The Sales 2.0 Conference is Friday, November 18, in San Francisco.

I attended this event last year and highly recommend it as a “must do” event.

This year, the theme is “How to Accelerate Sales in a Slow Economy”.  Speakers include leaders from CSO Insights, Selling Power Magazine, Oracle, Genius, Nortel, Compressor Systems, Breakthrough Sales Performance, and Barton Goldberg.

Click here to read their article that explains when Sales 2.0 will improve your business.

I hope to see you there!

Mark

During our down economy, many sales reps will feel happy just to have a secure job…

But this is not enough incentive to have your sales team perform well.  You need a solution that focuses on their real-world needs, which aligns with your sales strategies.

Xactly hosts free webinars about Sales Performance Management.

They provide on-demand sales compensation solutions are easy to design and implement.  Find out more at http://www.xactlycorp.com/news_events/introwebinar.php .

Below is the Corporate Overview from their website, at http://www.xactlycorp.com/

Mark Mastman

Xactlyâ„¢ Corporation was created to meet the needs of the broader market by providing the most affordable on-demand sales compensation solution allowing companies to improve their business performance through the use of more effective sales compensation programs. Xactly enables companies to easily and affordably design, implement, manage, audit and communicate sales compensation programs. By providing more effective plans and better visibility, these companies can dramatically improve sales performance.

If you are looking for ways to reduce information overload, and improve productivity, then you must listen to this podcast!

Jagdish Mirani, Director of Product Management for Mindjet, explains the value of using MindManager for brainstorming and Project Management.

Jagdish Mirani is interviewed by Ron Holohan, with PM411.org. Jagdish explains the basic principles of visual mapping, and how it can be used from simple brainstorming to Project Management, integrating with Visio, MS Office, JCVGantt Pro, websites, and more.

I give my personal endorsement to MindManager. I use it almost every day, and you will too. Get the trial version, and you will become a life-long mapper, and wish you had taken the plunge years ago.

Listen to the podcast at http://pm411.org/2008/09/21/podcast-episode-036-mindmapping/

Get the MindManager trial at Mindjet.com

Mark Mastman

Here’s a webinar from The Tas Group, that focuses on sales execution.  I’ve posted two different webinars about sales execution today.  Hmm.  It must be an important subject!  : )

Mark Mastman

http://www.thetasgroup.com/tas/resources_webinars.html

Here’s a webinar from RightNow Technologies that focuses on sales execution.

Mark Mastman

		Creating the Customer Centric Enterprise Four Steps to Top Performance Register Now!
	RightNow delivers on demand CRM solutions that help organizations cost-effectively deliver a superior experience to their customers. Send to a Friend Register Now!	Congratulations, you’ve embraced customer centricity. But developing a vision to “put customers first” is only half the battle. To separate your business from your competitors, execution is paramount. Learn the four critical steps to achieve industry-leading performance based on CustomerThink’s groundbreaking research. Key topics include: Why it’s critical to put friendly and competent employees on the frontlines Designing an end-to-end customer experience to increase customer value and loyalty How to use technology to gain and use a complete view of customer information Moving from customer “management” to “collaboration” to create win-win relationships Customer centricity doesn’t have to be a leap of faith. Participate in this webcast to learn four practical steps that will create profitable growth for your business. Register Now! Thursday, September 25 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Eastern 8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. Pacific Thanks for your interest, RightNow
	RightNow Technologies, Inc. 136 Enterprise Blvd. Bozeman, MT 59718 1-877-363-5678 1-406-522-4200

Here’s your FREE Pass to Oracle’s OpenWorld 2008.

