CRM - January 2009 - (Page 39) mobile SHAKE YOUR MONEYMAKERS SALES FORCE AUTOMATION (SFA) is hardly a new concept, and just about every forward-thinking business in the developed world has some sort of technology at work to maximize the efficiency of its sales agents. Note the word efficiency—it’s the main goal of many SFA implementations, sometimes the only goal, and it’s where most sales technology stops. It’s also where most salespeople stop. That perception is reflected in the sales of CRM and SFA products—or the lack thereof. “Forecast deals— which are supposed to be written in blood—are down to 46 percent,” says Jim Dickie, a partner with CRM consulting firm CSO Insights and a regular contributor to CRM. “The highest gain is ‘no decision,’” he says, meaning that more companies are deciding not to buy anything rather than add applications to help them sell better. Add to that the salesperson’s fear that SFA leads to micromanagement, and it’s little wonder that the technology often stalls. The problem is that efficiency isn’t fun, or sexy, or even interesting unless you have some sort of resource management fetish. But there is a sexier side to this technology—effectiveness—if only people would see it. “So much of the SFA system is about efficiency, not effectiveness,” Dickie says—and the latter is just as important, if not more so. “People aren’t mining the gold that’s already in their CRM systems. One database company I know refers to its CRM as WORN—Write Once, Read Never.” Sales technology isn’t about data entry; it’s about closing more and bigger deals. SFA can help, but only if businesses know what to look for and how to use it. What follows is a look at three main technological arenas where salespeople can become more effective: mobility, social computing, and analytics. Here are three areas in which technology can help your organization sell better | By Marshall Lager analytical www.destinationCRM.com CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT | JANUARY 2009 39 social http://www.destinationCRM.com
Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of CRM - January 2009 CRM - January 2009 Contents Front Office Feedback Reality Check Customer Centricity The Tipping Point The Shots Heard ’Round the World 30,000-Foot Views Of the Cloud Stuffing the Ballot Box— With Complaints The Marketing Line for ’09 CRM on Twitter Technology Helps Insurance Weather the Storm Required Reading The Google-ization of CRM The Feedback Funnel Email: What’s Inside? Shake Your Moneymakers Lead Sweet Lead Incentives at the Speed of Lightpath Sales Contentment for Content Management A Worthwhile Excursion Into Call Recording Secret of My Success Re:Tooling Connect Pint of View CRM - January 2009 CRM - January 2009 - CRM - January 2009 (Page Cover1) CRM - January 2009 - CRM - January 2009 (Page Cover2) CRM - January 2009 - Contents (Page 3) CRM - January 2009 - Contents (Page 4) CRM - January 2009 - Contents (Page 5) CRM - January 2009 - Front Office (Page 6) CRM - January 2009 - Front Office (Page 7) CRM - January 2009 - Feedback (Page 8) CRM - January 2009 - Feedback (Page 9) CRM - January 2009 - Reality Check (Page 10) CRM - January 2009 - Reality Check (Page 11) CRM - January 2009 - Customer Centricity (Page 12) CRM - January 2009 - Customer Centricity (Page 13) CRM - January 2009 - The Tipping Point (Page 14) CRM - January 2009 - The Tipping Point (Page 15) CRM - January 2009 - The Shots Heard ’Round the World (Page 16) CRM - January 2009 - 30,000-Foot Views Of the Cloud (Page 17) CRM - January 2009 - Stuffing the Ballot Box— With Complaints (Page 18) CRM - January 2009 - CRM on Twitter (Page 19) CRM - January 2009 - Technology Helps Insurance Weather the Storm (Page 20) CRM - January 2009 - Required Reading (Page 21) CRM - January 2009 - The Google-ization of CRM (Page 22) CRM - January 2009 - The Google-ization of CRM (Page 23) CRM - January 2009 - The Google-ization of CRM (Page 24) CRM - January 2009 - The Google-ization of CRM (Page 25) CRM - January 2009 - The Google-ization of CRM (Page 26) CRM - January 2009 - The Google-ization of CRM (Page BPS1) CRM - January 2009 - The Google-ization of CRM (Page BPS2) CRM - January 2009 - The Google-ization of CRM (Page BPS3) CRM - January 2009 - The Google-ization of CRM (Page BPS4) CRM - January 2009 - The Google-ization of CRM (Page BPS5) CRM - January 2009 - The Google-ization of CRM (Page BPS6) CRM - January 2009 - The Google-ization of CRM (Page BPS7) CRM - January 2009 - The Google-ization of CRM (Page BPS8) CRM - January 2009 - The Google-ization of CRM (Page BPS9) CRM - January 2009 - The Google-ization of CRM (Page BPS10) CRM - January 2009 - The Google-ization of CRM (Page BPS11) CRM - January 2009 - The Google-ization of CRM (Page BPS12) CRM - January 2009 - The Feedback Funnel (Page 27) CRM - January 2009 - The Feedback Funnel (Page 28) CRM - January 2009 - The Feedback Funnel (Page 29) CRM - January 2009 - The Feedback Funnel (Page 30) CRM - January 2009 - The Feedback Funnel (Page 31) CRM - January 2009 - Email: What’s Inside? (Page 32) CRM - January 2009 - Email: What’s Inside? (Page 33) CRM - January 2009 - Email: What’s Inside? (Page 34) CRM - January 2009 - Email: What’s Inside? (Page 35) CRM - January 2009 - Email: What’s Inside? (Page 36) CRM - January 2009 - Email: What’s Inside? (Page 37) CRM - January 2009 - Email: What’s Inside? (Page 38) CRM - January 2009 - Shake Your Moneymakers (Page 39) CRM - January 2009 - Shake Your Moneymakers (Page 40) CRM - January 2009 - Shake Your Moneymakers (Page 41) CRM - January 2009 - Shake Your Moneymakers (Page 42) CRM - January 2009 - Incentives at the Speed of Lightpath (Page 43) CRM - January 2009 - Sales Contentment for Content Management (Page 44) CRM - January 2009 - A Worthwhile Excursion Into Call Recording (Page 45) CRM - January 2009 - Secret of My Success (Page 46) CRM - January 2009 - Re:Tooling (Page 47) CRM - January 2009 - Connect (Page 48) CRM - January 2009 - Connect (Page 49) CRM - January 2009 - Pint of View (Page 50) CRM - January 2009 - Pint of View (Page Cover3) CRM - January 2009 - Pint of View (Page Cover4)
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