ECM

We are not living in the 1800’s, and we are not selling solutions from the 1980’s. We don’t have the same push-backs that we did back then. Lets talk…

ECM (Enterprise Content Management), once called EDM (Electronic Document Management), has become widely accepted in today’s office culture.

We no longer have to fight the “I will never let my documents go outside of my office!” It is more like; “Do you have a cloud-based solution?  My network is slow and I also would rather the data be at a more secure location.”

So, enter the “Cloud” option..

However, many sales reps do not understand the difference between DropBox and DocuBlob-Cloud [enter your ECM solution’s name here]. The first is considered “consumer-grade”. If you read the fine-print you will find that if you come to work Monday looking for your files, and it doesn’t turn-on, oh-well… too bad, so sad. The second option [a real ECM system] is considered “commercial-grade”. It is more robust, has more features, more security, and has legal commitments that guarantee its availability. Prospects WILL bring this up, especially because consumer-grade ECM is free [YES FREE until you eclipse their thresholds].

There are more changes you need to know if you are selling these services. Tip: Up-to-date reps make LOTS of money. Out-of-date reps make LOTS of job changes. But, don’t get discouraged when trying to sell your ECM solution and think you can’t get around the “free” ones, because, your enterprise solution is more than likely what your clients actually need – you just need to know how to establish the value of your solution.

Remember, the more ECM cloud solutions become accessible, and your clients use them, the more they see the value. Once they realize what it can do for them, they’ll see the need for enhanced, commercial grade features, and that’s where you come in. Workflow, audit trails, check-in / check-out options are just a few of the features that make an enterprise solution worth paying for.

ECM Institute offers a few training programs that can help make the difference in sales success. Our ECM Business Acumen training course for example is one. This course helps students to learn the pain-points their clients experience while handling their business processes manually and teaches the parts of the process that can be streamlined. This education provides students with the knowledge needed to ‘bird-dog’ more opportunities they might otherwise have missed, and therefore, increases sales! Don’t leave revenue on the table!


Byron Aulick, co-founder of ECM Institute

Has 35-years of ECM experience.