Choosing a CRM – whether you are moving from an old one or implementing one for the first time – is a challenging task that must leverage C-level support.

Peter Tew, senior product manager for Backcountry says they started with a field of about 20 candidates, then short-listed Sugar, Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics.

Cost-efficiency and scalability were keys, as usual.

But Sugar’s personalized sales approach won the deal.

“I really liked that the Sugar rep listened and proposed a solution without trying to do a lot of upsells; it was a natural process. It took two weeks to get all the stuff signed and purchased and developing,” says Peter.

“Of all the third parties of Sugar’s size or bigger that I’ve worked with, this was the smoothest experience I have ever had, and the relationship and gotten better and better,” he adds.

Backcountry and MotoSport went live with Sugar within two months.

Peter used in-house developers. They had no prior experience with CRM but found Sugar’s documentation clear and easy to follow, Peter says.

It led to that dramatic moment of proof.

“The business processing was the big thing. I knew Sugar could do it, but when I saw it happen for the first time I was like, ‘Oh, man, this could be huge for us,’ ” Peter says.

With millions of data points, being able to identify a customer by phone number or by searching the email topic field is huge for his sales staff. The company also I-framed a widget in Sugar called “Outdoor Passions” that lists each customer’s hobbies, sports preferences, clothing and shoe sizes – even the customer’s last adventure.

Here’s an example from Peter about how that information in Sugar leads to a sales conversation:

“Let’s say you bought hiking boots. We’re going to call and ask how they are, what you’re planning to do with them. If they are for walking around, I’ve got nothing else to say. But maybe you say you are using them to climb Kilimanjaro. Then I say, ‘I climbed Killie and there are a few things I wished I had. Would you like me to send you an email about that?’ ”

Backcountry recently tripled its sales staff.

“We wouldn’t have been able to expand our sales staff and get the returns without Sugar,” Peter says. “Now we have accurate reporting on tasks and email, and that is changing behaviors for the good.”

Planning the long journey

Already, the Backcountry business units are identifying unique ways to expand Sugar’s capabilities.

MotoSport, which sells dirt bikes and gear, is working on customizing some of the Sugar fields to accommodate more specifics about its catalog. Information such as manufacturer, make and model of its bikes.

“I know we will be finding more uses for Sugar as we grow into it,” Peter says.