Eloqua doesn’t offer an explanation, but my guess is heavy competition forced them to reduce prices during this period. The company tightened its belt in response to economic conditions in 2009, in particular by reducing marketing and sales costs by nearly $4 million (more on that later). Software-as-a-service vendors in particular love to point out that they get a recurring revenue stream from each customer, so there are future profits that are masked by first-year sales expenses. On the other hand, Eloqua has considerable control over pricing of its services. MORE >>

We have termed this condition Frugalnomics, the demand for quantified bottom-line impact and superior value from every investment, and even as the economy recovers, research indicates that this trend will continue. Some examples include: Independent reviews Video testimonials Success stories and case studies Personalization Content marketing in the social domain isn’t just about broadcasting, but about creating a collaborative dialogue with your followers, fans and connections, a term we call interactive narrowcasting. How Do You Get Started in Content Marketing? MORE >>

Customers calling to clarify complicated pricing and other terms and conditions issues. That's why cloud-based customer service software and support ticket software provider Zendesk is wise to use their company support site to communicate their product and software update announcements. Research released earlier this year by Sabio and the Customer Contact Association showed that anywhere between 25% and 40% of the calls that are being handled by UK contact centers are unnecessary or avoidable. before they even become a problem. What's it all for? MORE >>

Marketing automation software is arguably the hottest segment of the CRM industry and becoming the centerpiece of many marketing programs. The marketing automation software industry clearly has a steady tailwind at its back. A confluence of trends is changing the way business buyers purchase, making marketing automation software essential.  B2B marketers have traditionally gotten off easy in terms of strict accountability, but are often the first budget to get cut and were sometimes looked down upon by more accountable departments. What does that mean? Tweet This! MORE >>

Within different industries, performance of individual companies is even more dramatic, showing the maturity and investment payoff (at least in terms of affinity) of certain companies versus others, and how far behind many individual companies are from the leaders. Tom’s latest endeavor, Alinean, was founded in 2001 to develop SaaS software for changing the way B2B sellers reach frugal buyers with interactive white papers, assessment, ROI and TCO tools. Tailwinds for Marketing Automation Software - Insi. Virtualization Software Cost Overruns at 44% of La. MORE >>