It’s Not the CRM — It’s the Conversation: The Human Fix for a Broken System
Presentation by JC Quintana
The collapse of “CRM” isn’t caused by bad software—it’s caused by how organizations think about it. Too often, leaders treat CRM as a tool to track deals rather than a strategy to build relationships. This “tool-first” mindset short-circuits the very conversations needed to align business goals, customer expectations, and technology adoption.
In this lively and eye-opening keynote, JC takes audiences inside the human side of CRM failure—where good intentions, ambitious roadmaps, and confusing dashboards collide. Through humor, real-world stories, and a few uncomfortable truths, you’ll discover that successful CRM adoption has less to do with features and everything to do with expectations.
When teams shift the conversation from technology transactions to human alignment, CRM stops being a system of record—and becomes a system of relationship.
By the end of your time with JC, you’ll learn how to:
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Engage CRM users, leaders, and delivery teams in conversations that reveal the expectations behind every implementation.
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Foster genuine collaboration and value co-creation across CRM planning, deployment, and adoption.
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Design expectation-centered conversations that make CRM adoption sustainable—and human-centered—across your organization.
Learning objectives:
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Uncover the 3 myths you’ve been sold about CRM user adoption.
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Discover the 10 expectations essential to aligning customer relationship management strategy with technology innovation.
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Learn the #1 reason CRM conversations lead to misunderstanding—and what to do about it.
Audiences
CRM Owners, Admins, and Delivery Teams
If you're responsible for implementing, managing, or improving a CRM system, this session will help you go beyond features and functionality. You'll learn how to engage users in meaningful conversations that surface real needs, drive adoption, and align CRM capabilities with strategic business goals.
Change Agents, Strategists, and Consultants
If your role involves digital transformation, process improvement, or human-centered design, this session offers a new lens on CRM success. You'll discover how expectation alignment—not more customization—is the key to co-creating value and accelerating adoption across your organization.
Empowering Global Organizations
30
Years of Experience
600
Keynotes
25
Countries
15
Industries
ABOUT
JC Quintana
Fifteen years ago, I made a startling discovery: more often than not, customers, employees, and partners leave companies because their expectations about people, processes, or technology were never properly discussed.
This realization hit home for me. I reflected on my own experiences as an entrepreneur and executive leader. I've seen firsthand the devastating impact of misaligned expectations—losing valuable clients and talented team members, or watching good technology go to waste because we lacked a meaningful way to discuss expectations regarding outcomes, behavior, or adoption.
Today, I'm passionate about helping businesses avoid this pitfall. I believe that by harnessing the power of expectation conversations, we can create better opportunities to discuss profitable, meaningful, and realistic outcomes. No matter the industry or audience, misaligned expectations hinder great people, initiatives, and innovation from achieving their full potential.
