<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?><!-- generator=Zoho Sites --><rss version="2.0" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"><channel><atom:link href="https://www.prodigm.ca/blogs/tag/Business-improvement/feed" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><title>Prodigm - Blog #Business improvement</title><description>Prodigm - Blog #Business improvement</description><link>https://www.prodigm.ca/blogs/tag/Business-improvement</link><lastBuildDate>Wed, 01 Apr 2026 01:38:33 -0700</lastBuildDate><generator>http://zoho.com/sites/</generator><item><title><![CDATA[Case Study: Bigin Integration for Local Tennis Club]]></title><link>https://www.prodigm.ca/blogs/post/Case-Study-Tennis-Club</link><description><![CDATA[Quinte tennis club (QTC) has been storing and processing their membership data in a simple spreadsheet for years. Prodigm, introduced them to the possibilities of using Zoho Bigin CRM as an easy-to-manage comprehensive solution.]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="zpcontent-container blogpost-container "><div data-element-id="elm_xNPEUIXSTSKF-TMC9z6c2Q" data-element-type="section" class="zpsection "><style type="text/css"></style><div class="zpcontainer-fluid zpcontainer"><div data-element-id="elm_bQY-nzCjTMaH_Ch_tVKuuQ" data-element-type="row" class="zprow zprow-container zpalign-items- zpjustify-content- " data-equal-column=""><style type="text/css"> [data-element-id="elm_bQY-nzCjTMaH_Ch_tVKuuQ"].zprow{ border-radius:1px; } </style><div data-element-id="elm_wPeOafWdRNWXpdIYDS1i2w" data-element-type="column" class="zpelem-col zpcol-12 zpcol-md-12 zpcol-sm-12 zpalign-self- "><style type="text/css"> [data-element-id="elm_wPeOafWdRNWXpdIYDS1i2w"].zpelem-col{ border-radius:1px; } </style><div data-element-id="elm_lst5SpvKe35t9CCYMvHVig" data-element-type="heading" class="zpelement zpelem-heading "><style> [data-element-id="elm_lst5SpvKe35t9CCYMvHVig"].zpelem-heading { border-radius:1px; } </style><h2
 class="zpheading zpheading-style-none zpheading-align-left " data-editor="true"><span style="color:inherit;font-size:24px;"><span style="font-weight:700;">Problems to solve</span></span><br></h2></div>
<div data-element-id="elm_uqqNX4CsRQqFV1UOFvIWDQ" data-element-type="text" class="zpelement zpelem-text "><style> [data-element-id="elm_uqqNX4CsRQqFV1UOFvIWDQ"].zpelem-text { border-radius:1px; } </style><div class="zptext zptext-align-center " data-editor="true"><ul><li style="text-align:left;"><span style="font-size:20px;">Keeping member contact and membership type data up-to-date, without major manual effort each year</span></li><li style="text-align:left;"><span style="font-size:20px;">Sending annual renewal emails to complete the registration process</span></li><li style="text-align:left;"><span style="font-size:20px;">Matching faces to names so that members could identify each other</span></li><li style="text-align:left;"><span style="font-size:20px;">Organizing and inviting members to events with a mass emailing process</span></li><li style="text-align:left;"><span style="font-size:20px;">Recording the standard Tennis Canada skill level of members, so that members could invite similar skill level members to play matches</span></li><li style="text-align:left;"><span style="font-size:20px;">Keeping track of who has paid dues, and who needs reminding or finally removing from the booking system</span></li><li style="text-align:left;"><span style="font-size:20px;">Keeping member data private and secure as requested</span></li><li style="text-align:left;"><span style="font-size:20px;">Tracking family member grouping and different membership level charges</span></li></ul></div>
</div><div data-element-id="elm_z1OzRC1yMCGYugp2GH-QDg" data-element-type="image" class="zpelement zpelem-image "><style> @media (min-width: 992px) { [data-element-id="elm_z1OzRC1yMCGYugp2GH-QDg"] .zpimage-container figure img { width: 800px ; height: 378.00px ; } } @media (max-width: 991px) and (min-width: 768px) { [data-element-id="elm_z1OzRC1yMCGYugp2GH-QDg"] .zpimage-container figure img { width:500px ; height:236.25px ; } } @media (max-width: 767px) { [data-element-id="elm_z1OzRC1yMCGYugp2GH-QDg"] .zpimage-container figure img { width:500px ; height:236.25px ; } } [data-element-id="elm_z1OzRC1yMCGYugp2GH-QDg"].zpelem-image { border-radius:1px; } </style><div data-caption-color="" data-size-tablet="" data-size-mobile="" data-align="left" data-tablet-image-separate="false" data-mobile-image-separate="false" class="zpimage-container zpimage-align-left zpimage-size-large zpimage-tablet-fallback-large zpimage-mobile-fallback-large hb-lightbox " data-lightbox-options="
                type:fullscreen,
                theme:dark"><figure role="none" class="zpimage-data-ref"><span class="zpimage-anchor" role="link" tabindex="0" aria-label="Open Lightbox" style="cursor:pointer;"><picture><img class="zpimage zpimage-style-none zpimage-space-none " src="/Screen%20Shot%202022-03-22%20at%204.06.24%20PM.png" width="500" height="236.25" loading="lazy" size="large" data-lightbox="true"/></picture></span><figcaption class="zpimage-caption zpimage-caption-align-center"><span class="zpimage-caption-content">Bigin sample contact record with list of activities (crossed out means completed activity) </span></figcaption></figure></div>
</div><div data-element-id="elm_lAVA7wxkjsp1NbJK4TrdKg" data-element-type="heading" class="zpelement zpelem-heading "><style> [data-element-id="elm_lAVA7wxkjsp1NbJK4TrdKg"].zpelem-heading { border-radius:1px; } </style><h2
 class="zpheading zpheading-style-none zpheading-align-left " data-editor="true"><span style="color:inherit;font-size:24px;">Summary</span><br></h2></div>
<div data-element-id="elm_5ShcL_0vMhPSZ_js25fxhQ" data-element-type="text" class="zpelement zpelem-text "><style> [data-element-id="elm_5ShcL_0vMhPSZ_js25fxhQ"].zpelem-text { border-radius:1px; } </style><div class="zptext zptext-align-left " data-editor="true"><div style="color:inherit;"><div style="color:inherit;"><div style="color:inherit;"><div style="color:inherit;"><div style="color:inherit;"><div><span style="color:inherit;font-size:20px;">Quinte Tennis Club (QTC) has been storing and processing their membership data in a spreadsheet for years. Prodigm introduced QTC to the possibilities of using an inexpensive Zoho Bigin CRM system.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-size:20px;"><span style="color:inherit;">Zoho Bigin is built for groups that need an easy-to-use CRM that can be set up and learned very quickly as new executive members take over roles.</span><br></span></div><br><div><span style="font-size:20px;"><span style="color:inherit;">In just two days:</span></span></div><div><ul><li><span style="color:inherit;font-size:20px;">Prodigm loaded the QTC contacts from the membership spreadsheet&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></li><li><span style="color:inherit;font-size:20px;">Created and published a membership form that automatically updated membership contact information to the CRM membership system via a &quot;smart&quot; form on the QTC website</span></li><li><span style="color:inherit;font-size:20px;">Eliminated manual update and transcription errors in the membership spreadsheet - what once took hours now takes minutes.</span></li><li><span style="color:inherit;font-size:20px;">Provided in-depth analytics reporting of membership status</span></li></ul></div><div><span style="font-size:20px;"><span style="color:inherit;"><br></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size:20px;"><span style="color:inherit;">Prodigm created task-related procedures w</span><span style="color:inherit;">ithin Bigin&nbsp;</span><span style="color:inherit;">that identify outstanding dues, trigger reminder mailings and records and confirms payment of membership dues. Part of this process includes automated templated emails for reminding past members to register and reminding the need for payment or providing confirmation that payment has been made.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size:20px;"><span style="color:inherit;"><br></span></span></div><div><span style="color:inherit;font-size:20px;">Future enhancements could include:</span></div></div><div style="color:inherit;"><ul><li><span style="font-size:20px;"><span style="color:inherit;">&nbsp;</span><span style="color:inherit;">An integrated payment/bookkeeping system</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:20px;">&nbsp;<span style="color:inherit;">Enhanced mass mailing</span><span style="color:inherit;">&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</span><span style="color:inherit;">&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</span><span style="color:inherit;">&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</span><span style="color:inherit;">&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:20px;">&nbsp;Booking system integration</span></li></ul></div></div></div></div></div></div>
</div><div data-element-id="elm_sqE3Awxh6Q2mE3YvBM078w" data-element-type="image" class="zpelement zpelem-image "><style> @media (min-width: 992px) { [data-element-id="elm_sqE3Awxh6Q2mE3YvBM078w"] .zpimage-container figure img { width: 800px ; height: 402.00px ; } } @media (max-width: 991px) and (min-width: 768px) { [data-element-id="elm_sqE3Awxh6Q2mE3YvBM078w"] .zpimage-container figure img { width:500px ; height:251.25px ; } } @media (max-width: 767px) { [data-element-id="elm_sqE3Awxh6Q2mE3YvBM078w"] .zpimage-container figure img { width:500px ; height:251.25px ; } } [data-element-id="elm_sqE3Awxh6Q2mE3YvBM078w"].zpelem-image { border-radius:1px; } </style><div data-caption-color="" data-size-tablet="" data-size-mobile="" data-align="left" data-tablet-image-separate="false" data-mobile-image-separate="false" class="zpimage-container zpimage-align-left zpimage-size-large zpimage-tablet-fallback-large zpimage-mobile-fallback-large hb-lightbox " data-lightbox-options="
                type:fullscreen,
                theme:dark"><figure role="none" class="zpimage-data-ref"><span class="zpimage-anchor" role="link" tabindex="0" aria-label="Open Lightbox" style="cursor:pointer;"><picture><img class="zpimage zpimage-style-none zpimage-space-none " src="/Screen%20Shot%202022-03-22%20at%204.05.37%20PM.png" width="500" height="251.25" loading="lazy" size="large" data-lightbox="true"/></picture></span><figcaption class="zpimage-caption zpimage-caption-align-center"><span class="zpimage-caption-content">An example of a Bigin sign up form</span></figcaption></figure></div>
</div><div data-element-id="elm_nqpOljGyW3ZtcC-gJlQaIw" data-element-type="heading" class="zpelement zpelem-heading "><style> [data-element-id="elm_nqpOljGyW3ZtcC-gJlQaIw"].zpelem-heading { border-radius:1px; } </style><h2
 class="zpheading zpheading-style-none zpheading-align-left " data-editor="true"><div style="color:inherit;"><div><span style="font-size:24px;font-weight:400;">Three Unique Problems and Solutions</span></div></div></h2></div>
<div data-element-id="elm_7RwfGAjqcw99kcj5-tv7pA" data-element-type="text" class="zpelement zpelem-text "><style> [data-element-id="elm_7RwfGAjqcw99kcj5-tv7pA"].zpelem-text { border-radius:1px; } </style><div class="zptext zptext-align-left " data-editor="true"><div style="color:inherit;"><div style="color:inherit;"><div style="color:inherit;line-height:1.2;"><div><span style="color:inherit;font-size:20px;">Problem 1: Recording multi-member family groupings as associated records in Bigin</span><br></div><div><span style="font-size:20px;"><span style="color:inherit;"><br></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size:20px;"><span style="color:inherit;">Solution: Created a sub-form link accessed at the end of the main registration form to record any number of additional family members, and created a unique field called &quot;family name&quot; that keeps these contacts associated in Bigin</span><br></span></div><br><div><span style="font-size:20px;"><span style="color:inherit;">Problem 2. Keeping track of who has paid without having an integrated payment system</span><br></span></div><br><div><span style="font-size:20px;"><span style="color:inherit;">Solution: Automatically create an open task when a membership form is submitted which when marked &quot;closed&quot; by the treasurer shows that they have paid</span><br></span></div><br><div><span style="font-size:20px;"><span style="color:inherit;">Problem 3. How to process New vs Returning members differently</span><br></span></div><br><div><span style="color:inherit;font-size:20px;">Solution: The first question of the form ask if the applicant is &quot;New&quot; or &quot;Returning&quot;, which activates and controls the logic rules of the form. The following questions conform to the needs of each member type</span></div></div></div></div></div>