See you there!  Mark Mastman

Register now for your FREE Visitor Plus Pass to Oracle OpenWorld 2008. Click Here Oracle Thanks Our 2008 Sponsors Five days. Hundreds of partner solutions. Dear Mark Mastman, Join us at Oracle OpenWorld 2008 for an insider’s view of what’s coming next in business and technology. This year’s conference offers a wealth of opportunities for meeting Oracle experts, partners, and customers. You’ll learn about new applications and technologies from the people who create them. Don’t miss this chance to enhance your career, help your business, and advance your technology skills. With a FREE Visitor Plus Pass to Oracle OpenWorld, you’ll gain access to: Keynote Sessions—Find out what’s next in technology and business from industry leaders at Oracle, HP, Intel Corporation, and NetApp, including Oracle CEO Larry Ellison and Oracle President Charles Phillips. Executive Solutions Sessions—Listen to best practices and visionary guidance from Oracle partners. One FREE Session—This year, sessions are divided into four streams—Applications, Database, Middleware, and Industries. You can choose from any of the 1,700 sessions devoted to these topics, including general sessions led by senior Oracle executives. Green Room and Green Marketplace—See how Oracle and its partners and customers are putting sustainability front and center and how Oracle has increased its focus on reducing the footprint of this massive event. Oracle OpenWorld Exhibition Halls, Oracle DEMOgrounds, and Inside Innovation—Explore two exhibition halls filled with partners and customers, the Oracle DEMOgrounds highlighting the latest Oracle solutions, and special pavilions presenting the latest on embedded technology, Oracle’s JD Edwards solutions, and more. You’ll also get to experience interactive presentations of the most-innovative partner offerings at Inside Innovation. Oracle Users Forum, OTN Night, It’s a Wrap, and Special Interest Group Programs—Connect with a network of like-minded peers who are ready to help you get the most out of your Oracle investments and relax and mingle in the networking lounges. Oracle OpenWorld Unconference—This is your opportunity to present a one-hour session or workshop on a topic you’re passionate about, in an informal, interactive setting. Exhibition Hall Schedule Monday, September 22 11:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. Tuesday, September 23 9:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. Wednesday, September 24 9:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. Thursday, September 25 9:00 a.m.–1:30 p.m. Don’t wait! If you register by September 20, you’ll get your Visitor Plus Pass for FREE and avoid paying $125 for onsite registration. Click here to register for your FREE Visitor Plus Pass today. For the complete conference experience, register for the Full Conference Pass. Click here for more information. Click here to get the inside scoop on the conference at the Oracle OpenWorld Blog.

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Here’s a free Xactly and IDC Webinar that shows how to use post-sales analytics for strategic planning.

Mark Mastman

https://event.on24.com/eventRegistration/EventLobbyServlet?target=registration.jsp&eventid=116736&

Check out this WITI event!

Mark Mastman

Join Us at WITI’s Annual Silicon Valley Conference!

WITI’s Annual Women and Technology Summit in the Silicon Valley provides you outstanding opportunities to get connected to amazing women in one place at one time.

You Don’t Want to Miss This Year’s Extraordinary Lineup of Dynamic Leaders

Kathleen Benko
Vice Chairman and Chief Talent Officer, Deloitte LLP

Sandy Carter
VP, SOA and WebSphere Strategy, Channels and Marketing, IBM Corporation

Ardice Farrow
Former Executive Producer and Creative Designer for Disney, Apple, LucasArts and Sony

Connie Fako Shoemake
VP Sales, IBM

Judy Estrin
CEO, JLABS, LLC

Mk Haley
Director, Digital Design for the Disney-ABC Television Group

And Many More…

…Continue Reading »

 

Here’s some news that Bill Duncan from ASAPM just sent me.  ASAPM is a leading Project Management organization.  They are allowing you to use previous work experience for obtaining certification.  He also says that PMPs (Project Management Professionals with PMI) are also eligible for Extra Credit.

Mark Mastman

ASAPM Announces Extra Creditâ„¢ Project Management Program

http://www.pmcert.org/ExCred_Press_Release.asp

July 19, 2008, Colorado Springs, Colorado USA. Eight years after asapm was founded, President Lew Ireland provided details of the organization’s new Extra Creditâ„¢ extension to the asapm Certified Project Practitioner (aCPP) program. The Extra Creditâ„¢ program will allow eligible individuals to obtain aCPP Level D certification without the time and expense involved in sitting for the exam. aCPP.Dâ„¢ is the USA’s version of the International Project Management Association’s IPMA-D® and is recognized throughout the world by IPMA’s more than 40 Member Associations.

Ireland identified three target audiences for the program: individuals who have received a Masters degree in project management, individuals who have satisfactorily completed a project management certificate program of at least 120 contact hours, and individuals who have obtained a knowledge-based credential from another organization. Ireland went on to comment “we recognize the tremendous effort that so many practitioners put into obtaining academic certificates and other credentials. We wanted to do something for them.”

