AbilityCRM (http://www.abilitycrm.com): Helping you
Improve your Business – Today announced it has renewed its Microsoft Gold CRM
competency, demonstrating a “best-in-class” ability and commitment to meet
Microsoft Corp. customers’ evolving needs in today’s dynamic business
environment and distinguishing itself within the top 1 percent of Microsoft’s
partner ecosystem.

To earn a Microsoft gold competency, partners must successfully complete
exams (resulting in Microsoft Certified Professionals) to prove their level of
technology expertise, and then designate these certified professionals uniquely
to one Microsoft competency, ensuring a certain level of staffing capacity. They
also must submit customer references that demonstrate successful projects (along
with implementing a yearly customer satisfaction study), meet a revenue
commitment (for most gold competencies), and pass technology and/or sales
assessments.

AbilityCRM helps companies by helping them use Customer Relationship
Management software as a business tool to improve their business.

“Every business has two kinds of customers; those they want and those they
want to keep. This Microsoft Gold CRM competency showcases our expertise in and
continued commitment to today’s technology and demonstrates our deep knowledge
of Microsoft and its products,” said James Marzola, President and CEO of
AbilityCRM. “Last month we earned our Microsoft Silver Hosting competency to
spotlight our Private CRM Cloud offering that we call Alwayson-CRM.com. Both
competencies reflect our focus on being both a business and a technical advisor
to our customers”.

“By achieving a gold competency, partners have demonstrated the highest, most
consistent capability and commitment to the latest Microsoft technology,” said
Jon Roskill, corporate vice president, Worldwide Partner Group at Microsoft
Corp. “These partners have a deep expertise that puts them in the top 1 percent
of our partner ecosystem, and their proficiency will help customers drive
innovative solutions on the latest Microsoft technology.”

Attaining the Customer Relationship Management competency demonstrates
partner expertise in Microsoft Dynamics CRM solutions. Equipped with exclusive
training, the latest software and support, partners deliver flexible and
tailored solutions that enhance their customers’ competitive advantage within
their respective industries, from first contact to purchase and post-sales
support.

The Microsoft Partner Network helps partners strengthen their capabilities to
showcase leadership in the marketplace on the latest technology, to better serve
customers and, with 640,000 Microsoft partners in their ecosystem, to easily
connect with one of the most active, diverse networks in the world.

About AbilityCRM

AbilityCRM, located in Scottsdale, Arizona, started providing Customer
Relationship Management (CRM) solutions in 1998 and since then has helped
hundreds of companies, in many industry segments throughout the United States
and Canada, to improve their business. It launched its Alwayson-CRM.com private
CRM Cloud in 2009 to meet the needs of its most discriminating clients.

The real value of AbilityCRM is its understanding of how to tailor fit CRM to
work for its client companies.

“Every business has two kinds of customers; those they want and those
they want to keep. This Microsoft Gold CRM competency showcases our expertise in
and continued commitment to today’s technology.”

We would also like to thank all the attendees who were able to attend the Arizona Diamondbacks Game Tuesday April 24th against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Evan Young (Germ Free), Pamela Munsinger (Park Nicholette Health), Robert Munsinger (Park Nicholette Health), Lynn Giglionela (Chartwell Pennsylvania), Susan Ferree (Chartwell Pennsylvania), Raj Chirra (ACRO Pharmacy), Christopher Duffy (ACRO Pharmacy), Tom McGowan (Acute Care Pharmacies), Petrina Kohlrus (Acute Care Pharmacies), Jeff Chandler (Acute Care Pharmacies), Timothy Rener (Fair Meadows Pharmacy), Dave Thomas (LDT Health Solutions), Lou Diorio (LDT Health Solutions), Al Di Fianfilippo (LDT Health Solutions), Brent Long, Marcelle Turgeon (North Central IV), Mark Pechacek (North Central IV), Kim Furtak (North Central IV), Misty McGraw (Vital Care), Jennifer Branstetter (Vital Care), Logan Davis (Vital Care), Hannah McDuffie (Anmed Health Home), Lynn McDuffie (Anmed Health Home), Greg Krieger (Care Point Partners), Laura Ellis (Clinical Pharmacy), Sarah Bachofner (Clinical Pharmacy), Len Holman, Kevin Carpenter (Altius), Jacque Howe (Altius), John Norris (Baptist Health Home), Eric Norris (Baptist Health Home), Ryan Norris (Baptist Health Home), William Cromley (Baptist Health Home), Matt Smith (Care Fusion), Ryan Lipe (Care Fusion), Rick Weir (Care Fusion),

Lee Golden (Reeves-Sain Family), Roger Waddington (THC of Nevada), Pammi Farren (Coram), John Farren (MEDCO), Chuck Gaetano, Ken Kingston (1st Option Infusion), Kevin Cunningham, Thomas Buckle, Lou Puleo, Richard Collins.