</div><div data-element-id="elm_7H6cbhQzSmmuWJAZLYKaNA" data-element-type="button" class="zpelement zpelem-button "><style> [data-element-id="elm_7H6cbhQzSmmuWJAZLYKaNA"].zpelem-button{ border-radius:1px; } </style><div class="zpbutton-container zpbutton-align-center "><style type="text/css"></style><a class="zpbutton-wrapper zpbutton zpbutton-type-primary zpbutton-size-md zpbutton-style-roundcorner " href="/FastStartYourBusiness"><span class="zpbutton-content">Learn More About Bigin Set Up For Your Business</span></a></div>
</div></div></div></div></div></div> ]]></content:encoded><pubDate>Tue, 29 Mar 2022 13:01:47 -0400</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Zoho Case Study: Barlings Barn - Self Catering Holiday Rentals]]></title><link>https://www.prodigm.ca/blogs/post/case-studies</link><description><![CDATA[Barlings Barn has been established for 40 years. The owners, Felicity and Terry Margolis, purchased a tract of Welsh hillside, a dilapidated cottage with no running water or electricity. They had a vision to create something special.]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="zpcontent-container blogpost-container "><div data-element-id="elm_5H7eQyv9vVZP5tql1x59UQ" data-element-type="section" class="zpsection zpdefault-section zpdefault-section-bg "><style type="text/css"> [data-element-id="elm_5H7eQyv9vVZP5tql1x59UQ"].zpsection{ border-radius:1px; } </style><div class="zpcontainer-fluid zpcontainer"><div data-element-id="elm_TmMufCLG8D1glmhKruJVAg" data-element-type="row" class="zprow zprow-container zpalign-items-flex-start zpjustify-content-flex-start zpdefault-section zpdefault-section-bg " data-equal-column=""><style type="text/css"> [data-element-id="elm_TmMufCLG8D1glmhKruJVAg"].zprow{ border-radius:1px; } </style><div data-element-id="elm_84V6SSzkqZreepv3-i9fSg" data-element-type="column" class="zpelem-col zpcol-12 zpcol-md-6 zpcol-sm-12 zpalign-self- zpdefault-section zpdefault-section-bg "><style type="text/css"> [data-element-id="elm_84V6SSzkqZreepv3-i9fSg"].zpelem-col{ border-radius:1px; } </style><div data-element-id="elm_ZRvzHuI6GmBRDzn-6Y8fPw" data-element-type="text" class="zpelement zpelem-text "><style> [data-element-id="elm_ZRvzHuI6GmBRDzn-6Y8fPw"].zpelem-text { border-radius:1px; } </style><div class="zptext zptext-align-left " data-editor="true"><div style="color:inherit;"><div style="text-align:left;font-size:13px;width:911px;"><div style="color:inherit;"><div style="width:911px;"><div style="color:inherit;"><div style="width:911px;"><div style="color:inherit;"><div style="width:911px;"><div style="color:inherit;"><div style="width:911px;"><div style="color:inherit;"><div style="width:911px;"><div style="color:inherit;"><div style="width:911px;"><div style="color:inherit;"><div style="width:911px;"><span style="font-size:18px;">Barlings Barn - Self-Catering Holiday Rentals&nbsp;</span></div><div style="width:911px;"><span style="color:inherit;"><span style="font-size:16px;">2 users, Zoho CRM, Zoho Sites, Zoho Mail</span></span><span style="font-size:18px;"><br></span></div><div style="width:911px;"><br></div><div style="width:911px;"><span style="font-size:16px;">Executive Summary</span></div><div style="width:911px;"><span>Barlings Barn has been established for 40 years. The owners, Felicity&nbsp;</span></div><div style="width:911px;"><span>and Terry Margolis, purchased a tract of Welsh hillside, a dilapidated&nbsp;</span></div><div style="width:911px;"><span>cottage with no running water or electricity. They had a vision to create&nbsp;</span></div><div style="width:911px;"><span>something special.</span></div><div style="width:911px;"><span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></div><div style="width:911px;"><img src="/barlings.png" style="width:495.6px;height:185px;"><span style="font-size:17.8627px;"><br></span></div><div style="text-align:center;width:911px;"><br></div><div style="width:911px;"><span style="font-size:20.8324px;"><a href="https://www.barlingsbarn.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel=""></a></span></div><div style="width:911px;"><span style="font-size:16px;">Introduction</span></div><div style="width:911px;"><span>Felicity and Terry knew they needed a modern CRM to help them manage</span></div><div style="width:911px;"><span>their holiday rental property, which is a 13-bedroom facility that is&nbsp;</span></div><div style="width:911px;"><span>rented to large groups. They rentthe Welsh property to vacationers by&nbsp;</span></div><div style="width:911px;"><span>the week or weekend. They also managed twoSpanish apartment rentals,</span></div><div style="width:911px;"><span>&nbsp;until selling those in 2018.</span></div><div style="width:911px;"><span><br></span></div><div style="width:911px;"><span><br></span></div><div style="width:911px;"><span style="font-size:16px;">The Challenge</span></div><div style="width:911px;"><span>They had encountered difficulty with managing operations based on&nbsp;</span></div><div style="width:911px;"><span>spreadsheets andMS Outlook email. They also used mobile&nbsp;</span></div><div style="width:911px;"><span>communications based on a Blackberry email system. Prodigm</span></div><div style="width:911px;"><span>&nbsp;assessed the needs, the sales process and marketing integration.&nbsp;</span></div><div style="width:911px;"><span>We suggested an on-going booking system, client contact process and&nbsp;</span></div><div style="width:911px;"><span>effective data&nbsp;<span style="color:inherit;">capture.</span></span></div><div style="width:911px;"><div style="color:inherit;"><ul><li><p><span>Responding quickly to emailed inquiries with quotes and availability</span></p></li><li><p><span>Adding the booking contacts to the CRM for further stay-in-touch,&nbsp;</span></p></li><li><p><span>coordination, last minute changes, rebooking and referrals</span></p></li><li><p><span>Maintaining a web presence with a booking form</span></p></li><li><p><span>Advertising on a variety of holiday booking sites</span></p></li><li><p><span>Accounting and payroll</span></p></li><li><p><span>Banking and reconciliation</span></p></li><li><p><span style="color:inherit;">Staff coordination:&nbsp;part-time staff involved with bookings management,</span></p></li><li><p><span style="color:inherit;">forestry cleaning, laundry and marketing database building from all&nbsp;</span></p></li><li><p><span style="color:inherit;">inquiries processed</span></p></li></ul></div></div><div style="width:911px;"><div style="color:inherit;"><div style="width:911px;"><div style="color:inherit;"><span style="color:inherit;">&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></div><div style="color:inherit;"><span style="color:inherit;"><span style="font-weight:700;font-size:16px;">Implementation</span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></div><div style="color:inherit;"><div style="color:inherit;"><ul><li><p><span>Zoho CRM configuration</span></p></li><li><p><span>Data load from spreadsheets and diverse data sources</span></p></li><li><p><span>Marketing strategy</span></p></li><li><p><span>Customization</span></p></li><li><p><span>Quote management</span></p></li><li><p><span>Email integration with CRM and mobile mail</span></p></li><li><p><span style="color:inherit;">Familiarization, strategy, sales process automation</span></p></li></ul><div><span style="color:inherit;">&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></div><div><span><div><span><span style="color:inherit;"><span style="font-weight:700;font-size:16px;">Results</span>&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><br></span></div></span></div></div><div style="color:inherit;"><p><span>Barlings Barn is now fully booked for properties in the up-coming season</span></p><p><span>&nbsp;and can turn-around quotes in a fraction of the time required previously.</span></p><p><span>&nbsp;Even in the challenges of Covid19 and lockdowns, Barlings has collected</span></p><p><span>&nbsp;a record number of bookings for “staycations”. The best aspect of using&nbsp;</span></p><p><span>Zoho has been that the process continues when Terry and&nbsp;<span style="color:inherit;">Felicity travel</span></span></p><p><span><span style="color:inherit;">&nbsp;and they have distributed the administrative and marketing roles to new</span></span></p><p><span><span style="color:inherit;">&nbsp;staff.</span></span></p><p><span style="color:inherit;"><br></span></p><div style="color:inherit;"><div style="color:inherit;"><p style="margin-bottom:8pt;"><span><span style="font-weight:700;font-size:16px;">About Prodigm</span>&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></p><p style="margin-bottom:8pt;"><span style="color:inherit;">Prodigm was formed in 1992 and for the first twenty years concentrated</span></p><p style="margin-bottom:8pt;"><span style="color:inherit;">on providing leadership and innovation to larger organizations such as</span><span style="color:inherit;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="margin-bottom:8pt;"><span style="color:inherit;">insurance companies, the insurance arms of major banks and large&nbsp;</span></p><p style="margin-bottom:8pt;"><span style="color:inherit;">professional associations. We provided leading Artificial Intelligence,</span></p><p style="margin-bottom:8pt;"><span style="color:inherit;">&nbsp;CRM and marketing automation solutions that drove hundreds of millions</span></p><p style="margin-bottom:8pt;"><span style="color:inherit;">&nbsp;of dollars in Insurance policy sales for the Insurance companies and</span></p><p style="margin-bottom:8pt;"><span style="color:inherit;">&nbsp;positioned Associations as leading providers of investment management</span></p><p style="margin-bottom:8pt;"><span style="color:inherit;">&nbsp;and on-line processing abilities for self-service investment and&nbsp;</span></p><p style="margin-bottom:8pt;"><span style="color:inherit;">insurance management.</span></p><div style="color:inherit;"><p><span>&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></p><p><span>When we decided to become Zoho Partners we were passionate to&nbsp;</span></p><p><span>bring business advantages, that were previously only in the budget&nbsp;</span></p><p><span>range of very large organizations, to the smaller companies that are&nbsp;</span></p><p><span>the life-blood of the Canadian economy. It is difficult, challenging and</span></p><p><span>&nbsp;yet hugely rewarding when our customers thrive and grow.</span></p><p><span><br></span></p><p><span style="color:inherit;font-weight:700;text-align:center;">Zoho builds the software, Prodigm makes it work for you.&nbsp;</span></p><div><a href="https://www.prodigm.ca"></a><a href="https://www.prodigm.ca"><span style="font-weight:700;">www.prodigm.ca</span></a><br></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align:center;"><section style="width:171.75px;"></section></div></div></div><div style="text-align:center;"><section style="width:171.75px;"></section></div></div></div><div style="text-align:center;"><section style="width:171.75px;"></section></div></div></div><div style="text-align:center;"><section style="width:171.75px;"></section></div></div></div><div style="text-align:center;"><section style="width:171.75px;"></section></div></div></div><div style="text-align:center;"><section style="width:171.75px;"></section></div></div></div><div style="text-align:center;"><section style="width:171.75px;"></section></div></div></div><div style="font-size:13px;text-align:center;"><section style="width:171.75px;"></section></div></div></div>
</div></div><div data-element-id="elm_KD-InxLurSXFd4xCKMo8Jw" data-element-type="column" class="zpelem-col zpcol-12 zpcol-md-6 zpcol-sm-12 zpalign-self- zpdefault-section zpdefault-section-bg "><style type="text/css"> [data-element-id="elm_KD-InxLurSXFd4xCKMo8Jw"].zpelem-col{ border-radius:1px; } </style></div>
