If You Need a Sales CRM… Buy a Sales CRM. Not a Bolt-On To Your ERP
Let’s talk about a mistake too many operations-driven businesses make: they need a real Sales CRM, but instead they buy the bolt-on CRM module for their ERP because “it’s already there,” “it’s cheaper,” or “IT says it will integrate better.”
On paper, it sounds logical.
In practice, it’s the business equivalent of buying Thanksgiving dinner in a can.
And yes… it technically contains everything: potatoes, turkey, stuffing, maybe even gravy.
But absolutely nobody brags about serving canned Thanksgiving. It’s a meal of convenience, not excellence.
Your Sales CRM decision works the same way.
I promote using Sales CRMs for my sales clients because it reinforces the training we deliver on following a sales process, and research shows salespeople who use a CRM are much more effective and efficient than those who rely on Excel spreadsheets, manila folders, and their memory.
What are some Sales CRM findings that support investing in a sales CRM?
Sales CRMs improved revenue and sales productivity
- Sales revenue often increases by ~ 29% after CRM implementation.
- Sales productivity (i.e., output per salesperson) can rise by ~ 34%.
- Sales forecast accuracy can improve by up to 42%, helping with planning and resource allocation.
- Many companies report shorter sales cycles (e.g., 8–14 fewer days) after implementing CRM, thanks to improved follow-up and pipeline visibility. Pipeline CRM+1
Sales CRM improves customer retention, satisfaction, and long-term value
- Research suggests that CRM helps firms deliver more personalized interactions, better service, and more consistent follow-up, which boosts customer satisfaction, loyalty, and retention.
- In studies of non-product (e.g., insurance/ service) sales contexts, well-managed CRM practices correlate with higher sales performance and improved “selling intention” among sales agents.
Sales CRM provides improved internal management and control of sales activities
- CRM doesn’t just benefit external-facing actions; it helps companies improve internal sales management control — making sales activity more visible, measurable, and consistent. This often leads to better accountability, more reliable performance metrics, and more disciplined execution.
My concern is I have not seen any of my clients get the above type of results from an ERP that has a bolt on CRM.
I deliver sales training, consulting, and coaching on why they should use a sales CRM, its benefits, and how salespeople should live in their CRM to become top performers. I coach salespeople to see a Sales CRM as a tool for achieving greater sales results and more income.
However, when I am with the team and the business owner or president who bought the bolt-on CRM for the ERP, they love it, but I hear how the sales team is flying blind.
After training a sales team, I offer coaching, and I ask a lot of questions…
Here is a common series of questions and answers I wish I had only heard once…
How is your sales pipeline? “I don’t know, we will have to run a custom report for that.”
What do you need to follow up on to end the year with strong sales? “ Our CRM can’t tell me that ( but let me look at the Excel spreadsheet I use, just don’t tell our owner.”
I ask the sales manager: Where in your current sales process do deals consistently stall? ( or go to die) “ I don’t know, but I am sure if I worked with our IT leader, we could create a report.”
How long would that take to get you the information to lead the sales team? “ it depends on how difficult the report is to build and if the IT manager is as busy as always…maybe a week?”
Another question for the sales manager: What is your sales forecast for this month and next? “I know I should know that answer, Mark, I know our sales goal…I think this month we should hit …. But I do not know what next month looks like. Our historical average run rate is …, and we should at least hit that, I think. (At my last company that had Hubspot CRM, I could tell you in seconds.)
For the sales manager: How did the team do last month and last quarter? Did you hit your goals? “No”
Did you hit last year’s average run rate? “No”
So how can you forecast this month’s sales? ( frustrated look…I am doing the best I can with what we have; a salesperson did not pick this CRM bolt-on solution.
This sales team ( like many I have met over the years in B2B sales environments) is flying blind; their sales manager is frustrated because heshe knows what good looks and feels like, and I give credit to the salesperson who created his own sales Excel spreadsheet to follow up on quotes. The sales team is selling naked, as I shared in a post years ago.
I see this in operations-driven B2B organizations.
This must be a specific industry issue …right, Mark?
Nope, I serve B2B manufactures, B2B service providers, Industrial distributors, and I have seen this in Custom Metal fabrication, CNC shops, Preventative Maintenance, Industrial Engineering Repair firms, Building and Supply, Hose and Fitting Manufacturers, Electrical OEM Manufacturers, Retail Fixture Companies, to name a few. I have experienced this in all of these and more. Bolt-on CRMs that fail to deliver the value of a sales CRM.
Canned Thanksgiving vs. The Real Meal
So, I saw someone post a picture of canned Thanksgiving on Facebook, and I thought, “That does not look appealing; it makes sense, but it will not deliver the results its consumers desire.” Operationally and economically, it is efficient but not effective.
Canned Thanksgiving: What does it include?
