• Could LinkedIn Contacts Become LinkedIn Social CRM?
    [May 13, 2013] LinkedIn's new Contacts app is designed to help users stay in touch with important business contacts and build contacts with others.
  • Moxie Software and Microsoft Partner to Enhance Customer Service Capabilities
    [April 22, 2013] In November, Moxie and Microsoft announced partnership to pursue a joint go-to-market strategy to offer Spaces by Moxie within MSFT Dynamics CRM. (See – Moxie Integrates with Microsoft Dynamics CRM). In March, Moxie announced full integration with MSFT Lync to further strengthen their contact center capabilities. I recently spoke with Tara Sporer, VP of Marketing [...]
  • Maps Add Value to CRM: How Sales Reps Benefit
    [April 4, 2013] What do you think of when you think of maps? Vacations, treasure hunts, weather forecasts?
  • SaneBox for Teams Streamlines Your Enterprise Inbox
    [March 6, 2013] Boston based SaneBox, the company that provides smart email filtering services for individuals, announced SaneBox for Teams to allow business to also take advantage of it’s smart email filtering program to help boost productivity. According to a study by McKinsey Global Institute, an average employee spends about 13 hours a week reading and responding to [...]
  • It’s Time to Do More…Now!
    [February 14, 2013] This morning the folks at Do.com, the collaboration platform from Salesforce.com built for the way small businesses work, announced their Do More ecosystem of apps that integrate with Do providing users with a more efficient way to get their work done.
  • Future of Marketing Automation: Grow or Die
    [January 22, 2013] ‘Tis the season for industry predictions. I’ve already fielded a couple of requests for my thoughts, which usually requires some pondering before I reply. But this time I was able to answer right away because I’ve just finished a white paper on the future of B2B marketing automation, sponsored by Leadformix and available here for [...]
  • [x+1] Origin Digital Marketing Hub Offers Cross-Channel Decision Management
    [December 11, 2012] My recent posts on real time decision systems have all described products from vendors of batch-oriented, outbound campaign management systems. Expansion to real time decisions helps those vendors cement their strategic position as a complete solution for marketing departments. But technically the two sets of systems have little in common: outbound systems create lists for direct mail and email, while real time systems generate recommendations for Web sites and call centers. Knowing this, you might suspect there are other real time decision management vendors with roots in Web marketing. You would be correct.
  • Win with Marketing Automation
    [November 5, 2012] Are you trying to decide if you need Marketing Automation?  Simple!  Just decide if you need the following:
  • SetLogik Offers B2B Marketers a Real Marketing Database
    [October 18, 2012] I've now done more detailed research into the SetLogik B2B data management system I mentioned in my Dreamforce post.? If anything, I'm even more impressed.
  • Adobe Announces Adobe Social
    [September 11, 2012] Adobe has announced the general availability of Adobe Social, its social marketing solution, which utilizes the Adobe Digital Marketing Suite, and includes extensive analytics into social engagement, as well as ad and app creation, and engagementn and social listening tools all in one platform.
  • B2B Marketing Automation Vendors Are Making Incremental, Not Radical, Changes To Their Products
    [August 23, 2012] One of my favorite parts about putting out a new edition of the VEST report is I get to dive into a pile of new data about industry trends. Think Scrooge McDuck and his pool filled with gold coins.
  • Not Tracking Social Media ROI is Your Fault
    [August 1, 2012] Last week, Susan Etlinger from Altimeter Group published the Social Media ROI Cookbook. It contains significant quantities of solid thinking, and provides a useful framework of six primary ways to measure social media effectiveness. (click here to view and download the Social Media ROI Cookbook on Slideshare)
  • Bitrix, Inc. Enhances Cloud Based Solutions with New CRM Integrations
    [July 5, 2012] When customers go online and complete web forms, they're creating business opportunities. Millions of companies manage those opportunities with intranet-based CRM systems that help them process leads and orders.
  • Social and Mobile Features Head the List of New Marketing Automation Capabilities
    [June 6, 2012] I'm getting ready for the next edition of the B2B Marketing Automation Vendor Selection Tool (VEST). This is based on nearly 200 questions to vendors, mostly about product features. The first step in the process is to update the list of questions. This is based on a review of recent vendor announcements plus my own feeling for what's important. What emerges is an interesting portrait of industry trends in product development.