</div></div></div></div> ]]></content:encoded><pubDate>Wed, 27 Oct 2021 10:13:33 -0400</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[What do the Zoho suite of apps do for your business?]]></title><link>https://www.prodigm.ca/blogs/post/what-do-the-zoho-suite-of-apps-do-for-your-business</link><description><![CDATA[]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="zpcontent-container blogpost-container "><div data-element-id="elm_5H7eQyv9vVZP5tql1x59UQ" data-element-type="section" class="zpsection zpdefault-section zpdefault-section-bg "><style type="text/css"> [data-element-id="elm_5H7eQyv9vVZP5tql1x59UQ"].zpsection{ border-radius:1px; } </style><div class="zpcontainer-fluid zpcontainer"><div data-element-id="elm_p3VRSNX7xrnZTWdCmwNU5Q" data-element-type="row" class="zprow zprow-container zpalign-items-flex-start zpjustify-content-flex-start " data-equal-column=""><style type="text/css"></style><div data-element-id="elm_oSyJkoaiJE0NluIud5k-Rg" data-element-type="column" class="zpelem-col zpcol-12 zpcol-md-4 zpcol-sm-12 zpalign-self- zpdefault-section zpdefault-section-bg "><style type="text/css"></style><div data-element-id="elm_oJyRi_ZGpKWKgAV0HpxsCA" data-element-type="box" class="zpelem-box zpelement zpbox-container zsbox-container-style-02 zpdefault-section zpdefault-section-bg "><style type="text/css"></style><div data-element-id="elm_7ROc6WAdqJhDPCHTZzZW2Q" data-element-type="iconHeadingText" class="zpelement zpelem-iconheadingtext "><style type="text/css"> [data-element-id="elm_7ROc6WAdqJhDPCHTZzZW2Q"].zpelem-iconheadingtext{ border-radius:1px; } </style><div class="zpicon-container zpicon-align-center "><style></style><span class="zpicon zpicon-common zpicon-anchor zpicon-size-md zpicon-style-none "><svg viewBox="0 0 512 513.5" height="512" width="513.5" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><path d="M344 40h32v22.5c13.256 2.334 25.375 7.58 36 15l15-15L449.5 85l-15 15c7.42 10.625 12.666 22.744 15 36H472v32h-22.5c-2.357 13.388-7.46 25.802-15 36.5L450 221l-23.5 22-15-16c-10.494 7.212-22.48 12.208-35.5 14.5V264h-32v-22.5c-13.256-2.334-25.375-7.58-36-15l-16.5 17-23-23 17-16.5c-7.42-10.625-12.666-22.744-15-36H248v-32h22.5c2.292-13.02 7.288-25.006 14.5-35.5l-16-15L291 62l16.5 15.5c10.698-7.54 23.112-12.643 36.5-15V40zm16 53c-32.885 0-59 26.115-59 59s26.115 59 59 59 59-26.115 59-59-26.115-59-59-59zm-207.5 94.5l11.5 29c8.477-2.118 17.388-3.5 26.5-3.5 9.13 0 18.015 1.362 26.5 3.5l11.5-29 29.5 12-11.5 29c15.108 9.133 27.874 21.944 37 37l29-11.5 12 29.5-29 11.5c2.118 8.458 3.5 17.388 3.5 26.5s-1.382 18.023-3.5 26.5l29 11.5-12 29.5-29-11.5c-9.107 15.23-21.88 28.264-37 37.5l11.5 28.5-29.5 12L217 427c-8.458 2.138-17.388 3.5-26.5 3.5-9.166 0-17.972-1.345-26.5-3.5l-11.5 28.5-29.5-12 11.5-28.5c-15.37-9.23-28.246-22.145-37.5-37.5L68.5 389l-12-29.5L85 348c-2.138-8.477-3.5-17.388-3.5-26.5s1.362-18.042 3.5-26.5l-28.5-11.5 12-29.5L97 265.5c9.236-15.12 22.27-27.893 37.5-37l-11.5-29zm38 57.5c-42.605 0-77 33.895-77 76.5s34.395 77 77 77 76.5-34.395 76.5-77-33.895-76.5-76.5-76.5z"></path></svg></span><h3 class="zpicon-heading " data-editor="true">Automate</h3><div class="zpicon-text-container zpicon-text-wrap-none" data-editor="true"><p><span style="color:inherit;"></span></p><ul><li style="text-align:left;"><span style="font-size:16px;">Make your business easier to manage, more efficient and organized&nbsp;</span></li><li style="text-align:left;"><span style="font-size:16px;">Review up-to-the minute reports to show all Key Performance Indicators for immediate action.&nbsp;</span><span><span style="font-size:16px;">Y</span>ou need to know now what's happening&nbsp;<span style="font-size:16px;">now.</span></span></li><li style="text-align:left;"><span style="font-size:16px;">Respond to customer requests immediately. Automated e</span><span>vents trigger workflow processes that send emails, ask for approvals, create and assign internal tasks</span></li><li style="text-align:left;"><span style="font-size:16px;">Website forms deliver leads directly into your system for instant response and assignment of sales resource</span></li><li style="text-align:left;"><span style="font-size:16px;">Automatic scheduling of social media posts weeks in advance for consistency and brand awareness</span></li></ul></div>
</div></div></div></div><div data-element-id="elm_1sKu9_Am-VO953WO3KQGyQ" data-element-type="column" class="zpelem-col zpcol-12 zpcol-md-4 zpcol-sm-12 zpalign-self- zpdefault-section zpdefault-section-bg "><style type="text/css"></style><div data-element-id="elm_ufhAYoJTgHLEbvoCr7o-lg" data-element-type="box" class="zpelem-box zpelement zpbox-container zsbox-container-style-02 zpdefault-section zpdefault-section-bg "><style type="text/css"></style><div data-element-id="elm_DhI80RtY2drbfv4jRFWFLw" data-element-type="iconHeadingText" class="zpelement zpelem-iconheadingtext "><style type="text/css"> [data-element-id="elm_DhI80RtY2drbfv4jRFWFLw"].zpelem-iconheadingtext{ border-radius:1px; } </style><div class="zpicon-container zpicon-align-center "><style></style><span class="zpicon zpicon-common zpicon-anchor zpicon-size-md zpicon-style-none "><svg viewBox="0 0 512 513.5" height="512" width="513.5" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><path d="M109 38.5L142.5 72 120 94.5 86.5 61zm294 0L425.5 61 392 94.5 369.5 72zm-147 10c78.95-.749 144 64.436 144 143.5 0 43.29-19.986 80.986-46.5 107.5-19.809 18.394-32 42.033-32 65.5v19H320v64h-36.5c-5.553 9.55-15.715 16-27.5 16s-21.947-6.45-27.5-16H192v-96c-3.24-17.87-12.705-35.39-28-48.5-35.727-30.368-57.169-77.527-50-129.5 8.977-64.628 60.63-117.062 125.5-124.5.174-.021.326.021.5 0 5.371-.652 10.736-.95 16-1zm0 32c-4.122.059-8.285.474-12.5 1-50.102 5.566-90.999 46.09-98 96.5-5.63 40.827 11.227 76.969 39.5 101 22.21 19.038 33.99 45.573 37.5 73h70c3.768-28.672 17.507-54.937 39-75l-.5-.5c21.486-21.486 37-50.99 37-84.5 0-61.776-50.164-112.378-112-111.5zM32 192h48v32H32v-32zm400 0h48v32h-48v-32zM120 321.5l22.5 22.5-33.5 33.5L86.5 355zm272 0l33.5 33.5-22.5 22.5-33.5-33.5zM224 384v32h64v-32h-64z"></path></svg></span><h3 class="zpicon-heading " data-editor="true">Collaborate</h3><div class="zpicon-text-container zpicon-text-wrap-none" data-editor="true"><p style="text-align:left;"><span style="color:inherit;"></span></p><ul><li style="text-align:left;"><span style="font-size:16px;">One source of all data that is shared as needed, automatically stored in a secure, encrypted multi-backed up data centre</span></li><li style="text-align:left;"><span style="font-size:16px;">One login for all applications&nbsp;</span></li><li style="text-align:left;"><span style="font-size:16px;">Assign tasks to your team along with a link to the associated records</span></li><li style="text-align:left;"><span style="font-size:16px;">Increase productivity by&nbsp;</span><span><span style="font-size:16px;">m</span>aking relevant information accessible for employees as needed</span></li><li style="text-align:left;"><span style="font-size:16px;">Immediate access for customer-facing employees to all relevant information to &quot;Know Your Customer,&quot;&nbsp;</span><span><span style="font-size:16px;">to provide prospects and existing customers with a personalized experience</span></span></li></ul></div>
</div></div></div></div><div data-element-id="elm_VC78MttZ2p3p2le27lIwzg" data-element-type="column" class="zpelem-col zpcol-12 zpcol-md-4 zpcol-sm-12 zpalign-self- zpdefault-section zpdefault-section-bg "><style type="text/css"></style><div data-element-id="elm_wgBZ-g3Shb70Rpe2k8nd0Q" data-element-type="box" class="zpelem-box zpelement zpbox-container zsbox-container-style-02 zpdefault-section zpdefault-section-bg "><style type="text/css"></style><div data-element-id="elm_A2MPQdnIjY7qiPmSmuNKuQ" data-element-type="iconHeadingText" class="zpelement zpelem-iconheadingtext "><style type="text/css"> [data-element-id="elm_A2MPQdnIjY7qiPmSmuNKuQ"].zpelem-iconheadingtext{ border-radius:1px; } </style><div class="zpicon-container zpicon-align-center "><style></style><span class="zpicon zpicon-common zpicon-anchor zpicon-size-md zpicon-style-none "><svg viewBox="0 0 1792 1792" height="1792" width="1792" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><path d="M192 1664h288v-288H192v288zm352 0h320v-288H544v288zm-352-352h288V992H192v320zm352 0h320V992H544v320zM192 928h288V640H192v288zm736 736h320v-288H928v288zM544 928h320V640H544v288zm768 736h288v-288h-288v288zm-384-352h320V992H928v320zM576 448V160q0-13-9.5-22.5T544 128h-64q-13 0-22.5 9.5T448 160v288q0 13 9.5 22.5T480 480h64q13 0 22.5-9.5T576 448zm736 864h288V992h-288v320zM928 928h320V640H928v288zm384 0h288V640h-288v288zm32-480V160q0-13-9.5-22.5T1312 128h-64q-13 0-22.5 9.5T1216 160v288q0 13 9.5 22.5t22.5 9.5h64q13 0 22.5-9.5t9.5-22.5zm384-64v1280q0 52-38 90t-90 38H192q-52 0-90-38t-38-90V384q0-52 38-90t90-38h128v-96q0-66 47-113T480 0h64q66 0 113 47t47 113v96h384v-96q0-66 47-113t113-47h64q66 0 113 47t47 113v96h128q52 0 90 38t38 90z"></path></svg></span><h3 class="zpicon-heading " data-editor="true">Manage</h3><div class="zpicon-text-container zpicon-text-wrap-none" data-editor="true"><p><span style="color:inherit;"></span></p><ul><li style="text-align:left;"><span style="font-size:16px;">Have additional time to do the &quot;more important things&quot;</span></li><li style="text-align:left;"><span style="font-size:16px;">Welcome growth because additional volume is no problem</span></li><li style="text-align:left;"><span style="font-size:16px;">Coordinate sales teams in any location</span></li><li style="text-align:left;"><span style="font-size:16px;">Process real-time information from your entire business suite</span></li><li style="text-align:left;"><span style="font-size:16px;">At-a-glance graphic representation of key trends&nbsp;</span></li><li style="text-align:left;"><span style="font-size:16px;">Encourage remote workers with tools that support productivity and results&nbsp;</span></li></ul></div>
</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div> ]]></content:encoded><pubDate>Tue, 29 Jun 2021 11:19:25 -0400</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Everybody Wins - Helping Your Salespeople Perform]]></title><link>https://www.prodigm.ca/blogs/post/Everybody-Wins-Helping-Your-Salespeople-Perform</link><description><![CDATA[Sales is the cornerstone of every business. &nbsp; If we’re not selling, money isn’t coming in, and if money isn’t coming in, there is no business. Whil ]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="zpcontent-container blogpost-container "><div data-element-id="elm_x9ljUXgFRImGFqQpG1ijyg" data-element-type="section" class="zpsection "><style type="text/css"></style><div class="zpcontainer-fluid zpcontainer"><div data-element-id="elm_rN5_D1fnSmutpgDiNCRsBA" data-element-type="row" class="zprow zprow-container zpalign-items- zpjustify-content- " data-equal-column=""><style type="text/css"></style><div data-element-id="elm_2PO5YlOxS7u55rTf4sV6Vw" data-element-type="column" class="zpelem-col zpcol-12 zpcol-md-8 zpcol-sm-12 zpalign-self- "><style type="text/css"></style><div data-element-id="elm_ISwjyh4VRb2ZwwfZFCC07A" data-element-type="text" class="zpelement zpelem-text "><style></style><div class="zptext zptext-align-left " data-editor="true"><div><span style="color:rgb(89, 89, 89);font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:20px;font-weight:bold;">Sales is the cornerstone of every business.</span><span style="color:rgb(89, 89, 89);font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:large;">&nbsp;</span><br></div><div><p class="p1"><font color="#595959" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="4"><br></font></p><p class="p1"><font color="#595959" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="4">If we’re not selling, money isn’t coming in, and if money isn’t coming in, there is no business. While holding salespeople accountable is fair, are we as businesses doing everything we can to help them get to their goals?&nbsp;<br></font></p><div><font color="#595959" size="4"><span><br></span></font></div><div><font size="4"><span><font color="#595959">Here are some ways in which we can support our sales force in bringing their best game, so we, as an organization, win all round.</font></span><p class="p1"><span></span></p></font><p></p></div></div><div><font size="4"><span><font color="#595959"><br></font></span></font></div><div><p><span></span></p><div><p></p><div><p></p><div><p></p><div><p></p><div><p></p><div><p></p><div><p></p><div><p></p><font color="#595959"><b style="font-size:11px;font-family:avenir;"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="4"><span style="font-size:20px;">Find the right people</span></font></b></font></div><div><font color="#595959"><b><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:20px;"><br></span></b></font><ol class="ol1"></ol><p class="p1"><font color="#595959" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="4">Not everyone can be a successful salesperson. A good sales team complements one another and consist of individuals who have the inventiveness, capacity, and tenacity to approach and close a sale. Don’t put your sales team together lightly. Invest time in finding the right people for the job.