The CRM Certification Latam Tour continues in Argentina during the first week of September... See the link below for more information.

BPT Partners, CustomersForever & El Centro de Formación de Contact Centers organized the first CRM Certification Seminars for Latin America.

I Read The News Today Oi Vey

Had a few glitches with the surprise crash of open source editor Audacity but am glad to be back after a week gone.

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This broadcast is from Orlando, then Naples, FL and finally back in DC & through wonders of digital, sounds coherent. Its all about SAP and their surprising turn to the light from the powers of grayness. While not perfect, it is inspiring to hear them talk collaboration, web 2.0 and customer insight - and to see what is the best execution of mobile CRM yet on any platform - apparently. I Read the News Today Oi Vey

1. SAP & RIM Collaborate To Develop Mobile CRM
2. IBM-Google Collaborate in the Cloud
3. SugarCRM 5.1 Improves Mobile & Reporting Analytics

Lists(less) A few curious things from SAP Sapphire. Ahem. Don't drop importance of Business By Design. Experience Matters My thinking on my experience at SAPPHIRE and the direction of SAP. Surprises galore. Amazing 180 degree change. And, of course, The Music

1. Intro: Got My Mojo Working from the album, The Lost Tapes by Muddy Waters. Buy it at Amazon.com
2. News: I've Got News from the album, The Wheel Man by Watermelon Slim & The Workers. Buy at Amazon.com
3. Experience Matters: Use Your Experience by Charles Bobus. Courtesy of The Podsafe Music Network
4. Outro: Rollin' by Maria Daines. Courtesy of The Podsafe Music Network

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Done on the road and sound quality down (Sampson C03 USB mikes are okay but not great), I still manage I think a good one. I Read the News Today Oi Vey

1. Salesforce.com & Google announce SFDC-Google Apps "alliance."
2. NetSuite launches One World globalization/localization. Good move.
3. Oracle brings Deal Management 2.0ish to the table.
4. Zoho announces their enterprise CRM edition - for the midmarket - they're smart.

Lists(less): Three Brain Farts I look at three mistakes made by companies I like - all in the same week. That would be:

1. Pardot - The Enterprise Marketing Automation company which otherwise has a very traditionally comprehensive good marketing solution, offers a email capture feature that shouldn't be there.
2. Infusionsoft - a company that I truly like - a VERY useful and powerful "emarketing" (their term) suite (with SFA) denounces CRM far too gratuitously for my taste.
3. Zoho - one of my champs, my stars, attacks Marc Benioff for reasons that really both make no sense and are simply just nasty.

Experience Matters This week I focus on the truly great experience. Check out the virtual tour (mine is verbal but there is a visual on their site) of Sweetwater Audio - one of the finest companies I have ever dealt with and one that gets the customer in every direction - including internally. Music for the Episode

1. Intro: Got My Mojo Working from the album, The Lost Tapes by Muddy Waters. Buy it at Amazon.com
2. News: I've Got News from the album, The Wheel Man by Watermelon Slim & The Workers. Buy at Amazon.com
3. Experience Matters: Use Your Experience by Charles Bobus. Courtesy of The Podsafe Music Network
4. Outro: Rollin' by Maria Daines. Courtesy of The Podsafe Music Network

Final Note I apologize for the poorer sound this week. Working on the road is a bit more difficult sometimes. I think I've taken care of this. I now have the Apogee Duet which should solve all the sound problems that I have when I go on the road. While the Sampson C03 USB mike is okay, it doesn't meet the standard. If you don't want to go the route of the Apogee which can be a bit pricey there are two other USB mikes to look into - the Rode Podcaster USB mike and the Audio-Technica AT2020 USB mike. Rode sounds good, though looks ugly and feels heavy; don't know about the Audio Technica. I'm going more pro than either.