  • CRM Smartphone App Keeps Your Sales Representatives Focused On Selling
    [May 10, 2012] According to recent report, most companies who implement a CRM solution witness a dramatic drop in its usage within a week of its launch. Most CRM systems and platforms require the salesperson to enter pertinent information when they call customers or visit with them. This entire process can be counterproductive and could lead to a decrease in overall efficiency.
  • Protect Yourself from Losing a Prospect Sponsor and Possibly the Account
    [April 16, 2012] Play Your Cards Right with CRM You've spent months of resources on a huge proposal with an important prospect, have built a very good relationship with the sponsor of this proposal, but the sponsor moves to another position or another company.
  • State of Customer Data Integration in 2012
    [April 2, 2012] In February 2012, Scribe Software surveyed 300 business leaders and channel partners to uncover opportunities and challenges associated with customer data integration. "The State of Customer Data Integration in 2012" report contains input from C-level executives, business analysts and IT engineers, and systems integrators and consultants who design and implement data integration for their enterprise clients.
  • ActiveConversion Integrates Microsoft Dynamics CRM
    [March 14, 2012] ActiveConversion is a marketing measurement, and management systems, that works for small-medium sized companies. They utilize SaaS solutions, generating income through monthly subscriptions. They've announced a new CRM integration, by way of Microsoft Dynamics.
  • A Critical Path for Customer Relevance
    [February 13, 2012] A key objective for senior executives over the next several years is to use disruptive technology to get closer to customers, to improve relationships, and enhance experiences. It is a considerable move and the result will usher in a new era of adaptive and empathetic business models. However, this is a move that is easier said than done., especially when vision and execution are two sides of different coins. This is a critical path where businesses must not only commit to new technology and goals, but also invest in the methodologies, systems, processes, and people to bring about change from within before it can effectively engage outside.
  • The Power of Traditional Marketing Channels
    [January 23, 2012] While new marketing channels are probably here to stay, don't disregard the power of traditional marketing channels. Direct mail with targeted GIS marketing, trade shows, newspaper advertising, radio and television, Email and telesales won't be out of the picture soon, if ever.
  • Social CRM Needs Clarity
    [January 3, 2012] As the headline implies, even though Social CRM exists as an official category, what it is and what it is not is blurry and hotly debated. No, it doesn't need a new definition. And, no, it doesn't need new leadership. sCRM, and now "social enterprise" as categories could however, benefit from clarity around what it is they're solving for, which companies actually provide solutions against those objectives, and ultimately, how everything works together for the benefit of customer engagement and relationships.
  • New Thought Leadership Is Needed For Social CRM
    [December 12, 2011] For the last year, I have tried to engage with the small circle of social CRM influencers. I have followed many of them on Twitter; retweeted their good content, linked to them from my blog posts and tried to engage with them on a variety of different levels. Not to debate but to learn. I am trying to figure out what it is they know that I don't know. Is there some secret formula to social CRM that's hidden in their brains that they only share with each other, like the Illuminati?
  • How to Make Customer Service Matter Again
    [November 29, 2011] Part 13 in a series introducing my new book, The End of Business as Usual?this series serves as the book's prequel.
  • CMO’s are at the Crossroads of Customer Transactions and Engagement
    [October 31, 2011] Digital Darwinism is the evolution of consumer behavior when society and technology evolve faster than the ability to adapt. At the intersection of relevance and obsolescence is the ability to recognize opportunities for change based on shifting consumer behavior and the subtle coalescence between emerging and disruptive technology. Businesses must realize that change is taking place today with or without them. And, to what extent varies from company to company. But without an understanding of how technology and society are evolving and how decisions are influenced and made, businesses are either left to make decisions in the dark or change simply for the sake of change. We all know how difficult, if not nearly impossible, it is to change. We also realize that once we do begin the inevitable process of transformation, the distance between where we are and where we need to be is not expeditious in any sense. In the era of digital Darwinism, the journey toward evolution and revolution is in fact, the destination. It is perpetual.
  • BroadVision?s Clearvale Offers Integrated Enterprise Social Networking Platform
    [October 17, 2011] Many organizations are implementing both external facing social networking programs, as well as enterprise social networking tools. However, these are often different programs using different tools that are not integrated. BroadVision has introduced Clearvale to address this issue. I recently spoke with Richard Hughes of BroadVision to better understand their Clearvale offering.