CRM Software Blog» Don Carnevale

CRM for Associations: A New Era in Member Engagement and Revenue Generation

Don Carnevale — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 20:57:48 +0000

Associations of all sizes are struggling to find new revenue streams and better connect with their members. In fact, many associations are looking beyond the traditional AMS (Association Membership Management) systems for sales, marketing, and service management and in favor of a “CRM for Associations” solution to centralize their marketing, lead, opportunity, and service management efforts.

CRM for Associations is a new concept that’s taking hold within the NFP marketplace. It’s CRM, but CRM that is tailored to meet the requirements and speak the language of today’s associations. As a membership-based organization, you have members, events, campaigns, sponsors, and other sources of revenue. Your challenge is to manage and interact with all of your constituencies and audiences more effectively. A CRM for Associations solution helps you do that while also boosting revenue.

Most AMS systems are lacking in sales, marketing, and service automation. They do just fine with operational management such as event registrations and dues management, but many of the sales and marketing features and functions they offer are either afterthoughts, bolt-ons, or poorly integrated into the overall AMS system. They fall well short for organizations with more sophisticated requirements.

With a CRM system that is designed and built for associations, you can break out of the limitations imposed by traditional AMS. A CRM solution offers many sales, marketing, and service best practices:

Constructing your membership team more like a traditional sales team.
Developing ongoing nurture marketing programs to capture new revenue.
Establishing a measureable lead management process.
Utilizing integrated case management to establish a high-end membership service program.

Where a CRM for Associations solution shines is in centralizing your sales, marketing, and service efforts for your membership. You can manage the details of recruiting and retaining sponsors, donors, supporters, and members. Plan and manage marketing campaigns of any size and complexity including direct mail and email marketing. When a revenue opportunity is identified, you can track and manage it through the revenue capture process.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM is the foundation for our CRM for Associations offering. We have taken the base functionality and customized it to meet the specific needs of membership-based organizations. It retains all of the extensive features found in the base product but is extended and tailored to work for associations. Here is just a brief list of its features:

Access the system from within Microsoft Outlook or use it from a web-browser.
Use the solution as a stand-alone application or as an integrated component to your current AMS solution.
Create and automate marketing campaigns.
Deliver personalized campaigns for specific members.
Develop nurture email marketing campaigns for training, newsletters, and events.
Track and report on marketing and revenue generation activities.
Manage comprehensive buying and demographic profiles for all important constituencies.
Provide top-flight service to members through integrated case management.
Easily deploy the solution either on premise or “in the cloud”.

A CRM for Associations solution is a great alternative for any membership-based organization looking to grow its revenue. This new concept is being adopted by many leading organizations today and forms the foundation for better, more effective sales, marketing, and service management. And the best part is that organizations are seeing improved success in generating non-dues revenue. You can too.

Contact Steve Kane (skane@broadpoint.net and 301-634-2404) at BroadPoint Technologies, the mid-Atlantic’s largest Dynamics reseller, for more information on our CRM offerings.

by BroadPoint

CRM for Associations: A New Era in Member Engagement and Revenue Generation is a post from: CRM Software Blog

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Dynamics CRM Fits the Bill for Productivity, Security, and Reliability

Don Carnevale — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 23:16:29 +0000

Companies investing in CRM solutions should focus on the tangible benefits they receive such as improved user productivity, enhanced customer service delivery, and integrations to current systems. In their research, organizations must determine which CRM providers are contenders and which are pretenders in order to find the solution that best fits their requirements.

