CRM Integration After Acquisition: Reconciling Two Sales Processes
Your company has acquired a competitor. Both use Salesforce but with different sales processes: the acquirer has a 7-stage pipeline with gate reviews; the acquired has a 4-stage lightweight process with no gate reviews. Sales directors from both sides insist their process is superior. The integration steering committee wants a single CRM by Q3. You have 12 weeks to produce a target operating model and requirements. Data shows the acquired company's sales cycle is 20% shorter but win rate 15% lower; the acquirer has higher win rate but longer cycle. There are 60 sales staff, 200 custom fields, 45 reports. The CIO mandates a 'no custom code' policy for the new instance, arguing that customizations caused the last CRM failure. The acquired sales director has threatened to leave if forced to adopt the 7-stage process. The program manager wants a recommendation in four weeks.
1. How would you analyze and reconcile the two sales processes, and what criteria would you use to recommend a target process?
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I would start by modelling both processes end-to-end using BPMN, then overlay performance data per stage: cycle time, win rate, deal size, and customer segment. I would run workshops with sales staff from both sides to understand why the acquired process is faster but less successful-perhaps it skips qualification steps that matter for larger deals. I would define evaluation criteria: customer experience, sales productivity, forecast accuracy, and cost to serve. Then I would identify value-adding steps versus waste. Rather than choosing one process wholesale, I would propose a segmented approach: a lightweight process for small, transactional deals and a gated process for complex, high-value deals. I would prototype the target process with a pilot team. I would also map the 200 custom fields to standard Salesforce objects to reduce customization, as the CIO wants. The recommendation would be evidence-based, not political.
2. How would you manage the acquired sales director's threat to leave and the CIO's no-customization mandate?
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The acquired sales director's threat to leave is a risk to manage, not a reason to abandon the integration. I would meet him one-to-one to understand his concerns-likely loss of autonomy or fear that the gated process will slow his team. I would show data that his team's win rate is lower and explore whether a segmented process could preserve speed for his segment. I would involve him in designing the pilot for small deals. For the CIO's no-customization mandate, I would work with IT to identify which of the 200 fields are truly necessary and which can be handled by standard configuration or by changing the sales process. I would create a business case for any customization that is unavoidable, showing cost and risk. I would also use a prototyping approach: build a clickable prototype in Salesforce to demonstrate that a standard solution can work. Communication would emphasize that the goal is a single CRM that supports both teams, not one team conquering the other.
3. What would you include in the target operating model and adoption plan to ensure both sales teams use the new CRM?
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Adoption requires early involvement and visible quick wins. I would establish a joint design authority with representatives from both sales teams, plus sales operations and IT. I would run co-design workshops where each side presents their process and the group agrees on the target. I would create a transition plan with training, champions in each team, and a feedback loop during the first 90 days. I would define success metrics (e.g., pipeline accuracy, cycle time, win rate) and report them transparently. I would also address the cultural differences: the acquirer may value control and the acquired may value speed; I would frame the target process as balancing both. For the threatened sales director, I would offer a role in the pilot and a commitment to review after three months. Finally, I would ensure the CRM configuration is tested with real deals from both teams before go-live.