There’s a mistake we see in a lot of CRM implementations.
The system goes live. The vendor runs a one-hour training session (maybe two). Everyone nods along, everyone gets a PDF, and then everyone goes back to their desk and forgets most of it by Friday.
Six months later, adoption is patchy, the data’s a mess and people are quietly reverting to spreadsheets. And someone at the top is asking why this expensive system isn’t working.
If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone.
Why mass training on day one rarely works
Training an entire team, all at once, right after go-live almost never sticks.
People learn differently. Different roles use the system in different ways. And when training is delivered as a single “big bang” session, it’s usually too generic to be useful and too dense to remember.
There’s another issue as well: without someone internal who understands the system properly, every question turns into a vendor support ticket. That slows everything down, frustrates the team, and makes the CRM feel like something that’s being done to them, rather than a tool that supports their work.
What works instead: train the trainer
In my experience, a much more effective approach is to train one person properly first (or two, if you’re a larger organisation).
That person becomes your CRM Champion: the internal owner who understands not just which buttons to click, but the logic behind how your CRM should be used.
They need deep training on:
- The “why” behind the setup and the outcomes you’re aiming for
- The processes the CRM is meant to support
- Data hygiene rules and standards
- Reporting logic (so dashboards and forecasts can actually be trusted)
- How to support colleagues day-to-day
- When and how to escalate issues to the vendor
Then roll training out role-by-role, over time
Once your Champion is confident, they can train and support the rest of the team with the vendor’s help where needed (and for bigger organisations, co-training can work really well).
The difference is that training becomes:
- Role-specific, not generic
- Delivered in your organisation’s language, not vendor terminology
- Broken into bite-sized sessions over a few weeks, not one big information dump
- Supported by someone internal who can answer questions in real time
This is a model I’ve used with clients for years: train the trainer, build the in-house expert, and make adoption someone’s actual job – not an afterthought.
So, how was your team trained on your current CRM? And honestly – how’s that going?
Check out Natalie’s short video on this topic below!
If the video doesn’t play, view it on YouTube here »
Natalie Cooke is founder of ncco and an independent CRM and Digital Transformation consultant, helping businesses of all sizes in their CRM, AI and Digital Transformation journeys.