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The process for choosing a CRM vendor is important to getting the best results. A successful approach is revealed in the following scenario for how the process might proceed: An old friend called me a few weeks ago looking for advice. Steve is the CEO of a small software company with a fresh infusio...

Scott Fitzgerald once famously observed that there are no second acts in American life. I don't agree because for me, if anything, America is, and has always been, the land of the second chance. On this topic, William Faulkner comes much closer to the reality that I know. I've always been partial to...

When I started researching the difference between effectiveness and efficiency, as these terms relate to sales-force automation software, I was surprised that some dictionaries use the two words to define each other. The difference between effectiveness and efficiency was rather slight in those book...

As I watch the proceedings unfold between Oracle and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), I wonder if these two entities are even on the right page. The same page? Sure. But the right page? I dunno. In this wild world we call the "free market," I wonder how Oracle can come to the conclusion that th...

In my world I have discovered that diversification is instinctive in children. I have been collecting data for more than a dozen years now, and it looks to me like the second child is a natural-born brand manager. Whatever numero uno does, number two will find a way to play a riff that differentiate...

The reason for trade shows has always been the dissemination of information. Whether you are a vendor or a buyer, you go to trade shows to participate in an information exchange. Buyers get product information, and vendors justify the time and expense as lead-generation activity. At least that's the...

You generally can describe silly season as that time when a large portion of the population takes leave of its senses and confuses day and night. Every semi-organized human endeavor has one. In your world, maybe it's called spring break or Mardi Gras or the NCAA basketball tournament. Generally, the...

Several foreign CRM companies recently initiated operations in the United States -- a sure sign that CRM has reached another maturity milestone. When outsiders begin to penetrate the North American market, it is an indication that the rest of the world "gets it" and has something to offer to the big...

One unifying attribute of this year's CRM user group meetings has been the emphasis many vendors are placing on the so-called mid-market. In announcements that coincide with these meetings, Siebel, SAP and PeopleSoft have made efforts to announce products for this segment, and more announcements are...

It seems almost quaint, looking back on it, that a few years ago one of the big questions on nearly everyone's mind was how to commercialize cyberspace. Today, however, commercialization is not the issue. At long last, it's the customer companies are most interested in -- and not a moment too soon.

Shoshana Zuboff is a genius, but don't just take my word for it. Zuboff is a Harvard Business School professor who recently wrote a book called The Support Economy with her husband and collaborator, James Maxmin. What makes Zuboff a genius is that although I think the book is about CRM, there is onl...

Tom Siebel announced this week that he is giving up the daily grind of running the company he started and instead plans to concentrate on his role as chairman of the board. Taking over as CEO is Mike Lawrie, a 26-year IBM veteran. There's no doubt that Siebel will continue to have a great influence ...