Ken Krogue

One of the problems we all have with technology is that we soon forget that what is now commonplace was once rare or non-existent.

New technologies penetrate the market so rapidly that total market transformations can occur in the space of under three years (and some might say even less).

It’s barely been a decade since the Y2K scare and the Dot Com crash. Widespread broadband Internet access hasn’t been a reality since 2003 (and some could even argue since 2005). Smart phones, text messaging, YouTube, SmugMug and Flickr, convergence of mobile audio and telecom, “apps” getting added to the mainstream lexicon . . . all recent developments. 4G network access right through your telecom provider? Check. Streaming HD? Check.

Many businesses and universities barely got their WIRED infrastructures in place by the early 2000s. Now being forced to “plug in” to a network with an actual wire seems almost archaic.

But the real point of all of this is that we have to be careful not to look past the mark with our old sales and marketing standby, CRM.

Hosted CRM seemed revolutionary 10 years ago. Now it’s simply considered the norm for applications of its type. Fluid, mobile, always-on, cross-platform, multi-device ready, “The Cloud” is becoming exactly what industry giants like Mark Benioff of salesforce.com believed it could be.

But as the nature of professional sales has evolved, so too has the need for CRM to evolve with it. “Naked” CRM–i.e., a self-contained CRM application just for use by the sales team–is now just the beginning, not the grand end of sales and marketing intelligence.

InsideView proves that the value of social media increases exponentially when it can be applied directly to the sales/buying cycle. Marketing automation solutions like Eloqua manage opt-ins and content, all directly linked back to lead generation and sales acquisition costs. Dialer tools like the PowerDialer for Salesforce manage and predict call cycles for lead generation, pushing the highest-quality leads and data to the reps right when they need it.

All of this is designed for a single purpose–to close the gap from “old” sales to new. Getting attention through marketing channels is harder than ever. So when a company finally does “get some love” from a prospect, the tools have to be in place to make every opportunity count, to have the highest chance to contact and close the deal.

While I don’t totally agree with InsideView that cold calling is “bottom of the barrel,” the shifting sands of demand generation and sales intelligence in 2011 means that true “cold” calling will almost be a misnomer in the future. Our ability to “predict” who and when to call, what to say when we do, and the value proposition a prospect will most readily respond to will ever increase as the sophistication of the tools we use increases with it.

Even though Inside Sales is becoming noticed more and more as a primary method of lead generation and sales, many people are unaware of the potential leverage they can bring to bear to dramatically increase productivity.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software has become commonplace in almost every sales department, whether tradition face-to-face, or a remote selling model like inside sales. Salesforce is the leading provider of on-demand CRM software on the planet. I get asked a lot why saleforce.com users should consider on-demand power dialer solutions. Here are 6 reasons:

1- More Revenue: In 2005 a landmark study was done by CSO Insights that showed companies that use CRM software have 17% more revenue.  That is notable, but not overly compelling. Dialers coupled wth CRM software often increase overall revenue by 200%, 300%, or more by significantly increasing dials, contacts, appointments, and talk time, while lowering costs and wasted time.

2- More Dials: Our internal lead generation department department and many of our clients make 300 calls per rep per day.  Most internal lead generation departments in companies we come across fall between 20 and 70 calls a day.  Most outsourced lead generation companies we are familiar with make between 70 and 110 calls a day.

3- More Contacts: By combining immediate response (web-form callback technology) with consistent response (power dialer technology) we have documented 700% increases in contacts on the first call and increases from 45% of all leads contacted to 92% of contactable leads contacted.  It becomes obvious that the most basic, but overlooked practice of lead management and sales is just making contact with more leads.  Our research is showing that as much as 45.1% of leads NEVER get contacted at all (see Omniture ’08 Study.)

4- More Appointments: It becomes obvious if you make 300 calls a day versus 40 or 50, you will make a LOT more appointments.  Besides the power dialer for Salesforce technology that is becoming popular as an integrated tool within salesforce.com, immediate response technology that calls a web lead back in 8-10 seconds from a visitor inputting their information on a website shows the odds increasing by 21 times according to the groundbreaking MIT Study by Dr. James Oldroyd of qualifying the lead or setting the first appointment.

5- More Phone Time: While Lead-Gen reps in an inside sales department make a lot more dials, Closers who take the appointments set by Lead-Gen are able to do eight hours of work in two or two and a half hours. This is in the form of talking to a lot more prospects through the entire sales process.  A dialer increases quality time as well as quantity of time.

6- Lower Capital Outlays: Whether it comes in the fact that sales reps can cover three to four times as much ground in the same time, or in the incredible savings in lessened time wasters (see 15 Time Wasters), money and time are saved in large increments by using the power of dialer technology that is now integrated natively within salesforce.com and other CRM solutions.

As you can see, sales is still about numbers.  And while CRM helps salespeople bring order to the sales process, a dialer offers the leverage to dramatically impact the numbers.  That is important, especially in todays economic adventures.

Top 20 Articles on www.KenKrogue.com

1. What is Inside Sales? Our Definition of Inside Sales – 15,262 Views
2. Inside Sales Best Practices - 1,445 Views
3. Inside Sales Tips by Ken Krogue - 923 Views
4. KPI – Key Performance Indicators – 822 Views
5. Inside Sales versus Outside Sales – 489 Views
6. Is Leaving a Voicemail Worthwhile? – 408 Views
7. 6 Reasons Salesforce Users Need Hosted Dialer Technology - 370 Views
8. Behind the Cloud – Ken’s Notes – 305 Views
9. Inside Sales Tips – No Vacations Last Week of the Month – 275 Views
10. Funny Inside Sales Videos – 247 Views
11. Demand Generation Tactics and Strategy – 245 Views
12. Inside Sales Tips – Skip to the Beep – 245 Views
13. Inside Sales Tips – Interest is The Counterfeit of Need – 220 Views
14. Inside Sales is Top Method of Lead Generation – 205 Views
15. Inside Sales Tips – How LinkedIn Gives you 3 Free SEO Backlinks - 189 Views
16. Inside Sales Training – 179 Views
17. Marketing B2B 4 Quick Email Tips – 154 Views
18. Inside Sales Tips – Specialize – 140 Views
19. Leadscon East Vendors Need to Drink their Own Medicine - 133 Views
20. What is Lead Response Management – 127 Views