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The first episode in awhile that is without tooth problems - mine. I Read the News Today Oi Vey

1. Microsoft CRM goes from Live to Online - whatever
2. Zoho releases Zoho Invoice - watch out SAP & Oracle, Microsoft & Google - everyone else
3. Gartner says the CRM market is fragmented
4. Forrester says the CRM market is evolving to 2.0
5. Pombriant releases WizKids 2008 - up & coming companies worth reading about

The Unmentionable No-Name Segment The episode that covers key sports teams and individuals who get CRM including:

1. Baseball - Mike Pagliarulo, former 3B for Twins/Yankees; President, The Baseline Group (despite what I say in the podcast) and check out his blog, Dugout Central
2. Hockey - Shawn Tilger, SVP Operations, Philadelphia Flyers
3. Basketball - Chris Bosh, Toronto Raptors - and his world-famed YouTube video
4. Football (American) - The Green Bay Packers since 1919
5. Football(rest of world) - Norwich City Canaries in the UK. They even have their own mobile website!

Experience Matters There is a difference between companies meeting benchmarks and companies meeting expectations and often, companies don't know that difference - which can be deadly. Plus, of course the music - ahhh, the music, and another of my laments. Music for This Episode

1. Fake Intro: The Leonard Lothen Band
   "I Love Baseball" (mp3)
   from "America Loves Baseball!"
   (Strait Street Entertainment LLC)
   
   Buy at Amazon
   
2. Intro: Got My Mojo Working from the album, The Lost Tapes by Muddy Waters. Buy it at Amazon.com
3. News: I've Got News from the album, The Wheel Man by Watermelon Slim & The Workers. Buy at Amazon.com
4. Experience Matters: Use Your Experience by Charles Bobus. Courtesy of The Podsafe Music Network
5. Outro: Rollin' by Maria Daines. Courtesy of The Podsafe Music Network

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This is the "social" episode - not because it wants to date you, but because it focuses on CRM's collaborative side. Sorry.

I Read The News Today Oi Vey

1. Zoho releasing a "social ERP" application called Zoho People
2. Microsoft creates a Windows Live Contact API that will interface with social networks like MySpace and the fast growing Hi5
3. A new study from Entertainment Media Research commissioned by UK entertainment law firm Wiggin on Digital Entertainment Media shows (among many other things) that social networks could the become content distribution platforms of choice. Get the report here.
4. Ringside Networks takes centerstage with an Open Source server to run social networks

The "I Have No Name, Please Adopt Me" Segment

In the "What WERE You Thinking?" segment I look at 2 of Time Magazine's 10 ideas that can change the world. That would be #2 - The End of Customer Service (hmmmmm) and #7 (Synthetic Authenticity) (Yay! Joe Pine. Boo, John Cloud).

Experience Matters

I discuss the difference between meeting benchmarks and exceeding expectations - when it comes to Hewlett Packard and the way they handled a computer order with them.

Sympathy Matters Too
I spend an inordinate amount of time on my abscessed tooth in an overt play for sympathy. But dammit, it hurts!

And of course the music; always the music....

Music for This Episode

1. Intro: Got My Mojo Working from the album, The Lost Tapes by Muddy Waters. Buy it at Amazon.com
2. News: I've Got News from the album, The Wheel Man by Watermelon Slim & The Workers. Buy at Amazon.com
3. Experience Matters: Use Your Experience by Charles Bobus. Courtesy of The Podsafe Music Network
4. Outro: Rollin' by Maria Daines. Courtesy of The Podsafe Music Network

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This episode is heavy on the "tech." From hi-tech companies, to new tech to Virginia Tech. The last two segments are particularly interesting.

