Defining the Cloud. V2’s First Young Leaders in Cloud #YLCMEETUP

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YLCV2 strongly believes in the power of the Cloud; we have recognized the capabilities of the Cloud since our inception and have been maximizing and driving its potential ever since. Our entire organization runs in the Cloud (sales, marketing, project delivery, account management, and even human resources) and embracing the Cloud has created transparency and collaboration across our company. With the ever-evolving innovations surrounding the Cloud, an internal debate arose within V2 concerning the true meaning of “the Cloud”.  It was evident that there were many different views within our company and we were curious to see what the rest of the world thought.  We set out on a mission. We sought out a group of individuals who were interested in learning more about Cloud Computing and posed the fundamental question, “What is the Cloud?” The discussion quickly took on a life of its own and we discovered that many other organizations, groups, and colleagues were experiencing the same debate. Young Leaders in Cloud (YLC) was born.

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Upping the Game: Unlocking Business Benefits Through Ticketing System Integration with Salesforce.com

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Through interactions with a number of sports franchise prospects and clients over the past few years, it dawned on us that many of these organizations rely largely on ticketing platforms to manage their “fan experience”. More surprising, however, is how many of these organizations have seemingly accepted the notion of being boxed in by the limitations of their legacy ticketing platforms, unable to effectively extend beyond the standard sets of features and functionality which have remained largely unchanged for years. Continue reading Upping the Game: Unlocking Business Benefits…

CRM – It’s a Journey, NOT Just a Project: Insights 7 & 8

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Good Afternoon! I trust you have digested last week’s posts and are ready to wrap up with the final two insights today.

Insight 7: Don’t Underestimate the Influence of Middle Management

A lot of focus on CRM success over the years has been placed on “executive sponsorship”. I don’t disagree that it can be extremely valuable to have a person with a “CXO” title espousing the benefits of CRM within an organization, however, when it comes to CRM success I believe strongly that middle management is where it is at. Think “Manager”, “Director” and even “VP” as critical titles. In all sincerity, if your regional sales managers rely on note cards and weekly verbal check-ins to manage relationships and pipelines and have no intention of holding their direct reports accountable, then don’t waste your money on buying a CRM. Wait until they leave your organization and then reevaluate your options. Continue reading CRM – It’s a Journey, NOT Just a Project: Insights 7 & 8…

CRM – It’s a Journey, NOT Just a Project: Insights 5 & 6

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Hopefully by now, you have gained some valuable insight around starting the CRM journey at your company. I am excited to share our firm’s knowledge and experiences with you, but I realize it may be a lot to digest at one time. I encourage you to leave comments in response to this or other posts in the “CRM – It’s a Journey, NOT Just a Project” series. OK, let’s move on to my fifth insight…

Insight 5: Beware of Self-Implementations, Quick Start Programs, and New Hire Gurus

I’d like to make an analogy. Let’s say you decided to buy a new high-quality suit that you anticipate lasting through a few years of frequent use. You make a trip over to Barneys to spend $1500 on your new threads. It looks great, however, you need to get it tailored. You decide that because you have splurged on a high-quality suite you will save some money by having your local dry cleaner make the adjustments. Your suit comes back a couple weeks later and they have butchered (no pun intended) your expensive buy. Continue reading CRM – It’s a Journey, NOT Just a Project: Insights 5 & 6…

CRM – It’s a Journey, NOT Just a Project: Insights 1 & 2

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Welcome back! As promised, I will take you through my first two insights including “Evaluate Intelligently” and “Establish Strategic and Tactical Goals BEFORE Discussing Features & Functionality”.

Insight 1: Evaluate Intelligently

My firm is a well-established Salesforce.com partner and I admire the fact that Salesforce allows prospective clients to sign up for a 30-day trial. The trial concept shows that Salesforce.com is confident (as it should be) that it’s product is best-in-class and that after you give it a try you will elect to convert into a paying customer. Continue reading CRM – It’s a Journey, NOT Just a Project: Insights 1 & 2…

CRM – It’s a Journey, NOT Just a Project

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Inaugural Post Introduction

A few months ago my colleagues and I huddled in our “Zen” creative room (complete with an Apple Think Different poster of Pablo Picasso) and decided that it was time to finally launch the long-awaited and highly anticipated “V2 Blog”. Prior to that meeting, we had been talking for months (OK, maybe a couple years) about the value of engaging in conversation with prospects, clients, partners and the general business community via a blog. Continue reading CRM – It’s a Journey, NOT Just a Project…

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