Benefits for Company and Management

Above and beyond the product’s features and benefits, companies can take advantage of a well-designed CRM software deployment for:

Quicker response for new leads, call scheduling, appointments and forecasting
Automation of repeatable tasks, such as assignment of leads based on specific criteria, for improved productivity
Better managed sales opportunities for increased revenue
Improved sales effectiveness through best practices and standardized processes

In addition to the company-wide benefits described above, the management team will be able to:

Use real-time data to make better business decisions
Produce more accurate sales forecasts by time period
Use standardized processes and templates for improved training
Help foster better communications between and among sales team members

Confusion over the “Big Boys”

When searching for the CRM solution that best fits your organization, you may become frustrated when evaluating which product best addresses your requirements. The two leading CRM vendors are Microsoft and Salesforce.com. To help
prospective buyers determine the difference in the offerings, Microsoft upped the ante by posting an open letter to Salesforce.com customers. The letter posed the the following questions and comments:

In this economy, how can you justify paying two to three times more than you need to for an enterprise CRM system?*

Microsoft provides a financially backed 99.9 percent uptime commitment for every Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online customer; why does Salesforce.com only provide you with “commercially reasonable efforts” to keep your business running?
Having access to the most up-to-date information is critical to your business; why doesn’t Salesforce.com provide real-time access to data and dashboards, refreshed whenever you need it like Microsoft does?
Microsoft works great with Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft Office; why does Salesforce.com want you to start from scratch when it comes to productivity tools for your people?
Microsoft provides the flexibility for your CRM system to work with other systems, whether they run in the cloud or on-premises; why does Salesforce.com lock you into one way of doing things?

* Comparison based on Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online v. Salesforce.com Enterprise Edition

Choosing the Right Partner

Make no mistake: the CRM solutions available now offer tremendous benefits to organizations, particularly in the sales, marketing, and customer service areas. One of the most important elements when performing a CRM system search
is identifying and articulating your organization’s key requirements so you can ultimately make an educated decision.

Partnering with an experienced, proven CRM provider will ensure a smart implementation designed for your specific needs. BroadPoint Technologies is the largest Microsoft Dynamics partner in the mid-Atlantic. Contact us at (301) 634-2478 or skane@broadpoint.net to discuss your CRM requirements and schedule a complimentary consultation.

by BroadPoint Technologies, Virginia Microsoft Dynamics CRM Partner

Dynamics CRM Fits the Bill for Productivity, Security, and Reliability is a post from: CRM Software Blog

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 vs. Salesforce.com: Let the Punches Fly

Don Carnevale — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 21:28:19 +0000

Regardless of what industries you serve, CRM systems are front and center in helping your sales, marketing, customer support, and membership departments excel in their jobs. It’s no longer enough just to communicate TO your clients and prospects. You must now engage WITH them to not only begin the conversation but to also continue it. Two CRM products have emerged as frontrunners in helping organizations develop and nurture the key relationships that help grow business: Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 and Salesforce.com.

How Do They Stack Up?

In order to get a clear picture of how these products (and companies) stack up against each other, we need to make an apples-to-apples comparison. By using the same criteria as a basis for comparison, we can see how the products measure up. Some of the most important factors to consider when reviewing these (or any other CRM solution) are:

Ease of use
Total costs (upfront AND recurring)
Deployment options (cloud-based, on-premise or both?)
Accessibility (Microsoft Outlook, browser, smartphone, tablet, etc.)
User interface familiarity

We’ve Done the Work for You

BroadPoint Technologies recently presented a webinar where we reviewed both of these great products and presented the business case for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011. The webinar, entitled “Microsoft Dynamics CRM vs. Salesforce: Tale of the Tape” discussed the pros and cons of the products and gave you evaluation criteria to keep in mind when evaluating these two solutions. The webinar recording is now available on the BroadPoint web site for viewing on-demand.

Contact BroadPoint, the largest Dynamics CRM reseller in the mid-Atlantic, at (301) 634-2404 or skane@broadpoint.net for more information on Dynamics CRM 2011 and how we can save you $150 per user if you make the switch now!

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 vs. Salesforce.com: Let the Punches Fly is a post from: CRM Software Blog

Hot New Feature of Dynamics CRM 2011: Role-based Forms

Don Carnevale — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 02:05:53 +0000

One of the new features in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 that you will want to take advantage of is Role Based Forms. Prior to Dynamics CRM 2011, it required a customization to hide fields based on a user’s security role. Now this functionality is provided out of the box allowing you to have different forms that can be assigned to different security roles.

