Sales force automation systems 15 years later
Sales force automation systems 15 years later
December 16, 2011 at 01:30AM by salesenablement from Sales Enablement in a Sales 2.0 world
The Google Profile, Google+, and my own personal brand
With the advent of Google+ and the new-prominance of my Google Profile within the tool, I figured it was time to give it a makeover to more truly reflect who I am today. I'll be updating the language to highlight current assignments, projects, skills, obsessions. And who knows, maybe I'll actually put into practice the grandaddy of all web writing principles -- brevity.
The exercise will drive massaged Twitter and LinkedIn profiles as well, and perhaps even a few existential ruminations. Here's one: In the rush to write off the social phenomenon as petty, narcissistic, and now-obsessed, perhaps we could all benefit from a meditative and brutally sincere approach to personal profile management. Done well, it could prove a centering ritual, and further motivate us to live and work up to our own hype.
So much for brevity...
Meantime, here's the old Google Profile language for posterity's sake:
I am a business writer first and a sales and marketing professional second.
My current focus is in the area of front-end business-to-business (B2B) sales operations—specifically on equipping reps in the field with the best possible materials to meet the requirements of their customers’ buying process. Sales document optimization is an outcomes-based process after all—and an outlet for my skills in information design and desktop publishing. But the area I find most gratifying is also the one in which I find sales organizations in the greatest need. It’s Sales Knowledge Management, it’s a technological and cultural enigma, and it’s a singular joy for a worker of my temperament.
Sales Knowledge Management is a systematic approach to collecting, synthesizing, and sharing critical corporate, market, and product insights throughout the sales team, and broadening the availability of that knowledge into multiple contexts—from sales letters and e-mail to proposals to online customer portals. With enhanced access to knowledge and easy-to-use assembly tools, reps can spend less time finding answers and creating materials—and spend more time selling. (For a more detailed discussion of SKM roles in B2B selling organizations, refer to my post on the Roles of Sales Knowledge Management.)
The contents of my blog are my own thoughts and observations—codified and organized to help me better think through problems, remember solutions, and maybe even help others experiencing the same issues in their work and their lives. I am interested in the phenomenon known as enterprise content management, and the structured communication processes necessary to move knowledge between producers and consumers.
While I understand that any discussion of knowledge management must go above and beyond technology, my training and background often compel me toward the tools and methods used by those involved in content creation and management. I’m influenced by Shaun Slattery’s work on Textual Coordination. (For my take, see my post Toward a Technological Repertoire in Mediated Writing.) Similarly, I’m intrigued by the use and benefits of social media and user-generated content in a professional environment—the so-named Enterprise 2.0 movement.
From time-to-time, I’ll post items I find interesting from my iPod, from around the internet, around town, or around the house I share with the best wife, two sons, and dog a guy could ask for.
TechNet on automatically creating Word documents including list fields
It’s fairly straightforward to get this working (certainly no code is required, just SharePoint designer) and the technique could be used to automate all manner of business processes. For example, you could create an ASPX page containing drop down fields and calculated fields that automatically creates a quotation document or you could have a form that captures all the details for a job vacancy that would create a standard looking job advert.
Great for capturing client proposal data for later tracking purposes, and generating a shell template including relevant fields. With a little added controls and quick parts magic, I could foresee having SharePoint list choice column options dictate a cover page graphic. Lots of potential here.
Shane Gibson on Traditional versus Social Websites: Is there a portals spin?
In writing Guerrilla Social Media Marketing Jay Levinson and I developed a quick comparison between traditional websites and social sites. Guerrillas know that to build community and consent your website and homebase must be social.
While he speaks directly to public-facing corporate marketing engines, some consideration of these concepts is worthwhile within the closed confines of a corporate portal. This is particularly the case if your portal supports a hierarchical and globally distributed sales team, as mine does. Including and promoting social elements can be a challenge.
Shane Gibson's Social Media Calendar -- the Blog, the Podcast, the Template!
There are many aspects to success in social media. Having a solid goal, knowing your core target market and of course monitoring social media conversations and your brand. Producing great content and engaging community are also vital. All of this has to be grounded in a solid implementation plan in order to work over the long term. A goal, great content, and community engagement are not enough to succeed using social media as a marketer, sales person or entrepreneur. We also need to ensure that we are consistent in our approach, message and community involvement.
Shane Gibson is a speaker and writer of some renown in the world of social media and sales. This piece covers a simple, ironically low-tech, calendar for team social media coverage.
Daniel Patton
Experienced communicator, technologist, user advocate, focused on expanding sound content methodology into the complex B2B sales environment. Passionate about innovation, collaborative selling models, and promoting strategic connections between processes, assets, and sales productivity. Currently serving internal SharePoint consultant role to a global inside sales organization, iteratively filtering existing business blueprints through the enterprise solution platform.
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