Comments on: CRM: A Dying Buzzword? http://www.crmoutsiders.com/2008/02/25/crm-a-dying-buzzword/ Former analyst and journalist discuss CRM from the vendor-side Tue, 06 Jan 2009 10:55:48 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5 By: Geoffrey James http://www.crmoutsiders.com/2008/02/25/crm-a-dying-buzzword/#comment-98 Geoffrey James Tue, 26 Feb 2008 12:51:17 +0000 http://www.crmoutsiders.com/2008/02/25/crm-a-dying-buzzword/#comment-98 SugarCRM is a good product. But like all CRM products it is subject to massive abuse. Check out some of the comments from real sales reps about CRM in the other blog posts on Sales Machine. They don't like it. They see it as a way for management to spy on them and steal their contact information. I hear this constantly. Both SFA and CRM are umbrella acronyms, which are inherently ambiguous. When an acronym is "hot," companies will flock to it and try to get whatever they're offering included under the umbrella, thereby expanding the umbrella. Conversely, when an acronym is in decline or getting a bad rap, companies do the opposite. That's what's happening with CRM. In the past month I have had two top software executives from two different companies selling software to sales groups say "Don't even *mention* CRM when you write about our product." And they made it clear they didn't want to be associated with the technology. In the past they would have positioned their products as "a CRM extension." Don't be too discouraged though. You and I both know that there are some well-loved CRM installations -- usually in companies with well-loved managers who have figured out how to provide it as a service with cool rewards for using it. Barton Goldenberg writes a lot about that. And SugarCRM is a strong product that's got the benefit of being commercial open source. SugarCRM is a good product. But like all CRM products it is subject to massive abuse. Check out some of the comments from real sales reps about CRM in the other blog posts on Sales Machine. They don’t like it. They see it as a way for management to spy on them and steal their contact information. I hear this constantly.

Both SFA and CRM are umbrella acronyms, which are inherently ambiguous. When an acronym is “hot,” companies will flock to it and try to get whatever they’re offering included under the umbrella, thereby expanding the umbrella. Conversely, when an acronym is in decline or getting a bad rap, companies do the opposite.

That’s what’s happening with CRM. In the past month I have had two top software executives from two different companies selling software to sales groups say “Don’t even *mention* CRM when you write about our product.” And they made it clear they didn’t want to be associated with the technology. In the past they would have positioned their products as “a CRM extension.”

Don’t be too discouraged though. You and I both know that there are some well-loved CRM installations — usually in companies with well-loved managers who have figured out how to provide it as a service with cool rewards for using it. Barton Goldenberg writes a lot about that. And SugarCRM is a strong product that’s got the benefit of being commercial open source.

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