CRM Trends Max Effgen, October 9, 2009 In a recent conversation, the topic turned to the future direction of CRM. Normally, I would wax philosophic on this but it is really pretty simple. Marketing is taking over more and more of the traditional sales cycle. Sales will spend less time educating and more time selling qualified prospects…. Continue Reading
Avoid the road to nowhere Max Effgen, October 8, 2009 Avoid the project road to nowhere with these 3 common sense tips: – Align technology and business process. – Proactively drive user adoption. – Never “package slam”. Continue Reading
The best salespeople… Max Effgen, October 7, 2009 …are your customers. They have credibility that your sales team will never have — and amazingly they pay you. Nice read on this topic at Marketing Donut: Turn your customers into your best sales people. Continue Reading
Proactive service Max Effgen, October 6, 2009 What does it mean to be proactive in customer service? The goal is simple. Customers do not want to have to tell you there is a problem. To get there is long and often elusive. Understand your support process. Take the time to truly understand what causes customer support problems… Continue Reading
How to scale support Max Effgen, October 5, 2009 Increases in customers means increases in customer support. An effective tactic when starting a self-service initiative is to reassure Customer Support that the organization has to do more with less. Positive and forward looking initiatives will gain traction. More with less does not mean less people. More with less means… Continue Reading
Why I blog… Max Effgen, September 28, 2009 Great video above on the power of blogging. I find myself talking about my tiny little blog more than I ever thought I would. I blog to build my brand and make me better. The blog forces you to think and stay relevant. It is mental pull-ups, push-ups and sit-ups… Continue Reading
Read on competition and collaboration Max Effgen, September 28, 2009 Great guest post by Monica Harrington at TechFlash. I also have some (limited) experience with Mike Maples. He was a board member of a previous employer. The “100% market share” mentality and culture there was pervasive and infectious. If you are not trying to change the world, what are you… Continue Reading
Speednetworking Max Effgen, September 26, 2009 I attended the first speed networking event in Seattle this week and was pretty impressed. Take the speed dating concept and apply it to professionals. Before the event, I ranked my areas of interest, and they matched me up with 10 other professionals. Overall I was impressed. The people I… Continue Reading
Roast your own Max Effgen, September 23, 2009 Coffee is a lot of things in Seattle. If you are an independent coffee house in this town you need to elevate and differentiate your game. Nice read in the Coffee City blog about Fremont Coffee. They have recently started roasting their own beans. What they have really started doing… Continue Reading
Why hire me? Max Effgen, September 22, 2009 Solid read on the WSJ blogs on why you need to “ABC” “A, Always B, Be C, Closing” on you. Another great tidbit from over the weekend, “Do not focus on the role. Focus on you. If they are looking only for requirements on a job rec, you will be… Continue Reading