The Open Source Pragmatist

Leads Management is a part of every good CRM package and we are implementers of two such packages - Model N for the Semiconductor Industry and SugarCRM for everyone else. Over the course of implementing leads management for a few dozen companies I have had the opportunity to go back and talk to the occasional sales manager, marketing manager, or IT person responsible for implementing leads. There is a common theme amongst those who feel their implementation of leads management was successful - they don’t rely on the software. Leads management is not all about the software or the tool, like building a house is not all about a hammer. An effective and successful leads management program requires planning, execution, and evaluation. The software tools may assist in all three of these key areas, however all three also involve active and focused attention by committed individuals to be successful.

1. Lead Planning and Generation - this stage consists of planning the entire campaign, determining lists, developing messaging, selecting the medium, setting the timing, planning the marketing project. The tools help, but can’t do it all - plan and organize.

2. Execution - this stage consists of sales/marketing management and staff capturing, distributing, qualifying and nurturing leads. If this is not an actively managed function, you get marginal benefits.

3. Evaluation - this stage may be the most important. Only through active analysis and evaluation of past successes and failures can your lead management solution become increasingly successful. A business intelligence solution that drives continuous improvement in the planning and execution stages results in greater leads efficiency, improved scoring of leads and ultimately more leads converted to customers.

Levementum is a system integrator of CRM software for the enterprise and has successfully implemented leads management in many industries and companies of all sizes.

Uncategorized crm, demand-management

Today’s business environment is changing and evolving faster than ever before. It is becoming increasingly difficult to make the incremental improvements that lead to improved profitability and competitive advantage. The survival of any business in this highly competitive environment requires adopting a strategy and culture of continuous improvement. Continuous improvement can be equated to Darwin’s hypothesis of ’survival of the fittest’. Those best suited to adapt and change are most likely to survive.

Businesses have now been evolving for many years, those who have survived the long-term have done so in large part as a function of their willingness to change and adapt. We have learned from the failures and successes of those who came before us and as a consequence the changes we seek now are in terms of ‘tweaks’. We look for the small changes and corrections that lead to greater profitability, success and survival.

The key to continuous and incremental improvement is understanding the data that drives and is derived from business-as-usual, knowing the environment. Once you have a clear view of the environment, then making informed decisions and taking action can be the difference between growth and stagnation.

The keys to understanding the environment and making informed and intelligent decisions based on this understanding is commonly referred to as Business Intelligence. The path to effective Business Intelligence (BI) can be summarized as follows:

1. Establishing clear business goals, objectives and/or initiatives.
2. Identify and prioritize the metrics and measures that are linked to each goal, objective and/or initiative.
3. Map specific individuals or teams to the measures and metrics being monitored and ensure they are empowered to influence each measure.
4. Monitor the data for next actions, progress and for intended results.

The path above may be simple and understated, however it clearly and concisely outlines the keys to successful BI. It requires the participation of management and staff as well as technology to help collect, organize and present the identified measures and metrics.

Levementum has implemented BI solutions for businesses of all sizes and specializes in guiding companies through the process of implementing a successful BI strategy coupled with industry leading technology. The Business Intelligence solutions are designed to meet specific business goals and objectives through the use of technology coupled with empowered teams or individuals. The combination of Levementum’s staff expertise, structured methods, and industry visibility can help your company take ideas from inception to deployment.

Visit our website for more on Open Source Business Intelligence.

Uncategorized business-intelligence, methodology