Gary Klein, asapm’s Director of Education and a professor in the business school at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, commented that he was “surprised no one else had thought of this before.” He went on to add, “It’s a great opportunity for our students. They have the knowledge and talent to pass the Level D exam, but they seldom have the time or funds to do so.” According to Klein, there are more than 20 universities in the USA granting Masters degrees, and perhaps a hundred or more with certificate programs.

The Extra Credit offer will be available starting September 1, 2008. The program will terminate at the end of 2008, or after 2,008 of the estimated 100,000 eligible candidates have received Extra Credit for their efforts. Applicants must live or work in the USA, and their degrees or other credentials must be verifiable through a public database. Candidates must also write a short critique of one competence element of the USA National Competency Baseline that will be judged by asapm’s assessors. Complete eligibility requirements are available in the certifications section of the asapm website, www.pmcert.org/Extra_Credit.asp.

The cost of the Extra Credit program is $60 for asapm members and $250 for non-members. The fee is non-refundable.

In addition to the knowledge-based Level D certification, asapm also offers performance-based competency assessments for both Project Managers and Senior Project Managers with a Program Manager assessment due in mid-2009.

 

HSMAI Event Technology Expo

September 10-11, 2008 • Washington DC Convention Center

http://www.affordablemeetings.com/ete/index.html

Event Technology Expo @ Affordable Meetings is a national exposition and conference addressing all aspects of technology as it relates to tradeshows, conventions, meetings, and special events. The combination of these groups into a total audience of several thousand buyers makes absolute sense, since all are intent upon maintaining and enhancing their respective events and client relationships by using the latest tech tools designed specifically for the events industry.

PMI Los Padres Chapter Forms Santa Barbara Branch

Although I’m no longer a member of PMI, I have nostalgic memories of PMI Los Padres meetings. PMI, aka Project Management Institute, boasts about 150,000 worldwide members.

I was a charter member of this chapter over 9 years ago. I attended their first Santa Barbara Branch meeting today, and was happy to see old friends, such as Barbara and Michael Guarnieri, Abel Mosqueda, Debbie Dawicki and Steve Herting. I was introduced to the group as the member who designed the PMI Los Padres logo.

Abel Mosqueda was the guest speaker. He works for General Electric - West Region Lean Black Belt, responsible for implementing GE’s Lean Initiative and Productivity Improvement. What I took from his speech is that it’s important to join industry associations, such as PMI, and to give back to the community. He gave special kudos to Doug McAvoy, not in attendance, who provided sage inspiration to the group over those nine years. He described the tactical location of the local Santa Barbara branch, positioned centrally among the San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties.

Abel also addressed the reasons for joining PMI and becoming a PMP, which is a PMI certified Project Management Professional. One of the members explained that his PMP training resulted in rapid career advancement. When Abel asked why you don’t need to join PMI, I answered to the group, saying there are also other Project Management associations, such as ASAPM, at www.ASAPM.com .

Go to www.pmi-lospadres.org for more info. BTW, the logo features a photo of the Los Padres Mountains behind the Santa Barbara Mission.

Mark Mastman

The Mobile Media Summit in Santa Barbara

Account Managers need their CRM tools wherever they are. Mobil devices are getting better, but there’s still major room for improvement.

The Mobile Media Institution (MMI) at Santa Barbara City College will host a special event to help spawn this emerging industry, featuring industry professionals and guest speakers like Apple’s Solution Architect Frank Callaham and Writers Guild Association President Patrick Verrone.

MMI is hosting a key event at Santa Barbara City College, Fe Bland Forum on West Campus, Friday, May 16, 2008 from 4-7pm

The Mobile Media Institution is state grant funded partnership of California Community Colleges and Mobile Media Industry. They provide training and services focusing on teaching the concepts and development skills for producing content and applications for mobile deployment.

Mobile media should definitely be of interest to account managers who want to build/maintain successful customer relationships. Right now is a very exciting time for mobile media, which is rapidly growing and evolving. There is currently lots of discussion on the how/when/what, with issues of delivery and marketing. Experts in the industry seem to think mobile is The Next Big Thing, but many are still trying to figure out how to deliver.

But one thing is certain… mobile communications will inevitably help account managers:
—improve their customer service with cutting edge Marcom solutions, strategy and technology.
—more efficiently manage their relationships— and better anticipate the needs of current and potential customers
—capture audiences with a new highly targeted marketing and sales channel

Find more info about MMI at http://mmi.sbcc.edu/

Your Approach to Managing Sales and Marketing Channels

Channels are the connectors between your firm and your prospects and customers. Many channels include web, email, telephone, fax, distributors, inside representatives and direct representatives.

