We also make an effort to keep everyone connected in this largely WFH world now. It’s more efficient, modern, and productive working in this way, but it’s obviously so important to keep the team connected and momentum in place at the same time.

Splash! gives you a taster of what we’re up to, alongside a mixture of tasty recipes, film recommendations & wellness tips.

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That’s where customer relationship management systems come in. For years and for multiple reasons, many of our clients have under-utilized the capabilities of the CRM software they already own. But now – and unfortunately thanks to the COVID-19 – many are being forced to re-visit and leverage all the things that they should have been leveraging in their CRM systems in order to make sure sales are pursued, customers are served and employees are productive, even when they’re out of the office.

So what kinds of things are they doing?

They are connecting their CRM systems to their websites to reduce missed opportunities.

Most good CRM systems can be easily integrated with a site’s web forms. That means that any information completed by an online visitor can be automatically imported into the system and, combined with some workflows and automation, routed to the right person with reminders and alerts to follow up. At the very least, it ensures that data is getting into a database and not being lost in these disruptive weeks. With so many people working remotely during these times there’s a much greater risk of things falling through the cracks when leads and inquiries come in from online. But connecting your CRM system to your website and automating this process can significantly reduce the issue. And speaking of automating…

They are creating workflows, alerts and reminders to bring together work from home employees.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic many companies have sent their employees home to work. But sometimes things get lost or forgotten when there’s no face to face contact or in-person meetings. By configuring a CRM application’s workflows and alerts, the right people will get reminded when a quote needs to be followed up, a service issue is outstanding too long or when an opportunity gets created.

Many of today’s CRM systems with AI-powered automation can recognise customer emails and automatically route problems or questions to the right person, with additional steps to be taken if responses aren’t timely. If an employee falls ill, CRM workflows can immediately and automatically handle many tasks or at least delegate these assignments to someone else until they’re better. And you can stop having to rely on your far-flung employees to generate pipeline, opportunity and service activity reports because all of these reports can be set to automatically run and be distributed if just a little time is spent configuring.

They are using bulk email, campaigns and templates to stay in communication with their communities.

CRM systems can send out bulk emails, text messages and old-school mailers to groups of customers and others in a company’s community. By leveraging the system’s templates functionality, all communications can be consistent and delivered with one corporate message. Fully utilizing both campaigns and bulk-emails in a CRM system means companies can send out tailored, personalized mass messages to specific groups based on who they are, where they’re located and what the relationship is with the company.

They are using downtime to clean up data.

Most companies are implementing work from home policies to keep their employees safe. But let’s face it: not everyone will be as busy as they are in the office. Without the meetings and impromptu discussions that naturally take place in an office setting, it’s likely that some people will have a little downtime. Which means it’s a perfect opportunity to do some data cleaning. Assign contacts and accounts to each of your employees and set objectives for getting their data cleaned, updated and revised by the time the COVID-19 situation is over and they return to the office. A CRM system is just a database and its value is only as good as the data in it. So why not use this time to make this data as best as possible?

Finally (and FINALLY!) they’re integrating their calendar, email and office systems to increase productivity.

Many companies I visit have separate systems for their CRM, email and calendar. They also use Microsoft Office or Google G Suite. In only a few instances do I see them truly integrating these platforms with their CRM system, which means they’re doing a lot of extra work and potentially missing out on information they need. Now that so many employees are being asked to work from home in the wake of the COVID-19 disease, the risk of missing out on important information – call data, notes, e-mail history, upcoming appointments and meetings – is increased. To mitigate this problem the right thing to do is to bite the bullet and fully integrate a CRM system with all of these office systems. That way everyone’s on the same page and no one is in the dark when they’re talking to a prospect, customer or anyone else in a company’s community.

We still have many weeks of disruption and challenges ahead of us. But as I truly believe that the best run businesses will learn much from this experience – and the value of leveraging technologies like CRM – so that they will be well positioned to grow and thrive in the years to come.

By Gene Marks for Forbes online

The post How Companies Are Leveraging Their CRM Systems To Help Navigate Through COVID-19 appeared first on Marketpoint Group.

For over 30 years, Marketpoint CRM has been the global go-to solution for sales and marketing professionals and is deployed at companies such as Volvo, Honeywell and Civica. The decision to launch Marketpoint CRM 3.0 during the COVID-19 pandemic was difficult, but intentional, according to Marketpoint Founder and CEO, Peter Gillett. “Bringing our solution to market at this time gives forward thinking companies a competitive advantage by helping them create and nurture customer relationships when global commerce resumes.”

“CRM is all about providing a positive customer experience from marketing to sales and beyond. What makes Marketpoint CRM stand out is its CRM-As-A-Service approach to creating customers for life,” says Jim Dickie, Research Fellow, Sales Mastery.

System Highlights

Marketpoint CRM 3.0 features ease of use, affordability and support levels that accommodate specific client requirements. Other highlights include secure GDPR user access, a sleek UI to optimise usability and enhance performance, database profiling & management for targeted campaigns, visual lead qualification & tracking, real-time marketing reports and sales forecasting. The application has been re-written from the ground up, incorporating a modern, layered approach.

