It may sound weird coming from me (considering this blog is sponsored by SugarCRM), but I’m always hoping for a real showstopper at Salesforce.com’s Dreamforce bacchanal. The company has the attitude and the resources to really stitch together a set of products that completely squares the circle, but it always seems to stop just short … Continue reading »
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TCO White Paper: CRM Vendor Pricing: Fees, Subscriptions & Hidden Costs
The way companies use and pay for customer relationship management (CRM) applications is changing. Moving from a predominantly perpetual license-based system, where companies paid a large up-front sum and then smaller annual maintenance fees, CRM software providers are now moving towards monthly or annual subscription fees to access CRM software on the Internet. The various … Continue reading »
The Hazard of Buying CRM from Vendors Who Don’t Believe in CRM
I’ve devoted a lot of ink – well, I guess in this age, a lot of electrons – to the idea that there’s a difference between a CRM company and a CRM vendor (Here’s an example – from CRM Buyer). The distinction I draw is this: a CRM company embraces the concepts of the discipline of … Continue reading »
Salesforce.com, What the F$#% are You Thinking?!?!?!
I remember there was a song that was pretty popular a few years ago called “If I had a Million Dollars,” by the Bare Naked Ladies. That song seems childish and silly compared to the spending spree that Salesforce.com has been on over the past several months. The two main acquisitions by Salesforce that give … Continue reading »
Tibco’s Tibbr – Where’s the Customer in all This?
After more than a year of silent anticipation (that’s a nice way of saying “no one really cared”) integration giant Tibco is launching its first stab at social with its product called Tibbr. Yes, Tibbr. While Tibbr may do a lot of what people might expect from a status-update focused tool, in my opinion it … Continue reading »
Salesforce’s DimDim Buy – A Typical Proprietary Move
Many have probably seen that Salesforce.com has acquired web conferencing tools provider DimDim for $31m. (The rumors of this deal had been percolating since before Dreamforce so for many this was no surprise at all.) The deal pits Salesforce.com in many ways against some big companies and very popular products – Citrix’s GoToMeeting and Cisco’s Webex, … Continue reading »
Write Your Own SugarCRM Carol – Win an iPad!
I wanted to thank everyone who sent in emails, texts and voicemails about the SugarCRM Dreamforce carols – so many of you loved the concept and the creativity. Well, I thought – since it ’tis the season of giving and carols – let’s have a contest to see just how creative our Sugar community can … Continue reading »
On the First Day of Dreamforce…SugarCRM Carolers a Huge Hit!
Many of the Outsiders readers might remember that last year we spoofed Marc Benioff’s book Behind the Cloud last year at Dreamforce. That stunt caused quite a stir, and this year we decided to make things a little less personal and a little more jovial, as it is the holiday season after all. So, the … Continue reading »
Social Apps Need to Grow Socially, NOT by Pushy Salespeople
I just saw that Yammer landed a cool $25 million in new funding. While that says a lot about the economy and the interest and expectations VCs have for the social space – it kind of scares me a little. What I mean is that while the cash is certainly good to keep a company … Continue reading »
Will Salesforce.com Become a Data Player, Not a CRM Player in Time?
Salesforce.com seems to be blowing out its sales numbers and in a lot of ways that is great news. What is good for the market leader is good for everyone in the space: the great sales numbers validate our market message and really proves that all businesses need a great CRM initiative. One of the … Continue reading »