For example, you may want the Account form to show different fields for different security roles hiding sensitive information that should be made visible to only certain roles. Once you create a new form, you must edit the form to remove fields and then assign the form to a specific security role.

Once the user logs into the system in their security role, the form would appear with the appropraite fields. For example, the screen that a Sales Manager sees will contain more information than one of his/her employees. Certain fields will not appear for the Sales person since their security level is lower than that of the Sales Manager. These security settings can be set across the organization, regardless of department. It’s often a good idea to meet with department heads in advance so they can decide who on their teams get what security level settings. Security levels are easy to set up all at once, but can certainly be adjusted as needed as roles and employees change.

The role-tailored features offered in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 ensure that business professionals in your organization have fast access to the relevant information they need. Role-based forms are also helpful in preventing users from seeing data they are not authorized to view. For more information, contact Steve Kane (skane@broadpoint.net and 301-634-2404) at BroadPoint Technologies, the mid-Atlantic’s largest Dynamics reseller.

by BroadPoint Technologies, Virginia Microsoft Dynamics CRM Partner

Hot New Feature of Dynamics CRM 2011: Role-based Forms is a post from: CRM Software Blog

Microsoft Dynamics CRM: The Environmentally-Friendly Application

Don Carnevale — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 19:40:55 +0000

When people think of CRM systems, the first thoughts that usually pop into their minds might revolve around customer relationships, cost savings, or technological capabilities. However, there is another benefit that is often overlooked, and that involves caring for the environment.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM preserves one of nature’s most precious commodities: trees. It does so by providing alternatives to the traditional business application paper by-products such as training manuals and memos. For instance, instead of shipping large quantities of paper training manuals to users, CRM has the same information embedded within the system. The always useful “Help” feature in Dynamics CRM is its own comprehensive training manual. Additionally, Dynamics CRM has the added benefit of being a resourceful search tool. If you’re more of a visual learner, you should look into the Dynamics CRM 2011 ‘Getting Started’ videos that show you step-by-step how to get moving in the right direction.

Moreover, Dynamics CRM will significantly reduce the number of printed reports that you’ll need. Typically, reports are generated to provide a visual representation of the data in ways that the structured application normally couldn’t do. Typical database applications are limited in the number of relationships that can be displayed. That is why reports have been a staple for companies over the past few decades.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM applications allow its users to create relationships between the different areas of your company’s database. In CRM, you can utilize the Advanced Find tool. This tool will make it much easier for users to create their own, reusable reports that meet their company’s specific requirements. Dynamics CRM and Excel are well-integrated, allowing your staff to easily store data that can be manipulated in Excel.

Another option for reporting in Dynamics CRM is user defined dashboards. Dashboards let the user view important data in charts and graphs to suit their specific needs. These dashboards provide a quick overview of key performance indicators, saving you from printing out and reviewing several related reports. Again, less printing means less paper.

With there now being so many eco-friendly ways to do reporting, the need for static, printed reports has significantly decreased. This is just one more way Dynamics CRM is helping our environment. Contact Steve Kane at 301-634-2404 or skane@broadpoint.net to find out how BroadPoint Technologies, with extensive experience implementing Microsoft Dynamics CRM, can help your organization reap all the benefits of Microsoft Dynamics CRM, including being more friendly to the environment.

by BroadPoint Technologies, Virginia/Maryland/DC Microsoft CRM Partner

Microsoft Dynamics CRM: The Environmentally-Friendly Application is a post from: CRM Software Blog

xRM: Your Guidebook to Finding the Right CRM Solution

Don Carnevale — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 18:39:11 +0000

Figuring out whether to purchase or build from scratch an enterprise business application is a decision that many companies have faced. Thankfully, that decision has been made easier with the introduction of the Microsoft xRM application platform. With the xRm application platform, your company will now get to enjoy the best of both options.

