http://www.crmbuyer.com CRM Buyer -- "The Essential Guide for CRM System Purchasers" en-us Copyright 2009 2013-05-24T01:23:44-07:00 ECT News Network ECT News Network CRM Buyer -- "The Essential Guide for CRM System Purchasers" hourly 1 2013-05-24T01:23:44-07:00 http://www.crmbuyer.com/images/rss/cad_100x36.jpg http://www.crmbuyer.com http://www.crmbuyer.com/rsstory/78116.html The personality inventory known as the "Myers-Briggs Type Indicator" is premised on the idea that different people process information in different ways. Some people are verbal processors. Others are visual processors. Some people respond more strongly to images -- others to text. The most effective way to learn is to map the different learning styles to each individual's characteristic strengths. Jeff Zabin 2013-05-23T05:00:00-07:00 Marketing The personality inventory known as the "Myers-Briggs Type Indicator" is premised on the idea that different people process information in different ways. Some people are verbal processors. Others are visual processors. Some people respond more strongly to images -- others to text. The most effective way to learn is to map the different learning styles to each individual's characteristic strengths, according to Myers-Briggs. Moreover, when used in combination, the different styles become reinforcing components of the overall learning experience. ]]> 2013-05-23T05:00:00-07:00 2013-05-22T22:49:20-07:00 http://www.crmbuyer.com/rsstory/78115.html Do you ever wonder why some companies flourish and grow while others struggle? Why you love doing business with some but not others? It all has to do with how they interact with customers. Hilton Head Island in South Carolina has become my family's favorite vacation destination. There are two big brand name hotels there, and we've experienced a big difference in the way they treat customers. Jeff Kagan 2013-05-23T05:00:00-07:00 Business Do you ever wonder why some companies flourish and grow while others struggle? Why you love doing business with some but not others? It all has to do with how they interact with customers. My family has been going to the beach every summer for as long as I can remember. Hilton Head Island in South Carolina has become our favorite destination. We've stayed at many places on the island, but there are two big brand name hotels: the Sonesta Resort and the Westin. There was a big difference in the way we were treated at these two places. ]]> 2013-05-23T05:00:00-07:00 2013-05-22T20:51:44-07:00 http://www.crmbuyer.com/rsstory/78101.html NetSuite bloomed this week, in part because of a very well-produced user meeting, SuiteWorld, held in San Jose. However, it also bloomed because there can no longer be any doubt that the market for ERP technology is turning to the cloud. What was once unthinkable -- that ERP could or would ever be delivered as a cloud solution -- has been gaining acceptance Denis Pombriant 2013-05-22T05:00:00-07:00 Enterprise Apps NetSuite bloomed this week, in part because of a very well-produced user meeting, SuiteWorld, held in San Jose. However, it also bloomed because there can no longer be any doubt that the market for ERP technology is turning to the cloud. What was once unthinkable -- that ERP could or would ever be delivered as a cloud solution -- has been gaining acceptance over the last couple of years, and NetSuite has been the most aggressive of ERP vendors at promoting it. Cloud based ERP is now a value proposition that competes well. ]]> 2013-05-22T05:00:00-07:00 2013-05-22T07:27:20-07:00 http://www.crmbuyer.com/rsstory/78089.html Pretty much all CRM deployments need some degree of customization, the exceptions being those rare situations where businesses have very simple needs. Customizations can be as simple as the modification of a field to accommodate a local convention for addresses, or as complex as the addition of workflows that introduce social media data or specific sales and marketing behaviors. Christopher J. Bucholtz 2013-05-21T05:00:00-07:00 Strategy Pretty much all CRM deployments need some degree of customization, the exceptions being those rare situations where businesses have very simple needs. Customizations can be as simple as the modification of a field to accommodate a local convention for addresses, or as complex as the addition of workflows that introduce social media data or specific sales and marketing behaviors unique to the business. Unless you have exceptional in-house talent, this means you'll have to engage with a consultant, reseller or other third-party expert. ]]> 