Using technology to inform business decision makers
I have just enabled and configured Influence Campaigns in salesforce.com and am extremely impressed. This will allow for better analysis of ROBI and ROCI (Brand and Client Investment) in today’s multi-channel sales and marketing 2.0 universe.
When I have constructed reports and added these to a dashboard I will post the results. Stay tuned!
I met today with Ward Yaternick and Jay Terrill of Nextanalytics. Was a great discussion over coffee on the pitfalls and pratfalls of getting wound up in data. I found the insights that Ward offered me regarding how to allow greater access to data for decision making to be game changing. We discussed how translating the masses of data generated by today’s business applications into discernible, actionable information for decision making is critical for investors and senior executives.
Following our meeting I returned to Ward’s blog and re-read his post titled “First steps in developing KPIs & Metrics“. The core element here for me is the tangible value that can come from freeing data from cumbersome and complex data structures like cubes. By allowing for lateral connections between data in a “drill across” approach rather than pouring data into a box and shaking it in the hopes that your answers will fall out the bottom, Nextanalytics seems to have addressed this.
If you have been struggling with technologies to render data for decision making to an audience that has ever evolving data reporting/vantage point requirements I suggest you take a close look at Nextanalytics. If you review the lineage of the principals you will see that they have the experience needed to actually execute on a new approach to the age old issue of getting flexible “form fitted” data from every corner of your business.
You know the drill – weekly sales call, VP tells you to come ready to “defend your funnel” and talk about “what going to do to improve it”. The answers given by sales people today can be much more informed by technologies than those give 5 years ago. Today we can see the anonymous activities by a prospective client on our website, track the clicks and visits of known prospects, and see if and when they read our email messages. We can even learn what they really thought about our webinar on live social networks like Twitter and LinedIn.
Questions on what we are doing to improve the funnel covers ground that actually starts beyond the desk of the average sales person and includes the efforts of the marketing team. I recently came across a link to a Hubspot spoof ad that pokes fun at traditional cold calling tactics. Old style tactics like carpet bombing your prospects with cold calls and emails to develop new business is counter intuitive to actually gaining ground today.
In this blog I plan to discuss how technology is influencing the selling style and cycle of sales and marketing professionals. Marketing and Sales 2.0 is a single process that integrates these 2 operations. Embracing this approach has a profound impact on revenue.
Follow – participate – and lead the discussions with me here.