When deciding which of the two approaches to proceed with, it’s important to understand the terminology and pros and cons of each strategy. Below, I’ve laid out the pros and cons of the traditional options and the unique strategy behind the xRM platform.

Pros:

Solution will promote business process reengineering
No customization makes for easier upgrade path
Timeline and budget won’t fluctuate dramatically due to xRM being out of the box

Cons:

Requires modification of business processes in order to meet your desired goals
Significant initial software investment, in addition to software maintenance costs
If the out of the box functionality doesn’t meet the evolving needs, organizations are faced with product maintenance and expensive customization to meet the requirements

COTS solutions work well for departmental applications like accounting, human resources etc. Yet, their use and effectiveness can diminish as it is spread across your entire company apparatus. Enterprise applications that utilize COTS typically will require organizations to adjust their business processes to meet the confines of the solution. Purchasing a solution with complex capabilities that your company won’t utilize will just increase your financial cost in both the near and long term.

Additionally, if the out of the box functionality isn’t up to par for your organization, you’ll have a product that will require ongoing maintenance and expensive customization. This can significantly increase the project budget and/or limit the organization’s strategic initiatives.

Custom Development:

Companies that identify their unique characteristics often see the value in custom development. It’s meant to foster the organization’s strategic advantage and conform to the business processes, not vice versa as is required with COTS.

In theory, custom development will align your strategic objectives with your newfound technological capabilities. Unfortunately, the unpredictable nature of the timeline and budget, limited upgrade path, and reliance on specific programmers creates a level of uncertainty that few organizations are willing to undertake. Custom development has proven to be such a painful process for so many organizations that the word ’custom’ has become a four letter word.

Microsoft xRM:

Microsoft xRM is not a product; rather it is a strategy or concept. The ‘x’ denotes that you can utilize this strategy to develop anything-any relationship, process or data element. xRM is an application platform that offers the best of both worlds between commercial off the shelf solutions such as Microsoft Dynamics CRM and custom development. The xRM platform provides core business features, security, authentication, business process modeling and business intelligence based on both on-premise and in the cloud offerings. This platform is an excellent foundation for organizations to facilitate business their way without the risk and cost of custom development. Organizations realize the benefits of an out of the box portfolio toolkit that can be supported by non-technical staff and maintained through a consistent upgrade path. xRM provides low upfront costs, low maintenance and ultimately a more strategic solution to drive the business.

Contact Steve Kane at 301-634-2404 or skane@broadpoint.net to find out how BroadPoint Technologies, the mid-Atlantic’s largest Microsoft Dynamics CRM partner, can help you determine the best solution for your organization.

by BroadPoint Technologies, Virginia, Maryland, DC Microsoft Dynamics CRM Partner

xRM: Your Guidebook to Finding the Right CRM Solution is a post from: CRM Software Blog

Dynamics CRM: Bringing the Cloud to You

Don Carnevale — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 18:12:00 +0000

In order for the mass transition to cloud computing to occur, it’s imperative that CIO’s get comfortable with the security surrounding this new form of IT. After learning about the security safeguards in place, CIO’s won’t be as apprehensive when starting the transition from the traditional client/server model to the cloud. All you need to do is take a quick glance at IT history, and it will be evident that this isn’t the first time CIOs have been nervous about a transition in IT.

The main concerns CIOs have about the cloud are security, privacy, maturity, and data sovereignty. But while these concerns can be addressed by knowledgeable salespersons and consultants, it’s the lack of legacy compatibility that gives companies the slight hesitation about not switching to the cloud.

Nowadays, companies aren’t investing enough in upgrading their future IT capabilities. Instead, most of their IT money is invested in maintaining their current systems. Luckily, one key advantage of cloud computing is that it costs less because of the multi-tenancy efficiency it allows for; this can be particularly helpful for Dynamics CRM users.

