I Want Advertising – Give Me What I Want

This is really the future in my humble, consumers are smart enough to realize content costs – so why not offer the opportunity for them to nominate their advertising and more importantly, when they are ambivalent or oversaturated. I can see a consumer choosing their TV commercials in such a way – “ok I’m over this, give me the next one in the story or substitute it, I get the message” Digital technology really will allow this.. consumers clearly want it….

A September 2009 study conducted by Roy Morgan Research has found that a majority of Australians (75%) surveyed want greater control over advertising content, compared to 10% saying they wanted less control.

According to the study, TV is the medium most in need of more control over its ad content (53%), well ahead of radio (19%), the internet (18%), direct mail (14%), newspapers (13%), magazines (13%), outdoor (10%) and cinema (7%).

“This special Roy Morgan study shows that TV remains the advertising channel that Australians have the greatest concern with in terms of advertising content. Despite these worries about advertising, 76% of Australians (up 2% since 1982) believe advertising is essential,” explained Michele Levine, chief executive of Roy Morgan Research.

The survey also indicated that perceptions of the truthfulness of advertising have continued changing since 1974 – now 41% (up 21%) of Australians agree that in general, advertising presents a true picture of the product advertised.

An increasing number of Australians also agree that advertising often persuades people to buy things they don’t need.

On the whole, the study showed Australians are still very positive about advertising with 87% of Australians saying that it is good for keeping you informed about things you can buy.

….

A Usual Story: How Electric Cars Are It

“Because I keep telling you its good for you.” – Motherhood

Shifting from zero awareness, to inclination to explore, to full blown desire, is an jaunting and gestalting process, particularly in the marketplace where supply/demand (price) themes change as new product and communication styles are introduced. Ok – so why the title?

Sustainability is an intrinsically good theme, I’ve been working on a research project surrounding the benefits of becoming sustainable business – you will have to wait for the results – but it begs the question, why choose a path when the outcome is inconclusive and potentially negative?

We are the Crowd

Forget the individual, look at the crowd, one contention could be that its the latest trend, a perception created. If mass media communicates to the masses, it communicates to crowd, inflecting disjaunted and uncontrolled information flows to the “crowd” – which then develops an inclination, a movement from that.

Noise.

The failure to understand the simple truth that marketing is a battle of perceptions trips up thousands of would-be entrepreneurs every year.

Marketing people are preoccupied with doing research and ‘getting the facts.’ They analyze the situation to make sure the truth is on their side. Then they sail confidently into the marketing arena, secure in the knowledge that they have the best product and that ultimately the best product will win.

It’s an illusion. There is no objective reality. There are no facts. There are no best products. All that exists in the world of marketing are the perceptions in the minds of the consumers or prospects. The perception is the reality. Everything else is an illusion. Period.

Deliver a great story. That’s what we’re here for.

Are You Nervous? – Asks JWT

http://anxietyindex.com/anxietyindex/

It tracks the levels and intensity of consumer anxiety and, importantly, the drivers of anxiety. The index examines safety and security concerns—the threat of terrorism, potential and current military hostilities, crime, etc.—and economic worries, such as the cost of health care, the cost of living and job security. The AnxietyIndex also uncovers consumer insights that help inform business and marketing strategies during times of high or low anxiety.

Research integrated to strategic decision-making

Many companies today are misguided in the way they view market research. Instead of seeing research as a foundation for strategic planning, enabling them to see the big picture view of what’s happening in external markets, they see it in a microcosmic fashion. In other words, they look at research as “projects,” basically unconnected to one another. Rarely are the pieces of research integrated; rarely are research projects planned in conjunction.
Market research directors at major firms have complained that their internal customers (other divisions and business units) don’t use the research results for maximum effectiveness. These customers’ myopic view leads to tactical decision-making at best, and seldom are they concerned with how their research connects to other departments’ research.

Surprisingly, the best research planning and integration is done at small and mid-sized companies with a marketing director or vice president (but no market research director or department). These organizations know how to get the most our of their research investment for several reasons: budgets are tight, the competition is fierce and their market position is uncertain.

Case study: Answering many questions
Take the case of an organization that makes products for the residential building trade. This manufacturer needed answers to many questions, and needed those answers simultaneously. To make the assignment more challenging, there were tactical questions (“What benefit should we emphasize in our trade advertising campaign?”) as well as strategic questions (“Should we vertically or horizontally integrate our product line?” and “Who are the most promising segments of the market?”).

