New capabilities for Microsoft Dynamics CRM are delivered throughout the year. Building on the great foundation of the November 2011 Service Update, we will be delivering our next groundbreaking release with the primary theme of “CRM Anywhere." Take the power of productivity out of the office and get closer to your customers and prospects. No compromise Microsoft Dynamics CRM on your favorite mobile devices. The update will include a new c...

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I can't believe we're into 2012! As we review with many of our clients what they have accomplished in 2011 there are direct correlations between those who had a strategic sales plan and worked it routinely and those who didn't. An old mentor of mine use to say if it isn't written down it doesn't exist. Getting alignment of the overall company's objectives and goals along with the sales team and each sales professional in a written for...

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Last week I attended a 100 anniversary celebration of one of our customer's being in business. A great accomplishment in and of itself. A number of dignitaries including Harvey McKay well known sales speaker and author were present. It dawned on me the theme, integrity in business was not a subject that is aired frequently. It gets lost in all the strategies and tactics that clutter the literature and discussions in the sales world. Often i...

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I was watching the Waste Management Open golf tournament and marveled at Kyle Stanley who had just lost an event after leading by 7 strokes the week before. He persisted and closed the deal and won in Scottsdale AZ.This remarkable turnaround made me think about many sales people that do all the necessary work, but fail to close the deal. At a recent sales meeting one of the sales people commented he was having difficulty closing enough deals. ...

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Sales tenacity or sensitivity that is the question? Today a potential vendor called me for the third time on a follow up of a previous conversation regarding engaging him for services we needed. He politely suggested he didn't want to bother me, but on the other hand he wanted to be responsive.  Here in a nutshell is the sales dilemma of the ages. When to push and when to back off. In retrospect I thought the sales person ha...

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During a training event at a call center a new sales person asked when do I start the sales process? I explained the sales process starts the moment you pick up the phone with your greeting. And within in the first 15 seconds you don't have to do anything accept allow the caller to tell you what they are interested in, if you give them a chance. Thus a well placed question such as, "how can I help you today?" generally sets the stage for the ...

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What is the score? Is a sales manager a score keeper or coach? Back in the day George Carlin an off beat comedian did bit where he was a radio announcer and gave baseball scores; 3 to 2, 5 to 1, 2 to 0 etc. That was it no names for the respective teams or any details! Many sales meetings are basically the same thing just focusing on the results at the end of a sales period vs. examining the details, thus missing the  opportunity ...

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It is an axiom of sales to find the decision maker and the person who signs the checks and you will increase your probability of success. The counterpart to that axiom is you must develop a relationship with the decision maker as well. During one of our coaching sessions at a sales meeting, a sales person said he ran into the new CEO of one of his accounts at a local restaurant. They had a brief conversation. Apparently the CEO was looking to bu...

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The CRM E2 team has released the December 2011 refresh of the white paper, Optimizing and Maintaining the Performance of Microsoft Dynamics CRM Clients, which is currently available for download from the Microsoft Download Center at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=37c5488f-e09d-4adf-8033-eae6137c1c89. Successfully optimizing and maintaining the performance of Microsoft Dynamics CRM clients accessing and interacting wi...

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CRM 2011 Client Configuration Tune-Up Link to Dynamics CRM Wiki Home Page The Microsoft Dynamics CRM Technical Support Team has released Version 1.0 of the “ Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online Go-Live Checklist ”. This document brings together several client computer configuration and setting recommendations to improve the speed of the CRM application at the user level and therefore enhance the user experience. It also outlines seve...

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