There are two types of clouds: public clouds and private clouds. In simple terms, the distinguishing feature is whether the IT resources are collectively shared by multiple organizations or instead dedicated to a single entity. When you compare both clouds to a traditional virtual datacenter, the benefits are clearly evident. Both public and private clouds benefit from automated management and homogenous hardware. Additionally, both public and private clouds are economically advantageous due to the fact that they come with much lower labor costs than the current model in use.

Additionally, when organizations make a cloud purchase, they’re basically purchasing an insurance policy since they won’t exceed the cloud’s capacity. Yet, throughout the tenure of a company’s hardware, peak usage occurs on an infrequent basis. Companies will only use about 5-15% of their server capacity at any given time. Often, this results in a massive overcapacity in processing power. The cloud can solve many of these issues due to having capacity buffers built in, pooling resources and factoring in industry-specific variability.

Regarding industry-specific variability, certain industries will be at peak capacity during specific times of the year. For instance, in the weeks leading up to April 15th, tax companies will be at full capacity. Therefore, if combined in the cloud, variability can be diversified away. Ultimately, this will level out usage patterns.

A useful benefit that’s often overshadowed is that if clients decide to transition to the cloud, they’re able to access their applications and data from anywhere at any given time. All you would need is access to an Internet connection instead of a connection to your company’s internal network. Depending on how mobile your employees are, this can significantly increase employee productivity.

Contact Steve Kane at 301-634-2404 or skane@broadpoint.net to find out how BroadPoint Technologies, the mid-Atlantic’s largest Dynamics CRM partner, can bring the cloud to your organization.

by BroadPoint Technologies, a Virginia/Maryland/DC Microsoft Dynamics CRM Partner

Dynamics CRM: Bringing the Cloud to You is a post from: CRM Software Blog

Interested in $200 Cash? Check out Cloud CRM for Less

Don Carnevale — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 16:08:21 +0000

Everyone knows that there is stiff competition between Microsoft, Salesforce.com, and Oracle over acquiring new customers in the CRM space. In fact, Microsoft has taken the competition to a new level by offering $200 for each user that makes the switch to Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online. Microsoft is positioning itself to become the dominant player in the online CRM subscription business. With just a quick glance, it’s clear that if you can switch 25 users, you’ll receive $5,000. The question on the minds of CRM users everywhere is which organizations are eligible for the offer?

• Organizations that currently license Salesforce.com (Professional, Enterprise, or Ultimate Editions) or Oracle (Siebel CRM or CRM On Demand)
• Organizations that will subscribe at least 15 Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online licenses
• Organizations that will sign a two year licensing agreement for Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online

Michael Park, Corporate Vice President of Sales/Marketing at Microsoft, has challenged Salesforce.com users to ask themselves some hard questions:

• In today’s economy, how can I justify paying 2-3 times more for an enterprise CRM system?
• Salesforce.com only offers their customers a “commercially reasonable effort” to keep their businesses functioning. In comparison, Microsoft provides a financially backed uptime commitment, how do these compare to one another?
• Having access to the most up-to-date information is critical to my business; why doesn’t Salesforce.com provide real-time access to data and dashboards, refreshed constantly, similar to how Microsoft does?
• Microsoft works seamlessly with Outlook and Office; why does Salesforce.com want me to start from scratch when it comes to productivity tools for my staff?

This impressive offer expires on June 30, 2011 and you can find out more about it on the Cloud CRM for Less website, including full terms and conditions. In addition, Microsoft has a “Don’t Get Forced” website where you can learn more about how Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online can provide organizations with a solution that fits their business, is easy to use, provides the right value, and gives them real-time insight without being forced into some other type of solution.

Contact Steve Kane at 301-634-2404 (skane@broadpoint.net) to find out how BroadPoint Technologies, the premier Dynamics CRM reseller in Virginia, can help your organization efficiently evaluate and implement Dynamics CRM, and save you a lot of money.