The objectives of the assignment, which was to be carried out over a five-month period, were lengthy and entangled with one another. In essence, this manufacturer was consolidating all its research monies into this single integrated project. Methodologies included focus groups with contractors, one-on-one interviews with wholesalers, an analysis of competitor strengths and weaknesses from the market’s perspective, a statistically valid phone survey with 475 contractors, sales and market share analyses, product feasibility testing, and a brand recognition/perceptual mapping study. The budget was less than $100,000 and the manufacturer wanted a consultant who would not only conduct all forms of research, but interpret what it meant so the executive team would all be on the same page as they engaged in the strategic decision-making process.
Valuable findings uncovered
The manufacturing firm learned a lot through this market research. Here’s a sampling:
- An underestimated competitor in one region of the country was seriously eroding the company’s market share.
- A strategic partner selected to secure distribution with wholesalers had a shaky and inconsistent reputation with the target end user.
- The company’s star product, once an innovator in the category, was now perceived as a “me too” product with no salient differentiating benefits.
- An important and lucrative segment of the market was being underserved by all competitors.
- A new product developed by the company was focusing on a benefit the end user ranked low on a list of benefits.
- A key influencer (the architect in this case) had no favorite brand and was frustrated by the lack of specialized niche products he needs.
- Price was a purchase driver at the distributor level, but not at the end-user level.

How results were reported and used

The consultants conducting the research consolidated the findings into one report. The presentation was designed to share key pieces of learning that would have strategic import to the company. In addition, individual reports focusing on tactical questions were delivered separately, addressing the research pertaining to sales, marketing, product development and customer service. The umbrella report presented to the executive team gave them the foundation needed to discuss and challenge strategic initiatives. It put the group on a level playing field, providing a block of data that was rich and complex but, at the same time, easy to understand.

The consultants’ approach was straightforward — here’s what we’ve learned, how does this jibe with what you know, what further data need to be gathered to get us all comfortable about what’s really happening in the marketplace?

This approach to sharing information is dynamic in nature, not a bunch of meaningless statistics in a binder that gets filed away. The interactive nature of the presentation acknowledges that the consultants aren’t pretending to understand every nuance of the market, but that they bring value as a result of not knowing the nuances. The research results are pure, unbiased and without pretense.

Translating research into action
After several strategic planning sessions facilitated by the consultant, the executive team adopted eight strategic initiatives that were designed to more than double the company’s growth in a five-year period and seize the position of market leader in the category.
Says the vice president of marketing who commissioned the research and planning initiative: “The research had a profound impact on how we began to see the real world. We realize we were looking at things through rose-tinted glasses. It was a wake-up call for us. Our consultants brought back all kinds of data that we found hard to believe at first. We made them go back several times to document and corroborate specific findings that seemed questionable to us. The interaction was frustrating, intimidating and gratifying all at the same time. It was a true growth experience for our executive team. This is the way to do research — comprehensively and with a fresh set of eyes.”

Becoming an Expert in Surveying

Let’s say you have just returned from a conference emphasizing the importance of gathering information in today’s competitive business arena. One case study that has been brought to their attention highlights a company that improved sales by making product decisions based upon research from existing and potential customers through a series of opinion surveys on their Web site. In fact, your boss has now decided it would be a great idea to survey current customers about a newly launched product. Before you know it, you find yourself responsible for this fantastic and exciting new project. There’s only one small problem: You’ve never created a survey and have no idea where to begin. It may seem overwhelming at first, but by following these eight steps you can be well on your way to becoming a survey expert.

Step #1: determine the objectives
It is important to pin down the objectives before beginning the survey process, because they are the reference points that guide the survey. Your objectives will influence the number of questions while shaping content and administration. Some questions to ask that will help determine the objectives of the survey include:
- Why is this survey being done? What problem needs solving?
- What information does the person requesting the survey need to know?
- How will the response data be put to use?
When making decisions on the target audience, the demographic questions, and the survey structure, you can return to the statement of objectives to ensure that what is being asked will achieve the desired result.

Step #2: obtain corporate commitment
Your department will probably use the information from your survey to change or shape programs, products or services and even creative approaches. To produce the right kind of data that will help steer these decisions, it’s crucial to make sure that the people who requested the survey are committed to, and involved in, the survey process.

