I once had a client come to me for help, distraught at the failure of his company’s latest CRM implementation. It turns out the company had spent tens of thousands on a package recommended by the IT department. Unfortunately for my new client, that software implementation didn’t take into account the needs — and abilities — of the Sales team. …
What’s in Your CRM?
If you have followed any of my writing you already know that I wish we had a good alternative for CRM. The only word in “Customer Relationship Management” that is relevant is “Relationship”. The discipline is simply not always about customers and even if it were they certainly cannot be managed. For years I have advocating for a broader use …
Confide – The Changing Face of Business Technology
Forty years ago, few people saw how the advent of the personal computer would change not only the shape of business, but the fabric of society itself. The technology industry changes so quickly that businesses and the legal profession have trouble creating policies to keep up with their appropriate usage. Within that gap, we rely on early adopters to define …
Getting CRM Right the First Time
If you meet with as many business owners or sales executives as I do you will be certain to hear that their current Customer Relationship Management software is not meeting their expectations. In the beginning there are usually high hopes and lots of conversations about how wonderful, productive and easy to use the new system will be for the sales …
Just How Hard Can IT Be?
The company servers were running slow again and users kept getting kicked out of the network several times a day. Finally management had had enough and decided in executive meeting that the IT infrastructure needed to be replaced – what they had in place just wasn’t getting the job done.
It was felt that this would be a big deal for the,,,
Who’s Driving The Bus?
OK, I’m up on the soapbox again about TLAs — Three Letter Acronyms. And our tendency to make terms, words and phrases mean whatever we wish them to. Some days I feel like I have gone Through the Looking Glass again. “When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, “it means just what I choose it …
Over The Hill in Your 20s? Not Yet!
Who ever said that old dogs can’t learn new tricks? And who wants tricks anyway – good dogs are partners, friends and an integral part of our team – and that could be hunting, security, rescue or any number of other activities. Puppies are fun and playful – but largely unfocused until they get a little age on them and …
Selling Is A Game
In a recent post I mentioned some of the reasons that sales reps (and managers) give for not fully utilizing the corporate CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system. An all too common reply is “…it’s just too damn complicated and keeps me from doing my job — selling and closing business”. There are a number of reasons for this happening — and it …
CRM Best in Breed
There are few bad CRM systems but there are many bad CRM implementations.
Swiftpage Acquires ACT!
Finally! This is an acquisition – not a sale – of a long-time favorite in the Contact Management / CRM market space. And this is a good thing. Let me explain… ACT! will now be owned by a smaller, more agile firm that understands CRM and the small business marketplace. For those of you who don’t know, Swiftpage is a major …