These days any conversation about CRM probably leads to the mentioning of social CRM. Throughout the past two years, there has been much healthy debate about what social CRM is, how it’s being deployed throughout the enterprise and what makes CRM a social thing. Indeed, this will be a major topic as the CRM Evolution Conference kicks off today in New York City. Social CRM actually means a lot of things to a lot of people: community management, customer support through social channels, and social sales and marketing – benefiting both B2C and B2B companies. MORE >>

Most companies have already discovered that their customers are spending their time online in some social network like LinkedIn, Twitter or forum. Even though there was a bit of a controversy over the post Cold Calling is the Bottom of the Barrel , it appears that sales leaders are beginning to leverage social media more for initial outreach to prospects and using the phone for cold calling less. I’m not trying to dig up the debate on cold calling , using the phone to talk to prospects will be a constant staple in the sales profession. Prospecting Sales 2.0 MORE >>

By tapping into social intelligence, the modern and savvy sales professionals can access more personalized prospect information, in less time. Through social selling techniques, sales teams tap highly relevant information to quickly qualify and rank inbound leads, driving a more efficient sales cycle, thanks to real-time business information. However, social media proliferates such information as prospects’ share valuable insight through their social networks, including LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. Social Media: Selling’s Stethoscope. Results. MORE >>

Reps need a 360 degree view into their prospects that incorporates recent business events, social conversations and social relationships. Sales reps need to be able to make sense out of this ubiquitous and sometimes conflicting mountain of data and turn it into actionable insights to engage the prospect. Social networks like Twitter and LinkedIn (as well as the entire blogosophere) are target-rich environments to find new opportunities and leads, and engage with prospects in a powerful and effectively intelligent new way. So what is holding companies back? Sales 2.0 MORE >>

This month we focused on usability enhancements that will help you drive your sales team’s efficiency and sales productivity. Microsoft Dynamics CRM Users – Seamless Export & Sync. We’re also doing a better job of summarizing the number of contacts available at company and how you connect to them (including our Smart Connections, your LinkedIn connections , or your Facebook friends.) Think of it as a dashboard for prospecting, qualifying, and your engaging customers. Prioritize prospect lists by revenue, employees, location, etc.  Enjoy! MORE >>