Report from the CRM Expo: Strategy First, Technology Second

There was a bit of disconnect between what was happening on the vendor floor and what was happening at the podium at the CRM Expo in NYC last month.

A striking example of dissonance was keynote address by one-to-one guru Martha Rogers, who seemed to be speaking a different language than the technology vendors on the floor of the Expo (which took place August 28 and 29 at NYC's Javits Center).

In her talk, Rogers kept hammering home the key points of a successful CRM initiative: identify the most profitable customers, focus on the most growable customers, and serve those customers best.

Speaking to the rapt audience, Rogers insisted that strategy comes first, and technology second.

Up on the floor of the Javits Center, meanwhile, the vendors talked up the technology. They discussed the various technologies and software, their ease of use, and their benefits. There was no mention of an overarching strategy. The hesitation of the attendees was palpable.

Further, what no vendor seemed to mention was how the analysis of customer profitability was integrated, if it was, into the solution they were selling. Both Rogers and speaker Jay Curry called such analysis necessary. Without this component it seemed that companies like Pivotal were selling a glorified sales force automation tool under the guise of CRM, while critics derided Microsoft and Epiphany as "point solutions."

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Jeremy Epstein (jer979@silentfrog.com) is co-founder of www.silentfrog.com SilentFrog, an online marketplace for 'micro-services,' more commonly referred to as 'odd jobs.'