How Sales Leaders Drive Manager and Rep Adoption of new tech stack tools

Adopting new sales technology requires more than just buying the software. It demands a shift in mindset and process at all levels of the sales organization. Leaders must proactively drive engagement and create a supportive environment for successful adoption.

For this guide, we’ll walk through adopting a Live Conversation Platform like Orum.

Understanding Adoption Readiness

Adoption begins with assessing your team’s operational readiness. Colin Specter, Orum SVP of Revenue, explains, “Do they have the ingredients of success on day one, or do they have some fundamentals they need to put in place?”

When you’re beginning to implement a platform like Orum, teams often fall somewhere between two categories:

1. Operationally Ready: They have a strong calling culture, scripts prepared, and a trained team with good data.
2. Needing Foundational Support: They lack a calling culture and require significant training and structure.

Essential Elements for Adoption

1. Empowered Change Agents

• Success starts with a frontline manager who is deeply committed to using the phone as a sales tool. “It can’t just be a VP wishing for it,” says Colin. “You need a frontline leader who isn’t afraid to pick up the phone and show reps what good looks like.”
• Action Steps for Leaders:
  • Identify and empower a frontline manager to drive the initiative.
  • Ensure they model behavior, actively coach reps, and celebrate wins. In practice, this means having a leader who is willing to get on your Salesfloor, make dials, and provide examples of objection handling, pitching, discovery, and proper value propositioning

2. Spark and Momentum

• Colin emphasizes the need for at least one or two successful frontline reps on the phone. “You need these sparks. One spark can start the whole freaking brush fire of the team and the culture.”
• Creating a Spark:
  • Highlight and amplify the successes of early adopters.
  • Use these wins as proof points to inspire the rest of the team.
  • Create FOMO by showing specifics around how and why these early adopters are generating new success.

Structuring for Success

1. Scripts and Training

• Ensure your team has well-developed scripts and objection-handling techniques. “Structurally, you need your scripts. You need your training and messaging dialed in,” Colin advises. Script creation must be a collaboration between your SDR managers, marketing leaders, and frontline sellers. Ask your reps what verbiage resonates with prospective customers on calls and at events, and implement these into your scripts so SDRs have a starting point.
• Best Practices:
  • Provide continuous training on overcoming objections.
  • Role-play scenarios to ensure reps sound confident on the phone.

2. Data and Technology Setup

• High-quality data and the right tech are crucial. “Do I have data that’s going to get me... phone numbers for the people I want to reach out to?” Colin asks.
• Tech Tips:
  • Use a reliable phone system with strong caller ID to ensure high connection rates.
  • Regularly audit your data for accuracy and relevance.
  • Work with your Orum CSM to ensure you have Boost Connect and Hot Numbers working properly and that data is flowing through your CRM properly.

3. Real-Time Feedback Loop

• The phone provides instant feedback on messaging. Colin highlights, “The beauty of the phone is it’s the only channel that gives you real-time feedback on how your pitch is sounding.” SDR managers can (and should) provide feedback on rep calls as soon as possible because reps can implement these changes on the next call. This ensures you can constantly iterate and improve.
• Leveraging Feedback:
  • If managers can’t provide feedback during call blocks, use the Call Library to listen to call recordings and then provide coaching to adjust messaging by the end of the day.
  • Experiment with different pitches and refine them based on responses. Every rep will have a slightly different approach, so reps should listen to one another’s calls frequently and be empowered to adjust their style to understand what works best for them.

Building Accountability with KPIs

Setting Baseline Standards

• KPIs must be established from day one. “You must have a minimum standard set of what you're holding the team accountable to,” says Colin.
• Minimum Standards:
  • Define a baseline number of calls as a non-negotiable. This will vary depending on your TAM, ICP, and current goal-setting process. Your Orum CSM will work with you to find the metrics that match your current situation.
  • Track key metrics like connection rates, conversion rates, and meetings booked as starting points. Reps can control the activity that feeds these metrics and builds coaching opportunities. From there, you can go deeper into analytics to refine processes.
• Colin’s Perspective: “Everyone focuses on the outputs, but you have to set minimum standards on inputs... It’s part of the job and should be an expectation.”

Balancing Structure and Flexibility

• Avoid making the platform feel like a punishment. Instead, provide enough structure to guide reps without overwhelming them. Every tool or platform was added with intent and purpose. Highlight the benefits of using the tooling for your reps, and they’ll be substantially more inclined to continue using them.
• Implementation Tip:
  • Use KPIs to measure and coach, not just to discipline. Celebrate milestones to maintain motivation.