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CRM Software Comparison

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There are over 100 different CRM Software packages.  Why so many? Because companies (and sales-forces) have different requirements and each software product takes a different approach to solving them. So how do you know which software is right for you?  This is a hard question to answer.  

How to Choose the Right CRM Software

Because vendors don’t use the same terminology when describing their features and functionality.  So its impossible to compare one program to another.   More...

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Selecting CRM Systems
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CRM The Right Way

Act Premium

Active Conversion

ADAPTcrm

Afinnium Suite

Aplicor

AppShore Premium

AppShore professional

Aprimo Professional

Ardexus Web-mode

Boulder Logic

C2 CRM

Campaign Runner

CampaignerPro

Campaignist

CDC MarketFirst

Clientele CRM

Commence

Concourse Suite 5.0

Contact Capture

Dataforce Leads

Demand Tools

Domo Domain 2.0

Eclipse

Eloqua Enterprise

eMail-Lead Grabber

EmailLabs

eMaximation

Engage B2B

Explore Commerce

FreeCRM Professional

Goldmine Corporate

iContact

Infor CRM epiphany

Infusion CRM

InsideSales CRM

LeadMaster

Manticore Professional

Market Mapper

Market2Lead

MarketBright

Marketing Central

Marketing Suite

MarketingPilot

Maximizer Enterprise 9

Microsoft Dynamics CRM

Netsuite CRM

OnContact CRM

Onyx Customer Mgt

Pivotal CRM

PowerTrak

Profiler

Prophet Premium 4.0

Quickbase

Relenta CRM

RightNow

RoboHead plus MajorTom

Sage SalesLogix

SageCRM.com

Salesboom Professional

SalesFirst

Salesforce.com

SalesGenius

SalesJunction Professional

SalesNexus

Salesplace

SAS CRM

SellingEdge

Siebel CRM On Demand

Simplicis

Soffront

StayinFront CRM

Sugar 5.0 Professional

Surado CRM5.0

TagTeam

Talisma Campaign

Tigerpaw

Tokuii Sales TM

vtigerCRM-5

ZOHO CRM

CRM Product Reviews     Click on the CRM Software Package below

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CRM Software Packages

Designed to provide some level of functionality in every category.  All-in-One providers' aim is to offer most everything a company would need for CRM (Front-office tasks) and often beyond - with order management and Accounting (Back-office tasks).

Usually includes sending, tracking, and measuring e-mail campaigns.  It can include off-line campaigns as well.  Campaign Management allows marketing and sales departments to work toward a joint goal.

Provides the ability to tie e-mail activity to specific contacts.  This can include the ability to track when an e-mail recipient has clicked on a link contained in the e-mail. Some level of campaign management is usually included.

Goes beyond Campaign management and allows marketers to automate their marketing activities such as; budgeting, collaboration, approvals, and collateral management.

Includes standard functionality such as tracking sales activities, managing To-Do's,   Sales Forecasts and reporting and contact management.

All-in-one  Systems

Campaign Management

E-Mail Management

Marketing Automation

Sales-Force Automation

Niche Applications

How to Screw up a CRM Implementation

PRINT

Of course you don’t want to screw it up.  That would have serious ramifications on your job security.  So learn from others who managed to screw it up despite good intentions.  By the way, you might want to print this and put it where you’ll see it often.
1.  Make sure the main purpose of your CRM system is to track Sales Reps activities. You need a way to prove they should be working harder.

2.  Emphasize the management reporting capabilities when explaining to your Sales Reps why its important that they use the CRM to its fullest.

3.  Don’t analyze your sales and marketing processes before you pick your CRM Software.  That’s a lot of work and will just slow you down.  The goal is to get a CRM package up and running as fast as possible.

4.  Don’t bother defining a method to measure the results of your CRM implementation.  After all its got to be better than the way things were done before.

5.  Don’t involve other departments.  CRM is intended to improve Sales Productivity.  Other departments will have their own interests.  You don’t want those getting in the way of what you need to get done.

If you want a successful CRM implementation, be sure to ignore all the advice above.  
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Bill Goergin
INETIUM
The Secret Sauce:
3 Ingredients of CRM Success
Mr. Goergen is a Certified CRM Consultant for  Inetium, LLC.  He has worked with a variety of industries including  Financial Services,  Building, Entertainment,  and Property Management.  

Inetium is an award-winning Microsoft Gold Certified partner. Inetium provides technology consulting services to organizations of all sizes throughout the United States.
I recently worked with a customer that experienced a slower adoption of CRM than anyone would want. As a CRM consultant with a lot vested in the success of every project, I was forced to ask, WHY?

What are the common characteristics of a successful CRM implementation?   Are there  specific ingredients  essential to success?

Every successful CRM implementation has at some level, three distinguishable  characteristics.

First, the application has to do what it is intended to do.  This may be obvious and sounds easy but is really pretty involved.  In fact, this is one of the best reasons to hire a good partner to help with your implementation.  Getting the application to function so the end user experience is noticeably better than their current process is  a requirement if the person
who sits at the end of the mouse is going to quickly make this application their own.

Second, there needs to be a strong corporate sponsor, who actively supports the move to
CRM.  We all know people who adapt easily to change, and some for whom change is frightening and painful.  Virtually everyone who implements CRM is coming from a previous system or process.   To move off their current process, there needs to be a clear and repetitive directive from above - this is the tool we will use and here is why.

Third,  CRM needs to be integrated into the greater department or organizational business processes so there is an impact on the organization if users or management don’t use CRM as it is intended. If there isn’t an impact on users to NOT use CRM, many will either not adapt or revert to their previous methods.   Integration can be as simple as a report that is used to highlight sales activity.  There needs to be some actions to back up the corporate sponsors’ directive saying we will use CRM.

Bottom line, there needs to be a reason to use CRM beyond it being a nifty application.   That may be enough to get people started, but to really make CRM an integral part of the organization, a nifty application is just the first step.
The software must do what it’s intended to do

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