Accommodate your prospects and customers with the types of channels that they prefer. Balance their needs with the ROI you get from each channel.

Account Managers often allocate channel resources. Key accounts may receive higher-touch and higher-cost channels than less profitable accounts. Account Managers measure the productivity of each channel and make adjustments as needed.

Case Study:
Your firm drops your direct sales channel in favor of less costly distributor channels.

Problem:
You discover that your customers are resistant to this change, since your distributors lack the expertise that your representatives had previously offered them.

Solution:

…Continue Reading »

Tis the season already. I just received an email announcing Oracle OpenWorld 2008. Here’s the blurb from their website:

Mark Mastman

http://www.oracle.com/openworld/2008/index.html

Welcome to Oracle OpenWorld 2008

Welcome to the world’s largest gathering of Oracle customers, partners, developers, and technology enthusiasts.

As you’ll see throughout this site, Oracle OpenWorld 2008 offers more opportunities than ever for learning, collaborating, and connecting with experts and peers. But don’t wait for September: Join the conversation now. Check out the Oracle OpenWorld wiki, the Oracle Mix social network, the Oracle OpenWorld blog, and the Oracle OpenWorld Unconference, for starters.

And start talking.

Definitions of CRM - Customer Relationship Management

Over the years, many people have asked me what CRM is.

For those of you who are in the CRM industry, I’m sure you can relate. I’m offering this page of definitions to you, so you can email this page link to other inquiring minds.

CRM is also called Customer Relationship Management. It is a software system that helps companies manage their customers. Some systems are narrow in scope and very specialized, such as EchoSign, which helps you manage contracts. Others are full service, and help you integrate your entire firm, such as salesforce.com, Saleslogix, Oracle, Microsoft, Sage, GoldMine and SugarCRM.

CRM, According to salesforce.com:
The simplest, broadest definition can be found in the name: CRM is a comprehensive way to manage the relationship with your customers — including potential customers — for long-lasting and mutual benefit. More specifically, modern CRM systems enable you to capture information surrounding customer interactions and integrate it with every customer-related function and data point.
Read More at http://www.salesforce.com/products/what-is-crm.jsp

CRM, According to Oracle:
The methodologies, software, and usually Internet capabilities that help an enterprise manage customer relationships in an organized way.
Read More at http://download.oracle.com/docs/cd/A97329_03/core.902/a95926/glossary.htm

and…

CRM success requires effective marketing, sales, and service to customers. The goal is to share a single view of the customer across all touchpoints and interactions before, during, and after the sales cycle. Customers do not understand silos, nor do they have the patience to identify and explain themselves every time they contact a call center, talk to a representative, or visit a Web site. Therefore, it is incumbent upon marketing, sales, and service managers to track customer history, interactions, behavior, and preferences and use this knowledge to build the relationship.
Read More at http://www.oracle.com/applications/crm/siebel/resources/crm-integration-across-marketing-white-paper.pdf

CRM, According to Sage Software:
It provides enterprise-wide access to vital customer information—anytime, anywhere—so you can manage your business with an integrated approach to field sales, inside sales, customer care, and marketing.
Read More at http://www.sagecrmsolutions.com/products/choosingacrm

CRM, According to GoldMine:
CRM is a catch-all term used to describe software and related technologies that manage customer-facing business functions (most notably Sales, Customer Service and Marketing), business processes and data. Done right, CRM allows companies to increase their revenues and profits while lowering the cost of marketing, selling to and servicing their customers. The payoff is clear-by better aligning business processes and managing customer data across all customer-facing functions, companies can build successful, profitable and long-term customer relationships.
Read More at http://www.goldmine.com/micro.aspx?id=4389

CRM, According to Microsoft:
Customer relationship management (CRM) is one of the most important tools a company can use to remain viable. CRM is exactly what it sounds like, a system that manages customers, and a tool used to track everything you do that relates to your customers.
Read More at http://www.microsoft.com/dynamics/accountingprofessionals/ap_boomer_crmsystem.mspx

CRM, According to SugarCRM:
Sugar, the market leading commercial open source CRM application, delivers a feature-rich set of business processes that enhance marketing effectiveness, drive sales performance, improve customer satisfaction and provide executive insight into business performance.
Read More at http://www.sugarcrm.com/crm/products/crm-products.html

CRM, According to Wikipedia
Customer relationship management (CRM) is a multifaceted process, mediated by a set of information technologies, that focuses on creating two-way exchanges with customers so that firms have an intimate knowledge of their needs, wants, and buying patterns. In this way, CRM helps companies understand, as well as anticipate, the needs of current and potential customers.[1] Functions that support this business purpose include sales, marketing, customer service, training, professional development, performance management, human resource development, and compensation. Many CRM initiatives have failed because implementation was limited to software installation without alignment to a customer-centric strategy.
Read More at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Customer_relationship_management

Post a reply to contribute your definition of CRM.