</font></p><p class="p1"><font color="#595959" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="4"><br></font></p><p></p></div><p></p></div><p></p></div><p></p></div><p></p></div><p></p></div><p></p></div><p></p></div><p></p></div><div><p><span></span></p><div><p></p><div><p></p><div><p></p><div><p></p><div><p></p><div><p></p><div><p></p><div><p></p><font color="#595959"><b><span style="font-size:20px;">Make sure they are up for the task.</span></b></font></div><div><font color="#595959"><span style="font-size:20px;font-weight:700;"><br></span></font><ol class="ol1"></ol><p class="p1"><font color="#595959" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="4">Training is the next piece of the puzzle. Making sure your sales teams are well trained to sell on behalf of your company. Many organizations committed to excellence have one thing in common – they are dedicated to investing in the people who represent their brand. Training in different forms, from strategic to technical, along with rewards that incorporate a learning model is a great way to make sure everybody wins! </font></p><p class="p1"><font color="#595959" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="4"><br></font></p><p></p></div><p></p></div><p></p></div><p></p></div><p></p></div><p></p></div><p></p></div><p></p></div><p></p></div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><b><font color="#595959" size="4"><span style="font-size:20px;">Help them prioritize&nbsp;</span><br></font></b></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><b><font color="#595959" size="4"><br></font></b></div><div><span><font color="#595959" size="4">Sales staff need to be fully on-board with your strategy as a business. Ensure that the company’s goals are understood and their impact on the sales proposition is clear. Setting strong goals and outlining how they will be tracked is a good place to start building accountability with teams. Make sure that your performance reviews feed into your process. Giving employees the feedback they need on an ongoing basis is more likely to get you results than formal, once-a-year meetings. Make all metrics that will count as KPIs , clear up front.</font></span><p class="p1"><span></span></p><p></p></div></div></div><div><span><font color="#595959" size="4"><br></font></span></div><div><p><span></span></p><div><p></p><div><p></p><div><p></p><div><p></p><div><p></p><div><p></p><div><p></p><div><p></p><font color="#595959" size="4"><b><span style="font-size:20px;">Give them access to the information they need.</span></b></font></div><div><font color="#595959"><span style="font-size:20px;font-weight:700;"><br></span></font><ol class="ol1"></ol><p class="p1"><font color="#595959" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="4">For inbound leads, sales teams need systems, processes, and tools to do their jobs efficiently, especially when they are on the road. Ensure they have access to product information, as well as updated pricing and inventory information, in real time. For outbound teams, ensure they have qualified leads, target profiles, clear priorities, and the technology they need to nurture and feed content into their prospecting.&nbsp;</font></p><p class="p1"><font color="#595959" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="4"><br></font></p><p class="p1"><font color="#595959" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="4">When all this information is available in a format that works across devices, remotely, your sales teams will spend a lot less time looking for information and more time making sure the customer requesting it has it. This spells more effective conversions.</font></p><p class="p1"><font color="#595959" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="4"><br></font></p><p></p></div><p></p></div><p></p></div><p></p></div><p></p></div><p></p></div><p></p></div><p></p></div><p></p></div><div><p><span style="font-size:large;font-weight:700;color:rgb(64, 64, 64);">Use your CRM effectively to help Salespeople sell.</span><br></p></div><div><p><font color="#404040"><span><font size="4"><br></font></span></font></p><p><font color="#404040"><span><font size="4">With a few focused efforts, we can all get more out of our sales processes. The easiest way to get started on this process is to use a CRM that works for you, if you aren’t already.&nbsp;</font></span></font></p><p><font color="#404040"><font size="4"><br></font></font></p><p><font color="#404040"><font size="4">An integrated CRM offers many benefits at relatively low costs. And there’s only one sure way to get everything you can from your CRM. Learn to use it well!&nbsp;</font></font></p><p><font color="#404040"><font size="4"><br></font></font></p><p><font color="#404040"><font size="4">Take our two-day course designed for business owners, executives, and sales management professionals - <i>Mastering CRM Implementation and Configuration Strategies</i>. It teaches you all you need to know about using cloud-based CRMs to increase business. We’ll even help you apply for a <a alt="Canada-Ontario Skills training grant" href="http://www.tcu.gov.on.ca/eng/eopg/cojg/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="Canada-Ontario Skills training grant">Canada-Ontario Skills training grant</a>, if you are eligible, and give you access to the latest version of our tool! Fill out the form online, <b>call 416 564 1446</b>, or&nbsp;<b>email <a href="mailto:sales@prodigm.ca?subject=" target="_self" title="sales@prodigm.ca">sales@prodigm.ca</a></b>&nbsp;for more information</font></font></p></div></div>
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</div></div></div></div> ]]></content:encoded><pubDate>Fri, 03 Nov 2017 00:14:18 -0400</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[More Improvements from Zoho Writer]]></title><link>https://www.prodigm.ca/blogs/post/More-Improvements-from-Zoho-Writer</link><description><![CDATA[ust when you thought Zoho Writer couldn't get any better (i.e the bulked up mail carrier, it's integration with WordPress and the new iOS and Android ]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="zpcontent-container blogpost-container "><div data-element-id="elm_RV3tdvz4S0Cj2NetSq8twg" data-element-type="section" class="zpsection "><style type="text/css"></style><div class="zpcontainer-fluid zpcontainer"><div data-element-id="elm_R52k8QQjTEWZ43hzJxC2jw" data-element-type="row" class="zprow zprow-container zpalign-items- zpjustify-content- " data-equal-column=""><style type="text/css"></style><div data-element-id="elm_lFlNA7YqSFCtPAQIhiFUQg" data-element-type="column" class="zpelem-col zpcol-12 zpcol-md-8 zpcol-sm-12 zpalign-self- "><style type="text/css"></style><div data-element-id="elm_ngfE_Wt9RLy5i_3jKGu4tg" data-element-type="text" class="zpelement zpelem-text "><style></style><div class="zptext zptext-align-center " data-editor="true"><div><div><p style="text-align:left;"><span><font size="4">ust when you thought Zoho Writer couldn't get any better (i.e the bulked up mail carrier, it's integration with WordPress and the new iOS and Android apps), it does. Zoho just announced two additional document formatting options to help make Writer adapt better to the way you work. Here is a summary of those enhancements.</font></span></p><p style="text-align:left;"><span><font size="4"><br></font></span></p></div></div><div><div><p style="text-align:left;"><span><span style="font-size:14pt;"><span><span style="font-size:14pt;font-weight:bold;">Collaborative code snippet</span></span><br></span></span></p><p style="text-align:left;"><span><span style="font-size:14pt;"><span><span style="font-size:14pt;font-weight:bold;"><br></span></span></span></span></p><p style="text-align:left;"><span><span style="font-size:14pt;">Identified from the expressed need of Developers, Zoho has now introduced a code integration tool with Writer. Previously, Developers were inserting their code into documents and then using the comments tool to discuss it, while others would just use it to document their code. Based off of this, Zoho now works in 13 common coding languages (C to Swift, etc.) and combines this with Writer's full-featured word processing capabilities. This integration now allows users to access their knowledge base on the cloud, from any device and from any location.</span></span></p><p style="text-align:left;"><br></p></div></div><div><div><p class="zw-paragraph" style="text-align:left;text-indent:0in;"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><b>Quotes</b></span></p><p class="zw-paragraph" style="text-align:left;text-indent:0in;"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><b><br></b></span></p><p class="zw-paragraph" style="text-align:left;text-indent:0in;"><span style="font-size:14pt;">In addition to the Collaborative code snippet, Zoho has also introduced an easier way to&nbsp;</span><span style="font-weight:bold;font-size:14pt;"></span><span style="font-size:14pt;">insert quotes or excerpts from your favourite writers, and quickly give it a style that stands out.</span><span style="font-weight:bold;font-size:14pt;">&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size:14pt;">Default paragraph styles in Writer (Heading 1, Heading 2 etc.) now have a new&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size:14pt;">Quote</span><span style="font-size:14pt;"> option, and it’s compatible with MS Word, creating some graceful and simple quote designs for to use.</span></p><p></p></div></div>
<div><div style="text-align:left;float:left;width:100%;margin-bottom:2px;"><img src="http://prodigm.zohosites.com/files/Quote-designs-2.png" style="width:100%;margin-right:5px;padding:0px;background:transparent;"><div style="float:left;width:100%;margin:0px auto;"></div></div></div><div><p style="text-align:left;"><font size="4"><b>For more information on these updates please contact&nbsp;<a href="/contact" title="Prodigm">Prodigm</a>&nbsp;directly.&nbsp;</b></font></p></div></div>
</div></div><div data-element-id="elm_IiRfNVflLrPQO3BvX40V1A" data-element-type="column" class="zpelem-col zpcol-12 zpcol-md-4 zpcol-sm-12 zpalign-self- zpdefault-section zpdefault-section-bg "><style type="text/css"></style></div>
</div></div></div></div> ]]></content:encoded><pubDate>Fri, 03 Nov 2017 00:10:20 -0400</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[5 Ways to Generate a Quality List of Leads]]></title><link>https://www.prodigm.ca/blogs/post/5-Ways-to-Generate-a-Quality-List-of-Leads</link><description><![CDATA[Tried and tested lead-gen strategies that work Consumer behaviour has changed significantly in only a few years, and marketers must keep up to stay in ]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="zpcontent-container blogpost-container "><div data-element-id="elm_BDyMwYQgQaqzVyt0A39VEw" data-element-type="section" class="zpsection "><style type="text/css"></style><div class="zpcontainer-fluid zpcontainer"><div data-element-id="elm_9ndBVKk6T122jH2knBcVqQ" data-element-type="row" class="zprow zprow-container zpalign-items- zpjustify-content- " data-equal-column=""><style type="text/css"></style><div data-element-id="elm_ERLgXeEhRBmsV_eEWEEjEw" data-element-type="column" class="zpelem-col zpcol-12 zpcol-md-8 zpcol-sm-12 zpalign-self- "><style type="text/css"></style><div data-element-id="elm_weGvZdAiRAO4AxsVKc0a5A" data-element-type="text" class="zpelement zpelem-text "><style></style><div class="zptext zptext-align-center " data-editor="true"><div><div style="text-align:left;float:left;width:100%;margin-bottom:2px;"><b style="color:inherit;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:20px;">Tried and tested lead-gen strategies that work</span></b></div></div><div style="text-align:left;float:left;width:100%;margin-bottom:2px;"><b style="color:inherit;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:20px;"><br></span></b></div><div><p class="p1" style="text-align:left;"><br></p><p class="p1"><span><i><b><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3"></font></b></i></span></p><p class="p1" style="text-align:left;"><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3">Consumer behaviour has changed significantly in only a few years, and marketers must keep up to stay in the game. Consumer demands have transformed the way the purchase cycle is navigated today. The traditional ‘funnel’ is no longer the only way to look at things. This has made it imperative for marketers to review their lead-gen strategies and make them more current and effective.