Video: Social CRM – Customer Support with Twitter & Salesforce.Com

Here is a video Demo showing you how to monitor support issues within the Twitterverse from within your CRM system. This demo illustrates Salesforce.Com monitoring Technical Support Issues occuring in Twitter, all the while seamlessly creating support cases from the Twitter Conversations. This is a set of upcoming features for an application called Social CRM Tools that will be available soon on app exchange.

Video: Traditional vs. Social CRM (What is The Difference?)

Inspired by an article by Brent Leary, I decided to give some concrete examples of how Traditional CRM approaches measure up with Social CRM approaches. In this 1 Slide Summary John M. Perez of Service-Push.Com walks you through examples of Prospecting, Business Process Automation, and Storage of Customer Information in your CRM system. He presents 2 examples of these CRM attributes in a Traditional CRM Strategy vs. a Social CRM approach. Recommending that a good blend of both will be required in order to implement a successful CRM Business Strategy.

Video: Social CRM Tools – Salesforce.Com Integration with Facebook

Do you want to get more social with your existing and new customers? Traditional CRM is all about traditional data like Name, Email, Address, etc. Today’s prospects and customers are having conversations on Facebook, Twitter and Social CRM Tools is here to help.

This is a demo of an application called Faceforce.Com that was written by Clara Shih. It demonstrates the ability to integrate your contacts in your Saleforce.Com system with their Facebook information. This is ideal to keep track of your customers business and personal interactions. This feature will be incorporated in Social CRM Tools. Coming soon in July 2009.

Video: Social CRM Selling Tools – Salesforce.Com & Twitter Integration

Do you want to get more social with your existing and new customers? Traditional CRM is all about traditional data like Name, Email, Address, etc. Today’s prospects and customers are having conversations on Twitter and Social CRM Tools is here to help.

This is a prototype demo of an upcoming Social CRM Tool that will integrate your Salesforce.Com’s Contacts, and Leads seamlessly with those Customers and Leads who have Twitter. This demo shows you how to do a look up of a customers twitter profile, and seamlessly import it into Salesforce.Com’s Contact, and Lead Records. The application imports Twitter information like Bio, Picture, Website URL, into Salesforce.Com so you can constantly stay up to date and connect with your customers online while working withing your CRM system.

C Level Execs & Small Businesses Rely on Social Media According to Google

According to a recent article, Google Announced that Large and small-business owners use search and social media more than you might expect. According to the figures, they indicate:

• 73% of C-suite executives are using the Internet daily, Sebastian said, referring to new research Google conducted with Forbes of 500 executives at companies with sales of $1 billion or higher.
• 64% of C-level execs conduct six or more searches per day to locate business information.
• 1 in 5 said they preferred to watch video rather than read text. Focusing on the impact of video, Sebastian said there are “1.5 million business searches daily on YouTube,” making it the second-most-visited destination for business searches, behind Google.

• SMB owners are heavily involved with social media, with about half using blogs, wikis, Twitter and other social media channels for business purposes.

This is further evidence that traditional Enterprise Customer Information is finally meeting the world of Social Media.  Expect CRM applications to include more video along with Social Networking features.  The market will appear to be rapidly growing in the SMB sector as businesses there will rely on Web 2.0 and Social Marketing techniques as a primary investment for marketing their business.

On Demand CRM Cost Calculator

Looking to invest some money on a new CRM tool but investing in an On Premise version of Siebel/Oracle out of the question? Check out this cost calculator tool. This calculator compares costs of Zoho CRM Professional Edition, SugarCRM Professional Edition, Salesboom Professional Edition, Entellium, Salesforce Professional Edition, and Oracle CRM OnDemand.

Just plug in the number of users across each of the other solutions and you will see the cost comparison automatically populate. This was taken from Zoho CRM’s website. While Zoho appears to be one of the cheaper solutions, I encourage you not to only utilize price as the only factor in your decision.

Full Spreadsheet View.

customer service 2.0 web 2.0 service delivery and support it 2.0

A Social Media ROI Calculator

Having trouble justifying your Social Media investments at your company? Attached is an ROI Calculator that can help you justify the case. The ROI calculator is an extended version of the ROI calculator included in the book The Groundswell written by Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff.

Social Media Is Not Just For Kids

2009 Harris Poll Survey

Social Media is no longer a Kids Activity

We have finally reached the tipping point where most adults in business are acknowledging that Social Media sites like Facebook, and Twitter are no longer for kids. According to the Harris Poll and other surveys released in April 2009, here is what they reveal:

• 41% of adults 45-54 years old are now on Facebook (The Harris Poll, Harris Interactive, 4/16/09)
• “…60% of 30 million LinkedIn users have high personal incomes, hold executive level or consultant positions, are decision-makers and likely to be active networkers. The results prove, say survey sponsors, that “online social networks are not only a way for professional groups to stay connected, but powerful tools for business as well.” (According to survey conducted by LinkedIn with Anderson Analytics and SPSS, November 2008)
• The total number of members that have the titles President, Founder, or CEO in their current job is 1,897,686 – or about 4.9% of all LinkedIn members (a profile search on LinkedIn)
• Tweeting is also slightly more prevalent among the young, but not by much; 8% of 18-34 year olds use Twitter, 7% of those 35-44 use it, 4% of those aged 45-54 and just 1% of those 55 and older; (Harris Poll)
• Over 150,000 register for Facebook EVERY DAY. That’s 1 million a week. (Global Neighborhoods blog)
• As of April, 2009, just under half of all Americans have a Facebook or Myspace account (The Harris Poll, Harris Interactive, 4/16/09)
• 41% of adults 45-54 years old are now on Facebook (The Harris Poll, Harris Interactive, 4/16/09)

Year over Year Growth Increases

To further detail the popularity of these sites, I used Compete.Com to look at trends associated to the growth of Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and LinkedIn.

