Are your tires on backwards? Or is your sales team driving donuts in the parking lot?

Let’s be honest. We’ve all made purchases at some point that sit there collecting dust. Whether it’s the

If you are a publisher who asked yourself this question after making a software investment, you are not alone. Buying a publishing platform can be intimidating at first. Maybe you intended to solve one specific problem, but after unwrapping your shiny new CRM, you say, “Whoa! What do I do with it?”

Publisher, Jennifer Jackson, at the Springfield Business Journal, had a similar situation not too long ago.  She bought a powerful CRM to house some basic data and contacts, but her team ended up using it more like a giant Rolodex instead of its true purpose:

Jackson didn’t necessarily have a problem with the product, but her vendor kept relentlessly explaining that The Springfield Business Journal was missing out.

“Apparently, it was like we bought a car to drive, but we were fine staying parked listening to the radio,” said Jackson. “Had the vendor not pushed me to re-engage with training, we

While most people aren’t excited to “read the product manual”, a little internal pow-wow can make the planets align. Sometimes all we need is a team conversation and realization of “Wow! Look woulddn’t embrace it [The Magazine Manager] until our whole management team decided to get involved,” said Jackson. “We decided the time was ripe to say ‘yes’ to our vendor’s offer to help us on site.”

From there, the rest is history. Jackson’s “new car” has left the garage. And now her sales team is out cruising for revenue instead of driving circles in the parking lot.

As we approach the holidays, we should keep this in mind, as we question our purchases and wonder what we bought.  Jennifer Jackson said it best as she reflected on her experience:

“If you’re too busy to learn about the ultimate time-saver, it’s the perfect time to say ‘yes’ to those eager to help.”