You need to write a plan that includes key actions, dates, roles and responsibilities, as well as other resources needed to administer and communicate the survey’s results. The chances of a successful survey are reduced unless you have clearly communicated the plan to the people involved.
Step #3: identify and know how to contact customers (the target audience)
When identifying customers and determining how to reach them, some useful questions to ask are:
- How big is the potential customer base?
- Will all the customers be surveyed, or only a portion of the market?
- If only a portion of the customers will be surveyed, will you survey a random sample of the group or a specific subset of the group?
- Who is responsible for providing or obtaining the names and addresses of the customers, if names are required?
- What demographic data will be needed?
The answers to these questions will help you develop a mail, phone number or e-mail list. It will also help determine the first communication vehicle for you – a memo, an e-mail, a letter to the customer’s home, or a phone call. Depending on who will be responsible for contacting the prospects, how confidential the responses need to be and how prospects will be instructed to return questionnaires, the survey process may be conducted differently.

You can obtain the names and addresses of your target audience from several sources: customer lists, mailing lists available through list brokers, or membership lists available through associations.

Step #4: constructing the survey
Like most jobs, thorough and careful preparation of the survey will pay off in the end. Write out the kind of outcome, information and analysis that you want to obtain, and then design your survey based upon these specific needs — always keeping the respondent in mind. Be careful not to bias a survey to show the data that you want to see, but be certain to design it so you can get the information needed.

Typically, there are several parts to survey question design:
A) Type of information sought. Questions should be designed carefully in order to gather the desired information. As in all professional correspondence, thoughtful vision, clarity of language and semantics are critical to good communication. Think through the objectives of the survey when determining what topics of information to include in the survey.

B) Actual question structure and word choice. Surveys may include closed-ended questions (e.g., “Rate from poor to excellent your view of the ease of ordering from our company”), open-ended questions (e.g., “What do you like the most about the products we offer?”) or a combination of both types of questions.

When writing or editing questions, you should scrutinize each question according to the following guidelines. Continue rewriting each question as needed, without altering the original purpose of the questions. Remember to:
- Keep each question simple and single-minded.
- Keep each question as short as possible. If it takes too long to fill out, customers won’t return your survey.
- Use understandable and clear language.
- Be specific.
- Do not talk down to the customer.
- Avoid bias.
- Avoid conjectural questions or situations.
- Keep response types to a minimum.

Bear in mind that customers answer survey questions by different scale types (i.e., excellent, good, fair, poor). Most users will select only a few types for any particular survey to limit confusion on the part of customers and simplify the analysis process. Try to keep the number of scale types small, and survey design will remain simple.

C) Survey construction. Once you have determined the type of information needed, the question structure, the word choice and the scale types, it is time to combine the pieces of the survey into a complete document.

Issues that need to be addressed include determining if you want to group any demographic questions together at the beginning or end of the survey and deciding if you want to group the survey questions by topic or mix them up randomly.

If possible, you should have a small sample of customers take a draft survey to ensure that the questions are understandable, and that the survey takes a reasonable length of time to complete.

Step #5: administering the survey
You should consider the options for survey administration early in the design process. Choices include mailing a hard copy (paper) survey; running the survey over a network, your Web site or via e-mail; or proctoring the survey over the telephone. Today’s survey software products typically give you several options.
Hard copy surveys, also known as paper-and-pencil surveys, are easy to administer to people that can be brought together in one place. Where technology is either not available or is intimidating to some of the customers, a hard copy survey is a good alternative. The potential downside to a hard copy survey is the cost and time of data entry to get the survey responses ready for analysis.

Computer-administered surveys can be quick and easy, and eliminate the need for data entry for analysis of answers. In today’s world, we are accustomed to electronic communication: e-mail, the Web, an intranet or network. Many customers will find it much easier to respond to your survey on-line. Just make sure that customers are comfortable using a computer so participation isn’t lessened because of technology intimidation.

Other questions regarding survey administration include those dealing with confidentiality and anonymity. For some surveys these concerns may not be large, but for others they will be very important. You need to ensure an open and honest approach to this issue so that the integrity of the survey does not become compromised. Confidentiality and anonymity can be enhanced by explaining to customers the steps that have been taken to ensure confidentiality and anonymity.