Civica Drives Productivity

For the last nine months, 700 Civica users across UK, US and the APAC region, have been beta testing the new version of Marketpoint CRM with pronounced success, noting user activity reaching full capacity. With the entire global organisation now migrated to 3.0, the platform is referred to by management as “a place for the truth.” Housing all key sales and marketing activities and visual financial reporting, Marketpoint is considered an extension of Civica’s business tailored to meet the needs of all 20 divisions.

“Our mantra is, ‘If it’s not in Marketpoint CRM, it doesn’t exist,’ ” notes Tim Magness, Chief Marketing Officer. “Having an intuitive cloud system that centralises the location of data to provide a single view and a common approach across all of our business units is a key part of our global operating platform. The fact that we are able to adapt it to our evolving needs means we can continue to strengthen our support to the business.”

Marketpoint understands the enormous benefits of well integrated ecosystems. The CRM pioneer integrates Civica’s CRM system with their Eloqua marketing automation system, and event lead capture application, Zuant. The result: clear end-to-end visibility into every customer journey.

Pricing & Support

Marketpoint’s CRM platform is a cost-effective monthly subscription service with tiered pricing based on the number of users. Support options range from self-serviced accounts to robust account managed services for organisations with more extensive needs.

Service is delivered to Marketpoint CRM clients through compassionate and highly trained client success managers who understand client objectives for using the system. And, service doesn’t stop at the initial set up. The Marketpoint team offers weekly CRM clinic drop in sessions, sharing new features best practices, and interactive Q&A sessions. Tailor made marketing materials and manuals plus a CRM hotline are also included.

About Marketpoint & Marketpoint CRM

Founded in 1982 by CRM pioneer Peter Gillett, Marketpoint was the first company to introduce an Internet based CRM system to the marketplace, beating Peoplesoft to this accolade by a few months. With 38 years’ experience in database marketing and CRM, Marketpoint develops and supports high performance solutions for sales people and marketers to drive revenue.

Marketpoint CRM is the world’s first web-based CRM system funded by Lucent Technologies in the 1990s. CRM, lead generation and follow-up are still the focus for Marketpoint, combined with its network of NACCENT call centres around the globe. Clients include Civica, Hyster-Yale, Volvo Penta, Macmillan, Haulotte, Pendragon and more. Like sister company Zuant, Marketpoint is based in London, with offices in LA and NY. Find Marketpoint CRM on LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram. Visit the website for more information.

Original article found here

The post Marketpoint Launches CRM 3.0 Featuring CRM-As-A-Service appeared first on Marketpoint Group.

 You may not have the biggest booth or the flashiest displays in the expo hall, but you can have a great lead nurturing strategy. A lead nurturing strategy combines scheduling and record-keeping with understanding your leads’ needs. It helps you stay organized, set priorities, and ease your leads toward buying from you.

1. Treat all attendees like valued customers.

You never know which visitors to your booth will become customers, so give each one a warm, friendly welcome.

Let’s call the typical attendee Alice. Chat with her about her work, her company, and the company’s problems; jot down what she says.

If your product can solve Alice’s problems, then demonstrate it. Ask her about her company’s purchasing budget, its buying process and schedule, and her role in the process. Finally, ask her if it’s okay for someone from your company to get in touch later and if she’d prefer email or a phone call.

Pro tip: Rehearse these conversations with your booth staff. “Conducting preshow staff training workshops the afternoon before the show opens is a proven effective best practice,” says Jefferson Davis, president of exhibitor training firm Competitive Edge.

2. Put leads in your customer relationship management system.

As soon as possible, put your notes about Alice — especially her full name, job title, company, and contact information — into a customer relationship management (CRM) system.

CRM systems are “all about speed, process streamlining, and accuracy,” says Pete Gillett, managing director of sales and marketing software company Zuant. Systems like HubSpot CRM and Salesforce organize data about leads, send it to your computer or phone, track your company’s interactions with the leads, and remind you to contact them.

3. Sort your leads into hot, warm, and cold.

For each lead you meet, jot down how “hot” the lead is.

• Hot leads have the funds, the authority, and the need for your products.

• Warm leads are interested in your product but don’t yet have the funds, authority, and need

• Cold leads aren’t interested in your product now but may warm up someday.

4. Follow up with the hottest leads fast.

If Alice is a hot lead, contact her as soon as you can — preferably before the show ends. This first contact can be a simple thank-you for visiting the booth plus an offer to help Alice solve her on-the-job problems.

With all the hubbub at the show, Alice may not remember her conversation with you. Check the notes about her that you entered in the CRM system for a memorable moment that you can mention to remind her of you. If you’re contacting Alice by email, you can include a photo of yourself and your booth.

When you’re done contacting hot leads, do the same thing with warm and cold ones.

5. Cultivate relationships with content.

Alice may not buy from you right away. Keep in touch to show that you’re thinking of her and that you want to help her succeed.

