[With apologies to the Corrs...]

When I was in High School, my parents bought a treadmill.

It was sleek and black and had a big important-looking console on it.

It felt powerful.  Like you could lose weight just by being near it.  My parents had big plans for it and bigger dreams for themselves.

My father said, “It’ll be great.  I can watch Seinfeld and lose weight at the same time.”  And my mother: “I don’t have to worry about the cold winter weather, because I can exercise in comfort right here in the basement!”

Just like in a million other homes across America, however, it wasn’t too long before the treadmill was forgotten — relegated to a second life as a glorified laundry rack.  And we were back to eating pizza and getting fat.

When Patrick Kelly and I were preparing for last week’s CRM Webcast, we talked a lot about the misperception of CRM as the next great Magic Bullet in enrollment.

It wasn’t until we were in the midst of the webcast though, that I realized how easy it is to fall into the Treadmill Trap.

CRM’s are sleek.  They’re powerful.  Some even have shiny dashboards.

A CRM can provide the means to solving a lot of issues — resource over-extension, data fatigue, communication plan gaps — but, just like my parents’ treadmill, it’s only as powerful as its users.

What my parents needed when they bought their treadmill was motivation.  Their own desire for fitness was eclipsed by their desire for, well, pizza.  If my parents had had a personal trainer to guide them and motivate them, they may have embraced their treadmill.  Instead of hanging laundry, the treadmill might have glistened with the sweat of success.

A CRM works the same way.  It’s not just putting the system in place — it’s training.  Sitting down with someone one-on-one to get questions answered.  Making connections between your business processes and the way they come alive in the CRM.  Feeling that sense of accomplishment as things come together.

This is where TargetX excels.  We don’t just saddle you with a treadmill and say, “Good luck!  Hope I don’t see ya on Biggest Loser.”  We implement the CRM with you.  We train you on how you should use it by showing you how we’d use it.  We’re Admissions people who want to see other Admissions people become Recruiting All-stars.

With training, smart planning, and widespread adoption, a CRM system can really enable recruiters to get back to recruiting, building relationships with best-fit students.

Otherwise, it’s just another place to dry the metaphorical laundry.

[Interested in witnessing my Eureka moment?  Check out the Free on Friday CRM webcast featuring me and Patrick Kelly by clicking on this link: http://www.targetx.com/videos/free-on-friday-webcasts/ ]

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