For all target audiences, there are good times and bad times to give surveys. For example, don’t plan to administer a survey during the last week of the quarter crunch if you want to reach marketing executives. If you are doing a phone survey, when will potential customers most likely be available?

Finally, don’t forget to tell customers the date their surveys must be completed. Some organizations use a small incentive (a coupon for a product or service, even a dollar bill) to increase participation.

Step #6: compiling the data and analyzing the survey responses
It is time to gather the data and understand what the customers have told you. There are four sequential steps to this process.

1. Analyzing the answers of all customers. You usually want to see first how the total population of customers answered your survey questions. Some survey software products allow you to complete this step with a few keystrokes; others may be somewhat more complicated. If you have done a relatively lengthy survey that covers several topics, you will probably want to look at topic averages in addition to responses to the individual questions.

As you do your analysis, keep in mind the many statistical measures of dispersion and central tendency. Will the mean be enough information or will you need to know the standard deviation of the responses? Will you need the percentage breakdown of each response? Ask yourself what would be meaningful to you and your customers. Think about the level of statistical understanding of the client and the customers.

2. Analyzing subsets of customers. Once you know how the total population answered, you will want to look at how subsets of the population responded compared to the total population. How did men answer compared to women? How did people in the 45–54 age group respond compared to those in the 35–44 group? What quality issues are reported by first-time purchasers of your product? Knowing this kind of information helps you provide better products and services, identify new markets or respond to operations problems.

3. Analyzing by topic or question. Sometimes you will want to know how a total population or a subset answered a specific question: “How many times in the last decade have you bought a Ford?” You can examine the breakdown of the customers not only by frequency but also by demographic category. Good survey software should allow you to analyze your data in many ways.

4. Graph the analysis. The ability to present data in easy-to-understand graphic formats is important. Charts and graphs allow you to see and understand the data quickly. Ultimately this may help you communicate valuable information to key executives and members of the marketing and creative teams.

Step #7: preparing to communicate survey results
As we stated above, it is important how you communicate the results of the survey to your boss, department or client and, depending on your agreement, to the customers who participated in the survey. Communicating the results to customers reinforces that their input was used.

Successful communication requires a consistent and persistent plan. Most organizations use a variety of formal and informal communication methods that suit their culture, such as newsletters, e-mail, and meetings. Customers, suppliers, employees and other groups may require different forms of communication.

Step #8: creating action plans
The point at which surveys prove their value is when the information you have gathered is used in a constructive way to improve operations, products, programs, creative, offers, etc. Developing an action plan helps implement those improvements. An action plan should include:
- An evaluation of survey data and consensus of what action needs to be taken, and with what priority.
- A listing of activities that need to be carried out for each priority item.
- The names of the people responsible for implementing the plan.
- A timeline for each plan’s accomplishment.

Once you put the action plan in place, it is important to periodically re-visit the plan. Be sure that the work is getting done. At some point, you can conduct the same survey again and evaluate if the areas identified as action items are actually improving.

Planning and commitment
Successful customers surveys require planning and a commitment from all parties involved. By following these eight steps you can make the process of designing, administering and analyzing surveys a positive one. In the end, you will obtain valuable and desired information from your customers that may be used as the foundation for major change within your company. These steps will hopefully make your job less stressful and your life a little easier.

Discussion of Future Capabilities/Limitations

The Institute For The Future promotes a framework for attributes that are desirable for the current zeitgeist, we have adopted and discuss these at Highway. I’m not a fan of lists, yet this is an interesting behaviour paradigm for aspiring leaders, mixed with the De Bono hats it makes a compelling toolkit for cultural revision and change.

Autopilot
The ability of the leader to take action, despite not having a clear course, is a highly coveted skill in the entrepreneurial world. A leader takes action while others wait around for the situation to become more favorable. He has the “auto-response” of “I’ll figure it out.”

Force growth
It will make you question yourself and force you to get really clear about your purpose and what you want to contribute. It boosts your confidence and your intelligence.

