Not only is social media useful to small businesses for marketing, but it’s also a handy tool to use to develop a more personal relationship with your customers and business contacts.  It allows you to obtain bits and pieces of personal knowledge about others and you can then use that knowledge to build upon an existing relationship with them.  Perhaps you saw a Tweet from a client about their dog named Spot.  The next time you speak with that client, you can mention their dog, Spot, and make the experience more meaningful for them. 

Those are the kind of details that turn leads into sales experiences that customers come back for.

Larry Ritter, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Sage CRM Solutions, joins hosts Anita Campbell and Brent Leary to discuss how small businesses can work together to deliver actionable customer and prospect details.

Below are the questions we asked Larry:

• (2:09) First Larry, can you tell us a bit more about yourself and your background?  How did you come to be at Sage CRM Solutions?
• (3:04) Can you tell us the basics about the company?  What does Sage CRM Solutions do and who do you serve?
• (4:14) How does Sage CRM Solutions define a small business?
• (5:42) Social media is a topic people can’t get enough of.  What do you think social media really means for the small business user, Larry?
• (6:39) What are some things that small businesses can be doing right now in this economy to sell better?  What tools should they be using?
• (7:52) Is that what is meant by the term “Social CRM?”
• (9:36) What technology or automation trends are you seeing for small businesses in how they market to their prospects and established customers?
• (13:34) How has communication within Sage’s ACT! community had an impact on what you view as their needs and wants from Sage CRM Solutions?
• (15:13) How did the ACT! community affect and impact the upgrades in the release of ACT! 2010?
• (16:36) If you were talking to a small business considering CRM, what things would you tell them to let them know that they should be making an investment in it?
• (17:56) How has the integration of social media networking changed traditional CRM?
• (19:20) When it comes to contact management versus CRM, what are the differences that a small business should know of?
• (20:57) What are some ways that a small business can determine the best implementation method?
• (22:27) Compare and contrast for a moment - is traditional CRM on it’s way out or are the new technologies working well together?
• (24:55) Where does mobility fit into CRM and how companies are interacting with their customers?
• (26:11) Where does implementing a CRM application stand – regarding resources and money required for startup?
• (27:55) Larry, where can people find out more on the web?

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