A good way to do it: Offer information. As Zuant’s Gillett says, “Content creation is key these days.” You can do like Hubspot and create an informative blog and useful webinars; or Salesforce, with videos showing how the company helps clients succeed; or Cisco, with a variety of media including an online comic book.

The road from the first meeting at a trade show through follow-up and content creation can take months — but when Alice is ready to buy, all of that lead nurturing will ensure that she’ll think of buying from you.

And that’s what a lead nurturing strategy is all about.

Original article found here.

The post 5 Tips for Acquiring and Converting Leads appeared first on Marketpoint Group.

When this happens, it reveals less about the skill of the salespeople than it does about the need for a clear sales enablement strategy. While everyone acknowledges the need to equip the sales department with the information and tools to understand buyers, providing these often takes a back seat to demand generation activities. Salespeople are left to beg for help or simply figure out the answers on their own.

An effective sales enablement program provides salespeople with the information, content, and tools that help them sell more effectively throughout the buyer’s journey. This includes everything from sales sheets and infographics to providing the best practices and research that back up sales efforts. It extends to analyzing sales key performance indicators (KPIs) and resource effectiveness to optimize future sales initiatives.

These efforts create a sales team that is not dependent on a few heavy hitters, but one in which everyone is ready and equipped to contribute. With an effective sales enablement program, salespeople are ready with the return-on-investment (ROI) calculator, comparison table, or whatever the buyer needs. Plan for Empowerment

Strong sales enablement compresses sales cycles, increases conversion rates, and improves sales productivity. Building it into your organization requires four actions:

1. Allocate marketing resources (human and financial) to sales enablement. Sales success hinges on establishing deep relationships with prospects. After marketing has earned the lead, the sales team must strengthen the connection and land the sale.

Too often, though, sales must spend its time finding answers to every question. Relationships with prospects inevitably remain shallow when the sales team’s energy is spent creating sales assets and product messaging.

To break this cycle, marketing must develop an arsenal of assets that the sales department needs. Armed with insights from market research and lead generation campaigns, marketing is well-equipped to provide sales sheets, talking points, decks, or infographics. The marketing team should allocate at least one person whose role is to support and enable the sales team in this way.

2. Make it easy to find existing sales collateral and assets (and to request more). Creating a clear, simple process is half the battle in sales enablement. And it begins with an easy-to-follow process for engaging a lead.

Salespeople should be able to easily find content—case studies, pricing and discounts, references, etc.—in a centralized library. Within that content library, make it obvious where to go to find the best assets for each stage in the buyer’s journey. Clearly identify, for example, which documents should be sent to a new lead and which resources work best to lure prospects who are currently with the competition.

Additionally, marketing must include a process for requesting new resources. If they do not currently have what they need, how do they request it? If a new resource will not be created, provide the reasoning behind the decision. Creating a clear process will smooth the lines of communication and strengthen support without forcing sales to overwhelm marketing with requests.

3. Use smart tools to share content effectively. With more content at their fingertips, though, salespeople can easily be overwhelmed trying to find the most relevant information. In these situations, salespeople use the content haphazardly or ignore it altogether. Salesforce has found that 85 percent of the marketing department’s content goes unused simply because the sales team does not have the time to sort out what is the most helpful.

This is where a smart library comes in. Tools such as Highspot, Brainshark, ClearSlide, and Seismic use artificial intelligence to streamline document management. This software can flag content and provide advanced search functions, making it easier for salespeople to find what they need.

4. Move from enablement to empowerment. Successful sales enablement programs thrive when they are championed by the sales team. The marketing team developing a content repository is not enough.

Top salespeople should collaborate with marketing and help train their peers to enforce the message with the entire team. Sales leadership should include sales enablement engagement in professional development targets, as well as consistent training in how to best leverage sales enablement and tracking of sales collateral and resource use.

The relationship between marketing and sales is the foundation of a company’s growth strategy. By establishing a sales enablement program, even the newest salespeople will be surprised at what they can accomplish.

Christine Alemany is the CEO at TBGA. She has a passion for helping early- to mid-stage companies grow and scale. Alemany has more than 19 years of experience reinvigorating brands, building demand generation programs, and launching products for start-ups and Fortune 500 companies. In addition to her work at TBGA, she advises start-ups through Columbia Business School’s Entrepreneurial Sounding Board and is a teaching fellow at the NASDAQ Entrepreneurial Center.

The post 4 Keys to Building a Strong Sales Enablement Program appeared first on Marketpoint Group.

You will meet with little internal resistance when introducing an advanced web meeting system or social media platform.

But, woe betides if you’re unveiling a new or updated CRM system. That one is the poison chalice because of its impact on every facet of your organization.

Speaking from experience, we recently re-launched our own upgraded Marketpoint CRM system for a large client with multiple divisions and thousands of users. So far so good! The success of this project is based on our careful selection of a core team that understands the project goals from start to finish. This VIP team communicates well and works well together under pressure.

Leading Change

Being a MarTech leader for a new CRM application can be an overwhelming task as you’re implementing significant change within an organization. People deal with change differently; some embrace it, while others reject it.

