Sales automation and customer relationship management (CRM) tools now make every aspect of the sales cycle easy to manage by putting a common database at the fingertips of the entire sales team, providing account and data synchronization and quick and easy access.

Highlights:

Managing opportunities: Everything from distributing leads to sales offices across the globe, providing sales associates with pertinent account information, reminders or tasks, or accessing a calendar of events with sales team availability, ...and more: it's all available, and easy to use.

Accessing Information: Mobile professionals and in-office associates benefit from shared database resources: no matter where they go, or how they work (laptop, network, wireless device), real-time access to key information and sales tools is available. Even working off-line, they can easily synchronize information, contributing to a growing source of sales data.

Mobilizing Sales Teams: Sales teams can be ready to close the deal with integrated web services that provide sales and marketing materials, account history, proposal and quote generation, and even competitor information right at their fingertips.

Forecasting and Reporting: Analyze what's in the pipeline, the trends of the sales cycles, and then use that information to forecast sales. Assess the sales process to outline future strategies and to make adjustments where necessary.

Beyond Tools: Of nearly equal importance to the success of any project are the use of needs analysis, system implementation, customization to fit your particular needs, and the ability to provide rapid deployment where needed.

• Needs Analysis verifies and confirms that the right choices have been and the solution is the right one. Failing to do some level of needs analysis is a significant part of why so many productivity improvement projects do not live up to expectations or deliver the promised results. So, we strongly recommend that some form of analysis be part of every project, even if it is just a check-list that has been compiled with input from every department that will be impacted by the project.
• System Implementation One of our watch-words since we began in this business and one of the prime reason why so many of our clients have been with us a decade or longer. There are no easy solutions. Only those that are successful and those that fail. An IDC study of the financial impact of operational productivity projects such as SFA/CRM reveals that they are becoming woven into the fabric of corporate culture and garner between 51% and 500% ROI. But the weaving must be done correctly.
• Customization The sofware publishers have no way of knowing what kind of organization is going to install their programs and how they will be used. What is initially available is a generic "best guess" and, while that is sometimes good enough, it is often the case that getting a really significant return on your investment means fine-tuning the product to your specific needs and requirements. And that is where system customization comes in.
• Rapid Deployment Rapid Deployment is a quick and relatively inexpensive way to implement productivity projects. This is a pre-packaged program that includes all of the necessities to get you up and running. Rapid Deployment is appropriate when the installation and use are straight-forward and uncomplicated, when you do not contemplate the need for extensive customization and your organization is relatively compact. If you will need customization, have unique business processes or problems or have far-flung offices and/or users, then you need to consider having us conduct a needs analysis and explain customization as ways to make sure that your installation will be succesful.