In MassMutual Offers Podcasts to Field Sales, the following was noted:

Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co., Springfield, Mass., is taking podcasting to new levels by using it to provide its field sales force with company news, product information and marketing tips.

MassMutual is using the latest MP3 technology to create a 15-minute weekly audio program in the form of a digital audio file delivered via the Internet to field representatives.

MassMutual's National Center for Professional Development (NCPD), a unit at the company responsible for providing training content and opportunities for MassMutual's field force, writes, produces and distributes a user-friendly educational and training program called "Radio NCPD," which is designed to provide concise, engaging and informative programs to enhance knowledge and productivity.

Podcasts are available by subscription, and any member of MassMutual's field force is eligible to receive them for free, including general agents, agents, sales managers, trainers and recruiters. Subscribers automatically receive the podcast each week on a Monday. Field associates can either play the podcast on their computer or laptop, or transfer the file to their portable MP3 player and listen to it anywhere at their convenience. Each week, listeners are provided content on a wide range of topics, including updates on product information, underwriting policies and procedures, interviews with MassMutual's top sales representatives and tips for success in particular markets.

MassMutual has been offering podcasts since early February. Currently, more than 700 of MassMutual's field force subscribe to the weekly program, and that number continues to grow, reports the company. Subscribers are invited to provide regular feedback to the NCPD on content they would like to hear, which results in timely and informative programs that speak directly to the interests of listeners.

Field Sales Training is an excellent use for podcasting and a trend I expect will grow rapidly.

Posted by Sales 2.0 at 01:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Here's a post from B2Blog's Marketing Eye for the Sales Guy Series:

MTV never killed radio, and the Internet won't kill salespeople, or so says Mike Smock (vSente blog) in this oddly-titled post: Mark Babej, Nobel Prize Winners and the Coming Extinction of Salesmen.

Mike's post picks apart this article by Mark Babej in Fortune Magazine that said:

1. Salesmen in the before Internet (B.I.) world existed only because they held all the cards when it came to information.
2. That consumers in the A.I. (after Internet) world now hold all the cards driving salesmen into extinction.

And while statement 2 can be true in some circumstances, Mike says the Internet has also boosted the power of the salesperson:

"In other words the signal to noise ratio is much greater today with the Internet than it was without. The need for a trusted, educated, experienced source of information is greater than ever. And the ability for consumers to really become educated consumers is more and more difficult due to the daunting number of alternatives and the complexity of the decisions. Smart sales folks will understand this and learn to use the Internet to make themselves indispensable. For better or worse, the Internet has tilted the playing field in favor of the salesman. Are salesmen going extinct? Quite the contrary."

In case you missed the gem in that paragraph, let me repeat: "Smart sales folks will understand this and learn to use the Internet to make themselves indispensable." To that extent, the Fortune article does provide good advice for being a salesperson AI:

1. Respect your customer.
2. Defy comparison.
3. Offer the best proposition to the right target.
4. Deliver what you promise.

Marketing Eye tip: Make your website a tool that your sales team can use to their advantage. One savvy salesperson said to me "we've got all the information our website when you need it", hoping his company would be the one I turn to when I am ready to move forward. Be the marketing person whose website can back-up such a promise.

Posted by Sales 2.0 at 01:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

In What Does CRM Really Do to Help Salespeople?, Jim Dickie of CSO Insights notes the following:

A few months ago I sat in on a CRM system evaluation meeting for a manufacturing firm. The project lead was presenting and comparing the results of four different applications, and was highlighting the reasons the team was recommending one choice over the others.

After listening to the discussion of the technical merits of the various systems, the CEO asked, "I am sure your selection is the right technology choice, but tell me, is it the right business choice? What will we be doing better after we install this system that justifies the time and money investment required to take this project forward?"

Those are great questions, ones every project team should explore. To get some perspectives on these issues, let me share some of the data CSO Insights recently gathered as part of a recent survey of 457 firms that implemented a CRM system.

We asked participating sales executives to assess the impact that technology was having on their sales performance. A consolidated review of their responses found that 71.9 percent stated that CRM was improving their performance, 18.2 percent said it was having no effect, and 9.9 percent didn't know.

Initially we see that for more than seven of 10 firms there is a plus side to their CRM initiative. But these figures prompt a follow-up question: What exactly is different as a result of using this technology? To get a more definitive answer we asked these execs to get specific about what "better" looked like now that the CRM applications were in the hands of their salespeople.

The article includes a chart analyzing the "Benefits Resulting from CRM Usage." Here are the top 10 benefits:

1. Improved Communications - 60+%
2. Improved Forecast Accuracy - 50%
3. Reduced Administrative Burden - 40+%
4. Increased Revenues - 30%
5. Improved Best Practice Sharing - 25+%
6. Shortened Sell Cycles - 20+%
7. Reduced New Rep Ramp-Up Time - 20+%
8. Improved Win Rates - 20%
9. Improved Order Processing - 15+%
10. Increased Margins - 10%

Posted by Sales 2.0 at 01:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)