The ability to manage this time of change requires great leadership and determination. You need to be able to gain employee trust so they can see your vision. Evidence-based facts and statistics, success stories, customer insights and so on – these are all key to present to your team so they can envision what the future holds.

MarTech is a technical term, but while being data-driven is important, it’s people skills that determine the success or failure of a tech implementation. You have to see the problem from each individual’s point of view in order to tailor your approach to ensure a smooth transition period with maximum user buy-in. This requires time and patience.

With the right team in place, it’s time for implementation, which demands internal process changes. This can be a painful experience met with resistance. Your implementation strategy must extend beyond the launch. How will it be introduced, so that people are motivated and supported after the initial launch or relaunch? The key is to be the human face of the system, someone who is accessible—not a cold systems admin who does not understand how to drive end-user adoption.

CRM Rules MarTech

A solid CRM system is the center of the MarTech universe. It stores priceless prospect and customer data that delivers valuable customer insights, which is the lifeblood of the company. As the MarTech leader, it is your job to ensure your organization embraces this vital system where data is not only stored but cleaned and updated on a regular basis. But take heed: Often CRM discussions often invoke a big yawn, or worse, resistance from end-users, especially sales!

Getting Sales OnBoard

Often the biggest hurdle to introducing a MarTech solution such as CRM is getting Sales, Marketing and Customer Support to use the technology. The ability to put yourself in their shoes is crucial. Really, try to understand their reluctance to change and explain how technology can benefit them personally, in addition to the organization as a whole. You must be able to articulate and motivate the benefits, such as demand generation, prospect and customer insights, revenue generation and excellent service that creates happy, loyal customers. Try creating dashboards to visually illustrate to individual users their progress using the system.

Champion the Cause

As the MarTech leader, the onus is on you to demonstrate to the Sales team how a particular CRM will enable them to be more successful in meeting quota. Find an internal champion who has influence in each user group, someone who will go above and beyond to make sure the team has an open mind when incorporating the system into their routine. This ‘superuser’ needs to involve, energize and communicate the benefits of the CRM system in a clear, demonstrable manner so others are motived by and follow their success.

Communication is key. Some of the most effective channels of communicating may include email updates, lunch and learns, drop-in clinics and online discussion boards. Common challenges such as a lack of change management, lack of executive leadership, insufficient data models and unclear strategies will result inevitably in inadequate user buy-in and the rejection of your system. As the MarTech leader, you must be an ally and a catalyst to help overcome these pitfalls.

A true MarTech leader goes the extra mile to be the key point of contact throughout the process to ensure that each user is supported. This is essential to gaining maximum user buy-in. If there are any roadblocks when a salesperson is working their way around a new system, they will give up and go back to their old ways of conducting business. Provide interactive manuals and face-to-face “CRM clinics” to encourage adoption and reinforce training.

Integrate MarTech and CRM

Another big problem is the lack of CRM integration with other Marketing systems, which can result in non-adoption. But this is where the MarTech leader can become a star. Ensure these solutions are tightly integrated to maximize your tech investment:

• Marketing Automation
• Inside and mobile Sales automation
• Customer support/call center
• Tradeshow lead retrieval
• Content Management

Your goal is to get all these systems integrated so that data is stored centrally as a single version of the truth. Once this mission is accomplished, you and your organization will have reached nirvana!

Be Human

As we have discussed, the ability to add a human touch when implementing new technologies such as CRM is key to gaining user-buy-in, which will make or break your project. Successful MarTech leaders understand the impact new technologies have on end-users and help them manage the changes. By embracing a big-picture perspective and gaining end-user buy-in MarTech leaders ensure CRM systems will have the intended impact and deliver a measurable return on investment in 2020 and beyond.

The post How MarTech leaders unlock CRM success in 2020 and beyond appeared first on Marketpoint Group.

Adam: Thanks again for taking the time to share your best advice. First things first, though, I am sure readers would love to learn more about you. What is something about you that would surprise people? 

Peter: I gave up golf, which is a great sport, but I was finding the typical golf club clientele were too intense – The game became stressful when it’s supposed to be about relaxation.  So, I’ve returned to my #1 sporting passion: motorsports. I enjoy competing once a month up-and-down the country in the Club 100 Kart Championship. This is definitely fast & furious by comparison – and, as long as I beat people half my age, I return very satisfied having not thought a moment about work!

Adam: You created the world’s first web-based CRM. What is the inside story? 

Peter: Let’s go back to how all this started. My first proper job was working for a PR company owned by an agency, which subsequently was purchased by Saatchi & Saatchi; so quite a sizeable affair. We ran great campaigns, but my frustration was that PR was generating many more leads than their highly expensive advertising counterpart on joint projects.  This led me to look at ways of managing lead tracking and reporting from all forms of media. 

Direct marketing was the big thing in those days, so I looked west and formed a partnership with a company in Cedar Rapids called AdTrack to provide a global service for US clients predominantly, such as 3M. B2B leads in those days were delivered by magazine bingo cards where pages and pages of inquiries came through, which were hard for clients to track. 