</font></p><p class="p1" style="text-align:left;"><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3"><br></font></p><font size="3"></font><p class="p1" style="text-align:left;"><span><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3">58% of B2B marketers are looking to generate higher-quality leads. Let’s have a quick look at some of the simple, and budget-friendly ways in which you can generate, and nurture, high-quality leads for your business.</font></span></p><div style="text-align:left;"><br></div><p></p><p></p></div><div><div><p style="text-align:left;"><font size="3"><b style="text-align:justify;"><span style="font-size:20px;">Tap into the power of referrals</span></b><br></font></p><p style="text-align:left;"><font size="3"><b style="text-align:justify;"><br></b></font></p><ol class="ol1" style="text-align:left;"></ol><p class="p1" style="text-align:left;"><span><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3">Make the most of your database of happy customers by rewarding them when they refer a new customer. Recognize your customers who bring the most value; this is the select group of your customers that not only contributes most to your sales but also provide quality referrals. Now, develop targeted marketing campaigns, with incentives, for this group of people.</font></span></p><p class="p1" style="text-align:left;"><span><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3"><br></font></span></p><p></p></div></div><div><div><p style="text-align:left;"><font size="3"><b style="text-align:justify;"><span style="font-size:20px;">Use SEO tactics effectively</span></b><br></font></p><p style="text-align:left;"><font size="3"><b style="text-align:justify;"><br></b></font></p><ol class="ol1" style="text-align:left;"></ol><p class="p1" style="text-align:left;"><span><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3">Nearly 90% of all consumers begin their purchase cycle by finding out about the product or service they need on Google. SEO can help improve the visibility of your website on Google and other search engines. Using the right keywords, especially those that might have been ignored by your competitors, can place you in the top listings on search engines. That way, when a lead is looking for a product or service you offer, your business is the first option they find.</font></span></p><p class="p1" style="text-align:left;"><span><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3"><br></font></span></p><p></p></div></div><div><div><p style="text-align:left;"><font size="3"><b style="text-align:justify;"><span style="font-size:20px;">Offer a sneak peek with informative webinars</span></b><br></font></p><p style="text-align:left;"><font size="3"><b style="text-align:justify;"><br></b></font></p><ol class="ol1" style="text-align:left;"></ol><p class="p2" style="text-align:left;"><span><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3">Connecting with prospects is a great way to foster productive engagement and improve sales potential. Webinars enable you to discuss relevant information with customers and answer their queries immediately. They allow you to present slideshows as well as chat live with your leads. Using webinars as a lead-gen tool can help you instill trust and build a rapport with the lead at the start of the cycle, cost-effectively.</font></span></p><p class="p2" style="text-align:left;"><span><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3"><br></font></span></p><p></p></div></div><div><div><p style="text-align:left;"><font size="3"><b style="text-align:justify;"><span style="font-size:20px;">Outsource the lead-gen responsibility</span></b><br></font></p><p style="text-align:left;"><font size="3"><b style="text-align:justify;"><span style="font-size:20px;"><br></span></b></font></p><ol class="ol1" style="text-align:left;"></ol><p class="p2" style="text-align:left;"><span><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3">Many marketers find it worthwhile to engage an agency that focuses on lead generation strategies. These agencies act as vendors, helping a marketing team run campaigns, and supply the number of leads that a business requires for a fee. Additionally, you can buy prospect lists that fit your target customer profile.</font></span></p><p class="p2" style="text-align:left;"><span><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3"><br></font></span></p><p></p></div></div><div><p style="text-align:left;"><font size="3"><b style="text-align:justify;"><span style="font-size:20px;">Build in-house lead-gen capacity through automation</span></b><br></font></p><p style="text-align:left;"><font size="3"><b style="text-align:justify;"><span style="font-size:20px;"><br></span></b></font></p><ol class="ol1" style="text-align:left;"></ol><p class="p2" style="text-align:left;"><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3">Marketing automation software is complete with sales prospecting and lead scoring functionalities that not only help you find quality leads but also qualify them based on their potential. The prospecting features can help you target leads that fit your ideal customer profile. Lead scoring automatically classifies these new leads by their inclination and capacity to buy your offerings. Together, these two features can save a significant amount of time and money.</font></p><p class="p3" style="text-align:left;"><span></span><br></p><p class="p1" style="text-align:left;"><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3">To create augmented and targeted leads, a marketer needs the right tools. Find out how our cloud-based CRM training can help you put in place, or improve, your sales process. <a href="/contact" title="Contact us">Contact us</a> to learn how we can help you achieve the integration and process required to automate lead conversion.</font></p><p class="p1" style="text-align:left;"><br></p><p></p></div></div>
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</div></div></div></div> ]]></content:encoded><pubDate>Fri, 11 Aug 2017 18:27:12 -0400</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[5 Growth Hacks for First-Time Entrepreneurs]]></title><link>https://www.prodigm.ca/blogs/post/5-Growth-Hacks-for-First-time-Entrepreneurs</link><description><![CDATA[Use These Strategies to Grow Your Business With a robust set of unconventional marketing strategies, you can push your business to the next level by ge ]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="zpcontent-container blogpost-container "><div data-element-id="elm_6tpLTTRLTS2dsnZ-fAdvgg" data-element-type="section" class="zpsection "><style type="text/css"></style><div class="zpcontainer-fluid zpcontainer"><div data-element-id="elm_Ghm-38N7Q_WfIQnlXa14Ow" data-element-type="row" class="zprow zprow-container zpalign-items- zpjustify-content- " data-equal-column=""><style type="text/css"></style><div data-element-id="elm_pgP-oMOIRdaSdLqV90VCdQ" data-element-type="column" class="zpelem-col zpcol-12 zpcol-md-8 zpcol-sm-12 zpalign-self- "><style type="text/css"></style><div data-element-id="elm_MkCQps3ZS-q8XuHQEroTXw" data-element-type="text" class="zpelement zpelem-text "><style></style><div class="zptext zptext-align-center " data-editor="true"><div><div style="text-align:left;width:100%;margin-bottom:2px;"><span style="font-family:Lato, sans-serif;font-size:20px;font-weight:700;color:rgb(1, 58, 81);">Use These Strategies to Grow Your Business</span></div></div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><p class="p1" style="text-align:left;"><span style="color:rgb(105, 105, 105);font-size:20px;font-weight:700;font-family:Lato, sans-serif;"><br></span></p><p class="p1"><i><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3"></font></i></p><p class="p1" style="text-align:left;"><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3">With a robust set of unconventional marketing strategies, you can push your business to the next level by generating better revenues, getting more customers, and staying ahead of competition easily. These strategies, or growth hacks, help your business create a strong foothold for itself right at the start, ensuring its sustained growth in the future.</font></p><p class="p1" style="text-align:left;"><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3"><br></font></p><font size="3"><p class="p1" style="text-align:left;"><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3">Unlock the true potential of your business with these growth hacks that will help you entice leads, engage with prospects, generate sales, and nurture customer relationships.</font></p><p class="p1" style="text-align:left;"><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3"><br></font></p></font><p></p><p></p></div><p></p><p></p></div><p></p><p></p></div><p></p><p></p></div><p></p><p></p></div><p></p><p></p></div><p></p><p></p></div><p></p><p></p></div><p></p><p></p></div><p></p><p></p></div><p></p><p></p></div><p></p><p></p></div><p></p><p></p></div><div><div><p></p><div><p></p><div><p></p><div><p></p><div><p></p><div><p></p><div><p></p><div><p></p><div><p></p><div><p></p><div><p></p><div><p></p><div><p></p><b><div style="text-align:left;"><b><font size="3"><span style="font-size:20px;">Create Quality Content</span></font></b></div></b><p></p></div><div style="text-align:left;"><b><font size="3"><span style="font-size:20px;"><br></span></font></b></div><p></p></div><p></p></div><p></p></div><p></p></div><p></p></div><p></p></div><p></p></div><p></p></div><p></p></div><p></p></div><p></p></div><p></p></div></div><div><div><p><span><font size="3"></font></span></p><p class="p1" style="text-align:left;"><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><font size="3">Many marketers share great content in various forms but fail to use it to drive sales. Creating captivating content through blogs, eBooks, website pages and other content-driven communication tools must be supported by measurable ways of converting your readers into leads.&nbsp;</font></font></p><p class="p1" style="text-align:left;"><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><font size="3"><br></font></font></p><p class="p1" style="text-align:left;"><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><font size="3">With a huge surge in the popularity of video over the past decade, one that is easy enough to understand given the move from desktop to mobile computing, investing in generating video content that is informative and accountable is almost a necessity today.</font><font size="1">1</font><font size="3"> The right mix of content will not only bring in more leads but also educate them about the category in which you play. Convert the audience that consumes your content into leads through compelling CTAs, opt-ins, newsletters and gated landing pages for content downloads.</font></font></p><p class="p1" style="text-align:left;"><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><font size="3"><br></font></font></p><p></p></div></div><div><p></p><b><div style="text-align:left;"><div style="text-align:left;"><b><font size="3"><span style="font-size:20px;">Watch Your Competition Closely</span></font></b></div><div><b><font size="3"><span style="font-size:20px;"><br></span></font></b></div></div></b><p></p></div><div><div><p><span></span></p><p class="p1" style="text-align:left;"><span><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3">At the early stages of your business, competition is extra important to watch. It is one of your best avenues for learning. Competition is a healthy reality of business and can provide vital lessons from the industry that can lead to consistent improvement in products and services. Stay on top of the key moves your main competitors are making. If a strategy works well for an established player, a variation on the theme might be worth considering. </font></span></p><p class="p1" style="text-align:left;"><span><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3"><br></font></span></p><p></p></div></div><div><div><p style="text-align:left;"><font size="3"><b style="text-align:justify;"><span style="font-size:20px;">Automate Your Social Media Marketing</span></b><br></font></p><p style="text-align:left;"><font size="3"><b style="text-align:justify;"><span style="font-size:20px;"><br></span></b></font></p><ol class="ol1" style="text-align:left;"></ol><p class="p1" style="text-align:left;"><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3">Though highly effective, social media can be time-consuming since it’s ‘on’ 24/7. Take advantage of social media automation tools (like <span>Zoho Social</span>), and services, to help you increase your pool of followers, schedule content at times that are most effective, devise formulas, and more. However, remember to keep your content engaging and relevant to your audience.