2013-05-21T05:00:00-07:00 2013-05-20T21:42:07-07:00 http://www.crmbuyer.com/rsstory/78075.html The case for mobile CRM is an easy one to make. Smartphones are now ubiquitous, and the way most people work requires 24-7 accessibility. Also, not being tethered to a desktop to access customer records is a plus -- if not an outright necessity in some cases. For sales reps or anyone who interacts with customers in the field, mobile CRM is essential. Erika Morphy 2013-05-20T05:00:00-07:00 Mobile CRM The case for mobile CRM is an easy one to make. Smartphones are now ubiquitous, and the way most people work requires 24-7 accessibility. Also, not being tethered to a desktop to access customer records is a plus -- if not an outright necessity in some cases. For sales reps or anyone who interacts with customers in the field, mobile CRM is essential, said Tom Brennan, VP of product marketing at FinancialForce.com. ]]> 2013-05-20T05:00:00-07:00 2013-05-20T12:13:56-07:00 http://www.crmbuyer.com/rsstory/78061.html InsideView earlier this month debuted a new marketing offering housed on its InsideView CRM Intelligence Platform. This first iteration of InsideView for Marketing focuses on automated lead enrichment capabilities, said Marc Perramond, VP of product. It was built with an eye to enhancing a company's lead records with social, media and financial information. Erika Morphy 2013-05-17T05:00:00-07:00 Products InsideView earlier this month debuted a new marketing offering housed on its InsideView CRM Intelligence Platform. "One of our working premises is that even with the massive amount of spending companies do on CRM automation, the products still do not fully address the needs of understanding the customer and the new buying process," said Marc Perramond, VP of product. InsideView's new tool was built with an eye to enhancing a company's lead records with social, media and financial information. ]]> 2013-05-17T05:00:00-07:00 2013-05-19T19:19:05-07:00 http://www.crmbuyer.com/rsstory/78049.html Bloomberg has been embroiled in scandal since news broke last week that its reporters were using the company's corporate terminals to monitor its customers' activities. The story began to unravel when news surfaced that Goldman Sachs had confronted Bloomberg over the possibility that reporters were accessing its account data. Erika Morphy 2013-05-16T05:00:00-07:00 Customer Data Bloomberg has been embroiled in scandal since news broke last week that its reporters were using the company's corporate terminals to monitor its customers' activities. The story began to unravel when news surfaced that Goldman Sachs had confronted Bloomberg over the possibility that reporters were accessing its account data. Goldman became suspicious when a Bloomberg reporter asked about an executive's whereabouts, noting that he hadn't logged into his account for a while. ]]> 2013-05-16T05:00:00-07:00 2013-05-21T06:39:56-07:00 http://www.crmbuyer.com/rsstory/78039.html There are two questions that emerging companies in the CRM space hear when they face the analysts: <em>When are you going public?</em> <em>Why don't you build out a full CRM capability?</em> The first question is easily and deftly handled by most executives, and it must be. An IPO has its own cadence, and the Securities and Exchange Commission is very keen to protect its turf. Denis Pombriant 2013-05-15T05:00:00-07:00 CRM There are two questions that emerging companies in the CRM space hear when they face the analysts: When are you going public? Why don't you build out a full CRM capability? The first question is easily and deftly handled by most executives, and it must be. An IPO has its own cadence, and the Securities and Exchange Commission is very keen to protect its turf, even in an age when Congress keeps tight control on regulators' budgets. It takes almost no effort to fine an overexuberant executive. ]]> 2013-05-15T05:00:00-07:00 2013-05-15T07:28:13-07:00 http://www.crmbuyer.com/rsstory/78028.html Although the acronym "CRM" has been around for a long time, most people have no idea what it means. That's kind of a shame, because they brush up against the effects of CRM every day in their interactions with the businesses they patronize. As a result, when I say I write about CRM, I'm often asked to explain what it is. That leads me to think a lot about a practical definition of "CRM." Christopher J. Bucholtz 2013-05-14T05:00:00-07:00 Strategy Although the acronym "CRM" has been around for a long time, most people have no idea what it means. That's kind of a shame, because they brush up against