How to choose the right CRM (Bonus Сhecklist Included)

These days a CRM isn’t just a luxury — it forms the cornerstone of your entire workflow, helping (or hindering) the effectiveness of your sales process.

That’s why choosing the right customer relationship management solution can feel like a huge undertaking. You’ve got to think about whether the functionality fits the way you work, how to get your team on board and if it’s a worthwhile investment of time and money. Pair that with the fact that there are literally hundreds of CRMs to choose from, and shopping for a CRM can be downright overwhelming.

But don’t put it off. The sooner you find a CRM, the sooner you can start enjoying the perks of a more systematized and transparent sales process. If you follow the tips below, you’ll find that searching for the right CRM can not only be painless, but even enjoyable.

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6 Ways Your CRM Is Failing You

The modern customer expects a lot — a response within the hour, a personalized buying journey and an account manager who anticipates their wants and needs. It’s no wonder that the demand for customer relationship management tools is growing every year. It gives businesses that competitive edge of getting in there first and really wowing your leads while they’re hot. Nevertheless, a lot of CRMs don’t deliver the dazzling ROI you’re expecting and working with them becomes tedious.

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Customer Data Platforms: How They Work, What They Solve & Why Everyone Needs To Use One

Today’s customers have been trained by Amazon, Netflix, Spotify and many others to expect personalized experiences and have little tolerance for firms that do it poorly. Quality data is needed to fuel the technologies that power personalization, but assembling that quality data can be hard.

Enter the Customer Data Platform (CDP). As defined by the Customer Data Platform Institute, a CDP is a marketer-managed system that builds a unified and persistent customer database that is accessible to other systems. While they are promising to be faster, easier, cheaper and more flexible than previous solutions – even the most savviest of martech professionals aren’t fully understanding their benefits, capabilities and integration abilities.

View this report today to learn the:

  • 3 main functions of a CDP
  • 8 advantages of using a CDP to assemble customer data
  • 8 common questions about CDPs and their answers
  • Key ways to select and budget for a CDP and more!

Download a copy of the CDP Institute’s report, “Customer Data Platforms: How They Work, What They Solve & Why Everyone Needs to Use One” today.

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GDPR Impact Series 2018

2018 sees the long-awaited General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) enter into enforcement starting May 25th. It is a once-in-a-lifetime change to the legal basis on which individuals share their data with organizations.

Research company DataIQ recently examined how consumers expect their data to be used and whether they intend to exercise their new rights, as well as into what organizations intend to do to bring their data-driven practices into line with the Regulations. Download the report now to:

  • Understand the consumer perspective on data collection, consent, context, and control
  • Learn key strategies for the business/marketer’s processes, top opportunities, and challenges in adjusting to the new Regulation
  • Identify any mis-alignments between the two sides’ views of the data exchange and their root causes

Whether you view data as the new oil or as the beginning of the fourth industrial revolution, its relevance in today’s world is hard to deny. By laying the groundwork now, businesses will be able to embrace the opportunities presented by GDPR, and this research takes us one step closer to a more comprehensive understanding of how to truly put the customer and their expectations at the center of everything a brand does.

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Why the Universal Data Hub?

Today’s business leaders are faced with an increasingly fractured vendor landscape leading to operational inefficiency, siloed teams, loss of consumer trust and legal risk and, worst of all, a disjointed customer experience. In a market where companies largely differentiate and scale on customer experience, this makes data strategy a vital component of organizational health.

Download our Universal Data Hub white paper to learn:

  • The 4 Core Problems Created by the MarTech Explosion – The gaps between marketing technologies and the data they leverage, left unaddressed, spread throughout an organization
  • What is a Universal Data Hub? And What are Its Key Tenets? – What it is and what should you look for when considering a centralized platform for your digital marketing stack
  • Functionality Checklist for a Universal Approach to Data – The key functionalities you need to consider and evaluate when implementing a universal data strategy

The data foundation you establish will not only allow for more effective and lucrative marketing now, but is a critical step to delivering on the value of all data sources in the future that are exploding with the advent of mobile, IoT, artificial intelligence and machine learning.

