This is where you want to mix up personal communication with corporate communications. Last week I had the opportunity to co-present on a webinar with the good folks at DemandGen Report and Ian Michiels of Gleanster (Formerly an Analyst at Aberdeen), where we addressed the inherent, but somewhat surprising issues companies are having with adopting technologies and implementing processes for lead management and lead nurturing. As it turns out, research shows that most companies are aware of their lead management issues and the solutions that can help fix them. Where did they come from? MORE >>

New leads can be entered in multiple ways: a sales person could create a new record in the CRM system, or a new lead could register on the website, which ends up in the Marketing Automation system. Or that a sales person adds someone who is already in the marketing database. With this information, the sales person can get a better idea of what this prospect is looking for, and what stage of the buying process they are in. While  CRM systems are not built for marketers , Marketing Automation systems are and you can use the same contacts. Field Mapping. Deduplication. MORE >>

Complex sales don’t get decided by one person, you need to think about how to expand content distribution, and get the right messages out–customize your messages to specific personas. Long and complex sales cycles mean you need to attract and keep the attention and interest of prospective customers for weeks, months, or even years before they make their way into your sales pipeline. The most promising approach to doing this is through progressive nurturing programs that align the following three essential ingredients: Content, The Human Touch and Marketing Automation Technology. MORE >>

Setting up Chat on the site, can be a great way to initially interact with prospects without having to immediately hire a sales person.  These interactions will tell you whether you need to just provide better content on the web site to help the customer evaluate your offer/product, or you actually need a live person to do this. One of the hardest questions I get all the time from friends and colleagues starting a small business is “how do I get started with my sales and marketing?”  Usually followed by “should I use email?” or “should I set up a Facebook page for my business?” MORE >>

It also contains links to details of the Genius Abuse Helpdesk (which provides personal follow-up to any email-related complaints) and Safe Harbor certification. When considering whether to implement an on-premise or on-demand solution , you should consider operational and scaling costs, availability requirements for the application, and ongoing maintenance and support to ensure you can meet SLAs for your customers or constituents. Having decided on a Software as a Service (SaaS) solution, the benefits are many. Seeing what's behind the wall of your hosted solution. Tweet This! MORE >>