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Steve Early

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Customer Ops - Salesforce CRM Manager, Avid Technology

120 points

Seasoned multi-tasker with +20 years experience in a wide array of sales, marketing, product management and sales support functions. Industry expertise is primarily in high tech, B2B environments. Currently managing the Salesforce CRM environment for 500+ worldwide sales representatives at Avid.

Steve Early and 9 other people answered this question

July 10, 2011

How should CEOs prepare for and respond to cyber attacks?

Great answers above. I worked for an firm that helped companies identify their risk points for a while. I would look at the following:
1) Understand the law as it relates to housing information on your customers (names, social security numbers, etc).
2) Identify as someone else ... more

General Management

Information Technology

Steve Early recommends this answer by Crispin Garden-Webster

July 10, 2011

How can I tell if I'm a micromanager?

1. Your people aren't asking you questions
2. You content with a narrow span of control
3. You regard any new idea from below with suspicion - because it's new and because it's from below.
4. You provide no delegated financial or other authority to your people.
5. ... more

General Management

Human Resources

Steve Early is now following Becky Denniston

June 26, 2011

Steve Early recommends this answer by Steve Christensen

June 26, 2011

POLL: Are you confident in Ben Bernanke's ability as Fed Chairman to get the economy moving?

Simple answer - No. It isn't a qualification issue. It is an effect issue. The fed cannot grow the economy...it can only regulate its growth through monetary policy. Once the momentum is out of a market, the Fed is helpless to actually impact it as ... more

Financial Markets

Steve Early and 4 other people answered this question

April 20, 2011

Do You Train Your Sales and Customer Service Teams on both Product and Selling Techniques or Product

Beyond the good points made here already, I consulted for several years with sales and marketing organizations. Overwhelmingly, my clients would admit that between 90-100% of the information they gave their sales people was all about "the product/s" (or services) they wanted them to sell. ... more

Customer Service

Human Resources

Steve Early and 6 other people answered this question

April 13, 2011

Are sales people becoming too soft?

@ Kevin
Amen! Great observations.

B2B Communications

Steve Early and 6 other people answered this question

April 13, 2011

If a customer doesn't engage in social media, does that mean they're off the radar?

If the client doesn't engage in any social media, then obviously you're off their social media radar because they don't have one. For this situation, I think back to what I would call "mirroring" in a sales call. I am a believer in the theory ... more

Steve Early recommends this answer by Kevin Joyce

March 28, 2011

How can marketing automation improve sales effectiveness?

Effectiveness is defined as doing the right things. (Efficiency is doing things right). Sales effectiveness is increased when they spend more time selling, and less time cold calling and qualifying leads. Marketing automation provides the tools necessary for marketing to effectively generate and qualify leads ... more

Lead Nurturing Cookbook

Marketing Automation

Steve Early recommends this answer by Eric Britten

Feb. 28, 2011

What forms of incentives or bonuses work best for sustainable engagement to be created?

Chad: This is a great question. So many companies I have worked with don't understand the principle of consistency - and I think that is one of the keys to your question. "Here today, gone tomorrow" or "the flavor du jour" seems to me to ... more

General Management

Human Resources

Incentive Compensation

Steve Early and 3 other people answered this question

Feb. 16, 2011

What do you think is the biggest factor when determining how many registrants sign up for a webinar?

Hi Rachel:
Of course, there has to be promotion but I think the quality of the invitation has to hit home with the audience you are targeting. It has to be timely, relevant and leave questions unanswered that you believe they want the answers to.
For ... more

Event Marketing

Steve Early and 4 other people answered this question

Feb. 1, 2011

How do you define compelling content?

I think Carlos is spot on. In the early stages your ability to measure how "compelling" your content is can be difficult. You may be educating, building trust, promoting brand recognition or expertise and striving to paint a picture of why you are different. At ... more

Content Marketing

Steve Early and 5 other people answered this question

Feb. 1, 2011

I am beginning a marketing consultation business but I have no idea what to charge. Your thoughts?

Hi Tanika:
Going along with Candyce ...
If the nature of your service is a certain predictable deliverable, then you can easily charge a flat fee (plus travel expenses if applicable). For example, one of the things I can do is develop a sales guide for a ... more

Consulting Services

Consulting/business Development

Marketing Consulting

Steve Early and 4 other people answered this question

Jan. 26, 2011

Should Inside Sales Reps be allowed to work from home?

I think I'm with you on this Kevin - especially if the product is a more complex offering and a higher level of skill is required to qualify and set appointments. They have access on breaks and at lunch to marketing, engineering, and other disciplines, ... more

Inside Sales Management

Steve Early recommends this answer by Kevin Gaither

Jan. 26, 2011

Sales training "worst practices": What are some of the biggest mistakes made in sales training?

Craig, I've seen several in my career. In addition to Christina's above, here are a few more:
1. Hiring a rah-rah "motivational speaker" and calling it "Sales Training."
2. Not developing a solid coaching plan to reinforce the sales training after the training ends.
3. Hiring new sales ... more

Sales Management

Worst Practices

Steve Early answered this question

Oct. 25, 2010

How do you get a sales org to change its processes?

Hi Craig:
I think this has a lot to do with how you define "sales process" and my experience says it has a lot of different definitions. The way I have learned to think of it is that sales is a combination of science and art. ... more

Focus Interactive Summit

Steve Early and 4 other people answered this question

Oct. 25, 2010

Sales won't follow up on our leads- how do I fix this?

Hi Callen:
Wow - books have been written on this topic.To be brief, I think it boils down to: What does the inside sales organization think constitutes a lead, and what does the sales team think a lead is? My guess is that inside sales may ... more

Inside Sales Resources

Inside Sales Team

Steve Early and 12 other people answered this question

Oct. 25, 2010

How do you get sales people to buy-in and actually use CRM?

Hi Michael:
I think the mistake some companies make is they start asking sales to input things into the CRM system that have no value to the sales people in making a sale. If a sales person is going to input something, it should have value ... more

Focus Interactive

Steve Early and 6 other people answered this question

Sept. 16, 2009

What happens after marketing throws leads over the fence to sales?

Hi Catherine:
Great question. Some good feedback has been provided already. One thing that I would strongly encourage you to do is:
Get the sales and marketing team together in a room and decide what constitutes a LEAD!
Until you do this, marketing will continue ... more

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