For many years, a CRM software solution has been considered something separate from other vital sales tools—tools such as a sales process, email, web services and, lately, social media platforms. This prevalent consideration has been aptly illustrated by the fact that for salespeople, entering data into CRM was yet another cumbersome administrative task carefully designed ...
Let’s face it: the twenty-first century business environment is web-centric. If your enterprise isn’t operating on the web, it is certainly depending on the web for important aspects of business operations. Of course these aspects include email, online ordering, lead generation and prospecting. But in the course of a sales cycle, they could also include ...
Traditional CRM software usually misses the boat on the actual purpose of a CRM solution, which is to increase sales velocity. Instead of serving merely as a monitor for salespeople, it should actually empower sales reps to sell better and faster. The data entered into CRM should assist sales reps in moving their sales forward. Fortunately ...
In our last article we discussed the importance of social media strategy in today’s B2B business environment. For B2B, social media can be vitally important at the beginning of a business relationship—but after a point a stronger stress must be placed on product benefits to the target company, and the insightful and personal customer relations between ...
In the last year or so, the importance of social media to a CRM application has been all the rage. “Does your CRM solution support social media?” seems to be the question on every CRM pundit’s lips. It is a valid question, if only because of the preponderance of both companies and individuals that are ...
The title of this article seems an obvious statement. But interestingly, most CRM applications don’t quite do it the way it should be done—without having to move out of the CRM interface. Ideally you should be able to engage your contacts across any channel from right within CRM. Email just happens to be the most ...
As covered in our recent series of articles on B2B sales, today’s B2B sales landscape is radically changing. The sales funnel is being replaced by sales pipeline – with full understanding of, and a tracking with, buyer experience. Pitch selling is being replaced by insight selling, in which salespeople listen to and consult with buyers ...
In our recent series on Marketing and Sales Alignment, we’ve discussed many ways in which Marketing and Sales can work as a cohesive unit, instead of in traditional isolation and (often) conflict. A recent article in Harvard Business Review entitled Ending the War Between Sales and Marketing pointed out that a case can be made ...