This was our first foray into what later became database marketing. We created a really effective system capturing inquiries into different client data files and printing letter size lead cards using NCR paper so that the client sales teams could return the tear-off section to confirm lead follow-up, value of sale, close date – all the basics for real pipeline evaluation. This approach took off quickly, which led to me forming my company Marketpoint in 1982, which specialized in database marketing – This entrepreneurial venture started during the middle of the Falklands War!

Fast forward 10 years and we were starting to seriously develop what were early CRM database systems, although the term didn’t emerge until the late ‘90s. I clearly remember reading about this new invention called the internet at that time, and saw the potential for clients to have access to databases all around the world. 

This eventually led us to develop our first web-based CRM system for Lucent Technologies, which we launched at their global sales conference in Lisbon in ‘97. This worked really well, but I clearly remember endless new business presentations, which I wish I had recorded, when we were using screeching modems to dial up for live presentations. The dial-up system took time to connect, with resulting comments from prospects saying this internet thing would never catch on!

Adam: What are the most common misconceptions about CRMs? What should everyone understand about CRMs? 

Peter: I believe most people think that CRM systems are big, expensive and complicated, when in fact they needn’t be at all. 

I firmly believe that all businesses should have a CRM at the center of everything they do. In fact it’s vital to manage customers, make sure sales leads are pushed through the different stages of the sales pipeline. CRM is also essential to ensure sales teams performance is constantly monitored and reported on.  Lastly, using the CRM system enables companies to track website performance, visitors, etc. so you can nurture a newlead with relevant follow-up before your competitors have even got out of bed!

Adam: What advice do you have for companies when determining what CRM to select?

Peter: The most important thing to do is choose the right consultant with big CRM experience, if you don’t have that expertise in house. More than anything, it’s what you do, not what product you use. Therefore, the right person will drive you through the whole process to ensure you have the correct field structure, your data is properly profiled and you have a data management program in place for cleaning, enhancement and acquisition of new target prospects.

Adam: What advice do you have for companies and employees when working with CRMs and ERPs?

Peter: When introducing a new system into organization, it’s vital to have a champion on your side, someone who has influence in a group, who will go above and beyond to make sure the team have an open mind when incorporating the system into their routine. This super user needs to involve, energize and communicate the benefits of the CRM system. Without such involvement, usage will naturally dwindle away.

Adam: In 2010, you launched the first CRM applications for the iPad. How were you first to market? How advantageous has that been for you? 

Peter: Well, this actually goes back to the early ninties. We were already 10 years into our web-based CRM developments, and it was the Caterpillar client for whom we were data capturing handwritten lead forms and loose business cards from various tradeshows to distribute to the appropriate dealers for follow-up. This was an almost impossible job to do accurately due to the scrawly handwriting –  We had to come up with a better mousetrap. The Result: Touchscreen laptops at the Intermat Construction Equipment Show in Paris for 20 show workers, so that their leads could be captured over the web with full qualification and data accuracy that we hadn’t seen before.

In 2010 the iPad was launched in the spring. We immediately saw the benefit of this compact piece of hardware, and swapped over to Apple in our development team to be ready for the Conexpo show in Las Vegas the following year. In September 2010, we launched our new system at Ferrari’s largest Car Showroom in Geneva to a whole range of corporate clients, which worked beautifully to prove the concept. Our biggest single exhibitor event to date was the year after at the huge Bauma Construction Fair in Munich. We had 500 show workers sharing 300 iPads and all of the associated charging cubes based into a tailor made support unit built into the Caterpillar booth. 

Considering each device had 150,000 CRM contacts and over 5000 pieces of literature in five languages, in those days it took about two weeks to synchronize each device to work off-line in advance of the show. We then had a nervewracking drive out to Munich from the UK. Although we had full insurance cover, this must have been one the most expensive vans when fully loaded with over £100,000 worth of kit on board for the two day drive – we certainly made sure that it had extra locks and was parked up against the hotel bedroom window for security that evening!

So, overall, this has given us a big advantage being first to market with a fully mobile product. Whereas on the CRM side we had to carve a completely new market with a lot of sceptical reserve to overcome. Having an Apple-based product was not only acceptable, but exciting for our clients. It allowed us to keep our lead with ongoing tech development to cover new challenges like off-line mobile privacy and compliance to meet new regulations such as GDPR.

Adam: What is your best advice on building new products?

Peter: There are such wonderful apps on the market that we almost take them for granted now, Think about Uber’s easy to use/satisfying UI. 

Building new product these days is all about creating a pixel perfect user journey before any coding. This allows you to get really insightful feedback from potential customers so that you can avoid wasted time by being able to cut straight to the chase. This leads to my next piece of advice:  Have one or two beta test clients who want to be early adopters and are happy to work with you through the early pain and inevitable bugs involved.

Adam: What is your best advice on creating an environment conducive to innovation? 