• The fastest growing network is Twitter with over a +1600% growth rate within the last year.
• Facebook and LinkedIn grew at +163% and +108% respectively.
• Myspace slightly declined in growth, but still remains the 2nd most visited network next to facebook.

Social Media Site Comparisons

CRM Meets Social Media

Integration of your existing Customers Social Data into your CRM system will be far more important as these networks grow and as your customers join them. Data attributes such as a Twitter ID, Facebook Page, and LinkedIn Profile are going to be an essential part of viewing your customer profile and should be right along size Company, Industry, and Name information. To learn more about our Social CRM Solutions that power your Sales team and strenghthen your existing customer relationships, click here.

Increasing Sales Using Social Media

The days of Joe “The Cold Calling” Salesperson are over! Avoid spending valuable selling resources on cold calling prospects that are not eager to return your call. Instead, engage those very same prospects in other ways using Social Media Networks, Groups, and Tracking Tools. While there is the never ending debate on whether Web 2.0 Tools and Strategies can truly increase your sales, you can bet that Social Media is here to stay and it will not be going away. In this blog I will review 3 techniques your sales team can employ to attract new prospects, retain existing customers, and effectively sell to new leads using Web 2.0 Tools.

Using Linked In Groups

If your a sales person who is not yet on LinkedIn, then shame on you! Sign up now. Never the less, whether your in the HR Industry, the Tech Industry, or in Finance – there is a group out there for you. LinkedIn provides a great way for professionals to interact, share advice, network, and communicate with those you have a common professional interest. Groups such as Salesforce.Com’s Professional LinkedIn Network, and Zoho CRM’s LinkedIn Group have been an invaluable resource to my business and networking goals.

So what does this have to do with Sales? For example, in one of the groups I joined – there was a thread I noticed where there was discussion about looking for a new email marketing solution that integrates well with a specific CRM system. It just so happened that I worked with a solution in another company, so I got in on the thread and mentioned the solution to the individual. They privately replied and asked if I knew of anyone at the company of the Emarketing Solution company that I recommended. I referred them to the sales person at the company who also was on LinkedIn so I did a formal introduction through LinkedIn because the eMarketing Sales rep was already part of my network. While this was not my sale, it was a referral and the Lead Source of the Sale was a LinkedIn Group Discussion Conversation. Not a Cold Call, Not A Webinar, or A Conference.

Using Twitter Tracking Tools

So you think your too mature for Twitter as a Senior Sales Rep? Think again! Twitter has changed the control of a company brand from the company right back to the consumer. With just a couple of tweets, the product or brand your selling could be the biggest hit or the biggest flop in the eyes of millions of Tweeters around the world. Tracking conversations on Twitter around a specific topic, product, company, brand, or service you are selling could be your next big deal!  There are dozens of Twitter Tracking Tools, and there are three in which I recommend to utilize. Another worthy mention is TweetDeck which allows you to monitor real time conversations in the Twitterverse while also sending you alerts. Using a combination of these tools combined with your CRM system, you can help you to track key questions, conversations, or comments based on a relevant term. So if your selling a CRM Solution, you may want to track daily conversations of Twitter Chatter around the term “#CRM Solutions” using the “#” hash tag prior to the term. This way, when someone in the Twitterverse says “Does anyone recommend a good CRM Solution for small businesses?” – you can engage into that conversation immediately.   Some other examples are using your actual product or service as a keyword to either generate a lead, or close an existing sale!

Google Alerts & RSS Feeds

For everything else happening outside the standard social networks like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn I would recommend using Google Alerts to track, monitor, and stay up to date with keyword terms, products, or whatever it is your trying to sell. Google Alerts tracks pretty much everything that is published on the web. However, getting the results in an email from Google Alerts can be inundating. So I recommend you utilize Google Alerts and set it up to be utilized as an RSS feed to track your keyword terms. Then you can easily configure your RSS Reader to track those relevant sites publishing content related to your keyword terms. You can learn how to do that in this tutorial.

Conclusion

There are several more strategies to employ, but these are the most sales oriented strategies that I have seen work most effectively. Be sure not to exclude your existing customer base from these strategies as well. Applying the above along with following your existing customers on their Social Networking profiles can only strengthen your relationships and potentially increase your sales. In my next series I will talk about how CRM tools should be integrated into the Sales 2.0 framework such that the above strategies can be seamlessly integrated into anyone of your CRM systems. Feel free to email me or let me know what strategies you have utilized to increase sales.

A Social CRM Prototype using Salesforce.Com

An overview of how Social CRM capabilities can be integrated into Salesforce.Com and why your business may need to take a Social CRM approach. This video provides an overview of how you can integrate your customer Web interactions across their social networks into your SFDC CRM System.