Interested in $200 Cash? Check out Cloud CRM for Less is a post from: CRM Software Blog

Agile Thoughts for the Dynamic CRM Implementation

Don Carnevale — Fri, 13 May 2011 20:02:05 +0000

Working for a business that implements a brisk volume of accounting and CRM systems, it’s clear that there are significant differences in how these systems are developed and rolled out. These differences are seen throughout the entire implementation process from design and development to go-live. Understanding how they differ may provide insight on the best approach for your own implementation.

Design Comes First
The design phase of a project involves determining the best way to use the application to meet your company’s needs. With accounting systems, federal regulations often dictate the structure and end result. The process variations between companies usually require making a choice between several configuration options. On the other hand, the processes companies support with CRM vary widely and the decisions are less about options and more about envisioning the future.

Development Phase
During the development phase, accounting systems generally follow a more traditional waterfall development model, where the system is more or less constructed and tested as a whole system. Microsoft Dynamic CRM lends itself to the Agile software development model. Dynamics CRM allows for quick, iterative development working in conjunction with your company’s project team to help visualize processes that may be ‘under construction’.

Going Live
The largest discrepancy between implementations comes during the Go-Live phase. Accounting systems are usually implemented for a smaller group of users, performing similar functions and interact with management for reporting purposes. In contrast, CRM systems may span multiple functional departments, be accessed worldwide and used by almost every person at the company, including management. The CRM system may need to be accessed in multiple languages and by multiple methods including mobile devices and over the Internet.

A CRM implementation will have many more ‘people’ variables to deal with. Change management will play an important part in user adoption, much more so than with an accounting implementation. Keeping these things in mind, as well as the other differences mentioned may help you with planning your implementation.

Agile Thoughts for the Dynamic CRM Implementation is a post from: CRM Software Blog

Dynamics CRM: Where is the Data and Who Owns It?

Don Carnevale — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 13:00:21 +0000

During one of our recent implementations at a large, prestigious Nonprofit organization, our counterpart at the organization was reviewing the data that was being converted to the new system, Dynamics CRM. She told us that she was concerned because the member data that needed to be imported was not up-to-date. As it turns out, most of the data that was being used on a daily basis was handled by each employee (in their own spreadsheets and documents). And the worst part: those same employees did not want to share that data.

Change Isn’t Easy
Unfortunately, this is not the first time we have heard this. Many organizations face this same challenge and the reasons for their resistance to give up the data often underscores a larger issue: they don’t want to change the way they do things. This can be a difficult hurdle to overcome and the horror stories the employees share can be compelling.

Protecting the Data
One such story revolves around a staff member having shared data in a previous job. Shortly after sharing her information, someone else in the company inadvertently sent an email to her contacts which angered them and caused her to have to answer for that other person’s mistake. This is a valid concern that can be alleviated by taking time to discuss proper security settings and providing an open line of communications between the staff and administrator.

My Contacts, My Data
One particular sticking point can occur when your team members are in a competitive environment with each other, such as a sales group. Many people believe that THEY own contact data, not the company. There are times where they have developed a strong relationship with a contact and do not want to give it up. The fact is, they may own the relationship but the data always belongs to the company. If the relationship is strong, then sharing that contact data will not impact that. At the end of the day, it’s very possible that they will give up some prospects that were not very fruitful and inherit some solid, productive relationships that lead to new business.

After all is said and done, there are many benefits to being part of a shared data environment such as Dynamics CRM. Improved data security, better access to data tools and support are just a few of the advantages of the shared data platform. Whenever resistance or challenges to data sharing arises, the key is to work with the user to see the benefits from a personal and corporate perspective, and mitigate the objections to help alleviate their concerns.

Contact Steve Kane at 301-634-2404 (skane@broadpoint.net) to find out how BroadPoint Technologies, the premier Dynamics CRM reseller in Virginia, can help your organization to optimize its data and keep everyone on the same page.

Dynamics CRM: Where is the Data and Who Owns It? is a post from: CRM Software Blog

CRM Software Blog» Don Carnevale

CRM for Associations: A New Era in Member Engagement and Revenue Generation

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