My Favorite Articles in CRM This Week

Spotting bad user interfaces? Check. Learning to let customer love into the heart of your company? Check. The horrors of  neglected business blog? Check. Marc Benioff as a Jiu-Jitsu master?! Check! This week’s list of my favorite CRM articles is bound to put a smile on your face. Enjoy!

 

1. The Martial Arts Of Customer Relationship Management:

Funny, lighthearted and full of wit, the first article in this week’s list is meant mostly for entrepreneurs, but I sure enjoyed my time reading it as well. Imagine the CRM world as a dojo, Salesforce as a jiu-jitsu master and you as the new kid in town. How will you attack him? Where? and most importantly- why? You’ll love this. WAX ON, WAX OFF! (Written by Ryan Nichols)

 

2. Recognising a Bad User Interface at First Glance:

Off to some more serious stuff, the next article is super important. Whether you’re a user, a team leader or a CEO about to decide on implementing a certain CRM software- here’s some big NO-NO’s for you to look out from. (Written by Piet Hadermann)

 

3. Is Customer Love Fueling Your Organization?

Now this is one hell of a soft spot for too many companies. Of course, you don’t have to actually “love” all of your customers (although you should try your best to do so, if only for better health J) but if you hadn’t figured out yet that customer success=your success, the next article will show you exactly how this beautiful equation works. (Written by Ryan Estis)

 

4. 7 Crucial Questions to Ask Prospects Throughout the Buyer’s Journey:

Sales is an increasingly consultative profession, and to dealing with it is a constant uphill battle against time, advances in technology and rising expectations from prospects. This articles tries to sort things out for you, providing the crucial questions you should ask your prospects (and more importantly, yourself first).  (Written by Dan Tyre)

 

5. This Auto Dealership Built A Pro-Millennial Customer Experience By Consulting 5 Key Service Trends:

More of a report than an article, but I just had to include this one as it includes great insights about “the way millennials think, and what they want” (according to researchers of course). I’m sure you too will find this helpful in a lot of ways. (Written by Micah Solomon)

 

6. Key Performance Indicators – Not Clicks:

Slightly off topic yet still very relevant for CRM users- especially team leaders and managers. The next article outlines what I would call “the correct performance indicators” you should look at when assessing your team’s work. (Written by Kendra Hathway)

 

7. Why It’s a Mistake to Take a Break from Blogging:

Well the next article is about….YOU! Well, I guess it’s also a bit about me. While I absolutely love blogging and all things tech, online personas- blogs, social media pages, etc., usually require constant care, and results from your constant maintenance usually show up at later stages. With not much to keep them reinforced, some bloggers, even the ones who blog for certain tech companies, often tend to neglect their pages at some point. If you’re one of them- this next article will certainly convince you to keep going. (Written by Jean Gianfagna)

 

8. Comparing CRM Software – The Best of the Best Revealed:

Last but not least, here’s a recent shootout I’ve made- comparing the top CRM tools right now and outlining some of the features that put them at the top of their game.