CRM- September 2008 - (Page 30) APPLE devisingt he Newest Mobile Device People have been talking about Apple (and cofounder Steve Jobs) as “The Comeback Kid” for years, thanks to a new line of Macs and a little critter called the iPod, but that’s not a story for CRM. What is a story is another Apple item, the iPhone. As CRM users latched onto this consumer gadget and turned it into a business device, CRM vendors—including Oracle and Salesforce.com—have been writing iPhone applications, changing the way we look at mobile CRM, literally and figuratively. “It’s that cool a tool, it’s that visual—and with the 3G version it will have the speed,” says Paul Greenberg, industry luminary, iPhone user, and one of this year’s Influential Leaders (see page 27). “[Apple has] the quality of an extraordinary user experience, and that’s not to be underestimated.” Even Microsoft honcho Steve Ballmer is impressed, reportedly writing to staffers that Apple’s a success “because they are good at providing an experience that is narrow but complete, while our commitment to choice often comes with some compromises to the endto-end experience.” One obstacle for Apple involves another fruit: The RIM BlackBerry has a proven track record, dominance of the business market, and superior security features—for now. “Apple iPhone isn’t RIM yet, but it’s way more promising than a year ago,” Greenberg says. “With rich media, the ability to tie into enterprise networks, and integration with Microsoft Exchange, they’ll get there.” —Marshall Lager merging Marketing and Sales The relationship between marketing and sales has operated akin to a sibling rivalry. A constant back and forth of who said what, who started what, who did what is enough to make the job of both parties exponentially more difficult, not to mention the toll it takes on the progress of the company. So when California-based Marketo comes along with a solution that aims to not only appease each department, but get them working together, it’s easy to see why the company is among this year’s Rising Stars. For marketing and sales teams in general, the problem isn’t the issue of getting a lead, but making the conversion, says Jim Dickie, managing partner at consultancy CSO Insights. “We keep on hearing people say, ‘I need more leads.’ What they really need is to spend more time on quality leads.” Marketo, he says, is an “interesting tool” precisely because it’s something both marketing and sales can use. Instead of narrowly focusing on the sales cycle, Marketo is addressing a broader objective—the revenue cycle, where sales and marketing work together to drive revenue. A core data repository, or lead database, provides a single view of the customer. Its workflow and process automation—from lead generation, to lead nurturing, to lead scoring—gives both marketing and sales access to monitor all lead interactions. Sales and marketing programs automatically adjust depending on how customers react to each previous touch point. 30 CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT | SEPTEMBER 2008 MARKETO There are reasons the feud between marketing and sales has gone on for so long—and poor cross-departmental communication is one. According to a CSO Insights report, 85 percent of marketers believe they are passing along qualified leads, while 50 percent of salespeople say they are “unsatisfied with marketing efforts.” But companies are having trouble finding a solution that helps more than it hinders. “Strategically, [Marketo] has done the correct thing by making it look as simple as possible, hiding the complexity under the covers,” says David Raab, a principal at New York–based Raab Associates. According to Marketo Chief Executive Officer Phil Fernandez, the solution is intended for “mere mortals,” thereby breaking the tech-heavy barrier to adoption. Buying the solution is only the first roadblock, Raab says, “but there’s so much more potential if you learn how to use it right.” Raab adds that Marketo, along with its network of partners, is providing the necessary thought leadership to target customers—B2B marketers—on how to align their business processes. Founded in January 2006, and having released its “main event” Marketo Lead Management only earlier this March, and Lead Insight for Sales in July, Marketo is still relatively new. Going forward, analysts hope to see added support for more marketing channels, better analytics, and further integration with other sales and CRM products. —Jessica Tsai www.destinationCRM.com R I S I N G S TA R S http://Salesforce.com http://www.destinationCRM.com
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