When Technology Becomes An Extension of the Human

Many new technologies follow a predictable series of stages. During early adoption, it is treated as an anomaly. Then it becomes a tool that is used alongside other activities. Finally, it becomes integrated to the point that it is an extension of the humans who use it.

An everyday example of this principle in action is the automobile. When automobiles were first invented, they were a novelty that some wealthy people maintained alongside their dependable horse and carriage form of transportation. As automobiles became more affordable, and roads were expanded to accommodate them, they became an integral part of daily life. When you drive a car, that car becomes an extension of yourself, expanding your capacity far beyond what would be possible without it.

AI Is Still In the “Side Tool” Stage… And So Are Most CRMs

AI is, understandably, currently in the “side tool” stage of development. It is still new, and we’re all still figuring out its best uses. Unfortunately, CRM is still in this same stage, even though it is a much older technology.

Salespeople treat the CRM as a dirty little task they have to complete. Some sales leaders act like it’s their job to force salespeople to do it, and hound them if they don’t do enough. And meanwhile, substantial opportunity for expansion is lost.

Engineers Live Inside Their “CRM”

The practice of engineering has come a long way in the past forty years. In 1982, Autodesk released the first computer-aided design (CAD) programs to run on personal computers. This transformed the painstaking process of drawing designs by hand to a simpler and more accurate digital process. Today, engineers live inside that technology, which forms a significant augmentation of their capability. Furthermore, modern CAD programs enable engineers to share plans and designs, and develop a shared vision of the work with collaborators.

CAD is the engineer’s CRM… except most CRMs are still stuck in their infancy, and salespeople don’t see them as their companion, but rather as drudge-work and micro management.

In Sales,  Technology Is Often Treated as a Side Project

Before the advent of CRM, salespeople kept a Rolodex of contacts. This “technology” was simple and effective for what it did, but it was definitely a “side tool.” Unfortunately, the daily use of CRM technology, in many companies, has not advanced much beyond the Rolodex.

Salespeople don’t see their CRM as their companion, but rather as drudge-work and micro management.

It’s treated as an interruption or extra duty added to their day, rather than an extension of their capabilities. For this reason, some sales leaders say “salespeople should be out selling, not messing around in the CRM.” Which is like saying engineers and designers should be out designing instead of messing around inside AutoCAD.

The Future of Technology Expands, Rather Than Replaces, Human Capability

As the entire developed world has rushed to join the AI revolution, implementation has often been treated as an IT project, a problem for the tech department to handle, as if the technology were separate from the operations and activities of the humans within the organization. As if the data inside the application is what matters most, and not the intended business outcomes and behaviors.

In some industries, AI is treated as a replacement for humans, leading to mass layoffs and many frustrating mazes of complexity as those same companies discover AI can’t fully replace those humans. And it often can’t, because mature technology doesn’t replace, it augments.

Leading companies are finding ways for AI to enhance human performance, rather than simply replacing people to reduce costs. The sales industry must do the same. And just as AI has much more potential when it is treated as an extension of human capability, CRM has much more potential when it is treated as a thinking partner, rather than a digital Rolodex.

CRM shouldn’t be something salespeople have to report to at the end of the day. It should be their entire ecosystem. Like AutoCAD, it should enable sellers, buyers, and their extended teams to develop a shared mental model of the problems they’re solving and the proposed solutions. It should provide guidance, structure, and insights that enable all parties to be more effective and reach better outcomes.

Unfortunately, most CRM platforms still act as if their primary purpose is to be a secondary tool. They are complicated, difficult to navigate, clunky, and provide little guidance and few meaningful insights. But some platforms defy this old-fashioned model.

How To Be Twice As Effective At Sales

I recently spoke with a former employee at a company I founded. He’s now with another company, and he told me that he tries to take Membrain with him everywhere he goes. Why? Because with Membrain, he’s twice as effective as without.

The future of sales is not more technology and fewer salespeople. It’s more effective salespeople whose capabilities are augmented by technology. Companies that get the order right will outstrip the competition by miles.

How is your company addressing the implementation of AI? What about your sales department? Are you living inside your CRM, or treating it like something you have to deal with on the side?