Why your sales reps don’t use your tools ?

You invested in a prospecting tool. It was promising. You were convinced.
But three weeks later... nobody's really using it. Or only half.
Sound familiar?

At Charik, we talk to sales managers like you every week. And we always hear the same frustration:

"I don't understand, I gave them a great tool... they'd rather stick to their Excel files."

Reality? It's not a question of ill will. It's often a question of approach, simplicity and field alignment.

Here are the 4 most common non-use profiles... and what you can do immediately to unblock the situation.

1. The "Too complicated, I give up" profile

Symptom: "I tried it for 5 minutes, but I couldn't figure it out."

Even good salespeople aren't comfortable with tech tools. If the interface isn't clear within the first 30 seconds, it's all over.

🎯 What they want: A clear interface that works like LinkedIn.

✅ What to do?

• Do a user test with a member of your team.

• Observe how they react to different screens and where they get stuck.

• Offer a short training course tailored to your team + a video tutorial (discuss this with the tool's editor, at Charik we're happy to make bespoke videos for example).

2. The "Not in my workflow" profile

Symptom: "I have to open another page every time..."

A salesperson lives between LinkedIn, his CRM, and his sequences. If your tool is "next door" to his daily routine, he won't open it.

🎯 What they want: seamless integration with their CRM (HubSpot, salesforce, Pipedrive, ) and LinkedIn.

✅ What to do?

• Check that the tool connects in 1 click to your CRM.

• Prefer a tool with a Chrome extension for LinkedIn, not an external web app.

• Make a personalized demo showing "How you earn X clicks per action". Show that you've mastered the tool yourself!

3. The "I don't see the point" profile

Symptom: "I'm already doing this myself, what's the point?"

Without proof of concrete gain, your tool becomes just another mental burden.

🎯 What they want: See immediately what it changes for them (time saved, data enriched, response rate increased...).

✅ What to do?

• Give it to an ambassador in the team.

• Compare two sequences: with vs. without the tool, in real numbers. The first figure to track is the number of contacts/companies processed per week, then over time the deals signed.

• Share the first results at the weekly meeting.

4. The "I haven't had time to get started" profile

Symptom: "I've got to try it out... but right now I've got too much to do."

In real life, sales reps have their hands full. And if no one accompanies them in the early days, the tool remains in a forgotten tab.

🎯 What they want: Quick onboarding, no appointment necessary, and available human support.

✅ What to do?

• Block 15 minutes in their diary for a first guided use with you.

• Provide them with a support contact from the solution's publisher.

• Remind them that they can ask all their questions to a human (not a chatbot...).

It's not the tool, it's the context

Before judging too quickly ("they don't like change"), ask yourself these 3 questions:

1. Is the tool integrated into their daily lives?

2. Can they see directly what it's changing for them?

3. Did they receive (real) support in the first few days?

A good prospecting tool is like a good salesperson: it adapts to the team, not the other way round.

And when it's done right... it's the team that says "thank you".