Peter: It’s all about creating buzz within the organization, and today there’s awesome technology to help this whole process sizzle.  Zuant is spread across multiple office locations, from London to LA to NY, but we stay connected via the use of big screen TVs and products like Geckoboard to stream real-time results such as daily website hits, new client wins and other social information live on TV in each office. These devices automatically keep folks connected without relying on email to share information that never gets read! And, from a practical point of view, as soon as ideas for new features or products are transmitted, it’s easy to poll feedback, instill collaboration and speed up the process.

The truth is, we’ve very rapidly gotten to the point where we rarely get meet our clients in person because they are spread around the world. It will soon become the norm that offices will operate like TV studios where you create a simulated face-to-face environment and get to know individuals as a result of interactive web meetings and videos.

Adam: In your experience, what are the defining qualities of an effective leader? How can leaders and aspiring leaders take their leadership skills to the next level? Who are the best leaders you have been around and what did you learn from them?

Peter: Goodness, this is a tricky one to answer. 

When you look at top tech leaders like Steve Jobs and now Elon Musk, I’m always amazed at the level of detail they both seem to have gotten into with their respective products. One of the key qualities of being effective is having the ability to step back and ensure that ‘The Big Set of Objectives’ is always being considered, managed and progressed. 

In today’s talent economy leaders must be able to sense when a prospective employee is going to be the right fit for your company. This enables you to build a highly motivated team with the appropriate work ethic.

Even the best leaders in the world can never stop learning.  Reading about how other companies are managed successfully or not, is a really good way of learning new ideas which can be applied in your own business.

Adam: What are your three best tips applicable to entrepreneurs, executives and civic leaders?

Peter: 

1. Everyone should have their big objectives, so identifying these is the most important thing.
2. Linked to this then is the often difficult task of monitoring performance so that the above can be achieved within a target timeframe.
3. Don’t be an island – make sure that your colleagues understand your mission and can be brought in to support the overall program.

Adam: What is the single best piece of advice you have ever received?

Keep focused. You’ll achieve far more success by doing a few things extremely well.

Adam: What is one thing everyone should be doing to pay it forward?

Peter: Invest in good staff and continue investing in their reviews and training to ensure that they can operate at their highest level.

Adam: Is there anything else you would like to share?

Peter: Well, some things never change, and the challenges facing CRM usage are the same now as they were 20 years ago. Integration is a new issue and it’s HUGE. The plethora of excellent software systems to add to your tech stack means that the default is to have islands of data. The key is to focus on shared data with seamless integration, whether it be lead capture at tradeshows or lead nurturing in your marketing automation system. Add in AI and you have a winning recipe for super turbo charged sales & marketing performance!

Original article by Adam Mendler: https://www.adammendler.com/blog/crm-leadership-zuant-peter-gillett

The post ADVICE FROM THE GODFATHER OF CRMS appeared first on Marketpoint Group.

To assess, we must talk about data. My experience is in B2B, which typically involves less records, but is more complex due to longer buying cycles and multiple marketing channels. I come from a pre-CRM world in the ‘80s when it was just called database marketing (no sales). Today, the concept has expanded to include sales and marketing.

Whatever you call it, today’s CRM database must be centralized and deliver a single view of customers and prospects. Unfortunately, data is often siloed between marketing and sales, causing a real disconnect between these two departments. Here are four common data challenges that GDPR may help marketers address and achieve single-view nirvana.

1) Sales Resistance To Documenting Data

Keeping accurate records in the CRM system is a proverbial challenge because salespeople don’t believe it is their responsibility to enter sales data into the database that feeds into the CRM system. They are also notoriously lazy in this regard.

But GDPR threatens to hold companies with shoddy data practices accountable, so the problem can no longer be ignored. B2B companies would be wise to offer mobile apps to the sales team, so they can easily enter sales information that syncs automatically with the central CRM system.

2) Syncing Mobile And Internal Data

GDPR is an excellent excuse to spring clean and connect your data into a single view. Such a detox includes both contact data on internal systems, as well as data from all of the mobile devices used by sales executives to capture their new contacts. Mobile data is normally ignored, which can be disastrous from a compliance perspective.

3) Integration And Support Challenges

With more than 7,000 martech solutions available today, integration is a growing problem in B2B. It is often the result of implementing niche software that creates silos of information, whether that be website CMS, inquiry response bots, call center/ inside sales systems, marketing automation, CRM, etc. Data does not flow seamlessly between systems, resulting in mass duplication and no consistency between records. Ironically, integration software is so easy to install there is no reason why this part of the jigsaw would fail.

Nevertheless, highly specialized systems tend to create silos of data and can be very difficult to support because of a lack of skilled technologists. It is rare to find someone who is focused on integration, can create a single view of customers and provide intelligent dashboards that show end-to-end performance. This can become an IT nightmare that divides sales and marketing efforts.

4) GDPR Denial

Another issue is a prevailing sense that GDPR doesn’t really affect operations in the United States, whereas in Europe, it’s exactly the opposite. European companies are much more apt to heed the data collections regulations out of fear. Dramatic differences on either side of the Atlantic. Unfortunately, few companies on either side are getting it right.

