The last 6 months I have been using different CRM systems on a daily basis and I must admit that I have a hard time seeing the benefit of using such a system if you are not a old school sales guy or want a complicated address book.
My believes in the world of sales:
- I believe that networking is the key.
- I do not think it is about selling but having the right product that people want to buy.
- I think it is about building a great/good quality company brand.
- I do not believe in bad old school sales tactics like cold calling etc.
- Surprise (in a good way) the buyer when reality kicks in.
- No bullshit.
Maybe the 6 bullet points can be summarized as TRUST!
Although the term Social Network Relationship Mangement (SNRM) do not have a clear definition it is definitely what I want 
- I want to use LinkedIn, Plaxo, ecademy, facebook, twitter, etc to follow what is happening in my network.
- Having a large network I want to prioritize whom I want to follow, ie. I want to follow friends, current and old colleagues more closely than a guy I shared an e-mail with back in 2002.
- I don’t want to spend time updating people and company address records.
Taking the ‘everything has already been invented’ approach I did a quick google search and found almost nothing except for dex by Mercury Rising but I am not sure that the product fulfills my “ Social” requirement – being social by using the social LinkedIn, Plaxo, facebook, twitter, … I signed up for trial access of their software – now I only have to wait.
Should I start building a prototype? or can someone direct me to Social Network Relationship Management software?
Agreed.
Great post.
Jørgen, you’ve brilliantly identified a need that a lot of internet-savvy networkers would agree with!
If you build it, I will be one of your first customers and will help you spread the word
I imagine you already know about this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_Social
I’m not a programmer so I haven’t looked into it, but seems promising for SNRM?
Thanks George – such a comment means a lot for me! I will take a closer look at OpenSocial. I got a not-ready to release prototype of a SNRM system running that supports LinkedIn and Twitter.
Some thoughts…
- In tough times prospects only buy from people they like and trust
- Relationships and trust develop through conversations
- Sharing information with customers throughout the idea, proposal and service delivery stages of a project nurtures conversations and trust
CRM started by providing reporting tools for managers to supervise staff, what’s needed are simple tools for staff to enhance their coordination (and conversation) with clients.
Success today is no longer measured in the number of calls your team makes. It’s determined by your company’s ability to exceed customer expectations, thereby turning them into evangelists and promoters of your services via word of mouth. Communication is the only sustainable competitive advantage.
Thanks for the great article and insight Jørgen.
Hi Steve,
Some great thoughts!!! Thanks!
I am currently reading ‘The Contrarian effect’ which supports the idea of building trust and delivering value. More about that book later…
- Jørgen
Hey Jørgen, I just read the book summary & comments and it sounds spot on. I became a real advocate when I got bored of the old ways / techmeme and decided to have more fun just talking to prospects as if they were friends. I learned a lot about the world, heard some interesting stories and somewhat unexpectedly made many new friends! Oh, somehow a bit of money got exchanged along the way too.