Unlocking CRM Potential: What to Look for and Why

Let’s get this out of the way right now: I am not a CRM implementation expert. My job is to train and strategize with Online Sales Counselors (OSCs) and companies to help them thrive in their roles and their adoption of the CRM across all departments. It’s important for the marketing, sales, and online salespeople to all be rowing in the same direction when it comes to big tools like the CRM. I’ll give you the ideas and the parameters, but I leave the nitty-gritty of CRM setup to the techies and specialists. What I do know is what a CRM should be able to do for you as an OSC in the homebuilding industry. It’s up to you to become the expert on the platform your company uses. And let’s be honest—often OSCs end up being the CRM experts in their companies. So, roll up your sleeves, dive in, and figure it out. Here’s the good news: there are resources everywhere. Your CRM likely has a support team, a knowledge base, and (bless the internet gods) YouTube. You can Google just about anything these days. Or—and here’s a crazy idea—you can play with it. Tinker, explore, and press all…

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Epic Change: Small Donations Create Cumulative Effects In The World

November 23, 2010

I can’t believe it was just one year ago that I was arranging Tweetsgiving in Virginia Beach with my friends Sonya Schweitzer and Karen Clements at Gordon Biersch. It was a wonderful evening of positive energy for an amazing cause to help build schools in Africa through Epic Change, a 501 (c) 3 organization, while giving thanks for all the things we have in life. I’m grateful that we were able to be a part…

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What Do You Think Of Random Friend Requests From Random Strangers?

November 17, 2010

When I was a kid I liked to pull things apart and see how they worked. That meant that I had stuffed animals that had their little sound makers taken out of them, and ballerina music boxes that no longer played swan lake. I just like to know what makes things (And people) tick. One of the things that makes me go hmmmm the most in Social Media, is the random friend requests from complete…

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November: Two Powerful Days of Reflection

November 14, 2010

In November there are two very powerful days of reflection. One just passed, Veterans Day. And one coming up in 10 more days. Thanksgiving. The following video drives home some powerful points to reflect on for both. These are secular holidays. These are days that effect all Americans and have so much to do with how we came to survive in this land, and how we continue to do so thanks to those who make…

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Ya Gotta have A Plan: Goal Setting and Business Planning

November 12, 2010

To expand on my last blog post about creating a vision, the end of the year is always a good time to examine goal setting techniques, business planning, and creative visualization. This is true both for our personal lives and for our business lives. And the techniques are surprisingly the same. There are a couple of key points to include when creating business and personal goals for yourself. This is part of the road map…

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Don’t Know If You Noticed But…..

November 7, 2010

I took about a month off of blogging, and clammed up on tweeting as well. I’m not going to lie, the bluesfest took a lot of energy out of me. Doing it all was exhausting and I’ve taken the last month to regroup. The Bluesfest went from vision to reality because I set a goal for myself to do it, and then progressed through the process of visualizing it, and creating it. While it was…

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Blue Gypsy Bluesfest: Success! Planning for Next Year!

September 30, 2010

The first annual Blue Gypsy Bluesfest was a success!!! We had 350 people at the event and we were able to raise money for both charities! It was no small feat to put together an event of that magnitude all by myself, but as I’ve said before I had so much help from all the positive feedback and energy and ideas that were generated by those who participated. But only one person truly knows all…

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