Despite all the media coverage about privacy issues and hacking leading up to last year’s May 25th GDPR deadline, the reality is not much has changed. The GDPR phenomenon had the same impact at the Y2K “Millennium Bug” scare in 1999. People got all hyped about, but on January 1, 2000, nothing really changed.

Embracing GDPR & Mindful Marketing

GDPR offers a prime opportunity for marketers to rethink and refresh their data strategies. Many buyers are willing to share their data with companies to receive a better service, be rewarded for loyalty and be treated with respect, knowing their data is safe and secure. In fact, they believe they have a right to be remembered. It’s tedious and time consuming to be asked to complete the same forms for the same company you fly with each time, rent cars from or hotels you visit. Loyal consumers expect those entities to retain their data preferences, so that they can get a faster, more satisfying experience.

After years of building martech stacks to improve efficiency and reduce personnel, we have taken our eyes off of marketing’s goals: to support sales and create a positive customer experience. The reality is that marketing actually needs more brains and less technology. Sadly, more technology has dumbed us down. We desperately need best practices to deal with the increased complexity of tech stacks and unify sales and marketing to work together to generate revenue and create positive customer outcomes.

For more insights on modern marketing and the impact of GDPR, tune into Aberdeen’s podcast, “The Intelligent Business Show.” In episode 24, “Events: The Backwater of Marketing,” I talk with host Matt Grant about how to make event interactions more intelligent and personal.

Peter Gillett is CEO of Zuant and Marketpoint CRM. A serial entrepreneur, Peter drives product development and client roll-outs of Zuant, the company’s award-winning mobile lead capture app across U.S. corporations. A pioneer in database marketing since the late 1970s, he created the world’s first web-based CRM system, Marketpoint CRM, funded by Lucent Technologies in the 1990s. In 2010, Peter launched the first CRM applications for the iPad.

The post How GDPR Can Help Marketers Overcome Common Data Challenges appeared first on Marketpoint Group.

The key to surviving a corporate crisis is how you prepare and react to your customers as well as the general public during this critical time – This article explores how technology decreases the effects of a corporate emergency on a global scale.  Read on to learn how this formula is enabling companies to deal successfully with the inevitable and come out on the other side in a stronger market position with an even more loyal customer base.

Fail to Plan, Plan to Fail

Planning for something not guaranteed to happen can be difficult; however, the likelihood of a recall at your organization is high, as is a loss in market value without a bullet proof plan to deal with disaster. Denial and inertia during a recall will only aggravate a negative situation. Being prepared for a crisis gives you the best chance of protecting your brand and allows your reaction to be concise, credible and effective. When a damage mitigation strategy has been devised ahead of time, you then have the tools and the know how to act fast, which is crucial during the initial ‘sink or swim’ moments following an emergency.

A successful contingency plan contains many elements.  This is which is why it’s important to involve a person from each department of your business in the decision making process. Each brings their unique perspective to the table in terms of the customer relationship and your product/services. Manufacturers will be focused on the product error whereas a salesperson will be concerned with customer fears and questions. Both are equally as important. A product defect is one problem, but a badly managed customer service team can result in permanent damage to your brand and customer base. These insights will allow you to create a plan that covers all possible outcomes to create a concrete process to minimize disruption and damage. Once the plan is in place, mock recalls should be organized at least once a year to test the process, from initial call to executive reporting, and individually by country to check that all systems are ready to go at a moment’s notice.

The Perfect Candidate

Once a recall hits the news, it’s inevitable that it will cause panic among your customers, especially if the recall is a result of an injury or fatality. It’s times like these where your customer service strategy will be truly put to the test. Handling communication effectively with customers, employees and stakeholders throughout the process is paramount to ensure they are not only kept up to date with all the information, but with the right information, conveying the correct messaging and tone to represent your company and brand transparently and in the best possible light.Customers will have questions that will need to be answered almost immediately, so it is highly important to make sure you have a global network of call centres who are taking calls and dealing with the public – before they go on social media and share their experiences with other angry customers.

The staff on the other end of the phone needs to be in-house employees or a well-trained, outsourced staff who understand the values of the company. Language requirements must be met for a global reach; native language speakers are more effective and lessen the risk of important information being lost in translation.  To preserve trust, agents must be genuine in their approach and listen carefully to the needs of the customer to meet their needs.

The main way to prevent a loss of trust is to make sure your customer representatives are knowledgeable about the recall.  They need to know the ins and outs of the problem in order to be completely open and honest with your customers. A clear channel of communication throughout the entire organization is vital as the distance between a customer service rep and the CEO can be long in terms of business structure and hierarchy. Service reps must work closely together during such a disconcerting time to prevent panic.  Remedial actions must be taken quickly and efficiently in order to maintain a positive brand reputation and loyal customer base.