</font></p><p class="p1" style="text-align:left;"><span><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3"><br></font></span></p><p></p></div></div><div><div><p style="text-align:left;"><font size="3"><b style="text-align:justify;"><span style="font-size:20px;">Don’t be Afraid to Experiment</span></b><br></font></p><p style="text-align:left;"><font size="3"><b style="text-align:justify;"><span style="font-size:20px;"><br></span></b></font></p><ol class="ol1" style="text-align:left;"></ol><p class="p1" style="text-align:left;"><span><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3">Consumers quickly tire when they are told about the same offering, in the same way, using the same media. Try different online and offline promotion techniques to reach your target market and increase conversions. The right promotional mix can boost your sales relatively soon while building enduring relationships with customers over time. Even simple changes to your messaging strategy (testing more than one message on social channels for example) can appeal more to your audience, and drive sales.</font></span></p><p class="p1" style="text-align:left;"><span><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3"><br></font></span></p><p></p></div></div><div><p><span></span></p><div><p></p><div><p></p><div><p></p><div><p></p><div><p></p><div><p></p><div><p></p><div><p></p><div><p></p><div><p></p><div><p></p><div><p></p><b style="text-align:justify;"><div style="text-align:left;"><b><font size="3"><span style="font-size:20px;">Be Everywhere!</span></font></b></div></b><div><div style="text-align:left;"><font size="3"><b><br></b></font></div><ol class="ol1" style="text-align:left;"></ol><p class="p1" style="text-align:left;"><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3">Use PR strategies and good, old-fashioned networking effectively to stay top-of-mind. Host podcasts, webinars, and events as well as participate in industry conferences and trade fairs to boost your brand’s presence. Look for opportunities at face-to-face interactions to generate leads through referrals.</font></p><p></p></div></div><div><p></p></div></div><div><p></p></div></div><div><p></p></div></div><div><p></p></div></div><div><p></p></div></div><div><p></p></div></div><div><p></p></div></div><div><p></p></div></div><div><p></p></div></div><div><p></p></div></div><div><p></p></div></div><div><p></p></div></div><div><p><span></span></p><p class="p1" style="text-align:left;"><span><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3">CRM software can help you know your current and potential customers from multiple contact points. These include: notes about meetings or phone calls, social interactions, email exchanges, mass email opens and clicks, conversion and loyalty communication strategies you have initiated, and surveys they have completed. CRM also keeps track of any documents you have exchanged including the contracts and proposals you have initiated, any complaint tickets you have processed, with a record of the person in your organization that has communicated with the customer in question. Further, you can keep track of past events and future planned meetings, outstanding and completed tasks, current and historical sales opportunities and stages, invoicing totals and payment status, as well as specific product interests expressed.</font></span></p><p class="p1" style="text-align:left;"><span><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3"><br></font></span></p><p class="p1"><span><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3"></font></span></p><p class="p1" style="text-align:left;"><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3">A CRM is everything you know about everyone you know and what you plan to do about it! The key lies in learning how to get the most out of it. <a href="/contact" title="Contact us">Contact us</a> to find out how our cloud-based CRM training can help.</font></p><p class="p1" style="text-align:left;"><br></p><p></p><p></p></div></div>
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</div></div></div></div> ]]></content:encoded><pubDate>Fri, 11 Aug 2017 09:37:25 -0400</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Resell, Don’t Sell!]]></title><link>https://www.prodigm.ca/blogs/post/Resell-dont-sell</link><description><![CDATA[Four compelling reasons why existing customers are&nbsp; a more lucrative target group than new customers What is the biggest strength of a marketer? Wi ]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="zpcontent-container blogpost-container "><div data-element-id="elm_Fjb8L8vnSxayiQ2SXwp-tQ" data-element-type="section" class="zpsection "><style type="text/css"></style><div class="zpcontainer-fluid zpcontainer"><div data-element-id="elm_lC47wOA8SfuYxcoiVXo6fQ" data-element-type="row" class="zprow zprow-container zpalign-items- zpjustify-content- " data-equal-column=""><style type="text/css"></style><div data-element-id="elm_8_vCfh9HSYqK8gFfldpuiQ" data-element-type="column" class="zpelem-col zpcol-12 zpcol-md-8 zpcol-sm-12 zpalign-self- "><style type="text/css"></style><div data-element-id="elm_IWHzQQF4QFSEJf_PUuyohQ" data-element-type="text" class="zpelement zpelem-text "><style></style><div class="zptext zptext-align-center " data-editor="true"><div><h6><span style="font-family:Lato, sans-serif;"><font size="3"><i><b><font color="#696969"></font></b></i></font></span></h6><h6 style="text-align:left;"><br></h6></div><div><p><span><font color="#595959" size="3"></font></span></p><p class="p1"><font color="#595959" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3"><span></span></font></p><span><div><div style="text-align:left;"><span style="font-size:20px;font-weight:700;">Four compelling reasons why existing customers are&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size:20px;font-weight:700;">a more lucrative target group than new customers</span></div></div><div style="text-align:left;"><span style="font-size:medium;"><br></span></div><div style="text-align:left;"><span style="font-size:medium;">What is the biggest strength of a marketer? Without a doubt, it’s the ability to understand the needs of a prospective customer and fulfill them seamlessly. As a good marketer then you likely have a pool of customers whose needs you’ve understood, and delivered to. That, right there, is your ideal prospect. You’ve already converted them; now see what else you can do for them.</span></div></span><div style="text-align:left;"><span><font size="3"><br></font></span></div><div style="text-align:left;"><font size="3">Very often, an existing customer has purchased only one of your products or services. Chances are they don’t know what more you can offer. Nobody is actively looking for ways to spend money! When marketing your products and services to your existing customers, who likely already believe in you, you could boost your sales exponentially. Even a 5% increase in customer retention can lead to a 25% rise in profitability.</font><font color="#595959" size="1">1<br></font></div></div><div style="text-align:left;"><font color="#595959" size="1"><br></font></div><div><h6><span><b><span style="font-style:italic;font-family:Lato, sans-serif;"><font color="#696969" size="3"></font></span><p class="p1" style="text-align:left;"><font color="#696969" size="3"><b><span style="font-size:20px;font-family:Lato, sans-serif;">Here’s why we advise you concentrate a significant portion&nbsp;</span></b></font></p><p class="p1" style="text-align:left;"><font color="#696969" size="3"><b><span style="font-size:20px;font-family:Lato, sans-serif;">of your marketing efforts on existing customers.</span></b></font></p><p class="p1" style="font-style:italic;text-align:left;"><span><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3"><span><i><b><br></b></i></span></font></span></p></b></span></h6></div><div><div><h6><div style="text-align:left;"><b style="color:rgb(105, 105, 105);font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:medium;text-align:justify;">#1 - Cost of retention versus cost of acquisition</b></div><span><ol class="ol1" style="text-align:left;"></ol></span></h6></div></div><div><div><p><span></span></p><p class="p1" style="text-align:left;"><span><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3">While gaining new customers could be extremely motivating, nurturing your brand’s relationship with existing customers is far more financially rewarding. Studies reveal that the cost of retaining existing customers can be up to seven times lower than the cost of acquiring new customers.<span><span style="text-align:justify;font-size:11px;">2</span></span> Marketing to existing customers reduces costs by eliminating a significant chunk of business development expenses.</font></span></p><p class="p1" style="text-align:left;"><span><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3"><br></font></span></p><p></p></div></div><div><div><h5><span></span></h5><h6 style="text-align:left;"><b style="text-align:justify;background-color:transparent;"><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3">#2 - Reduced marketing efforts</font></b><br></h6></div></div><div><div><p><span></span></p><p class="p1" style="text-align:left;"><span><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3">As your existing customers have already experienced your brand, your team must devise strategies to build the loyalty of these customers to promote repeated purchases. This can be done by using targeted strategies such as loyalty cards, direct mail and subscriptions much of which also lend themselves well to automation.</font></span></p><p class="p1" style="text-align:left;"><span><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3"><br></font></span></p><p></p></div></div><div><div><h6><div style="text-align:left;"><b style="text-align:justify;"><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3">#3 - Clearly defined target customers = more effective communication</font></b></div><span><ol class="ol1" style="text-align:left;"></ol></span></h6></div></div><div><div><p><span></span></p><p class="p1" style="text-align:left;"><span><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3">When your business is frequented by the same set of customers, you can make fairly specific inferences about the groups of people that you cater to. This will help you customize your marketing to deliver exactly the kind of messaging customers would like to hear at different points of the in their purchasing cycle. You can then employ automated stay-in-touch strategies using the segmentation of existing customers within your CRM, which is automatically two-way synced with the mass emailing automation process. Smart automation would intuitively send the first email in a series to a new customer while sending the 55<sup>th</sup> email within the series to a different customer who might’ve been around for a while.</font></span></p><p class="p1" style="text-align:left;"><span><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3"><br></font></span></p><p></p></div></div><div><div><h6><div style="text-align:left;"><b style="text-align:justify;"><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3">#4 - Word of mouth publicity</font></b></div><span><ol class="ol1" style="text-align:left;"></ol></span></h6></div></div><div><p><span></span></p><p class="p1" style="text-align:left;"><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3">A happy customer is a brand ambassador for your business. When you know what they have previously purchased and offer them other relevant products and services that might be useful, they consider your cross-selling and up-selling efforts good customer care. This leads to customer delight. A loyal customer refers 50% more people than one-time buyers.</font><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">3</font></p><p class="p1" style="text-align:left;"><span><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3"><br></font></span></p><p class="p3" style="text-align:left;"><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3">To get the most out of your existing pool of customers, you need to understand their needs, preferably in real time. CRM software helps you do just that. It streamlines customer services, organizes information flows and helps you closely monitor the pulse of your consumer. Find out how a cloud-based CRM can help your team work smarter and improve customer retention. <a href="/Training" title="Our training">Our training</a> can help you get the most out of your CRM platform.</font></p><p class="p3" style="text-align:left;"><span><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3"><br></font></span></p><p class="p3"><span></span></p><p class="p1" style="text-align:left;"><a href="https://hbr.org/2014/10/the-value-of-keeping-the-right-customers">https://hbr.org/2014/10/the-value-of-keeping-the-right-customers</a><br></p><p class="p1" style="text-align:left;"><a href="https://www.referralsaasquatch.com/9-key-customer-lifecycle-stats-2017/">https://www.referralsaasquatch.com/9-key-customer-lifecycle-stats-2017/</a></p></div></div>