Companies that take a universal approach to data will immediately fill organizational and customer experience gaps, while laying the data infrastructure critical to competing in the future. Download our white paper today to get started.

Get Whitepaper

Customer Data Platforms: How They Work, What They Solve & Why Everyone Needs To Use One

Today’s customers have been trained by Amazon, Netflix, Spotify and many others to expect personalized experiences and have little tolerance for firms that do it poorly. Quality data is needed to fuel the technologies that power personalization, but assembling that quality data can be hard.

Enter the Customer Data Platform (CDP). As defined by the Customer Data Platform Institute, a CDP is a marketer-managed system that builds a unified and persistent customer database that is accessible to other systems. While they are promising to be faster, easier, cheaper and more flexible than previous solutions – even the most savviest of martech professionals aren’t fully understanding their benefits, capabilities and integration abilities.

View this report today to learn the:

  • 3 main functions of a CDP
  • 8 advantages of using a CDP to assemble customer data
  • 8 common questions about CDPs and their answers
  • Key ways to select and budget for a CDP and more!

Download a copy of the CDP Institute’s report, “Customer Data Platforms: How They Work, What They Solve & Why Everyone Needs to Use One” today.

Get Whitepaper

GDPR Impact Series 2018

2018 sees the long-awaited General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) enter into enforcement starting May 25th. It is a once-in-a-lifetime change to the legal basis on which individuals share their data with organizations.

Research company DataIQ recently examined how consumers expect their data to be used and whether they intend to exercise their new rights, as well as into what organizations intend to do to bring their data-driven practices into line with the Regulations. Download the report now to:

  • Understand the consumer perspective on data collection, consent, context, and control
  • Learn key strategies for the business/marketer’s processes, top opportunities, and challenges in adjusting to the new Regulation
  • Identify any mis-alignments between the two sides’ views of the data exchange and their root causes

Whether you view data as the new oil or as the beginning of the fourth industrial revolution, its relevance in today’s world is hard to deny. By laying the groundwork now, businesses will be able to embrace the opportunities presented by GDPR, and this research takes us one step closer to a more comprehensive understanding of how to truly put the customer and their expectations at the center of everything a brand does.

Get Whitepaper

Why the Universal Data Hub?

Today’s business leaders are faced with an increasingly fractured vendor landscape leading to operational inefficiency, siloed teams, loss of consumer trust and legal risk and, worst of all, a disjointed customer experience. In a market where companies largely differentiate and scale on customer experience, this makes data strategy a vital component of organizational health.

Download our Universal Data Hub white paper to learn:

  • The 4 Core Problems Created by the MarTech Explosion – The gaps between marketing technologies and the data they leverage, left unaddressed, spread throughout an organization
  • What is a Universal Data Hub? And What are Its Key Tenets? – What it is and what should you look for when considering a centralized platform for your digital marketing stack
  • Functionality Checklist for a Universal Approach to Data – The key functionalities you need to consider and evaluate when implementing a universal data strategy

The data foundation you establish will not only allow for more effective and lucrative marketing now, but is a critical step to delivering on the value of all data sources in the future that are exploding with the advent of mobile, IoT, artificial intelligence and machine learning.

Companies that take a universal approach to data will immediately fill organizational and customer experience gaps, while laying the data infrastructure critical to competing in the future. Download our white paper today to get started.

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Don’t Overlook Your Email Archiving Systems

"Today, business users need on-the-go access to all their critical data, which includes emails, documents and attachments. For IT administrators, striking the balance between productivity for users and compliance needs for the organization is necessary.

A September 2017 commissioned study conducted by Forrester Consulting shows 92% of business users believe easily finding emails and related documents using search functions is important or critical to the ability to do their job.

Download the study to discover more of Forrester Consulting’s important findings on the email archiving needs of modern business users—and how you can meet them."