CLICK HERE to read the Press Release

Some would say nothing.

I’ve found over time that only the truly determined are the ones who are ultimately successful.

Success doesn’t necessarily mean winning.  As Coach John Wooden said “Success comes from knowing that you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming”.

We’ve seen how all of the participants in the Biggest Loser gained new confidence and better health through the process.  We’ve also seen how some singers on American Idol have done well in their industry and didn’t finish first.

The key ingredient is that they were steadfast about what they intended to do.

An effective implementation and use of your CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system is the same.

If you’re delegating its use, and therefore its effectiveness and success to chance, or maybe disguising your copout by saying it’s too hard for my people to use, then maybe it’s time for you to get serious about your investment.

I’ve heard it said Change isn’t Change unless it’s Change.

It’s still early in the New Year to make the change necessary to engage your company with an effective CRM system.

Only the Serious Need Apply…

Until Next Time…

James Marzola

President and CEO

AbilityCRM

Alwayson-crm.com

Let me give an example:  We had a meeting with a client who is using a well-known, “cloud” based, sales-force automation CRM system.   He said they’ve been paying the bill for the service but not everyone is using it.  He said they know the value the company will receive if they actually use a structured CRM system, but, alas, they too are not using their CRM system that well.

Most of us, when it comes to using technology, embrace the value we think we will receive from the technology (because that’s why we bought it) but not many of us seem to break through the habits or receive the training / coaching we need to become effective with the new technology.

The result of this is either an abandonment of the technology and the justifications as to why the abandonment or we limp along and use the technology in its least common (simplest) way.  A good example is our client above who admitted that they are using their CRM system as a giant Rolodex.  Another one might be buying the iPad as a business device and then using it as only an eBook reader (this last one is hits pretty close to home).

One of the biggest issues with underutilized technology is its cost.  We have an overt cost when we buy and implement the technology and a hidden cost for not using it well.

The cost for not using the technology well is much harder to quantify because we’ve adapted our habits and our business processes to justify how we’re using it.  The cost of buying the technology is much easier to quantify because we know how much we spent for the technology, the implementation, and the training.

As you look down the road in 2012 and you consider your technology investments be mindful of the under utilization costs that you have not considered.

Until Next Time,

James Marzola

President and CEO

“Hey, it’s December and I realized that we need to send out our Holiday Greeting Cards.  Can you pull a list of our customers so we can send them out?”

Assistant

“Sure, what customers do you want to send them to?”

B.E.

“Our best ones, of course.”

Assistant

“How do I know which ones are our best ones?”

B.E.

“Don’t you have the list from last year?  You can use that one and just add to it our new customers”

Assistant

“I can do that; but what if the contacts from that list have changed?  Also, where do I find out which contacts you want the cards sent to with our new customers?”

B.E. (getting a bit annoyed)

It shouldn’t be this difficult; each year we send out Holiday cards and each year we have this conversation.  Don’t we have a central place that keeps a list of our customers and contacts so we can pull this list and not have to do this every year?”

Assistant

“Yes, kind of, but no one keeps it up to date…”

Does this sound familiar…or something similar?

You’re CRM system is the perfect place to draw out the information you want about your best customers, the prospects you are trying to win new business with, and those you are nurturing to do business with you in the future.

The hard part is developing the habits inside your company to establish your definitions of what a customer, a prospect, and a lead are, and sticking with it.  The other hard part is to maintain that discipline when your users are putting in their information and keeping the data current.

You, the business leader, are the one responsible for setting the example and managing to this end.  If the users are not supporting you, it’s up to you to change the way your people use your CRM system.

Until Next Time,

James Marzola

President and CEO

This reminded me of the same kind of mindset for running and managing our business.  In the above case it’s preparing to beat Michigan (which didn’t work out too well this year for the Buckeyes).

Most businesses hold weekly status or staff meetings.  If you have a CRM system, this is a prime opportunity to manage through your CRM system and not around it.

Too many times we ask our staff to use the CRM system to track their sales opportunities only to then have them attend a their weekly review with spreadsheets detailing their opportunities, their last week’s call / visit log, and their next week call / visit schedule.

CRM systems today (and not so long ago) allows users to track their appointments, telephone calls, and their meeting notes so the sales people don’t need to spend any extra time creating these reports each week for your meeting.  If done properly, the CRM forms that the users put information in allows you, the business leader, to generate a report and see all of this information.  This information can be displayed in an Excel spreadsheet format, in a graphical pie or bar like chart format, or any combination.

So what did you do this week to beat your biggest rival?  Think about your biggest rival as tasks and actions that prevent you and your sales team from having more time with your clients and prospects.  One way is to tailor your CRM system, so that as your people use the CRM system in the normal course of their day, you will have the data you need to manage your business better.

Until next time,

James Marzola

President and CEO