Webinar Details
A first-person look at why sellers resent their CRM, why companies cling to it anyway, and what the next generation of sales systems might finally get right.
Most sellers talk about their CRM with the same enthusiasm people reserve for filing taxes. I’ve worked inside enough go-to-market teams to know exactly how this conversation goes. Ask a room full of salespeople how they feel about Salesforce or HubSpot and the range spans from quiet resignation to outright annoyance. Yet every company depends on these systems as the backbone of forecasting, reporting, and pipeline operations.
Session Highlights
Sellers dislike CRMs but companies remain dependent on them
Sellers view CRM usage as a tedious obligation. Companies rely on CRMs for forecasting, reporting, and cross-team visibility. This tension sits at the center of the conversation.
CRMs force workflows that do not match real buyer behavior
CRMs require rigid, step-by-step processes. Even a buyer who wants to move fast gets slowed down because the system blocks progress until every required field is filled. The CRM acts more like a brake pedal than a support tool.
Sales reps do not actually sell inside the CRM
Reps work in spreadsheets, notes, email, and Slack. They visit the CRM mainly before pipeline calls to avoid being questioned. Most fields exist to satisfy other teams such as Marketing, Finance, Product, CS, and leadership. Very few fields help reps close deals.
CRMs turn into “software by committee”
Every team adds “a few more fields” to get the visibility they want. Over time this becomes hundreds of fields that almost no one completes. Many CRM instances become bloated and fragile, sometimes even hitting Salesforce field limits. The system shifts from being a tool to being a compliance requirement.
The core problem is human data entry
CRMs depend on manual data entry, and humans are inconsistent and busy. Reps prioritize closing deals rather than maintaining records for other teams. This creates incomplete and unreliable data that forces teams to build separate truth systems outside the CRM.
Forecasting accuracy today is driven by manual work, not CRM intelligence
Leaders often achieve accurate forecasts by manually gathering updates from reps, managers, VPs, and CROs. The CRM serves as reference material, not the actual source of truth.
AI changes the equation by removing human data entry
If human input is the bottleneck, the solution is to remove the human burden.
AI can extract structured insights from calls, emails, and meetings, including:
- Competitors
- Use cases
- Risks and blockers
- Timeline details
- Decision criteria
- Procurement steps
- Executive involvement
- Sentiment signals
AI can also identify gaps such as missing security reviews or unaddressed procurement steps. It becomes a coach instead of a system that punishes reps for missing data.
The CRM is not disappearing, but its role is shifting
The CRM remains essential for finance, compliance, customer lifecycle tracking, and overall GTM architecture. However, it becomes more like a back-office database rather than the interface reps use daily. AI-based tools become the place where reps actually work.
The future CRM becomes invisible infrastructure
Once AI owns the data collection process:
- Reps receive real-time guidance instead of error messages
- Leaders forecast using behavioral signals rather than gut feel
- Buyers move at their preferred pace instead of the system’s constraints
- Organizations trust their data without requiring manual verification
The CRM fades into the background and a smarter, more adaptive selling workspace emerges.
