Once CRM systems got their bugs worked out, ancillary solutions further developed and handheld devices became a favorite of top executives and field staffs alike. However, early mobile sales force automation (SFA) and other CRM offerings had their approach all wrong.

Vendors tried to miniaturize entire CRM solutions for mobile SFA, “which is insane,” Rich Koch, vice president of marketing for Saratoga Systems, tells CRM Buyer. “It’s kind of like doing surgery with salad tongs. You can’t store as much as you have in a CRM system on a mobile device.

“This is why mobile SFA had fits and starts,” he adds. “Vendors and IT [executives] were trying to shove a jet engine in there. The market ran ahead of itself and what the user actually wanted. Mobile SFA is like camping: You’re not taking the house; you need a Swiss Army knife.”

From 2006 through 2011, the number of mobile salespeople requiring real-time network connections will grow from 40 percent to 80 percent, according to a November report from Gartner (NYSE: IT) . Additionally, 50 percent of surveyed companies believe mobile SFA will have a major impact on the way they do business in the next five years, an Aberdeen Group report states.

Saratoga Systems, which has been in CRM development for 20 years, via its Apresta division offers software for this burgeoning market that prioritizes access and functionality field workers need from enterprise systems for smartphones.

Apresta’s technology could be likened to an iPod, Koch says. “You’re not carrying around CDs,” he explains. “Only the music you want and how you want it.”

With Saratoga’s version of mobile SFA, users get only the data they want — such as contact, inventory and pricing information, status of outstanding orders and data on what the competition is buying — in a browser-based interface.

Software Functionality

Once the mobile software is installed on the device and it connects to the Apresta server, it will pull and push data as requested — as long as the device receives service. When the handheld can’t get a connection — in rural areas, for instance — the user can still access information locally from the device.

Apresta’s caching system houses information within the device’s internal memory to allow information retrieval and editing offline. Once service resumes, real-time syncing resets without any direct command.

One Apresta customer, electronics sales firm Phoenix Contact, was able to increase its sales 25 percent with mobile SFA.

“Salespeople can structure a deal right in front of the customer, as opposed to the typical sales cycle in which they try to get information together in five or 10 days,” Koch notes.

“There is a customer demand for real-time interaction,” he adds, and Phoenix reps can even deliver photos by PDA and place orders in real-time from their BlackBerry devices. The Phoenix sales team now has 4,200 meetings with customers and prospects per month, up from 3,500 per month when it implemented Apresta two years ago.

A Competitive Advantage

Phoenix Contact is just one of a multitude of firms to implement mobile SFA, Ronn Duby, research analyst of customer intelligence research at Aberdeen Group and author of The Mobile Sales Solutions Benchmark Report, tells CRM Buyer.

“Top performers at organizations of all maturity levels plan to invest in mobile sales productivity tools to drive top-line growth,” he notes. “They believe that providing their sales professionals with a competitive advantage through timely access to key information such as recent account activity, supervisor’s notes or revised proposals is vital to successful attainment of corporate revenue goals.

“Part of this success includes growing revenues through enhanced customer satisfaction or support levels at the point of customer interaction,” he continues. “Sales professionals cite the ability to improve customer satisfaction or support levels as a top driver for their investment.”

On the Road

There is an argument to be made for rollover of the total CRM system onto a handheld. Technology has progressed since mobile SFA’s early days enough to make this solution sexy to small business BlackBerry and PocketPC users, “any organization that has a remote sales force, external sales force or remote field service force,” Amedeo Tarzia, senior vice president for Sage Software mobile solutions, tells CRM Buyer. “Definitely all are conducive to mobile SFA,” he says.

“After several false starts, converged devices are finally in a form factor small enough for people to consider as an alternative to a cell phone and powerful enough to run robust mobile applications over more readily available wireless bandwidth,” Tarzia adds.

“Users are used to the desktop and want rich applications as much as possible on a device. With a Web-based browser, you’re not getting much traction,” he explains. Compression and encryption capabilities enable devices to store and transmit large packets of data without compromising device memory or clogging connection bandwidth.

From Optional to a Must-Have

Sage Software’s mobile SFA has reached beyond early adopters in financial services and pharmaceuticals to horizontal market acceptance, from a nice-to-have add-on product to a need-to-have offering, even for small to medium-sized companies.

Some firms are equipping their field sales and service personnel with BlackBerry devices and PocketPCs to extend their investments in CRM, Tarzia notes. “We are seeing increased interest in mobile SFA solutions over the past six to 12 months,” he says.