I Read The News Today Oi Vey

1. KANA announced an alliance with IBM to build next gen contact centers
2. NetSuite announced its ecommerce suites - adding another vertical notch to its belt
3. Infor finally uses Epiphany's marketing strengths right with a retail specific interaction engine tailored release

The Doesn't Really Have A Title Segment This one is awesome - I talk about the Fantastic Four - my 4 favorite coming-on-the-scene tech companies worth watching. They are:

1. Neighborhood America
2. Zuora
3. InsideView
4. Loyalty Lab

If you want to know what I say about them, you'll just have to listen

Experience Matters In this segment I focus on the deeply emotional experience that my favorite team by eons - the NY Yankees - evoked with their trip to scarred and troubled Virginia Tech on March 18.

And of course......

Music for This Episode

1. Intro: Got My Mojo Working from the album, The Lost Tapes by Muddy Waters. Buy it at Amazon.com
2. News: I've Got News from the album, The Wheel Man by Watermelon Slim & The Workers. Buy at Amazon.com
3. Course Correction: The Leonard Lothen Band
   "I Love Baseball"
   from "America Loves Baseball!"
   (Strait Street Entertainment LLC)
   
   Buy at iTunes Music Store
   Stream from Rhapsody
   Buy at Amazon
   
4. Experience Matters: Use Your Experience by Charles Bobus. Courtesy of The Podsafe Music Network
5. Outro: Rollin' by Maria Daines. Courtesy of The Podsafe Music Network

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This episode has no News, no Lists, no Experience Matters, and no Paul uncoolness. But it has the thinking of several analysts including Paulie, Denis Pombriant from Beagle Research, Brent Leary from CRM Essentials and Business Technology Radio and Marshall Lager from CRM Magazine on what good and bad came out of Microsoft Convergence 2008. Worth listening to for all kinds of great reasons.

Music for this Episode

1. Intro: Got My Mojo Working from the album, The Lost Tapes by Muddy Waters. Buy it at Amazon.com
2. Outro: Rollin' by Maria Daines. Courtesy of The Podsafe Music Network

I've spent a good deal of time trying to understand what are key drivers for improving customer relationships and ultimately increasing share of wallet and profitability and am still trying to figure

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Episode #8

I Read the News Today Oi Vey

1. RightNow Feb 08 Edition has a contextual workspace for contact center agents that's actually interesting
2. NetSuite releases a Business Operating System that focuses on vertical development
3. Google Sites (the artist formerly known as Jotspot) gets Microsoft Sharepoint in its, ahem, sites
4. Netelligent is sponsoring a video dance contest that David Sims claims that several of us are going to dance in - plausible denial is my answer

Lists (The Lame Name)
We look at the The Top 5 Web 2.0 Apps from popular blog Connected Internet Pretty good stuff I must say, old bean. But my loud crying continues when it comes to being an uncool dork because of the name.

Experience Matters Finally, you judge and tell me where you'd shop based on these stories on the difference between Safeway and Whole Foods.

Plus the usual great music - and here it is.

Music for This Episode

1. Intro: Got My Mojo Working from the album, The Lost Tapes by Muddy Waters. Buy it at Amazon.com
2. News: I've Got News from the album, The Wheel Man by Watermelon Slim & The Workers. Buy at Amazon.com
3. Experience Matters: Use Your Experience by Charles Bobus. Courtesy of The Podsafe Music Network
4. Outro: Rollin' by Maria Daines. Courtesy of The Podsafe Music Network

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Episode #7

I Read the News Today Oi Vey

1. The CRM world was rocked by the rumors of salesforce trying to purchase Zoho, Oracle being asked to purchase salesforce, Microsoft trying to purchase Yahoo and Yahoo talking to Rupert Murdoch to stop Microsoft and then Yahoo being sued by its own shareholders who want them to listen to Microsoft - AGGGH
2. Microsoft decided that its communications protocols would be 30,000 pages of open source.
3. Forrester ranks the enterprise marketing companies - none that good

Lists
I look at BNET's 5 Signs of CRM system failure. I lament my 58 year old uncoolness because I still am stuck with the segment name Lists.

Experience Matters
I review a great customer experience focused blog called "The Perfect Customer Experience" run by Cincom, though you wouldn't know it....and I'm not entirely sure about that.

Sponsors
We say hi to our regular sponsor, MyCRMCareer.com and welcome a new one - Isymmetry.

Music for This Episode

1. Intro: Got My Mojo Working from the album, The Lost Tapes by Muddy Waters. Buy it at Amazon.com
2. News: I've Got News from the album, The Wheel Man by Watermelon Slim & The Workers. Buy at Amazon.com
3. News #2 - It Don't Matter by The Moot. Courtesy of The Podsafe Music Network
4. Experience Matters: Use Your Experience by Charles Bobus. Courtesy of The Podsafe Music Network
5. Outro: Rollin' by Maria Daines. Courtesy of The Podsafe Music Network

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Episode #6

I Read the News Today Oi Vey

1. Oracle announces its Single Tenant Enterprise Edition Siebel CRM on Demand
2. IDC study finds that consumers are on the Internet 32.7 hours a week
3. Loyalty Labs announces its Integrated Marketing Platform V.3.0 - and it really is marketing as a conversation!

Lists

I'm still uncool and lame, because no one gave me a new name for this segment. That sucks.However, also sucking somewhat is the Nucleus Research list of Top 5 CRM Deployment Mistakes and I add my own.

Experience Matters

I like the name of this segment at so many levels. I look at the world of experiential marketing and the Whirlpool Insperience showroom where you can stand there naked and wash your dirty clothes in their premium washer dryers. Sorta.

Music for This Episode

1. Intro: Muddy Waters Got My Mojo Working from the album, The Lost Tapes by Muddy Waters. Buy at Amazon.com
2. News: I've Got News from the album, The Wheel Man by Watermelon Slim & The Workers Buy at Amazon.com
3. Experience Matters: Use Your Experience by Charles Bobus. Courtesy of The Podsafe Music Network
4. Outro: Rollin' by Maria Daines. Courtesy of The Podsafe Music Network

This is a good episode if you like listening to me getting over the flu - and there is a lot of good detail too. Lots. of detail, not phlegm.

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Episode #5

Format Changes There are a number of format changes to the show. Lots & lots.

What are they, you might ask? (no?)

1. Experience on the Edge is once a week - around 35-40 minutes - Tuesdays
2. The interview show will be monthly with an occasional additional special. It'll be a separate show called "Luminescence" (isn't that a COOL name?)
3. Brent Leary and I will be doing CRM Playaz at least twice a month with the launch TBD. Watch these pages and our blogs
4. Finally, EOTE has a new format internally too. The news continues, but then we analyze lists that I find, lists top of... worst of.... lists that I create and I get lists that you create and blab about them. Finally, we do the customer experience story with the lessons learned in that.

I Read the News Today Oi Vey

1. Forrester finds that CRM still doesn't do it for 260 companies
2. Microsoft tries to "acquire" Yahoo. No comment - but Techcrunch has one
3. Emarketer finds that lots of folks listen to podcasts

Lists

I announce a contest to change the lame name "Lists" to something else, invite reader submissions of lists, and take a look at the Inside CRM Top 25 Influencer List in some detail

Experience Matters

By highlighting several examples including one at the Intercontinental Hotel in Toronto, I show how granularly the customer experience is examined by customers and how disproportionately customers weigh results. An individual bad thing can outweigh multiple good things if it irritates the expectations of the customer.

Music for This Episode

1. Intro: Muddy Waters Got My Mojo Working from the album, The Lost Tapes by Muddy Waters Buy at Amazon.com
2. News: I've Got News from the album, The Wheel Man by Watermelon Slim & The Workers Buy at Amazon.com
3. Experience Matters: Use Your Experience by Charles Bobus. Courtesy of The Podsafe Music Network
4. Outro: Rollin' by Maria Daines. Courtesy of The Podsafe Music Network

This is a good one if you like hearing me calmly rant about things in CRM. Listen in. We're rockin' and rollin' Got GREAT music too.