiliar with technology.
I took my time and read this book and worked out all the steps as if I were going to do it in my own business. I was mildly surprised at how easy that it all came together. I researched in the same manner. Looked up companies that might be a source for this “make-believe business” that I was working on. Now bear in mind, I did not contact them as I would not want to waste their time, especially in today’s economy where the money is hardly seen much less wasting time with research questions.
I pretended to make my company come together in such a way that if I were to truly do it, I would know just what to do. I applied it to the businesses that I have owned and operated in the past. I now know that this would be my preference if I were going to open a business in today’s world. This is so much more efficient and streamlined than anything that I had applied to my companies. I have always used preformatted forms for sales, spreadsheets for financial control, and even in our bidding for jobs, I designed my company forms to be presented at the appropriate times. I now know that I would feel right at home in this world of technology. I even design my forms for my review work and maintaining my website. No one can remember everything, and it only takes moments to be sure you have completed a job to the best of your ability. This works today just like it has for the last 100 plus years that people have been marketing themselves.
I highly recommend this book as a gentle and informative way to address a method of taking your company in the direction of complete, yet a comparatively painless, conversion to control technology. Plus, you will have a much better chance of succeeding with the method outlined in this wonderful little book.
• File Size: 2253 KB
• Print Length: 168 pages
• Publication Date: 2/6/2021
• Publisher: Notion Press
• ASIN: B08S5NGC1Q
Are you ready to take the next step in your business in adopting technology to help you succeed?
Life around us has changed drastically and with the COVID many companies are looking for ways to economize their businesses, help their staff be more efficient, therefore realizing a better profit. The author took a profoundly serious business decision and broke it down in a way that anyone would be able to follow his efficient way to introduce this technology to their workplace and be successful in implementing it.
I am a business major but since I was in college, the world has changed many times, and I have not changed with them. Not because I don’t have the desire to learn anymore but simply from the fact that I am not in that type of work any longer. I have complimented my world with the help of technology, in what they call a ‘SMARTHOME’, plus I no longer write checks or use snail mail. Emails, communication apps, video chatting, and computers are now a way of life for me. Saying this was to explain that I am not unfamiliar with technology.
I took my time and read this book and worked out all the steps as if I were going to do it in my own business. I was mildly surprised at how easy that it all came together. I researched in the same manner. Looked up companies that might be a source for this “make-believe business” that I was working on. Now bear in mind, I did not contact them as I would not want to waste their time, especially in today’s economy where the money is hardly seen much less wasting time with research questions.
I pretended to make my company come together in such a way that if I were to truly do it, I would know just what to do. I applied it to the businesses that I have owned and operated in the past. I now know that this would be my preference if I were going to open a business in today’s world. This is so much more efficient and streamlined than anything that I had applied to my companies. I have always used preformatted forms for sales, spreadsheets for financial control, and even in our bidding for jobs, I designed my company forms to be presented at the appropriate times. I now know that I would feel right at home in this world of technology. I even design my forms for my review work and maintaining my website. No one can remember everything, and it only takes moments to be sure you have completed a job to the best of your ability. This works today just like it has for the last 100 plus years that people have been marketing themselves.
I highly recommend this book as a gentle and informative way to address a method of taking your company in the direction of complete, yet a comparatively painless, conversion to control technology. Plus, you will have a much better chance of succeeding with the method outlined in this wonderful little book.
• File Size: 2253 KB
• Print Length: 168 pages
• Publication Date: 2/6/2021
• Publisher: Notion Press
• ASIN: B08S5NGC1Q
January 24, 2021
Good nice read. Practical and story telling is good.
Why CRM is required for all organization in SMB and how small companies can survive in competition with MNC culture.
Why CRM is required for all organization in SMB and how small companies can survive in competition with MNC culture.
January 16, 2022
Simple storytelling with a deeper level of understanding of CRM concepts. It helped redefine met concepts. This book is a must for anyone who wants to understand the importance of CRM and can effectively use it. Who can be anyone here? A business that's in sales/marketing of products and services. A student is interested in CRM Concepts. A person is responsible for selling or marketing CRM as a product. CRM consultants or analysts who want to rediscover the concepts through storytelling.
My personal the best part of the story was insights on “when you need and don't need CRM and a tool.” Even I liked filmy dialogues in between, which lighten the mood while reading.
Overall, awesome!
My personal the best part of the story was insights on “when you need and don't need CRM and a tool.” Even I liked filmy dialogues in between, which lighten the mood while reading.
Overall, awesome!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews