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Biographical Information
Marshall Lager
founder and managing principal, Third Idea Consulting; contributor, CRM magazine
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Marshall Lager is the founder and managing principal of Third Idea Consulting (www.3rd-idea.com). Most recently, he served as Senior Editor at CRM Media, writing news, blogs, and feature articles for CRM magazine and its Web site, destinationCRM.com. During his tenure at CRM Media, he was the recipient of three APEX writing awards for his feature writing and his back-page column, "Pint of View." He previously was on staff with Vault, Inc., where he edited several business-advice books and cowrote two books on management and technology consulting. His experience also includes home office and home and mobile consumer electronics reviewing. His other journalistic experience includes consumer electronics reviews and news reporting, both for CNET and as a staff writer for etown.com. He holds a BA in English literature from the University at Albany.
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Articles By Marshall Lager
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"Hit 'em where they ain't" works great in baseball, not in business.
What's fun got to do with learning? Everything.
Love the player, hate the game.
We look at the major events of this year in the CRM industry for hints of what's to come in 2012.
Online discounter taps RightNow for customer care.
Get customers onto the winning team—yours
Server and apps giant goes hard core on hardware, soft on software
Posted 06 Oct 2011
Google dips its toes into social networking waters—again
Food trucks live and die by social CRM
CRM requires listening, not just speaking
Courting kids in the experience economy
Eagerness makes a difference to customers
Trying on some bold "new" social media strategies in CRM
Apartment hunting reveals what happens behind closed doors
Social CRM technology requires learning new skills
Because GPS wasn't enough for some people, we now have LBS
Don't just store your customer data—use it
If you feel like somebody's watching you, it just might be CRM in action
Most companies can't—or won't.
Do you still want to eat the sausage after finding out how it's made?
Are we suffering from too little data, or wallowing in too much of it?
And yet communities are expected to reflect the people who show up—even the quiet ones.
The Abbreviation Coalition for the Regular Overuse of Nothing You Meant is now called to order.
Think CRM with your customers is complex? Try it with your cat sometime.
Are betting pools the office worker's lottery ticket, or a security blanket?
How to survive the vendor events of last resort—no matter what resorts they're held at.
Innovation is change, but change isn't necessarily innovation
A quick look at year's-end uncertainty and future possibilities.
It's been 10 years since the founding of Salesforce.com, and CRM has never been the same.
Find the truth hiding behind the brand.
The Market Awards are done, but there's so much left unmocked!
Words, words, words. Why don't they mean what they used to?
It all started with sales tax.
As more vendors enter the on-demand CRM arena, profit may be harder to come by. Is consolidation the answer?
Travel Dynamics International finds that adding a real CRM system can lead to unexpected destinations.
Financial software developer Advent uses InQuira to show it's what you know and who you know.
I don't care to belong to any social network that will accept me as a member.
Social computing is still working its way into the consultative sales process. For most sales forces, that's just fine.
As the iPhone App Store emerges as a significant brand-building platform, the phrase "There's an app for that" has become a catchphrase for consumers and businesses alike. But is it the right place for you?
Posted 26 May 2009
Exclusive First Look: A new Forrester Research report, due out on Wednesday, shows an industry segment lurching through a tricky middle stage, but one that will continue to blossom in coming years.
Posted 26 May 2009
The independent market research firm releases its fifth annual WizKids report, themed around operational excellence.
Posted 20 May 2009
There's a lot going on inside the customer's head, whether you put it there or not. What are salespeople up against?
Think about what you're giving off when you're giving in to pressure.
Intuit QuickBase helps TomTom navigate reseller deals.
The billing-as-a-service provider expands its platform to include 100 features, including a new taxation module.
Posted 30 Apr 2009
A new study from Forrester Research reveals a sofa cushion where sales budget money gets lost.
Posted 28 Apr 2009
ISM Top 15 '09: The consultancy reveals its annual list of the best companies and products in CRM.
Posted 13 Apr 2009
Cloudforce London '09: The popular on-demand provider introduces a free version of its mobile CRM access package -- after all, one executive says, "cloud applications make mobility possible."
Posted 07 Apr 2009
Partner-built connectors link NetSuite's cloud with rival Salesforce.com's, allowing overlapping customers to combine applications.
Posted 02 Apr 2009
Service gaffes are part of life, but some of them are just astounding.
More than half of telecommunications carriers don't measure customer satisfaction when it comes to enterprise billing.
The on-demand CRM and ERP vendor introduces the SuiteCloud Ecosystem, the latest word in software-as-a-service development and distribution.
Posted 31 Mar 2009
Cloudforce Tour: Customer service in the cloud gets Twitter integration.
Posted 23 Mar 2009
A recent report on sales performance optimization shows a gap between expectations and capabilities.
Posted 04 Mar 2009
Marketing gathers the leads; sales pursues them. It sounds simple. It isn't.
The switch to digital TV broadcasts is upon us—or is it?
Floggers of these bons mot need a punch in the bouche.
Brainshark helps FitLinxx pump up customers' use of fitness technology.
More than half of telecommunications carriers don't measure customer satisfaction when it comes to enterprise billing.
Posted 18 Feb 2009
The popular on-demand ERP and CRM provider announces a version for the retail industry, and has its first profitable quarter.
Posted 12 Feb 2009
The Spring '09 release of the popular on-demand CRM platform includes new social functions for salespeople.
Posted 10 Feb 2009
Cobb Theatres makes a blockbuster move to combine dining and moviegoing.
How we handle the bad times can reflect well on us in the long run.
Telecom giant Sprint cuts telecom contact centers.
A slew of enhancements mark the 16th update to Oracle's software-as-a-service CRM option, and comparisons to Salesforce.com abound.
Posted 27 Jan 2009
A new report details deficiencies and opportunities for government agencies to connect with citizens.
Posted 26 Jan 2009
Analysts say consolidation in the sales performance management market was expected -- but this particular deal comes as a surprise.
Posted 23 Jan 2009
Research by SiriusDecisions also shows that faulty marketing intelligence has a comparably huge negative effect.
Posted 22 Jan 2009
The software-as-a-service CRM vendor's new Service Cloud solidifies crowdsourced customer support.
Posted 15 Jan 2009
Here are three areas in which technology can help your organization sell better.
A turbulent economy is driving some on-demand vendors to reduce fees. Is a price war looming in software-as-a-service?
I hope you kept that list of New Year's resolutions…
Monk Development gets a handle on its sales process and pipeline.
Gartner's most recent MarketScope looks at how businesses in the consumer world are using sales force automation.
Posted 23 Dec 2008
Sprint Nextel will close contact centers in response to lower demand for customer service while increasing its marketing efforts.
Posted 18 Dec 2008
What happened at Entellium, and what it means for businesses.
A new sales compensation management tool joins the Makana Motivator family of products.
Posted 26 Nov 2008
Forrester Research examines the growing field of social CRM and shows where the value lies.
Posted 25 Nov 2008
Big Red's acquired powerhouse gets a major update, and adds sales gadgets to its social initiative.
Posted 12 Nov 2008
The hardware-and-services vendor inks a partnership with NetSuite to resell CRM.
Posted 12 Nov 2008
Dreamforce '08: The software-as-a-service companies partner up to deliver a contact database to the traveling business user.
Posted 07 Nov 2008
The popular on-demand CRM and ERP provider takes a bite out of yet another company's customer base.
Posted 06 Nov 2008
Generation X has a reputation for aimlessness, but, in truth, its members are concerned about the future—and they're using their resources accordingly.
When you only get one side of a story, are you really getting what you need?
A dealer of wireless products and service conquers the agony of weak processes with LongJump.
A new report looks at several on-demand application providers who are worth keeping an eye on.
Posted 31 Oct 2008
Rounding up a slew of announcements from the on-demand CRM provider, including a half-price deal targeting Salesforce.com customers.
Posted 29 Oct 2008
With the release of Maximizer 10.5, the Canadian CRM mainstay adds to its wireless capabilities and spruces up the value to SMBs.
Posted 15 Oct 2008
An update to the ongoing story of Entellium's self-destruction.
Posted 13 Oct 2008
J.D. Power and Associates releases its latest findings on the popular (and growing) side of the telecommunications industry.
Posted 08 Oct 2008
New research shows consistent disappointment with indirect methods—and explains why.
Posted 06 Oct 2008
Success Metrics releases Birst, a software-as-a-service business intelligence package with a free entry-level offering and a surprising focus on verticals.
Posted 01 Oct 2008
Maximizing profit isn't about squeezing your customers dry; it's about charging them what's fair. Price optimization is no longer a chore or a secret technology—it's a competitive differentiator for those wise enough to explore it.
Selltis helps gauge sales solutions for a maker of industrial gauges.
Five nines of semantic foolishness, at your service.
Gartner report shows the Wonder of Walldorf still on top—but a lawsuit and other troubles loom.
Customers still want to speak to live agents, but companies aren't making it easy for either side, according to a new report.
Posted 24 Sep 2008
TreeHouse Interactive's channel management suite gets an overhaul in advance of integration with Oracle CRM On Demand.
Posted 17 Sep 2008
A 2007 Rising Star delivers a browser-based CRM suite that stays true to its wireless roots.
Posted 03 Sep 2008
Forrester Wave on Enterprise CRM Suites '08: Forrester Research's latest on big-business CRM shows close competition between the two, with Microsoft coming on strong.
Posted 02 Sep 2008
The Herald: Paul Greenberg -- chief customer officer, BPT Partners; president, The 56 Group.
The Steady: Brad Wilson -- general manager, Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Microsoft.
Devising the newest mobile device.
Sending the bill, from A to Z(uora).
A minor league team plays like it's in the majors with Microsoft and First Tech Direct.
For the "true" small business, needs may be less robust, but reliability's a must -- and Maximizer Software takes top honors this year.
Some things don't change: The continuing trend toward "SFA plus something more" is accelerating, and Salesforce.com takes the title once again.
Is the industry ready to turn a consumer craze into a business tool?
Compliance, mobile banking, data in the cloud—financial services firms have a lot to deal with when it comes to CRM.
You wanna go where everybody knows your liver.
Forrester Wave: Midmarket CRM Suites '08: Despite consolidation, buying CRM software for the midmarket segment is still a major headache.
Posted 29 Aug 2008
The software-as-a-service demand generation specialist gets on the platform bandwagon, and releases a free tracking widget as well.
Posted 27 Aug 2008
destinationCRM 2008: Whether it's Web 1.0 or 2.0, sales and marketing still need to communicate.
Posted 20 Aug 2008
destinationCRM 2008: An implementation expert lays out what businesses really need to succeed in CRM 2.0 initiatives.
Posted 19 Aug 2008
Forrester Wave '08: The latest report on enterprise business intelligence shows SAP's BusinessObjects property in a tight race with three other respected vendors.
Posted 08 Aug 2008
The analytics and statistical analysis powerhouse acquires an on-demand price optimization vendor -- and builds a new practice around it.
Posted 07 Aug 2008
Magic Quadrant for SFA '08: Gartner's latest sales force automation report shows some movement, including some dropouts, as the research firm focuses on big business; Oracle and Salesforce.com top the field.
Posted 05 Aug 2008
Market intelligence from Gartner shows the Wonder of Walldorf still on top in CRM, ERP, and supply chain.
Posted 04 Aug 2008
Vendors and users both now have an unprecedented degree of control over what a CRM application can look like. How should that power be used?
The one from my birth-minute is no mystery.
CRM is all over this year's awards for programming excellence.
British Telecom sees massive turnaround in its contact centers thanks to Knoa.
Landslide Technologies' latest release includes a revamped interface, sales process tools, and an expanded VIP service for management.
Posted 31 Jul 2008
Marketing automation and knowledge management headline the company's latest list of enhancements, as well as those coming from its partners.
Posted 25 Jul 2008
The vendor launches two new products for its Rave suite aimed at "true" small businesses, and hooks up with Boomi as an integration partner.
Posted 15 Jul 2008
As the show wraps up in Houston, a roundup of some announcements from the vendor's weeklong Worldwide Partner Conference.
Posted 11 Jul 2008
Apple's 3G update to its popular handheld has early support from big names in the industry, but little meat so far.
Posted 10 Jul 2008
Magic Quadrant for Data Mining '08: Packaged applications are all the rage -- but as the pair atop the list remains the same, a Visionary emerges overseas.
Posted 08 Jul 2008
A new report from AMR on customer management indicates double-digit market growth is here to stay, though the economy remains a concern.
Posted 01 Jul 2008
The latest CRM products and partnerships from Redmond's software juggernaut have set industry tongues wagging about whether Microsoft has finally forced its way to the forefront -- or if it was ever destined to be a true leader in the first place. Plus, an exclusive interview with Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer.
From the famous inventor's hometown, CheckPoint HR gets insight and cuts costs with Microsoft Dynamics GP.
Inertia will only keep customers in place for so long.
Callidus Software announces an addition to its performance management offering: a corporate alignment product -- one that's on-demand, to boot.
Posted 27 Jun 2008
Selectica releases its latest sales configurator, optimized for field agents with high-end laptops.
Posted 24 Jun 2008
Ventana Research's latest benchmark study lays out the difference between the two, and suggests why the "E" might have more future success than the "R."
Posted 19 Jun 2008
With the launch of Salesforce Summer '08, the on-demand superstar raises the level of discussion about platform-as-a-service, partnerships, and more.
Posted 17 Jun 2008
Will on-demand ring a bell in manufacturing? The SaaS pioneer rolls a new vertical integration off the assembly line, and its partners are also building for the industry using NetSuite's Business Operating System platform.
Posted 12 Jun 2008
Enterprise megavendor Oracle offers a taste of its social networking-inspired on-demand applications at the Enterprise 2.0 conference.
Posted 10 Jun 2008
BlueRoads and Microsoft team up to offer joint partner management and CRM.
Posted 09 Jun 2008
The popular on-demand CRM vendor puts its cash to good use in snatching up professional services automation developer OpenAir.
Posted 02 Jun 2008
"Web 2.0" has been the subject of much buzz -- especially in CRM. What's beyond that buzz, and how can you make it work for you?
Simple customer management shouldn't be rocket science
An international youth ministry gets the CRM it needs, integrated with the enteprise resource planning system it knows.
Siebel and the Oracle E-Business Suite are ranked in a recent Gartner Magic Quadrant; ClickSoftware and TOA Technologies are visionaries.
Posted 30 May 2008
RightNow Technologies' latest release adds chat and surveys to its multichannel customer-care arsenal, seeking to capture the voice of the customer.
Posted 29 May 2008
Industry veterans launch an on-demand billing provider, offering a new way to handle time-based invoicing for goods and services.
Posted 20 May 2008
Sage Insights '08: A roundup of announcements from last week's partner conference.
Posted 19 May 2008
Sage Insights '08: The new CEO discusses her observations of the company, and outlines goals and aspirations for the coming year.
Posted 13 May 2008
The provider of customer experience applications for e-commerce companies adds new capabilities to its front and back ends.
Posted 08 May 2008
Ribbit, calling itself "Silicon Valley's first phone company," launches a CRM integration with Salesforce.com, paving the way to unite business applications with the spoken word.
Posted 08 May 2008
Centive smoothes away the calluses for a dermatology-product vendor.
If I found it on the Internet, it must be important.
On The Scene: Convergence 2008 -- Redmond's mighty software maker finally has what it needs for a great CRM program -- but is it too late?
Sales performance management breaks data out of the operational realm -- and tries to deliver business intelligence in the process.
Posted 28 Apr 2008
The 4.0 version of the recently renamed on-demand CRM suite from Microsoft reaches its domestic launch date.
Posted 22 Apr 2008
The small-business CRM service provider becomes Infusionsoft, dropping "CRM" from its product name along the way.
Posted 18 Apr 2008
Collaborate '08: The debut of Oracle Deal Management brings boutique technology into the CRM and ERP suite world.
Posted 15 Apr 2008
Small and medium businesses increasingly turn to the Web for applications that fit.
Posted 10 Apr 2008
New research from Aberdeen Group shows how mobile sales force automation can keep Road Warriors from becoming Mad Max.
Posted 08 Apr 2008
Gartner names the new and the noteworthy in the realm of sales applications for CRM.
Posted 03 Apr 2008
New research from Gartner predicts strong market growth continuing through 2012, despite the coming economic downturn.
Posted 02 Apr 2008
Remember to look around you when spelling out your corporate message.
Telcordia Technologies may have been around -- but it's planning to be around a lot longer, too.
JPMorgan Chase Card Services has Enkata to thank for a unification of agent metrics.
Replacing computer-telephony integration (CTI), this category encompasses all the contact center technologies; despite the rejiggering, Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories remains on top.
In a contact-center-specific adaptation of knowledge management, InQuira is this year's answer.
Just when the battle between on-demand and on-premise CRM seemed to settle down a bit, a new one opens up: single-tenant architecture versus multitenancy.
Microsoft Convergence 2008: While some analysts leaven criticism of Microsoft's Dynamics offerings with restrained praise, one recent report suggests the company "continues to lag rivals significantly" and should give up on CRM entirely.
Posted 14 Mar 2008
Microsoft Convergence 2008: CEO and President Steve Ballmer outlines his company's approach to business applications, expands a partnership, and drops some hints about strategy.
Posted 13 Mar 2008
A report from the CMO Council reveals that personalization is a marketing force that isn't being fully utilized -- yet.
Posted 12 Mar 2008
They're set in their ways, stubbornly independent, and resistant to change. But your staff doesn't have to be your toughest sale.
Green beer and parades will rule the day, and we shall rue it.
The next wave of on-demand computing may just be another trendy "2.0" label.
A credit-card company reduces agent strain and finds answers faster with Enkata.
The on-demand CRM vendor, recently public, launches an application development platform -- NetSuite Business Operating System -- for custom and vertical software.
Posted 28 Feb 2008
The broker of financial-information services launches a set of data-access and -intelligence tools.
Posted 27 Feb 2008
Single-tenant architecture for the on-demand world gets a powerful enterprise advocate in a new edition of Oracle's Siebel.
Posted 20 Feb 2008
New research shows about two-thirds of businesses are using the latest tools, but there are questions over the extent of penetration.
Posted 14 Feb 2008
The popular software-as-a-service CRM company delivers its 25th release -- Spring '08 -- adding collaboration and content features amidst rumors of ownership-shopping.
Posted 11 Feb 2008
Research from one of CRM magazine's Influential Leaders shows that adoption of core ideas and approaches isn't where it should be.
Posted 07 Feb 2008
Industry heavyweight Ron Verni lands at a field service management company, with a mandate to create growth.
Posted 05 Feb 2008
With financial results in hand and Business ByDesign humming along, the vendor offers some thoughts on what's coming next.
Posted 01 Feb 2008
A Web-based solution helps Molex Premise Networks log project, customer, and contact information.
SAP and Microsoft make big moves to embrace smaller customers.
Can marketing overcome the customers who talk about you?
There's smoke, but maybe not fire, in the world of product image.
Your sales force and your technology staff may not respect each other's turf, but you'd better broker a truce if you want your business to thrive.
Three months after the initial $6.7 billion bid, the juggernaut of enterprise computing pays $8.5 billion for its rival in the middleware market.
Posted 17 Jan 2008
Consumerization, software-as-a-service, and several other industry developments are affecting how application vendors approach smaller organizations.
Posted 15 Jan 2008
IDC outlines best practices for an oft-overlooked selling job, and shows that it's more important than some realize.
Posted 10 Jan 2008
A new Aberdeen study reveals the strategic importance of automating sales compensation management, including planning.
Posted 08 Jan 2008
Sales organizations aren't measuring what they need to measure; closed loop lead management could be the answer to multiple woes.
Posted 03 Jan 2008
They're not exactly employees, and they're not quite customers, but your channel partners can be equally important -- and you can't just direct them by remote control.
Hope you like the taste of crow--or foot-in-mouth. Your customers are serving it up hot
The critical steps to rapid transformation.
Red Pocket Mobile snags a particular prepaid phone market, with help from VoIP Logic
Ventana Research delivers a pair of reports on the analytics field, both old school and new.
Posted 27 Dec 2007
The on-demand CRM vendor posts a big IPO, suggesting the tech market is still buoyant.
Posted 20 Dec 2007
The much-anticipated Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4 makes it to market in time for the close of Q4 2007, to the sounds of analyst praise.
Posted 18 Dec 2007
Introducing a sales automation system for the people who must actually make a product work for the customer: the sales engineer.
Posted 13 Dec 2007
The company's acquired Witness arm launches its latest workforce optimization suite, Impact 360, stressing analytics prowess and integration.
Posted 06 Dec 2007
SAP Influencer Summit: The German giant's SAP CRM 2007 -- with a new user interface -- sneaks in under the calendar-year wire.
Posted 04 Dec 2007
Covad achieves fat customer satisfaction with HyperQuality.
Will a sage oracle sap your nice salesforce?
As 2007 ends, and 2008 looms ahead of us, patterns are beginning to emerge: The future of business may not be in the hands of the executives, but those of the customer instead. And yet, hasn't it always been that way?
Forward thinkers come together to learn how customers are changing the business landscape/
The company's planned acquisition of analytics powerhouse Business Objects represents the largest in company history.
After years of software-as-a-service rising ascendant, economic pressures may be favoring on-premise software again.
Posted 29 Nov 2007
New research suggests that training your sales team in-house isn't the best way to get lasting results -- but choosing the right outside partner can be tricky, as well.
Posted 26 Nov 2007
Inbound and outbound features unite in an alternative to the dialer; one analyst sees hints of ambition beyond the current offering.
Posted 19 Nov 2007
Customer Care Framework 2008 updates the company's existing integrated agent workspace with hosted application tools, single sign-on, and more.
Posted 16 Nov 2007
Recent market research from Gartner shows overall consolidation but with divisions appearing between specialists and megavendors.
Posted 13 Nov 2007
On the scene: Putting recent executive shakeups in the rearview mirror, the venerable vendor dialogues about dialogue.
Posted 05 Nov 2007
Tech firms need CRM as much as any other company--and sometimes even more.
As business models become increasingly complex, more and more processes are shunted to automated systems. But the best examples never lose touch with the human element.
A few more takeaways from the fall's big event.
Exact Software delivers a warehouse system dog that will hunt.
The Bozeman bunch signs partnerships with Demandware and Cast Iron Systems to expand its e-commerce and integration capabilities.
Posted 29 Oct 2007
The CRM vendor teams with the business coach to deliver Web-based professional advice through the CRM interface.
Posted 25 Oct 2007
Research firm delves into a new area of enterprise software: passive desktop agents.
Posted 22 Oct 2007
New research shows that business process outsourcing (BPO) growth has been stagnant among midsize businesses in recent years.
Posted 18 Oct 2007
Forrester Wave on Business Performance Solutions, 2007: Forrester Research's ranking of BPM vendors provides a snapshot of a market in motion.
Posted 15 Oct 2007
Facing challenges, the venerable midmarket vendor beheads its North American operations.
Posted 11 Oct 2007
The friendly takeover folds new business intelligence capabilities into one of the leading enterprise software platforms; amidst differing opinions, rumors loom of a counteroffer from Oracle or IBM.
Posted 08 Oct 2007
Applix bolsters its user community with a cache of new applications, development tools, and tips; one analyst says Applix On-Demand could become a SaaS offering of its own.
Posted 04 Oct 2007
Two venture-capital firms help launch and fund a program for companies to develop Force.com applications.
Posted 01 Oct 2007
A medical marketing company fills its sales transparency prescription with Entellium.
We can learn a lot from our pastimes...or not.
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