Marketing
So, provide a good robot
with real-time access to a
constantly learning database
of experience, allied to a
direct connection to an
empowered manager for
any awkward questions, and
you’re instantly in a better
place. Spooky but true!
Using AI as a basic feature
of your CRM system has been
do-able for over a decade, but
is only just gaining traction.
There is so much data flowing
through sales and marketing,
that no humans have the
time and resources to crunch
the numbers all the time:
which media or channels are
delivering optimum sales
at the right price? What
content is the most read and
appreciated? The list goes on..
Also, Big Data to Niche
Data. There’s still so much
that still has to be hand-
crafted; preparing content
for presentations and then
writing sales proposals for
instance. Surely, it won’t be
long before your ‘AICRM’
suggests the optimal content
based on previous sales
results for exactly the same
scenario as your prospect’s,
36 — November
and then, as the next stage,
preparing the perfect
proposal based on exactly
the right price/specification.
Tendering will then become
hyper-competitive as a result,
and the business lunch will be
a distant memory!
Going back to Minority
Report, I think Spielberg
might be pretty accurate
when it comes to the large
glass screens where you
move big dashboards of
information around with
just the swipe of your hand
– we’re already creating data
viewing rooms with clients
to bring to life all the things
that are happening in sales
and marketing, from website
traffic trends through to sales
lead pipeline performance.
We all have so much data
available to us these days
but the challenge, even with
AI processing, is viewing
it and sharing it with all
stakeholders and let’s not
forget exhibitions! In today’s
global, highly digital world,
meeting face-to-face with
prospects and customers is
becoming harder and more
expensive.
The good news is that
this is creating a major
resurgence in tradeshows.
Smart exhibition organizers
understand that the more
high-quality leads their
exhibitors capture during
an event, the more likely
they will return in following
years. Our own Zuant mobile
system has benefited greatly
from this trend where our
clients demand a better way
of capturing, qualifying,
presenting and integrating
all on the one platform. The
CRM aspect is the availability
of literally hundreds of
thousands of records of CRM
data on offline devices so that
you immediately know your
customers the moment that
their badge is scanned and
can treat them accordingly -
powerful CRM on the move.
The clunky bit is having
to synchronise the system
with each of the different
badge systems; this is fine
as a service but I am looking
forward to the next phase
of CRM based on Facial
Recognition instead. No
setup to do, just hold you
phone up (with permission of
course), and your CRM data is
again immediately available,
and maybe a whole lot more
with your LinkedIn and
other social data immediately
presented back so that you
can have an even more
meaningful conversion right
from first meeting.
Google Glass seemed to
have so much promise in this
respect as well, so that you
didn’t have to use your phone
and your CRM data appeared
in an Augmented Reality
way literally in front of your
eyes, and then recorded your
conversation and updated
your CRM automatically – job
done!
Doing some research on
this, it looks that Google
Glass has actually been
revived recently as an
‘industry specific device’.
As only the marketing types
can do, it is now dubbed
Glass Enterprise Edition.
The technology – but
more importantly, human
acceptance – has matured
enough apparently for people
to use it around things like
heavy machinery in factory
applications where online
data can improve training and
on the job support and back-
up. So maybe my tradeshow
niche application is closer
than I’d thought...
If the thought of all these
automated systems makes
you think that this could all
become a very sterile world,
I actually think the opposite.
Go back a hundred years and
walk into your local grocer.
They’d know who you are
and all your preferences
as a natural thing. Since
then we’ve lost all that, and
because CRM delivery is
currently so bad, we’re all
nobodies when trying to deal
with companies generally.
Being a positive sort, I
think the good old days
could be back again soon,
because ‘AICRM’ will know
exactly who you are and
what you like. It will know
exactly when you are about
to walk on to an exhibition
stand and be ready to greet
you. If your competitors
employ these systems as
well, then maybe shows will
stay extremely relevant as
the only differentiator will
be a company’s people. The
business lunch is back!