Wine Max Effgen, April 4, 2009 I am not an oenophile, but I do enjoy a nice wine. Here is a recent discovery that is more than affordable and very good for the sub-$6 price. 2006 Two Vines Cabernet Sauvignon Cheers!
Always exceed customer expectations Max Effgen, April 1, 2009 One of the biggest challenges for sales and service is customer expectations. The needs, wants, and preconceived ideas that a customer has for your product can skew the service experience. These days a disappointed customer can put a poor service experience out to the world instantaneously. Customer expectations start with…
Ten Service Myths Max Effgen, April 1, 2009 Another useful post from Destination CRM Blog. 10 Service Myths 1. Always exceed customer expectations. 2. If you answer the phone the quickest, that alone is the key to success. 3. People always prefer talking to people. 4. The customer is always right. 5. If complaints are down, customer service…
Keep It Simple… Max Effgen, March 29, 2009 Sales usage and/ or compliance of a CRM system can vary widely for many reasons. Some sales talent believe that they personally own the account contacts and are a conduit to the relationship. Some posture and pontificate on compliance and then do not lead by example. Some just don’t like…
Online reads: Michael Lewis Max Effgen, March 25, 2009 Michael Lewis is the fantastic author or Liar’s Poker and Moneyball. His books transcend the subject and offer lessons in innovation, management and leadership. Here are two online reads of his that I have recently enjoyed: Coach Leach Goes Deep, Very Deep and The No-Stats All-Star
SLA in the Cloud Max Effgen, March 24, 2009 Service Level Agreements (SLA) are nothing new and have existed in information technology for many, many years. Now that the cloud has opened the information utility to everyone, SLAs are out in the open. But what does it really mean? It is not like you have a meter or a…
Sales Pipeline process changes… Max Effgen, March 22, 2009 In my experience, pipeline/forecast is one area of a CRM system that seems to change frequently. I have seen this both from the consulting side and as a user. Not going to comment on whether it is right or wrong, just that it happens, often, as a matter of fact…
Coffee Max Effgen, March 20, 2009 When I first moved to Seattle, I could not tell the difference between an espresso and freeze dried Taster’s Choice. That changed in a hurry. I now have a strong regular habit. I even brought a Starbucks Barista® Espresso Machine into the office of a former employer to slow my…
It is not about the technology… Max Effgen, March 20, 2009 Customers Want Productivity, Not Products Solid article by Jessica Tsai detailing the recent Microsoft Convergence conference. I have always has success tying productivity solutions to technology, so that customers are now vocalizing this need does not come as a surprise.
A Berkeley View of Cloud Computing Max Effgen, March 18, 2009 Above the Clouds Worth reading this engrossing whitepaper from the UC Berkeley Reliable Adaptive Distributed Systems Laboratory on Cloud Computing.