Mark Mastman

I ran into Jim Sterne today on Plaxo Pulse. Jim is the Chairman of the Web Analytics Association.

Their blog poses the question, “Who Comes First: CRM or Web Analytics? None!”

Their key point is “…that we might need to make changes to the website and try to match both technologies so that they can work together smoothly. If the client implements their CRM and then we find out that in order for vendor xyz to function properly we need to change the CRM it might be too late.” Click here to read their blog post.

Jim Sterne explains why so many companies turn down the opportunity to use Web analytics tools to “blow away the competition”, saying, “The drawback, it turns out, is the word “opportunity.” Organizations are overwhelmed by opportunity. Companies are too busy putting out fires to spend the time and money on yet-another opportunity. Especially an opportunity that is so sophisticated that it requires technical, statistical and business people all working together to make the most of it”. Click here to read his blog post. .

The Web Analytics Association is a Lifetime sponsor of eMetrics Marketing Optimization Summit. Their next events are:

Toronto, March 31-April 2, 2008
Munich, April 8-9, 2008
San Francisco, May 4-7, 2008

As a side note, I first saw Jim speak in 1995, when he was doing a presentation at a Santa Barbara Borders. He was explaining why companies need to be on the Internet. Fast forward to today, and he’s now explaining why companies need to be using Web Analytics tools. I think I’m having a Déjà Vu…

Mark Mastman

The Account Management Professional Standards Guide, (AMPs Guide), was developed with the following vision:

The Account Management Professional Standards Guide, (AMPs Guide), will be known as a comprehensive resource of industry best practices, which identifies industry issues, and help discover solutions, developed with industry consensus.

It will be known as a flexible, living document that is constantly updated by AMm and our industry.

It will be as simple and as complex as users want it to be.

…Continue Reading »

I am glad to announce that the Account Management Professional Standards Guide will soon be posted online for public viewing. 

The AMPs Guide, as it is also called, will be available to all AMm members.  Individual Membership is free!  Sign up today at http://www.accountmanagers.com/level2.shtml . 

The AMPs Guide formalizes the ways that our industry works.  The current version identifies about 2,800 common activities that successful companies use to manage customers.  The first step to account management success is the understanding of what your team members and customers do.  With this knowledge, you can then flexibly align strategies, goals and objectives with better results.

The AMPs Guide is a living document that will grow and update incrementally in this blog.  Business Members can contribute their best practices to the AMPs Guide, and comment on postings made by AMm and other businesses.  

Businesses will gain thought leadership branding through their contributions to the AMPs Guide.  Postings will link back to their websites.  Businesses can sign up at http://www.accountmanagers.com/level2.shtml .

The standards are developed with no conflict of interest.  All Business Members can comment on the standards.  Their postings will be visible to the world.  Account Managers Marketplace is a vendor-neutral company.

…Continue Reading »

EchoSign makes it as easy as possible for you to capture a signature.

I recently signed up for a free membership with EchoSign, and was pleasantly surprised with how easy and effective this service is. They have some sample signature requests that you can test without having to sign up.

Signing up is a breeze. They offer a free limited membership that does not require a credit card for signing up. I’m sure they’re hoping that after you’ve had a taste of their service, you’ll want to pay for their enhanced service, which, so far, looks like a very good value.

Read their marketing blurb below and click over to their site.

Mark Mastman

You can either email through EchoSign the document you need signed or post forms for signature. Automatically add a machine-readable fax cover sheet including an EchoSign local or 800 number and forward the document on to the Recipient/Signer. Or, you can post an interactive form (without any programming!) to a website or secure portal and invite users to authorize forms online, in real-time. Either way, there’s no faster or easier way to get the signatures you need.

Click here to see EchoSign in action: