Expert panel to share best practices in using sales intelligence tools to accelerate sales cycle and increase revenues
RALEIGH, N.C.--First Research Inc., the leading provider of Industry Intelligence, announced today that it will host a best practices webinar demonstrating how marketing and sales effectiveness strategies combined with sales intelligence tools can accelerate the sales cycle and increase revenue. Scheduled for March 20 at 11:00 am EST, the webinar will feature a panel of sales and marketing experts including Scott England, First Research vice president of sales, Sheryl Kingstone, director of customer-centric strategies at Yankee Group, and Fred Howard, vice president of marketing for Hoover’s.
“Our expert panel is uniquely positioned to share best practices for incorporating facets of sales intelligence with strategic tools and tactics,” said England. “Participants will learn from some of the industry’s premier sales and marketing experts how to close deals more quickly, shorten the sales cycle, and increase revenues as a result of effective integration of tools and practices.”
A recent Yankee Group poll found that 42% of organizations struggle to generate leads; 65% cannot accurately forecast business; and 40% have difficulties implementing an effective marketing program. Sales and marketing teams are working to close deals faster and increase contract value, but are finding that while CRM and SFA systems deliver significant value, they do not deliver all of the information necessary for success. These systems are only part of the sales intelligence landscape, and for maximum return on investment, organizations must consider the bigger picture.
“In the face of increased competition, business professionals are struggling to grow their relationships with current customers and to acquire new ones, and they need an easy way to gather critical sales and marketing intelligence,” said Fred Howard, vice president of marketing for Hoover’s. “From instant access via the Web, to CRM and SFA integration, being able to gather the right intelligence about a specific executive, company, or industry at the right time is key – whether you need a snapshot or an in-depth review.”
A comprehensive sales intelligence program goes beyond traditional CRM and SFA systems to encompass products and services designated to help sales and marketing teams better understand their customers, manage information collected about prospects and clients, and focus on the customer needs and messages needed to make a sale.
“Research has proven that there is more to creating an intelligent sales force than purchasing and deploying a CRM or SFA system,” commented Kingstone. “By embracing all aspects of the sales intelligence concept, organizations can realize the extended benefits of CRM and SFA systems and create processes that will lead their sales and marketing teams to far greater success.”
For more information or to register, please visit: http://www.firstresearch.com/web_seminars.asp.
About First Research
First Research is the leading provider of Industry Intelligence Tools that help sales and marketing teams perform faster and smarter, open doors and close more deals. First Research performs the “heavy lifting” by analyzing hundreds of sources to create insightful and easy to digest Industry Intelligence that can be consumed very quickly to better understand a prospect’s or client’s business issues. Customers include leading companies in banking, accounting, insurance, technology, telecommunications, business process outsourcing and professional services such as Sprint, Bank of America, Merrill Lynch and ADP. Used by more than 60,000 sales professionals, First Research can benefit any organization which has prospects in multiple industries. First Research is headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina. For more information, visit www.firstresearch.com.
About Hoover’s, Inc.
Hoover’s, a D&B company, gives its customers a competitive edge with insightful information about industries, companies, and key decision makers. Hoover’s provides this up-to-date information for sales, marketing, business development, and other professionals who need intelligence on U.S. and global companies, industries, and the people who lead them. This information, along with powerful tools to search, sort, download and integrate the content, is available through Hoover’s (www.hoovers.com), the company’s premier online service. Hoover’s business information is also available through corporate intranets and distribution agreements with licensees, as well as via Hoover’s books. The company is headquartered in Austin, Texas.
