Welcome to the June 2003 edition of the Etimes3 News Update. This issue is devoted to practical ideas for using strategies and technologies to cost effectively market your corporation's products and services. For more information on what you have read in this newsletter or to provide suggestions for future newsletters, please contact Paula Grieco at 978-929-9652 or email us at info@etimes3.com.

In this issue:

Relevant Technology Solutions - Proving ROI on your corporation's product offerings

Business Development - Ensuring ROI in the sales cycle

Back to Basics - Inventory your technology effectiveness to increase your sales and marketing profitability

Technology Update - .NET is for real

Recent Highlights - Accelerator Modules

Relevant Technology Solutions - Proving ROI on your corporation's product offerings

No matter what your corporation's industry focus and product specialization, in today's economic environment, your customers want to know how buying your products will positively impact their bottom line. To justify capital expenditures, your customers (and ours) need to provide as much quantifiable data as possible to their senior management detailing why their organization should include your company's offerings in their tight budget.

To address this need, Etimes3 has created an easy-to-use web-based ROI software wizard template and supporting services designed to arm sales professionals with a critical tool to close sales. To discuss how this ROI wizard may be customized specifically for your corporation, please contact Paula Grieco at 978-929-9652 or email us.

Business Development - Ensuring ROI in the sales cycle

In a difficult economy it is easy for sales teams to waste time with prospects that should be qualified out -- and that impacts your company's profitability. Closing the sale begins with qualifying customers when we first meet them and continuing to evaluate whether a customer is a good fit throughout the sales process. To reap the greatest ROI during the sales cycle (i.e., more closed sales), your sales team should be asking a series of standard and customized questions during each phase of the sales cycle. Going much further than -- "Who is the decision maker and what's the budget?" -- these qualifying questions are customized for your offerings and increase the ROI that your company receives from your sales organization dramatically.

Probing qualifiers like "How is your business impacted if you do NOT buy this product?" can help ensure that your sales professionals are spending time with the right customers. Empower your sales team with the questions they should ask every prospect. To discuss developing a repeatable, customized qualification process in your sales cycle, contact Paula Grieco at 978-929-9652 email us at info@etimes3.com.

Back to Basics - Inventory your technology effectiveness to increase your sales and marketing profitability

When is the last time your organization took inventory of the effectiveness of all aspects of your sales and marketing strategy? Taking time out twice a year to evaluate typical sales success obstacles including: sales process pitfalls, elevator messaging, and technology tools can reap enormous ROI. For example, in technology consider the following questions:

• How can you maximize the use of your web site for lead generation to reduce your cost of sales?
• How can you leverage your web site/extranet to improve service productivity and customer satisfaction?
• What technology tools would help your sales reps close more sales?

To discuss taking inventory to maximize your sales and marketing effectiveness, contact Paula Grieco at 978-929-9652 email us at info@etimes3.com.

Technology Update - .NET is for real

.NET has been out in the marketplace for some time now, and Microsoft has touted its advantages with hundreds of press releases and lots of high-profile case studies. All marketing glitz aside, we have implemented sites in .NET – it's for real, and we like it, both for our customers and for us. Here are three reasons why:

• Improves developer productivity - The .NET framework supplies site components (including customizable error handling) developers once had to build, thereby shortening the development timeframe.
• Lowers development costs and increases consistency - .NET server-side controls generate cross-platform HTML with customizable presentation, translating to lower development costs for you and a more consistent user interface for your customers.
• Enables more flexibility in hiring - Developers can use any one or (or all) three scripting languages in the same site, which means you no longer have to search for specialized resources.

Even better news: ASP and ASP.NET can run on the same server and even within the same site. This provides quick integration of a new site with an old one, and means you can upgrade as your budget allows. You don't need to go to .NET wholesale… a good strategy might be to use .NET for all new site versions, or as you enhance the look and feel and/or functionality of a site.

If you are interested in finding out more about how .NET can work for you, visit Microsoft's .NET pages (http://www.microsoft.com/net), or contact Bridget Samuel (bsamuel@etime3.com, 508-545-1471).

Etimes3 Recent Highlights - Accelerator Modules

Families of September 11th Foundation's web site includes the use of Etimes3's content management accelerator modules to provide a web site with immediate, relevant information and community. See http://www.familiesofseptember11.org for more details.

Savings Bank Life Insurance of Massachusetts's new web site is built on a Microsoft .NET infrastructure and includes the use of Etimes3 accelerator modules for content management and dynamic feature presentation. View their new site at http://www.sbli.com.

About Etimes3

Etimes3 provides software and strategy consulting services and tools to maximize your company's sales and marketing effectiveness.

Contact Us

http://www.etimes3.com
info@etimes3.com
Etimes3, Inc.
67 South Bedford Street, Suite 400W
Burlington, MA 01803
(781) 229-5832

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