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</div></div></div></div> ]]></content:encoded><pubDate>Mon, 17 Jul 2017 11:22:14 -0400</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Could I lose them quicker?]]></title><link>https://www.prodigm.ca/blogs/post/Could-I-lose-them-quicker</link><description><![CDATA[Five effective strategies to eliminate leads that are unlikely to turn into clients “ Most of it is sand and rocks, the rest of it is pure gold” Has your ]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="zpcontent-container blogpost-container "><div data-element-id="elm_b-RCMdJyQN2dohwIP6LOIQ" data-element-type="section" class="zpsection "><style type="text/css"></style><div class="zpcontainer-fluid zpcontainer"><div data-element-id="elm_eeghwxZxSeq0ERM_WqMlMg" data-element-type="row" class="zprow zprow-container zpalign-items- zpjustify-content- " data-equal-column=""><style type="text/css"></style><div data-element-id="elm_9PIvCDkdQ32rEOfrSI4KUw" data-element-type="column" class="zpelem-col zpcol-12 zpcol-md-8 zpcol-sm-12 zpalign-self- "><style type="text/css"></style><div data-element-id="elm__cOS59aHSm2Xbh3mZfBfaQ" data-element-type="text" class="zpelement zpelem-text "><style></style><div class="zptext zptext-align-center " data-editor="true"><div><h3 style="text-align:left;"><span style="font-size:20px;font-weight:700;">Five effective strategies to eliminate leads that are unlikely to turn into clients</span></h3></div><div style="text-align:left;"><br></div><div><h6><span><i><b><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3"></font></b></i></span></h6><h6 style="text-align:left;"><span style="font-style:italic;"><span style="font-size:20px;">“</span><span style="font-size:20px;">Most of it is sand and rocks, the rest of it is pure gold”</span></span></h6><h6 style="text-align:left;"><span style="font-style:italic;"><span style="font-size:20px;"><br></span></span></h6></div><div><p><span></span></p><p class="p1" style="text-align:left;"><span><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3">Has your team been chasing leads endlessly, spending hours meeting with different people, but unable to convert them into customers? While your first instinct may be to second-guess the ability of your team, very often the lead itself may not be worth the chase. A quality lead is the shortest path to a successful conversion, and knowing when to eliminate the sub standard ones will help you.</font></span></p><p class="p1" style="text-align:left;"><span><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3">Identifying non-prospects early in the sales cycle can prevent your team from putting a lot of time and effort into them. This translates into a substantial marketing cost reduction and better employee morale.</font></span></p><p class="p1" style="text-align:left;"><span><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3"><br></font></span></p><p class="p1" style="text-align:left;"><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3">Here are a few questions that will help your team qualify leads and determine the chances of a lead being converted into a client. Many models are available that can help you think about early qualification of leads including the <a href="http://www.rooneyearl.sandler.com/" title="Sandler Selling System" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Sandler Selling System</a> which covers questions like these.</font></p><p class="p1" style="text-align:left;"><span><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3"><br></font></span></p><p></p></div><div><div><h6 style="text-align:left;"><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3"><b>#1 - </b><b style="background-color:transparent;">When does the lead require your service or product?</b></font></h6><h6 style="text-align:left;"><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3"><b style="background-color:transparent;"><br></b></font></h6></div></div><div><div><p><span></span></p><p class="p1" style="text-align:left;"><span><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3">A prospect’s sense of urgency is the biggest guarantee of lead conversion. If your offering caters to a current and critical need of the prospect, they will not hesitate to spend their money. If you are unsure of when a prospective customer needs what you offer, start by finding out. Knowing where they are in their purchase journey will help you estimate the likelihood of a conversion.</font></span></p><p class="p1" style="text-align:left;"><span><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3"><br></font></span></p><p></p></div></div><div><div><h6 style="text-align:left;"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3"><b><font color="#696969">#2 - </font><span style="background-color:transparent;"><font color="#696969">Why are they buying your offering and what made them consider you as a vendor?</font></span></b></font></h6><h6 style="text-align:left;"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3"><b><span style="background-color:transparent;"><font color="#696969"><br></font></span></b></font></h6></div></div><div><div><p><span></span></p><p class="p1" style="text-align:left;"><span><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3">Knowing your lead’s reason to purchase your offering can help you market more effectively. Knowing the key aspects that the prospect is looking for in a vendor can also help you customize your sales approach and seal the deal quickly. Understanding their pain points can help your team offer the appropriate solutions to prompt the lead to make the purchase sooner.</font></span></p><p class="p1" style="text-align:left;"><span><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3"><br></font></span></p><p></p></div></div><div><div><h6 style="text-align:left;"><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3"><b>#3 -&nbsp;<span style="background-color:transparent;">Does your offering fit within the prospect’s budget?</span></b></font></h6><h6 style="text-align:left;"><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3"><b><span style="background-color:transparent;"><br></span></b></font></h6></div></div><div><div><p><span></span></p><p class="p1" style="text-align:left;"><span><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3">Spending time on a lead that cannot afford your goods and services is highly unproductive.Knowing how much the prospect is looking to spend will help your team offer only the solutions that fit the prospective customer’s budget. When a customer doesn’t feel like they are being upsold, it builds trust and a greater likelihood of conversion.</font></span></p><p class="p1" style="text-align:left;"><span><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3"><br></font></span></p><p></p></div></div><div><div><h6 style="text-align:left;"><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3"><b>#4 -&nbsp;</b></font><b style="background-color:transparent;"><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3">Who is making the decision?</font>&nbsp;&nbsp;</b></h6><h6 style="text-align:left;"><b style="background-color:transparent;"><br></b></h6></div></div><div><div><p><span></span></p><p class="p1" style="text-align:left;"><span><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3">When selling, it is essential to know who will make the final purchase decision. Any of your team’s time and effort spent on anyone other than the key decision maker is likely wasted. While it is true that in a corporate environment it’s best to follow the hierarchy, your team can shorten the purchase time by reaching the key decision maker sooner by building relationships along the way.</font></span></p><p class="p1" style="text-align:left;"><span><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3"><br></font></span></p><p></p></div></div><div><div><h6 style="text-align:left;"><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3"><b>#5 -&nbsp;<span style="background-color:transparent;">Why are they considering you and are they looking at your competitors?</span></b></font></h6><h6 style="text-align:left;"><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3"><b><span style="background-color:transparent;"><br></span></b></font></h6></div></div><div><p><span></span></p><p class="p1" style="text-align:left;"><span><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3">Knowing why a lead is considering your offering and whether it is the only product under consideration can help your team estimate the probability of conversion more accurately. A lead that is evaluating many of your competitors is probably just browsing, and far from a decision.</font></span></p><p class="p2" style="text-align:left;"><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3"><span></span><br></font></p><p class="p3" style="text-align:left;"><span><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3">Many salespeople fall over their own open mouth spouting on about their products. Early qualifying of a contact is all about need and fit. Don't be afraid to say ‘No, we don't fit your needs’ if you don’t.</font></span></p><p class="p2" style="text-align:left;"><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3"><span></span><br></font></p><p class="p3" style="text-align:left;"><span><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3">A robust CRM software can track lead behaviour and help you close deals sooner. It allows small and medium sized businesses to develop a proactive sales approach and helps you find the answers to the questions above.</font></span></p><p class="p2" style="text-align:left;"><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3"><span></span><br></font></p><p class="p3" style="text-align:left;"><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3">We can help you <a href="/prodigm-services" title="set up or get more from your CRM">set up or get more from your CRM</a> so your team can eliminate leads that will require a lot of effort to convert and focus on the ones that promise greater success!</font></p><p class="p2" style="text-align:left;"><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3"><span></span><br></font></p><p class="p3" style="text-align:left;"><font color="#696969" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3">Check out our <a href="/Training" title="training sessions">training sessions</a>&nbsp;for all the information.</font></p><p></p></div></div>
