Salesnet Increases Vertical Velocity

Chief Marketing Officer Dan Starr said Salesnet's new Telecommunications Services Edition, Advertising/Media Sales Edition and Commercial Lending Edition target the sales organizations of companies with more than 250 employees and $25 million in revenue. That midsize sweet spot pits the Boston vendor's offerings against Siebel Systems, which said last month it will offer eight industry-focused versions of its Siebel CRM OnDemand service by the end of the year. CRM competitors Salesforce.com and NetSuite -- which also offer customizable subscription software -- have achieved much of their traction within smaller organizations.

According to Starr, Salesnet's biggest claim to fame is the software's embedded workflow engine, which can actually guide reps, step by step along the sales process. "All of our systems can deliver a guided methodology -- serving up the next to-do item for every activity in the cycle," said Starr. "These vertical editions take that to the next logical step, since the IP that's baked in includes workflow proven for each industry."

So, for example, sales people working in the Commercial Lending Edition know they have three days to review and adjust the credit of a customer whose credit was initially declined. Reps selling broadcast advertising can see information related to first-run and insertion dates.

"We do a lot of work with telecommunications companies, and I'm very excited about the opportunities Salesnet offers for us," said Dave Johnston, president of Sales Resource Group, a sales consulting and software development firm, in Oakville, Ontario. "Telecoms really need to get back into the market aggressively, but they can't afford hundreds of thousands of dollars on software. As a partner, I can get them up and running quickly.

Sales Resource Group develops compensation strategies and helps customers improve sales and marketing processes in the telecommunications, retail, packaged goods and insurance industries. Johnston said he will work with Salesnet to develop additional vertical editions.

"Salesnet has been very innovative in looking at industry trends and processes, and developed best practices that address those needs," said Johnston. "What I like about Salesnet is they focus on making the sales organization more effective - and that means getting the software to work with sales' internal processes, rather than forcing sales to adapt to the software."

Available immediately, Telecommunications Services Edition, Advertising/Media Sales Edition and Commercial Lending Edition each cost an incremental $5 per user per month on top of $99 monthly user charge for Salesnet Extended.