While the idea behind business analytics has been around for a long time, the struggling economy has encouraged companies to take another look at how they can use and apply them to their business in order to ensure they not only survive, but emerge even stronger in the future. Business analytics generally refers to the process of using decision-support systems, business intelligence, statistics, executive-information systems, and predictive models to give companies a clear, single version of their data resulting in a competitive edge. Research is providing proof that proper use of business analytics will drive more new opportunities, provide for better risk management and leverage of existing investments.

Jeanne Harris, who does executive research for Accenture Institute of High Performance, co-wrote a book with Thomas H. Davenport and Robert Morison called, Analytics at Work. In it he cites some very insightful findings from their 10 years of research of companies in 35 countries and 19 industries. As the keynote speaker at a CFO’s Corporate Performance Management conference in New York, he said, “It’s critical to identify what data is key to a company’s profitability,” and went on to provide several examples.

Best Buy studied the effect of “employee engagement” with customers and found that when the time spent increased by one-tenth of a point the company’s operating income rose by $100,000!

California winemakers E&J Gallo, previously known for their inexpensive wines were able to use analytics to determine that the ‘taster’ for Wine Spectator magazine had a very large influence on the sales and price opportunities of wines. They found that wine rated at 90 or better would sell for more than a bottle rated at 80. They then used this information to ‘reverse-engineer the taste buds of the taster’ to figure out exactly the kind of wine they tended to prefer, and to discover the most profitable type of wine. They then changed their grapes, and re-worked their process to create wines over 90.

Ultimately business analytics can have a dramatic impact on companies that use them properly. Better decisions and insight can help companies not only withstand a tough economy but re-build a strong foundation and gain better profitability for the future.

To read more about this topic, click here.

Rewind ten years and recall that sales tools such as Sales Force Automation were just seeing the light of day.  Today, there’s a plethora of new sales-oriented technologies promising to help teams sell faster, better, and smarter.

But how do you know which sales innovations and best practices are the most effective and can give you the best results and how do you evaluate their potential impact on your sales cycle? Join this FREE live webinar to hear the experts present the 7 biggest sales innovations of the past decade and learn how to unlock their value for your sales team! Join this webinar and find out:

• Top 7 sales innovations from the last decade: unlock their maximum value for sales
• How to use social media effectively to improve prospecting, gain insights, and close deals faster
• How to further leverage timeless sales techniques using new technologies
• How innovative technologies and solutions can help you build greater customer loyalty and service
• And much more…

Date and time—March 25, 2010 at 1:00 – 2:00 EST

Register Now!

Industry Expert and Sage Representative:

Chris Selland—Industry Expert

Independent Contributing Analyst, Focus

Chris’ Profile

Bio:

Chris Selland is an Independent Contributing Analyst for Focus. Mr. Selland is an experienced technology ‘insider’, having spent many years as an Industry Analyst as well as a Business Development and Marketing executive. He has deep domain expertise in the areas of enterprise software, service & CRM strategies as well as technology industry economics, alliance strategies, and corporate development/M&A. Mr. Selland founded Reservoir Partners L.P., a CRM/enterprise software advisory & consulting firm in 2001, which merged in 2004 with Aberdeen Group (acquired by Harte-Hanks) where he served as Vice President of Sell-Side Research. Mr. Selland also served as an M&A/market advisor for Covington Associates, an Investment Bank specializing in Mergers & Acquisitions in the enterprise software and services industries. He also served as Vice President of e-Business Strategies at the Yankee Group, a technology research and consulting firm which was acquired by Reuters. In addition to his role as a Focus Expert, he blogs frequently on technology trends and companies for StockTwits and SiliconANGLE. Mr. Selland is past President of the Customer Relationship Management Association (CRMA). In addition, he has been frequently quoted in major business and industry publications, and is a past member of the CRM Magazine Editorial Advisory Board. He is an accomplished public speaker and presenter, having chaired and spoken at numerous leading industry conferences.

Bill Hoffman—Sage Representative

Bio:
Bill Hoffman is the CRM Evangelist for mid-market ERP products at Sage. A veteran in Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Bill has spent the last 18 years focusing on business process management. He is responsible for the strategic development, deployment, and management of SageCRM partner training and sales.

In his prior role as director of hosted services and partner development, Bill was responsible for establishing the operational infrastructure of the hosted product line to increase partner sales success. More recently, Bill turned to time management, productivity enhancement, and social networking as they relate to CRM/ERP technology in his quest to help businesses and people fulfill their goals.

He has extensive experience in team building and leadership, customer service, sales, marketing, product management, and most recently the sales of end-to-end business applications. During his 12 years with Sage, Bill has rounded out his experience by serving as director of customer support, product management, and partner development, as well as roles in marketing, technical support, and sales.

Register Here.