Ping Quotient
Excellent responsiveness to other people’s requests for engagement; strong propensity and ability to reach out to others in a network

Longbroading
Seeing a much bigger picture; thinking in terms of higher level systems, bigger networks, longer cycles

Open Authorship
Creating content for public modification; the ability to work with massively multiple contributors

Cooperation Radar
The ability to sense, almost intuitively, who would make the best collaborators on a particular task or mission

Multi-Capitalism
Fluency in working and trading simultaneously with different hybrid capitals, e.g., natural, intellectual, social, financial, virtual

Mobbability
The ability to do real-time work in very large groups; a talent for coordinating with many people simultaneously; extreme-scale collaboration

Protovation
Fearless innovation in rapid, iterative cycles; the ability to lower the costs and increase the speed of failure

Influency
Knowing how to be persuasive and tell compelling stories in multiple social media spaces (each space requires a different persuasive strategy and technique)

Signal/Noise Management
Filtering meaningful info, patterns, and commonalities from the massively-multiple streams of data and advice

Emergensight
The ability to prepare for and handle surprising results and complexity that come with coordination, cooperation and collaboration on extreme scales

Trust Movement
Come to the opportunity fresh of scars and discover an interest rather than push the preconceived – but if collaboration is not possible let the opportunity slide, retaining the relationship. Make the first moves to establish trust and show effort.

If you aren’t awake, take a moment to absorb the basics of De Bono’s six distinct states;

- Neutrality (White) – considering purely what information is available, what are the facts?

- Feeling (Red) – instinctive gut reaction or statements of emotional feeling (but not any justification)

- Negative judgement (Black) – logic applied to identifying flaws or barriers, seeking mismatch

- Positive Judgement (Yellow) – logic applied to identifying benefits, seeking harmony

- Creative thinking (Green) – statements of provocation and investigation, seeing where a thought goes

- Process control (Blue) – thinking about thinking

The use of these metaphors allows an interest and very personal way to approach the management of complex issues and team performance.

Then it is perhaps appropriate to cover in some ‘Good to Great’…
- Level 5 Leadership: Leaders who are humble, but driven to do what’s best for the company.
- First Who, Then Where: Get the right people on the bus, then figure out where to go. Finding the right people and trying them out in different positions.
- Confront the Brutal Facts: The Stockdale paradox – Confront the brutal truth of the situation, yet at the same time, never give up hope.
- Hedgehog Concept: Three overlapping circles: What makes you money? What could you be best in the world at? and What lights your fire?
- Culture of Discipline: Rinsing the cottage cheese.
- Technology Accelerators: Using technology to accelerate growth, within the three circles of the hedgehog concept.
- The Flywheel: The additive effect of many small initiatives; they act on each other like compound interest.

I want to publish this now and pick it up after I have sought applied and audited this more fully.

The (Obvious) Fundamentals of Successful Brands

On the wire today was extensive brand research undertaken by Millward Brown over more than three decades that identified six fundamental elements shared by most, if not all, of the world’s top brands.

These fundamentals are:
# A sense of authenticity
# An efficient and scalable business model
# A distinctive positioning
# A great brand experience
# A sense of dynamism
# A bond with local consumers

Brilliant – so how do we use it then?

In my mind, view the variables like this;

1. Level of authenticity
# An efficient and scalable business model
# A distinctive positioning

2. A great brand experience
# A sense of dynamism
# A bond with local consumers

The first is really structural, you can’t fake an efficient business or a distinct positioning over the long term, so authenticity is really the mix of the size of value the business delivers to its customers.

A great brand experience is the process of developing a dynamic customer orientated culture – based on valuing the way you service.

So after 30 years research they’ve realised that all you need to do is develop a legitimate business with growth potential and work like hell to service your customers.

Really, they could have just said that.

The real skill is in how to manage this process, not in understanding what it is. Although I must concede, many are diverted and the larger they are the greater the diversions. And the harder they fall.

Pseudo Battle: Creatives vs. Research – Locals Still Have No Idea

The advertising industry again this week called for market researchers to come clean on the success or otherwise of their vetting of ad campaigns.

This is an incredibly interesting battle, I’ve found quantitative research is incredibly insightful after things have happened – say to measure the impact a campaign has had, and qual to discover themes and concepts.

Senior adland creative directors accused market researchers of dubious science, double standards and a lack of accountability for refusing to disclose how many ad campaigns that they altered during concept development succeeded or failed.

What is most interesting is that Creatives, who in the circumstance own the client relationship and under pressure to produce measurements are confrontational with the measurement system – where they have a huge place to contribute to the performance of research – that creatives should own for themselves. Creatively should be intimately involved in the ad testing focus scenario, if not leading it, engaging the client on this would enable a significant demonstrate that you are taking their brand seriously.