Key drivers of this growth are similar to those of desktop CRM software, Tarzia states, “a move towards more business intelligence and graphing capabilities as well as tighter integration with back-office work flow engines to allow users in the field to drive back-office process.”

Additionally, syncing can be done real-time, on-demand or scheduled, based on user needs and device capabilities.

“In general, we see mobile users syncing up at least a few times during the day, especially prior to customer calls to ensure they have the latest information, as well as following calls, to ensure that information captured during the call or visit on the device itself, is transferred back to the internal Sage SalesLogix  system,” Tarzia concludes.

1)   Stay focused. Don’t lay off to lay off. Analyze your sales reports for the past two years. Was there an increase in productivity after a group was laid off? How did your sales numbers fare during that period with less staff? Did you end up having to rehiring to stimulate sales?

2)   Keep recognition at the top of  your list.  A team’s good attitude is jet fuel to sales activity. Budget restraints, use an incentives broker to find quality incentives at a discount and invest in your bottom line.  

3)   Communicate frequently and openly. Share challenges and success.

4)   Post your goals and achievements.

5)   Create training opportunities with scheduled cross training and classroom education.

6)   Interact with sister departments for team building and training.

7)   Schedule fun days so that everyone can let out some steam and team build.

8)   Reveiw the importance of being positive, emphasizing the product or services values to each prospect and customer. People want to work with someone who is retaining a business as usual attitude. Grumbling will only mean they are closer to loose a sale.

9)   Greet your sales staff each day. Walk around and/or use email to deliver a “good morning” or “good job”.

10)  Get a commitment from your sales team to communicate back with you when they are worried or frustrated and sincerely listen. Together, you can form ideas and feel that you are truly a team.

Turn off the television and put down the paper, who needs all the media negativity any way? Learn from the science of your garden. There is a direct connection between what you invest in your garden and what you reap. Spend time watering and weeding to soon be in the presence of fragarant roses. Every religion around the world teaches us that a positive causes will bring positive effects. The results from your actions are not limited. Practice them and soon they will become an addictive habit others will seek increasing your business.

Try not to loose faith when immediate responses that you desire do not come to fruition immediately. There is a lesson in time. Success requires complete faith and a go get them attitude. It seems that when we are stubborn and remain in negative cycles we remain there until we change our attitude.  When we finally do, it is when we reach our goals. We look back coming  to the understanding of time and the lessons that it brought us along the way. 

If you believe in Karma, you must first be accepting all of things and people of this world. We are all here for life’s lessons. Everything you do affects someone else.  Plant good seeds in everything you think and do. Karma is a very uplifting, each day you have the opportunity to change and plant. Make the right choices. Don’t offer a discout coupon on an overcharged item. Soon your customers will realize and you will just end up out of business. Be honest and people will see that as an incentive to do business with you regardless of price. By praciticing good business, you will gain when the economy heals itself. You gain today and then flourish later!

Demonstrate appreciation for others. Recognize the good work of those who remain resilient and steadfast in their commitment to you. Whether it be your sales team or your customer, keep their relationship with you as rosey as your garden. Develop your own corporate ten commandments and make all aware of it. Keep harmful actions, exageration and self out of your daily equation. Involve others to embrass the positives in their garden.

The gift that never stops giving is a good attitude. Lift your business up and other along with it. Don’t let the negative media dictate your attitude, you business; you life. Be the gardener you were meant to be and enjoy!

Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and anaylsis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it. -  Buddha

How do you determine if you have a strong HR partner? They should quickly be able to provide you with turnover rates, know how long it takes to source your open positions, identify your best performers and assist you with ideas to build an effective incentive program. 

Today’s HR management is one that is business-focused. They understand about the necessary components of job redesign, the need to enhance and nurture strategic alliances and continually focus on the company’s global profit challenges by department. 

How do you get the most out of your HR partner? As with any successful relationship, it requires respect, open dialogue and an investment in each other. If you create and maintain a solid beneficial relationship, you and most importantly, you customers will reap a sizeable dividend.

Know more about your HR contact than their name. Is the department a hybrid of a centralized Human Resources Department or compartmentalized into functional responsibilities? Your focus is the bond and commitment you develop. Do you provide training courses developed for their understanding of your area? Take your HR contact to coffee at least once a month? Do you demonstrate functional responsibilities that may be seen to be too difficult to understand. Communicate how you and your bosses measure success. Sincerely share basic weaknesses and conceptual ideas that you have for your department. Clearly state your department’s accomplishments and identify those who play a key role in the department’s success.

