Tech Corporation Page 114

After completing a rigorous product training and spending one year in an inside sales position in Dallas, you are now a field sales executive for Tech Corporation, a sales and Customer Relationship

Management (CRM) technology provider to small and midsize organizations. Recently, you received an update from your inside sales team who qualified a new lead in your territory, Power Solution Inc., a company that provides power solutions to manufacturing units throughout the Midwest as well as few Southern states. After doing some additional research using LinkedIn, you decided to

call on Mr. Tom Smith, the purchasing manager of the company, whose contact information was given to you by the inside sale team. You called and spoke with Mr. Smith and he acknowledged the need for customer relationship management software primarily for the salespeople working for the company. He also suggested you set an initial meeting with their VP-sales, Mr. Mike Morris. Mr. Smith mentioned that Mr. Morris travels a great deal. He suggested you contact Mr. Morris's administrative assistant, Ms. Olson, and determine if you can find a mutually convenient time to meet. After the call, you thought of your Professional Selling class where you learned about the buying center and its importance in organizational buying situations. You felt good because you were ready to use that learning in this situation!

Product Background for This Case

CRM is a technology system that helps companies manage information about existing and potential customers. Many CRM systems include contact management technology, a listing of all the customer contacts that a salesperson makes in the course of conducting business. The form of the technology is like an electronic collection of business cards and includes such information as the contact's name, title, company, address, phone number, fax number, and e-mail address. It also may include additional information such as the particular industry, date of last order, name of administrative assistant, other key decision makers, and so on. The value of a CRM system lies in its ability to manage knowledge. CRM software often combines sales, marketing, and customer service data into one information technology platform.7 For example, the CRM system may include insight from the salesperson's colleagues. In some firms, the customer service department may have had interactions with a customer and documented the communication, or the marketing department may have sent the customer an invitation to a webinar and captured this information within the CRM system. Hence, CRM technology not only provides a tracking mechanism, it also allows salespeople and their

colleagues to share critical information throughout their organization and more effectively collaborate.

Questions 1. First, review the list of the key roles in a buying center.

Consider who would be the person or people who would fulfill

each role and write it down. Please keep in mind that one person

can perform different roles and several individuals may occupy

the same role.

Users (person/people who actually use the software tools)

_________

Buyer(s) (person/people who have the authority for contracting

with suppliers) _________

Influencer(s) (person/people who influence the decision process)

_________

Decider(s) (person/people who have the authority to finalize the

purchase) _________

Gatekeeper (person who may control the flow of information)

_________

2. Because each person in the buying center will have distinct

needs, write down the specific needsas it pertains to the

customer relationship management systemfor users, buyers,

influencers, deciders, and gatekeepers. Please consider writing

multiple needs including economic needs, psychological needs,

and any other applicable need for each individual.

3. Now, explain least one benefit that the customer relationship

management system would need to provide in order to meet each

person's need(s).