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</div></div></div></div> ]]></content:encoded><pubDate>Fri, 14 Jul 2017 16:09:02 -0400</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[OUR COMMENTARY ON ZOHO's  NEW 2017 CRM UPGRADES]]></title><link>https://www.prodigm.ca/blogs/post/New-Zoho-CRM-Features</link><description><![CDATA[Introduction Zoho has just announced a raft of new CRM functionality (the full report can be found here) . This is the first upgrade since the new user ]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="zpcontent-container blogpost-container "><div data-element-id="elm_KkGRk6BiTmG_AVQOxRtWYg" data-element-type="section" class="zpsection "><style type="text/css"></style><div class="zpcontainer-fluid zpcontainer"><div data-element-id="elm_jbYTlbj9SGapB13mHKB51w" data-element-type="row" class="zprow zprow-container zpalign-items- zpjustify-content- " data-equal-column=""><style type="text/css"></style><div data-element-id="elm_C5CpzmgjRDiN0Eyaf6WSbQ" data-element-type="column" class="zpelem-col zpcol-12 zpcol-md-8 zpcol-sm-12 zpalign-self- "><style type="text/css"></style><div data-element-id="elm_zM45I0h4QA-Y4It1WlP_NQ" data-element-type="text" class="zpelement zpelem-text "><style></style><div class="zptext zptext-align-left " data-editor="true"><div><p><span></span></p><p style="font-size:16px;"><font size="3"><span style="font-size:20px;font-weight:700;">Introduction</span></font></p><p style="font-size:16px;"><font size="3"><span style="font-size:20px;font-weight:700;"><br></span></font></p><p style="font-size:16px;"><font size="3">Zoho has just announced a raft of new CRM functionality (the full report can be found <a alt="here)" href="https://www.zoho.com/crm/whats-new/?utm_source=product&amp%3Butm_medium=link&amp%3Butm_term=whats-new&amp%3Butm_campaign=announcement" rel="nofollow" target="_self" title="here)">here)</a>. This is the first upgrade since the new user interface was rolled out 7 months ago. To help you make sense of this, here is Bernard McLeod's (a Zoho Partner and Prodigm Associate) take on what you need to know.&nbsp;</font></p><p style="font-size:16px;"><span style="font-size:medium;"><br></span></p><p style="font-size:16px;"><span style="font-size:medium;">We’ve also noted which features require which (minimum) edition of Zoho CRM.</span><br></p><p style="font-size:16px;"><font size="3">The usual disclaimer applies - these are our opinions and not necessarily those of Zoho Corporation. As always, if you have further questions or would like to learn more just let us know.</font></p><p style="font-size:16px;"><font size="3"><br></font></p><p></p></div><div><p><span></span></p><p style="font-size:16px;"><font size="3"><b><span style="font-size:20px;">Scoring Rules (Standard Edition)</span></b></font></p><p style="font-size:16px;"><font size="3"><b><span style="font-size:20px;"><br></span></b></font></p><p style="font-size:16px;"><span style="background-color:transparent;font-size:medium;">This is a simple but hugely useful addition - particularly when applied to Leads and Opportunities. In essence it allows you to define rules to add or subtract “score points”. For instance, if the lead source is a personal referral, the lead has an approved project and is operating in the financial services sector, then you might add 10 points to that Lead’s score. Conversely if an opportunity has been stalled for 6 months and is worth less than $1,000 you might deduct 8 points. Scoring Rules are a powerful tool to sort and prioritize large numbers of Leads or Opportunities and thus pursue those that are likely to yield the best outcomes.</span></p><p style="font-size:16px;"><span style="background-color:transparent;font-size:medium;"><br></span></p><p></p></div>
<div><b style="font-size:medium;"><span style="font-size:20px;">Conditional Fields (Enterprise Edition)</span></b><br></div><div><p style="font-size:16px;"><font size="3"><b><span style="font-size:20px;"><br></span></b></font></p><p style="font-size:16px;"><font size="3">This is a major CRM interface enhancement - designed to remove clutter and hide distraction. You can now build layout rules that determine when record sections / fields are visible and which fields are mandatory.<br></font></p><p style="font-size:16px;"><font size="3"><br></font></p><p style="font-size:16px;"><font size="3">For example - say you sell insurance. The CRM Insurance Module would display as a spartan page, with a single Select Insurance Type field. If you select “Car Insurance” multiple fields appear - requesting vehicle type, vehicle age, etc. However if you select Travel Insurance you instead see fields related to destination, medical condition and so on.&nbsp;</font></p><p style="font-size:16px;"><font size="3"><br></font></p><p style="font-size:16px;"><font size="3">Also if you state that you are married than the Spouse Name field becomes mandatory. This is a big productivity boost and there are any number of scenarios where this becomes valuable.</font></p><p style="font-size:16px;"><font size="3"><br></font></p><p></p></div>
<div><b style="font-size:medium;"><span style="font-size:20px;">Blueprint (Enterprise Edition)</span></b><br></div><div><p style="font-size:16px;"><font size="3"><b><span style="font-size:20px;"><br></span></b></font></p><p style="font-size:16px;"><font size="3">Blueprint is a game changer that is relatively unique in the CRM world. Zoho believes that this will become a key product differentiator.<br></font></p><p style="font-size:16px;"><font size="3"><br></font></p><p style="font-size:16px;"><font size="3">Blueprint is used to control workflows and information capture through any CRM process. We expect it will be used primarily for sales processes but it is available for all standard and custom modules.<br></font></p><p style="font-size:16px;"><font size="3"><br></font></p><p style="font-size:16px;"><font size="3">Consider how sales pipelines work today. If you have an opportunity tracking process with 6 stages (e.g. New, Qualification, Quotation, Negotiation, Won and Lost) - there is nothing to prevent the opportunity owner changing the opportunity stage from “New” to “Won” or to “Lost” with little explanation. So what just happened?<br></font></p><p style="font-size:16px;"><font size="3"><br></font></p><p style="font-size:16px;"><font size="3">Using Blueprint you can now enforce a repeatable sales process. You map out the transition between each stage and the requirements that must be met in order to transition. For instance you are only permitted to move from Qualification to Quotation (not jump to Won), you are not permitted to offer a discount of more than 10%, a deal worth $10k+ must be approved by person x. You can also mandate which contextual information is captured each time the opportunity advances through the workflow. To set all of this up Zoho has built an intuitive drag and drop interface.<br></font></p><p style="font-size:16px;"><font size="3"><br></font></p><p style="font-size:16px;"><font size="3">The Blueprint feature will become increasingly important as organizations grow or when teams are geographically dispersed. It enforces best practices and provides the necessary management controls.</font></p><p style="font-size:16px;"><b style="font-size:medium;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</b><br></p></div><div><p style="font-size:16px;"><font size="3"><b><span style="font-size:20px;">Slack Integration (Standard Edition)</span></b><br></font></p><p style="font-size:16px;"><font size="3"><b><span style="font-size:20px;"><br></span></b></font></p><p style="font-size:16px;"><font size="3">Not a major change but Slack (the popular business messaging and collaboration platform) can now integrate with Zoho CRM. You can share reports, dashboards and other information via a Slack channel.</font></p><p></p></div>
<div><br></div><div><div><p style="font-size:16px;"><font size="3"><b><span style="font-size:20px;">Zia Artificial Intelligence (Enterprise Edition)</span></b><br></font></p><p style="font-size:16px;"><font size="3"><b><span style="font-size:20px;"><br></span></b></font></p><p style="font-size:16px;"><font size="3">Cortana, Alexa, OK Google, Siri et al - meet Zia. Zia is Zoho’s AI engine for CRM. While it doesn’t have a voice interface (at least not yet!) it does do trend analysis, identify anomalies and make suggestions based on past CRM interactions or behaviour patterns. It can recommend the best time of day to call a client, flag a slowdown in deal closures or suggest a macro to automate repetitive tasks. There is nothing to enable or configure - Zia runs continuously in the background.<br></font></p><p style="font-size:16px;"><font size="3"><br></font></p><p style="font-size:16px;"><font size="3">AI and expert systems are an emerging trend in CRM. We have not yet had the chance to judge its real-world performance - but suffice to say AI is here for the long term and will become ever more powerful. The tech world has moved far beyond the old Microsoft Word “it looks like you are trying to write a letter” days.</font></p><p style="font-size:16px;"><font size="3"><br></font></p><p></p></div><p></p></div>
<div><br></div><div><div><p><span></span></p><p style="font-size:16px;"><font size="3"><b><a name="otherfeatures" title="otherfeatures"></a>&nbsp;<span style="font-size:20px;">Other Feature Updates</span>&nbsp;&nbsp;</b><br></font></p><p style="font-size:16px;"><font size="3"><b><span style="font-size:20px;"><br></span></b></font></p><p style="font-size:16px;"><font size="3">Voice over IP Telephony integration (Standard Edition) for 10 additional cloud telephony partners. Important if you wish to integrate VOIP and CRM and are using one of those vendors.</font></p><p></p></div></div>
<div><br></div><div><p><span><font size="3"><br></font></span></p><p><span style="color:inherit;font-weight:700;font-size:20px;">Office 365 Integration</span><br></p><p><span style="color:inherit;"><br></span></p><p><span><font size="3">Office 365 Integration (Standard Edition) to sync users / contacts / calendar / email etc. with Microsoft’s Office 365 service.<br></font></span></p><p><span><font size="3"><br></font></span></p></div><div style="float:left;text-align:center;width:100%;margin-bottom:2px;"><div style="float:left;width:100%;margin-bottom:2px;"><div style="float:left;width:100%;margin-bottom:2px;"><div style="float:left;width:100%;margin-bottom:2px;"><div style="float:left;width:100%;margin-bottom:2px;"><div style="float:left;width:100%;margin-bottom:2px;"><div style="float:left;width:100%;margin-bottom:2px;"><div style="float:left;width:100%;margin-bottom:2px;"><div style="float:left;width:100%;margin-bottom:2px;"><div style="float:left;width:100%;margin-bottom:2px;"><div style="float:left;width:100%;margin-bottom:2px;"><div style="float:left;width:100%;margin-bottom:2px;"><div style="float:left;width:100%;margin-bottom:2px;"><div style="float:left;width:100%;margin-bottom:2px;"><div style="float:left;width:100%;margin-bottom:2px;"><div style="float:left;width:100%;margin-bottom:2px;"><div style="float:left;width:100%;margin-bottom:2px;"><div style="float:left;width:100%;margin-bottom:2px;"><div style="float:left;width:100%;margin-bottom:2px;"><div style="float:left;width:100%;margin-bottom:2px;"><div style="float:left;width:100%;margin-bottom:2px;"><div style="float:left;width:100%;margin-bottom:2px;"><div style="float:left;width:100%;margin-bottom:2px;"><div style="float:left;width:100%;margin-bottom:2px;"><div style="float:left;width:100%;margin-bottom:2px;"><div style="float:left;width:100%;margin-bottom:2px;"><div style="float:left;width:100%;margin-bottom:2px;"><div style="float:left;width:100%;margin-bottom:2px;"><div style="float:left;width:100%;margin-bottom:2px;"><div style="float:left;width:100%;margin-bottom:2px;"><div style="float:left;width:100%;margin-bottom:2px;"><div style="float:left;width:100%;margin-bottom:2px;"><div style="text-align:left;float:left;width:100%;margin-bottom:2px;"><span style="color:inherit;font-weight:700;font-size:20px;">Sales Signals</span></div><div style="text-align:left;float:left;width:100%;margin-bottom:2px;"><span style="font-size:medium;"><br></span></div><div style="text-align:left;float:left;width:100%;margin-bottom:2px;"><span style="font-size:medium;">Sales Signals (all editions) enable CRM to accept real-time “signals” from a range of 3rd party cloud apps such as MailChimp and SurveyMonkey. Zoho has also developed an open API for integration with many more cloud services.</span></div><div style="text-align:left;float:left;width:100%;margin-bottom:2px;"><span style="font-size:medium;"><br></span></div><div style="text-align:left;float:left;width:100%;margin-bottom:2px;"><span style="font-size:medium;">All of these new features will be made available by Zoho in the upcoming weeks. We have significant experience in implementing sales process control and other advanced features. We will be happy to assist your implementation project for any of these enhancements.&nbsp;</span></div><div style="text-align:left;float:left;width:100%;margin-bottom:2px;"><b style="font-size:medium;"><br></b></div><div style="text-align:left;float:left;width:100%;margin-bottom:2px;"><div style="float:left;width:100%;margin-bottom:2px;"><b style="font-size:medium;"><a href="/contact" title="Contact us">Contact us</a> to book a call to discuss these options and how they will help your business to grow.&nbsp;</b></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>
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</div></div></div></div> ]]></content:encoded><pubDate>Tue, 11 Apr 2017 12:54:56 -0400</pubDate></item></channel></rss>