Before CRM: Rethinking Your Tech Stack for Strategy

The Cart Before the Horse

It's a common scenario: a company is struggling to grow, so they decide to implement a new CRM system. They spend millions of dollars and months of effort, only to find that their sales haven't improved.

The problem? They put the cart before the horse. They implemented a tool for execution (the CRM) before defining what they are executing against (the strategy).

The Need for a Strategy OS

A CRM manages how you sell. A Strategy OS manages what you sell, to whom, and why.

Before implementing a CRM, you must define:

• Your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP): Who are you targeting?
• Your Value Proposition: Why should they buy from you?
• Your Competitive Positioning: How are you different from the alternatives?

If you don't define these strategic elements first, your CRM will simply automate an ineffective sales process.