crm posts, articles, and infographics | The Customer Collective

8 Ways Sales Operations Can Double Your Team’s Productivity

May 11, 2012 by Matt Heinz
with 60 views

Sales operations may very well be THE most important and unsung hero for sales teams big and small, inside and field, direct and channel. They often do thankless jobs with minimal resources, and when done well they can have a significant, more-than-material impact on your sales team’s efficiency and success. [read more]

Evolving Social Media Analytics: Insights from Marshall Sponder

May 1, 2012 by Mike Lewis
with 76 views

Image: Soulart /Shutterstock

Social media analytics is rapidly evolving, always challenging the ways marketers measure and draw insights from web and social media. To get the inside scoop on the current state of social analytics we turned to analytics guru Marshall Sponder. [read more]

6 Simple Steps on Preparing for Your Next Sales Meeting and How Technology Can Improve This

April 12, 2012 by Koka Sexton
with 111 views

Preparation for a sales meeting is the beginning of the second half for sales professionals. The way you come out of that locker room is most likely going to determine the outcome of the game. With today’s buyers changing more than ever, you need to be on your A game. [read more]

How to Implement Product Tracking Using Salesforce.com

April 10, 2012 by Ori Yankelev
with 32 views

Image: blaahhi/Flickr

Only a handful of the early and expansion stage companies that I have worked with were already tracking products in their CRM system when I started working with them. If they do any kind product tracking, more often than not they track that information in an accounting system or in a separate contact management system used by technical... [read more]

Customer Care is the New Mainstream

April 5, 2012 by Alex Hisaka
with 81 views

Image: Ayubansari /Shutterstock

In today’s world, any business can connect to its customers via many channels -- email, Facebook, Twitter, phone, live chat, web -- and the technologies to do this are available and within reach of even the smallest of small businesses. Where a sharp business focus on customer satisfaction used to be a rarity, it’s now commonplace. [read more]

(Video) 5 Essential Social Apps for Business Productivity: From SalesChaosTV

March 22, 2012 by Dan Waldschmidt and Todd Schnick
with 437 views

When there's just to much to do and you're spread all over the place, these five social tools can make you more productive and efficient. [read more]

24 Tips to get the CEO & Corner Office to Say Yes to Social Media!

March 14, 2012 by Pam Moore
with 96 views

Image: Courtesy of author blog

You know there is a world of social opportunity for you, your company and your brand. You have an already enabled, empowered and self-tweeting community if you could just get out there and engage with them. What is holding you back? [read more]

To Build A Brand, Ask 'Where's The Party?'

March 11, 2012 by Dannielle Blumenthal, Ph.D.
with 64 views

Photo by The Next Web via Flickr

Seriously, yes. If you want to build a great brand, it's all about connecting people - in a way that's engaging and fun. Hopefully it's also meaningful - the Woodstock of its generation.The Relationship-Based Enterprise by Roy McKenzie explains in a methodical way how to do this, although McKenzie thinks in terms of "CRM" - customer... [read more]

Iran, the IAEA and your CRM

February 29, 2012 by David Masover
with 23 views

Image: The Cleveland Kid/Flickr(creative commons)

I know, I’ve been writing a lot about politics lately. I can’t help it. The parallels to sales organizations and accountability are just too ripe to resist. This week, let's look at Iran and your CRM. [read more]

CRM Bells, Whistles, Pain, and Agony: From SalesChaosTV

February 9, 2012 by Dan Waldschmidt and Todd Schnick
with 98 views

Mention the word "CRM" and most salespeople flinch. With good reason, says SalesChaosTV co-anchor Todd Schnick. His compadre, Dan Walschmidt, says CRM "just makes us feel icchy." [read more]

CRM Is the Tool and Sales Follow-Up Is Key

February 9, 2012 by Lori Richardson
with 111 views

Image: Courtesy of author blog

What is the value of a saw if you never sharpen it? Having a dull saw will not allow you to get the results you desire when cutting wood. What is the value of dental floss if you don’t use it? The same is true with any cloud-based (SaaS) tools to help you in your business – they must be used, and used properly for you and your... [read more]

MYTH: 'My Buyers Are Not on the Web'

February 6, 2012 by David Meerman Scott
with 267 views

Image courtesy of author's blog

I frequently hear from people that their buyers are not on the Web. This myth is used an excuse not to create a valuable Web site and to avoid creating content. Sorry to deliver a reality check, but the truth is that very few people are offline, particularly when you include lower cost mobile technology. In fact, there are more mobile... [read more]

CRM isn’t enough: 6 Sales Tools to Drive Revenue in 2012

February 1, 2012 by Nancy Nardin
with 247 views

When I started Smart Selling Tools five years ago, I focused mostly on CRM. There were (and still are) more than 100 different CRM tools on the market. Since CRM is the platform for sales organizations, it’s important to have ways to compare offerings and to learn what to look for. That was then. SaaS changed everything. As the... [read more]

The Inside Track on Salesforce.com’s Outbound Team (guest post)

February 1, 2012 by Trish Bertuzzi
with 103 views

Image: Courtesy of author blog

To those that know me well, I’m not making news when I confess my love for Salesforce.com. Add in metrics, reports and dashboards and we have a perfect weekday afternoon. hat being shared, I recently stumbled upon a recorded Dreamforce session on "Sales Prospecting Secrets: How Salesforce.com Fills the Funnel with Hot Leads." Needless to say, that’s right up my alley. [read more]

Come to Atlanta to Get Down to Social Biz…and for Some Biscuits

January 20, 2012 by Brent Leary
with 60 views

I have the opportunity to go to a lot of CRM/Social events during the course of the year, most of which are held in cool places like San Francisco, Boston and Orlando. And while I love going to those places, I’ve always wanted to have one of those events down here in Atlanta. [read more]