the effects of CRM every day in their interactions with the businesses that market to them and those they patronize. As a result, when I say I write about CRM, I'm often asked to explain what it is. That leads me to think a lot about a practical definition of "CRM." In many cases, the best explanation has nothing to do with technology -- it has to do with one-to-one interactions. ]]> 2013-05-14T05:00:00-07:00 2013-05-13T21:45:54-07:00 http://www.crmbuyer.com/rsstory/78027.html Government information technology managers will no doubt spend every nickel of the Obama administration's 2014 proposed IT budget of $81 billion. They will also likely be dissatisfied with the business environment that affects IT acquisition and deployment. For starters, the proposed 2014 budget for IT, which actually shows a small gain versus anticipated 2013 spending, is not a sure thing. John K. Higgins 2013-05-14T05:00:00-07:00 Government Government IT managers will no doubt spend every nickel of the Obama administration's 2014 proposed IT budget of $81 billion. They will also likely be dissatisfied with the business environment that affects IT acquisition and deployment. For starters, the proposed 2014 budget for IT, which actually shows a small gain versus anticipated 2013 spending, is not a sure thing. Congress could trim the proposal as part of the budget process -- or simply continue with government-wide cuts associated with the cost-cutting sequestration program. ]]> 2013-05-14T05:00:00-07:00 2013-05-14T12:32:14-07:00 http://www.crmbuyer.com/rsstory/78014.html You wouldn't think it was easy to bungle a mobile marketing campaign -- but it definitely is doable. Six in 10 decision makers planned to increase their companies' mobile marketing budgets in 2013, Forrester said earlier this year, reporting on a survey conducted for Acquent. However, 42 percent of those respondents were worried about achieving ROI. They have good reason to be. Erika Morphy 2013-05-13T05:00:00-07:00 Mobile CRM You wouldn't think it was easy to bungle a mobile marketing campaign -- but it definitely is doable. Six in 10 decision makers planned to increase their companies' mobile marketing budgets in 2013, Forrester said earlier this year, reporting on a survey conducted for Acquent. However, 42 percent of those respondents were worried about achieving ROI. They have good reason to be, if our informal survey of marketing experts is any indication. Mobile marketing may be a hot growth area, but it is still a hit-or-miss affair. ]]> 2013-05-13T05:00:00-07:00 2013-05-10T20:32:52-07:00 http://www.crmbuyer.com/rsstory/77997.html In a move to bolster its offerings for the real estate market, Trulia said this week that it would acquire Market Leader, a Software as a Service-based CRM company targeting agents and brokers. The acquisition, expected to close in the fall, will provide Trulia with tools to help real estate professionals manage and track leads. Enid Burns 2013-05-10T05:00:00-07:00 Deals In a move to bolster its offerings for the real estate market, Trulia said this week that it would acquire Market Leader, a Software as a Service-based CRM company targeting agents and brokers. The acquisition, expected to close in the fall, will provide Trulia with tools to help real estate professionals manage and track leads. As part of the deal, Trulia -- an online real estate marketplace -- will pay approximately $355 million for Market Leader. ]]> 2013-05-10T05:00:00-07:00 2013-05-10T15:06:37-07:00 http://www.crmbuyer.com/rsstory/78004.html Organizations of all sizes across an assortment of industries are using a growing set of cloud analytics solutions to address their Big Data, business intelligence and data integration challenges. Escalating competitive pressures and customer expectations are forcing organizations to find new ways to tap internal and external data sources to achieve their business goals. Jeffrey M. Kaplan 2013-05-10T05:00:00-07:00 Analytics Organizations of all sizes across an assortment of industries are using a growing set of cloud analytics solutions to address their Big Data, business intelligence and data integration challenges. Escalating competitive pressures and customer expectations are forcing organizations to find new ways to tap internal and external data sources to achieve their business goals. They must also better understand how they compare and contrast with their peers from a performance standpoint. This means using key performance indicators to benchmark their success. ]]> 2013-05-10T05:00:00-07:00 2013-05-15T00:55:30-07:00