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.
“Mojo” Reads Max Effgen, March 17, 2009 I have had a lot of conversations with very talented people that seem lost in this new economic reality. Understandably many are upset about their respective employment situations; however, as a whole they seem to be forgetting what has made them great. Here are some recommended reads for some positive…
Integration requirements for CRM, CTI Max Effgen, March 16, 2009 CTI integration with CRM systems is typically limited to Sales and Support offerings. Since phone systems change less often than other pieces of technology, these integrations have been “set and forget” when properly scoped. I have clients that have not touched the CTI integrations of deployments ever. These integrations are…
Weekend Max Effgen, March 14, 2009 Looks like a wet, some say typical, weekend in Seattle. Likely take in some St Patrick’s Day festivities and get tickets for the Mariner’s Opening Day. Stay dry.