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Increasing Your Marketing Funnel

The Slashdot Media Passport System is an organic vertically integrated big data analytics platform that utilizes extensive feedback loops, machine learning, artificial intelligence and human curation to identify potential leads from our database of over 100 million B2B contacts. Passport uses inputs provided by you during our campaign pre-launch meeting to build sophisticated profile models of your perfect customer and find the best matches in our contact data to that profile, while factoring in other important information such as intent and reachability. We utilize available data whenever possible to maximize our profiling work on your campaign and may as needed ask potential contacts supplemental data gathering questions to complete profiling as needed. We reserve the flexibility to answer any profiling questions that you have defined in your request for proposal by utilizing previously gathered data in our database or by asking the lead contact supplemental questions directly.
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3 Quick and Easy Fixes to Increase Site Performance

Recommendations to Discuss with Your Development Team and Technology Partners.

When buying products online, shoppers have to put their trust into eCommerce stores. They have to trust that their information won't be stolen, that the order will go through and that it will be shipped on-time, to the correct location. When a site is slow, not only does it frustrate online shoppers, it takes away the legitimacy of the site and their trust in it.

Poor site performance can cost you sales, revenue, customers, and even a high ranking on search engines.

Download the guide to learn how you and your development team can boost site performance.

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Delivering the Ultimate Omnichannel Retail Experience

Omnichannel isn’t about making a quicker, cheaper sale with fewer human touchpoints: it’s about creating a system which lets you to nurture your customers at every step of their buyer’s journey.

This Whitepaper from Magento and Premier Technology Partner dotmailer describes how well connected ecommerce and marketing teams and systems are crucial for a true omnichannel approach. Download the paper to discover:

  • Why automated marketing messages, sent in real time, are the most effective way to communicate throughout the purchase journey
  • Web and email personalization tips for omnichannel merchants
  • Why an email address is your unique identifier
  • Three tried and tested marketing methods to drive customers to your site and stores
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How to Increase Your Average Order Value

In many commerce markets, acquiring new customers is difficult and expensive, it can often require a significant investment in demand generation marketing and advertising.

Increasing your AOV is one of the most effective and cost efficient ways to increase revenue and cash flow (a sign of any healthy business). Whereas increasing site traffic usually involves researching and executing complex marketing plans to attract new customers, increasing your AOV could be as simple as installing a plugin for your shopping cart.

Optimizing your site for higher AOV can also help you strengthen your business against unforeseen dips in traffic. You may get less traffic overall but see higher revenues due to increased AOV and more targeted marketing practices. Regardless of why your visitor numbers, your business will be in a better position with an optimized AOV.

So how can you get your customers to buy more items and spend more money with each purchase? This guide outlines five strategies you can enable with little or no extra investment.

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How to Reach International Markets

International retail sales are expected to increase by 5.5% to $28.3 trillion by 2018.

Launching an international site can take up valuable time and resources, and missteps can be costly. From web page layout, to word definitions and cultural preferences, countries have widely varying practices and unique online user behaviors. How efficiently you manage changes in culture, language, customs, currency, tax, and laws can make the difference between success and failure.

POWER YOUR BUSINESS TO EXPAND RAPIDLY INTO FOREIGN MARKETS:

  • Think Local and Flexible to Act Global
  • Communicate in Other Cultures
  • Design a Flexible and Scalable Global Process
  • Efficiently Manage Multiple International Sites
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7 Easy Ways to Multiply Your Conversions

How can marketers meet high demand for super-personalized communications? The answer lies in dynamic content.

In this free guide from SharpSpring, see 7 simple ways marketers can use dynamic content to connect with audiences in a more organic and personalized way.

Grab your copy to find out:

  • How top brands like Netflix and Amazon use dynamic content.
  • The marketing automation features that enable you to deliver personalized experiences.
  • Ways to personalize your emails, landing pages, forms, pop-ups and more using dynamic content.

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