Technology is Your Friend (Sometimes)

The evolution of technology has its ups and downs. When a crisis occurs social media can either make or break you. I remember the first time hearing about the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 recall in 2016 via a tweet that went viral, which included a picture of the phone after it exploded. It was a shocking visual, but Samsung acted fast and decided to recall globally.  The point is, thanks to social media everyone sees, hears, knows and shares everything about global brands instantly. The good news is that proper responses to bad news can be communicated just as quickly.

Before an emergency, make sure your customers can contact you using any platform, device, method of communication – and you’ll be there on the other end. Responding to a tweet is minimal effort on your part, but it reassures the customer and makes them feel secure and supported. If you already have a productive social media presence before a crisis happens, your customers can rest assured that they are in safe hands as trust has already been established. Your company’s humanity and projection of it through online platforms is a necessary requirement for effective communications before a crisis hits.

Finally, there is one factor that is often overlooked when coordinating customer services for a crisis. In the panic of an emergency project, the opportunity to collect and analyse valuable customer data shouldn’t be missed. While collating important reports for a crisis project, such as measuring traffic to see the number of customers affected and who has responded, you should also be collecting other valuable information about your customers. The data that is collected through call centres can be fed-back through your chosen communication channels to improve your crisis process in the future, and conduct brand reputation analysis and future marketing campaigns. This turns a negative company journey into a learning opportunity for process improvement and growth.

React, Learn & Grow

So your business has been through a product recall… what to do next?

It sounds cynical, but now that your business has been through one recall, it’s time to begin preparing for the next. Being prepared allows you to communicate quickly with your stakeholders, maximize process efficiency, minimize potential brand damage and maintain customer loyalty.

The most crucial next step after a product recall is to evaluate it and plan for the next.

Here are key six key questions to answer during your post recall evaluation:

• What went well?
• What could have gone better?
• Could it have been managed more effectively?
• Were the correct people from each part of the business involved?
• Was communication handled quickly and stakeholders kept up to date?
• Did a mountain of paperwork with various spreadsheets tracking response slow down your call to action?

Asking these basic questions allows you to work out where your recall could have been managed better and improve it going forward.

Many businesses may not want to plan for a product recall because they don’t want to think it will happen for them. However, planning is the wisest option to guarantee your business has the right processes in place to ensure minimal negative brand impact. Ensuring you can communicate quickly and effectively with your customers is paramount.

Consider implementing these five concepts before your next recall:

• An internal recall task force
• Dedicated recall CRM
• Contingency communication plan
• Social media monitoring
• Mock recall program

Putting these aspects in place allows you to act fast if you are faced with another recall. The correct people are then aware of the processes and can carry out the various tasks needed to ensure that the authorities and your customers have all of the information they need. Our recent Harris Poll revealed that 63 percent of adults say a slow response time from a company to correct the recall and a refusal to acknowledge that there is a crisis would make them angry. A lack of communication from company to consumers during emergency situations can cause serious damage to the brand’s reputation.

Product recalls have a negative reputation due to the poorly managed examples being blasted in the news. Your recall experience doesn’t have to be like that if the right precautions are put in place. You have the choice to deal with the crisis internally or partner with a recall specialist. The majority of your plan should focus on your customer service strategy, as this deals with the public head on and can allay any worries and concerns. For companies with a large customer base, global reach doesn’t have to be daunting – in today’s digital world having a simple, active online presence will build customer trust before the crises hits.  Remember preparation is key to prevention.  So what’s in your corporate survival kit?

The post What’s in Your Corporate Crisis Survival Kit? appeared first on Marketpoint Group.

Danny Estrada’s session on ‘Building champions for changing your CRM culture’ highlighted that you can’t change the way people behave, but you can change the way they think. It sounds so simple, surely you just need to show a salesperson that using this software will give them the ability to measure success and increase their efficiency? Unfortunately, when surrounded with all the apps we use on a day to day basis, a CRM system isn’t smooth enough to incorporate in to our daily routine. 

So, what next? 

When introducing a new system in to organisation, it’s important that you have a champion on your side, someone who has influence in a group, who will go above and beyond to make sure the team have an open mind when incorporating the system in to their routine. This super user needs to involve, energise and communicate the benefits of the CRM. Some communication methods and idea’s from Jodi Peterson’s session involve; emails, posters, articles, lunch and learns, website, and online discussion boards. Common challenges such as, lack of change management, lack of executive leadership, insufficient data model, no clear strategy… these can all lead to an inadequate user buy-in, resulting in the rejection of your system.

The final keynote at CRM Evolution left people feeling stuck, focusing on how to make CRM more appealing to the younger generation. It was said that the same problems still haven’t been resolved 10 years on… so why don’t we all shift our energy on what we CAN do? The reality is, using a CRM system is never going to be as attractive as using an everyday app such as Twitter or Facebook. That’s not what it was built for, and that’s not what users seek when they use a CRM system. With a mixture of super users championing your product and a system which is fully integrated with any other platform used by a business, the need will be there to manage relationships and measure performance. You just have to change the way your team think when it comes to CRM, this can be achieved through support and measurable goals. Estrada finished his keynote with this line, ‘You can’t change something that you haven’t written down’. Getting people motivated, gets them to act.

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