The other issue is the integrity of online research – paid research is not independent research. When there is no skin in the game, then responses can are produced on a whim and many online do this by design. As is increasing mentioned, now there are as many failures in online research pre-testing as there are in creativity.

Go The Crowdsourcing Alternative: Logo Design War

The Melbourne Herald Sun today has been banging on about wasting $240,000 of taxpayers money on an ‘awkward’ new logo design for the city. According to Tom Bullington of City communications, marketing and branding it is an example “of communities paying exorbitant amounts to come up with new city logos, and very little else to show for it… If all of the emphasis is on the new logo, your citizens will (justifiably) eat you alive in a public forum.” Tabloids are brilliant at it, but then NSW today rubbed salt directly into this Wound announcing today they have employed a crowd-sourcing site to launch a competition for a NSW Government logo after (according to Patrick Stafford) Premier Nathan Rees spent thousands of dollars designing a “botched” version.

They’re a marketplace operated by a 25 year old entrepreneur in Sydney, has launched a $1,000 contest to redesign the logo.

The NSW logo, which was designed after 18 months of research, was meant to resemble the state’s floral emblem, the Waratah, but botanists and gardening experts have said the logo is the spitting image of a lotus.

The contest will give $1,000 to the best designer of a new logo. The contest will run for 30 days, and has already received 10 entries.

Let’s hope the brief include sample images of a Waratah…

Rule 1. Always Be Communicating

The prototype of a new breed of marketers is that today’s communications don’t necessarily require a different mindset but a whole different set of skills.

She blogs. She tweets. She Facebooks. She SEOs. She Teleseminars. She Podcasts. All while conducting traditional PR marketing, brand identity and strategic communications duties. These skills make a model for an emerging style of marketing professional.

As part of a renewal branding approach, embrace social media to frame communications and address controversies – engage the marketplace.

“With the rise and influence of social media, communicators have more ways to get our message across than ever before,” 2009’s International Brand Master Andrew Careaga says. “But it’s important to remember that social media is a two-way street, and we need to listen to stakeholders as much as we talk to them – if not more so.”

New Communication Ideals

Get people talking about your business by training your people internally with a ‘word-of-mouth’ expert, these people start a conversations on your behalf.

The Word of Mouth Company operates across the eastern seaboard and starts 500 conversations a day. Its team of 50 conversation starters are invited to speak at established community groups like mother’s groups about up to seven brands an hour. It costs from $1.30 per person and all feedback is tracked online.

“We generate conversations and all our campaigns are supported by print and online,” company co-founder Jo Schultz says.

Companies need more than just a website to be truly part of the digital age. Tim White, strategist of Melbourne digital agency Citrus recommends Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), which uses key words to make sure your business features prominently in search engines. Beyond that, consider social networking, he says.

“Integrating your company into online communities is free. A company can utilise an online network to generate communication so your business becomes part of online conversations. It’s the holy grail of digital marketing right now,” White says. However tread carefully, he cautions, because negative conversations can breed quickly online.

Advertising on blogs or social networking sites is also increasing popular, White says. It allows you to place your brand near industry thought leaders and remains relatively inexpensive.

Direct marketing can now include brochures and offers sent in the mail, email and SMS communication, which can be very effective and relatively inexpensive. This allows you to measure return on investment very effectively because you know who you sent the offer to and can track whether they come back and take up the offer.

Generate media interest in your business with some new-age tactics too. We’ve seek numerous examples of sponsored ‘natural’ YouTube videos which has sharing tendencies gain huge followings.

No commentary is complete without a mention of Tourism Queensland’s ‘The Best Job in the World’ competition, which was the most applauded campaign of the year generating worldwide media coverage.

But You’ve Gotta Have a Backbone
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems have long been the preserve of larger companies, but they are great tool for smaller businesses too. The systems capture customer information and can be used to create targetted marketing campaigns. For example, if you decide to send an offer to lapsed customers, a CRM allows you do this quickly and effectively.

An off-the-shelf CRM system can cost as little as $600, plus around $4,000 for a consultant to customise the system. However, billing systems like MYOB can often do the basics.

Lots of companies seem to think CRM is the same thing as direct marketing, but it most certainly is not. Everyone knows it’ five times more expensive to attract a new customer to your business than it is to keep a current one happy. CRM allows you to gain knowledge and manage that constant flow of communication. Its the new rule.