- Everything is mashed into one container
- No real texture, no standout flavors
- “Technically” has all the components
- Easy for the chef, forgettable for the guests
- You eat it because you’re starving, not because it’s good
Bolt-On ERP CRM: What does it include?
- A module that technically has CRM data entry features
- Built to support the ERP—not to empower sales
- Minimal functionality, limited customization, reports are custom, and by the time the sales leader receives them, the data is old
- Works for IT& Operations, frustrates sales
- Adopted because it’s convenient, not because it drives growth
- ( sounds perfect to someone who has never had a sales role)
The Real Thanksgiving Meal Experience
When you want an amazing Thanksgiving ( like when we all visit my parents), you don’t buy it in one can. You buy a turkey, potatoes, fresh vegetables, and the ingredients you want. You pick tools that do their job well, not tools that simply come bundled together.
A real Thanksgiving requires assembling the best components to create the best outcome.
A real CRM is no different.
Buy the best ERP you can afford and buy the best CRM.
Why Bolt-On Sales CRM Modules Fail Sales Teams
Most ERP vendors are great at what they do—managing inventory, accounting, purchasing, invoicing, logistics. I am a huge fan of ERP companies, and I have delivered Keynotes at their conventions. But CRM? That’s not their world.
ERP-based Sales CRMs consistently fall short because:
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They’re built for operations, not revenue growth.
Sales needs agility, visibility, coaching metrics, workflows, and customer engagement tools. ERP CRMs treat sales like another transaction screen, another operation in the manufacturing process.
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Salespeople hate using them. ( so they don’t)
Low adoption kills CRM ROI.
If your CRM feels like canned potatoes, turkey, and dressing, you’ll get canned-potato results.
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Reporting is shallow and clunky. ( lacks actionable insights to drive sales behaviors and sales manager coaching)
Sales leaders want pipeline health, forecasting accuracy, activity insights, and buyer signals.
ERP CRMs give you lists and tables.
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They lock you into rigid workflows.
Sales is dynamic—ERPs are not.
Trying to run sales through an ERP CRM is like trying to season canned food after it’s sealed.
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You lose competitive advantage.
Best-in-class CRM platforms innovate continuously—AI, automation, buyer insights, integrations, mobile apps, playbooks.
ERP Sales CRMs rarely keep pace.
Before I go on, I do want to share I have seen, as of late progressive entrepreneurs who shared they wanted to make a custom ERP and CRM that worked well together and they did! Obviously, the product managers at the leading ERP software companies were not listening to their customers, likely selling over their concerns. These custom solutions do everything a CRM and an ERP should do, and they communicate seamlessly. But this was not something they bought from an ERP solutions provider. Most innovative new software solutions are born out of a visionary CEO who says, “If I can’t find one, I will build one.”
If You Need a Sales CRM to Improve Sales Effectiveness and Fix Sales Problems… Buy a Sales CRM.
You don’t buy a turkey because it’s bundled with potatoes.
You buy it because you want a real Thanksgiving.
Same logic:
If you need a CRM, buy a purpose-built Sales CRM designed to help salespeople:
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Engage customers
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Focus on the right opportunities
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Stay organized
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Win more business
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Collaborate cross-functionally
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Forecast accurately
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Deliver a better customer experience
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Reduce customer churn
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Increase close rates
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Increase profit per sale
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Improve sales forecasts
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Reduce Inventory
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Improve Operations Effectiveness
(If your bolt-on CRM does the above and your sales team is crushing their numbers, then by all means keep it!)
You Don’t Want Canned Thanksgiving Sales Results.
When you choose convenience over capability, you get:
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Slower sales cycles
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Inaccurate forecasts
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Missed follow-ups
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Frustrated salespeople
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Zero adoption
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Mediocre customer interactions
And no sales revenue leader wants that on their plate.
Final Thought about the Benefit of a Sales CRM
A Sales CRM is the beating heart of a modern revenue growth engine.
Buying a bolt-on module for convenience is the same as serving your team that canned Thanksgiving meal: they’ll choke it down only if they absolutely must—and they’ll quietly wish you chose better. ( or eventually leave for a competitor who delivers a full, enjoyable meal)
If you want real performance, real adoption, real insights, and real results?
Buy the turkey. Buy the ingredients.
Buy a Sales CRM. Not the canned version.
Oh, good news for you: “Craig’s Thanksgiving in a Can” is not a real product; it’s a joke (much like an ERP with a bolt-on CRM).
The meme was credited to Chris Godfrey years ago.
If you have found an exception ( a CRM bolt-on to your ERP), please post in the comments.
I have seen business-specific ERP and CRM solutions that were amazing, but it is very rare.
Let’s schedule a consultation if you feel it’s time to add a sales CRM while keeping your ERP for what it was designed for.