What can you learn about your Human Resources Department?

• What are your HR Department’s functional goals each day?
• How are priorities set?
• What unique expertise do they offer?
• What makes them agree or disagree with your requests?
• How is HR performance measured?
• HR’s role in the development and maintenance of the company’s culture
• What types of employee incentive programs have worked/not worked in the past?
• Other than budget restraints, what challenges Human Resources?
• How do your HR Department’s initiatives and strengths compare to your competitors?

Share ideas on incentives that include time off,  job trades days with co-workers and bosses, special training class opportunities, gift cards, onsite massages, online point rewards, travel and more. Employee surprise on the spot recognition received via telephone or email for those who are doing a great job. Create excitement by offering rewards to employees who share tips with others on how they provide exceptional customer service. Create Fun Fridays with themes, contests and prizes.

Your incentive goals should include a review of those employees who will be participanting, your goals, objectives, and of course, the immediate benefits you seek for your customers. Determine how will you measure your success and how you will survey your customers throughout the incentive period.

Your business partners and incentive brokers can help you launch a successful program with exciting announcements throughout the department, reoccuring emails noting individual progress along with a clear message about your commitment to employee recognition and quality customer service.

It was very hot in the concrete arena. A midday sun beat squarely in our faces. I suspected that the exercises would be long and merciless. As the graduates filed in, I was amused to see slogans taped to their tasseled caps. “Will work for food!” “Get my room ready, Mom!” Our daughter’s read, “Thanks Mom and Pop.” Some wore bathing suits beneath their gowns. Some blew bubbles with a pipe and soap. Most were ecstatic about finally leaving school, visibly impatient for that night’s parties and for freedom and the opportunity to earn.

As the warm-up speakers droned on about politically correct issues, I wondered whether any time would remain for the main speaker. In fact, his address lasted barely ten minutes, which may have set a national record for brevity. (Winston Churchill holds the international record: thirty seconds to repeat “Never give up!” nine times.)

That main speaker was Edward James Olmos, the actor-activist who played Jaime Escalante in an inspiring movie about inner-city students called Stand and Deliver. Olmos stood up, removed his cap, and regarded the graduates. “So we’re ready to party?” he asked. “Yeah, let’s party!” they answered in unison. “I know, thank God it’s Friday,” he resumed. “But commencement means to begin, not finish. You’ve had a four-year sabbatical from life, and now you’re ready to go out there and earn. You’re only beginning Real World 101 in your education.

“One more thing before we leave,” he continued. “Please never, ever work for money. Please don’t just get a job. A job is something that many of you had while you worked your way through college. A job is something you do for money. But a career is something you do because you’re inspired to do it. You want to do it, you love doing it, you’re excited when you do it. And you’d do it even if you were paid nothing beyond food and the basics. You’d do it because it’s your life.”

What he was saying, which I have tried to recall and interpret in my own words is that many of you will go out and try to get the highest-paying job possible, regardless of the industry, regardless of the opportunity, regardless of the service or product the company may provide. If you chase money, it may catch you – and if it catches you, you’ll forever be its slave.

By letting money pursue you but never catch you, you’ll always be its master. By always doing what you love, loving what you do, delivering more than you promise, you’ll always be underpaid – which is how it always should be.

For if you’re paid more than you’re worth, you may be restructured, reengineered, replaced, fired, declared obsolete, disposed of. Overpaid people are overdrawn in their knowledge bank account. People who are underpaid for the level and quality of the service they provide are always in demand and always ahead of the money in their knowledge and contribution. So money and opportunity are always chasing them. This is what I got out of the commencement speech that day.

Olmos concluded with a charged voice and moist eyes. “Chase your passion, not your pension! Be inspired to learn as much as you can, to find a cause that benefits humankind – and you’ll be sought after for your quality of service and dedication to excellence. This passion will make you oblivious of quitting time and to the length of your workday. You’ll awake every morning with the passion of pursuit, but not the pursuit of money.

“Those who do more than they’re paid for are always sought for their services. Their name and work outlive them and always command the highest price. Chase your passion, not your pension!”

The graduates were stunned. Many cried with joy. I was speechless, which is rare indeed. Olmos was no actor speaking for an honorarium. He was all passion, pure and simple. “Maybe we should have taught that in a class,” I heard a faculty member say.