Enterprise Software Executive

Web 2.0 Sites Mirror Dot Com Hype, Will They Crash Too?

With all the recent news about the new players in the Web 2.0 market, I felt the need to go a little off topic with this post and comment on what looks like the second coming of the dot com bust.  Now, I am not talking about some of the larger success stories we all know and love like YouTube, LinkedIn, etc....  I am not a big user of the recent Web 2.0 success stories providing spin-off apps like Facebook and MySpace, but I would agree that they provide a need for a large segment of internet users.  On the other hand, I am somewhat concerned with the feeding frenzy taking place in venture capital over the new entrants looking to launch applications on the back of those Web 2.0 success stories.  I understand the concept of launching a new application on the back of an existing platform like Facebook or MySpace, but many of these applications have questionable value and functionality.  It is hard not to feel like we are experiencing a small scale dot com boom again with all these Web 2.0 companies riding the wave of success created by Facebook and MySpace.  If anyone has any thoughts or insight into why this new wave of Facebook and MySpace application start-ups will perform better than many of the dot com flame outs of the past, please provide your thoughts and/or comments.  Is this just Dot Com Type Hype Part II?

Do you find social networking tools effective for reaching executive decision makers?

Now that all sales and marketing executives have a wide variety of networking tools available, it is time to analyze them to understand whether or not they are appropriate for enterprise software sales.  There are obvious solutions like Spoke and Jigsaw that provide contact details in return for a fee or fewer leads in return for sharing your own details.  Unfortunately, the information published on these sites is often out of date, and this is even more the case when dealing with c-level contact details.  More restricted sites such as LinkedIn require a higher level of permission to contact people in the network.  The question is whether or not it is acceptable to leverage the network for lead generation.  On the one hand, it is a great way to access people who are otherwise difficult to access.  On the other hand, it will ruffle a few feathers in the network.  I think that LinkedIn and the other networkng tools need to be treated with the same amount of professionalism required with all referrals. 

Who Killed Traditional Marketing and Why?

As I am working hard on launching a new region, I am working closely with corporate marketing to leverage all the possible resources available.  My company has a great marketing buzz already, so I am already ahead of the game.  In addition, we have a corporate marketing team that really understands the in's and out's of demand generation.  We are way ahead of the game on those fronts.  However, sales managers can't rely on corporate marketing to do all their work.  Each region must build their own brand that is consistent with the brand being built by corporate.  In my region (Southeast US / Latin America), there are a variety of traditional marketing activities that are just as important as the web 2.0 type marketing activities.  So, what exactly are the traditional marketing activities that regional sales teams should concentrate on building?

1.  Direct Mail - We all get so much email that nobody bothers to read unsolicited email anymore.   In fact, if someone doesn't have a spam blocker already set extremely high, I would question their decision making ability...

2.  Local Organizations - Each region has influential groups and organizations that can make a huge difference.  Join those groups and network with the key players. 

3.  Press - Yes, corporate marketing and their PR firm probably handle all the major press.  However, there are a lot of smaller business papers and technical websites that can improve your brand awareness.

4.  Sponsorship -  Although this takes some budget, I would suggest carving out at least two events to sponsor.  You don't need to go for the gold or platinum sponsorship, but try to be on the map...

5.  Blog - Let me follow your growth, your wins, your customer success...give it to me unfiltered in a way that is personalized to the region.

6.  Partners - This is really the key for software vendors.  For every person you meet, there are potential partners having discussions with x 100 prospects on a daily basis.  Remember, partnering is about a mutually beneficial relationship....not who will bring you the most business.

Yes, we all know these basics, and there are many others that I left off the list, but how many sales teams are waking up each day and reviewing this list to see what more they can do on each topic.