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I am a bit of an economics junkie. My interest in the dismal science carries over from my interest in evolution and can be summarized as, why things are the way they are and how they got that way. I am currently finishing up a book that gets me where I live, Why Most Things Fail: Evolution, Extinction & Economics by Paul Ormerod. This is no crackpot author, Ormerod was head of the Economics Assessment Unit at The Economist and he has taught economics at the university level. Nevertheless, perhaps another, more positive, way to look at the same phenomena is simply to acknowledge that nothing is permanent...

I wish every software marketing statement -- especially in CRM -- was as good as what they used for toothpaste when I was a kid. Thanks to Madison Avenue and having only three networks on broadcast TV, I can almost repeat verbatim the tag line about Crest from memory. "Crest has been shown to be an effective decay preventative dentifrice when used in a program of oral hygiene and regular professional care."

You don't need to go far to see how different the 00s are from the 90s, just take a look at selling ...

Have you noticed the "dial 'O' for a human" movement gathering steam? One related manifestation is the clever set of ads put out by Citibank for its credit cards. You may have seen the ads showing a man calling for service and navigating through the tragedy that is the automated call response system so many companies use ...

Salesforce.com announced its purchase of Sendia on Tuesday in a well publicized affair that included a luncheon/press conference complete with presentation, demo and panel discussion. Some of the buzz around the announcement was a mild debate about the importance of the whole affair. After all, it was said, companies buy other companies every day, but few hold an event to highlight it. That's fair, and the natural question then is, what makes this different?...

On Wednesday NetSuite made five announcements designed to catapult it into a leadership position in the on-demand, or software as a service (SaaS), market ...

Many companies in industries such as technology need to work hard to gain and retain customers. People already have cell phones, iPods and computers, but because the fantasy sports phenomenon is still somewhat new, we are still in an early market situation. It is a sellers' market to be sure, according to Denis Pombriant, founder and managing principal of the Beagle Research Group, a CRM market research firm and consultancy...

I don't do endorsements -- that's for ball players. For me to endorse a product would be the end of my credibility. All I look for is what works and, if it does, I'll point it out. If something doesn't live up to the hype, I follow my mother's advice and say nothing. That's why I was surprised when someone brought to my attention a borderline situation in which a vendor did its best to imply my endorsement against its rival, Salesforce.com...

I was doing research for a white paper not long ago and it gave me reason to speak with people who operate call centers. The call center operators I spoke with had one thing in common; they used on-demand call center services. If you are not familiar with on-demand call center services, it's much like on-demand anything else -- like sales force automation -- but it seems the impact is greater. Let me explain...

At first I did not know how to react to the news that AOL and Yahoo were going to be charging companies to guarantee delivery of e-mail. Was I supposed to feel good as a CRM person that a new avenue of message delivery was opening up, or was I supposed to man the barricades as a consumer to protest this invasion of my space? ...

I take between three and seven briefings each week from software companies. Some of these companies are known quantities that I like to keep up with, while others are new to me or possibly new to the world. Most times, companies are looking for an objective opinion on a plan, a message or an idea -- and they figure there's always a chance I might mention them here. That's certainly happened, though I am afraid my track record seems to run in the other direction. I am frequently critical, so be careful what you wish for...

I spoke with a group of investors last week about the importance of the emerging field of platform technology. They were interested in investing in a company that was looking for additional late round funding and they wanted to know a few things. What is the market for this new technology? Who will buy it? Isn't the market already saturated with applications and application technology?...

In its short life, Salesforce.com has garnered more than its fair share of publicity, thanks in no small measure to the activities of its founder, CEO and chairman, Marc Benioff. Benioff may be the 21st century high technology answer to P.T. Barnum, a colorful figure in an industry that has more shades-of-grey personalities than McDonald's has ways of stacking burgers, buns and lettuce...

"I can understand building an open-source operating system," Beagle Research principal analyst Denis Pombriant told CRM Buyer. The difference between that and an open-source application, he explained, is that it is far more difficult to recoup overhead costs incurred in the subsequent implementation and integration of the system...

Salesnet is not the only company trying to grab market share from Salesforce.com. It will not be easy to dislodge the market leader from its perch, but it is doable with the right strategy, said Denis Pombriant, principal of Beagle Research "There are a lot of vendors out the...

I have been wracking my brain for an adequate metaphor to describe the situation that has developed in the CRM world and in enterprise software in general ...

It was no surprise thatIBM andSAP joined ranks to promote SAP'son demand CRM product a day after Oracle's acquisition ofSiebel concluded ...

Google has been in the news a lot lately and not for the kinds of things that the financiers on Wall Street like to see. Last week it was revealed that Google, alone among majorsearch engine companies, is resisting a government request to provide a representative sample of searches to help Washington better understand if its anti-pornography laws are working. It was also revealed that the company is editing its search results for the Chinese market -- helping to keep embarrassing or controversial information from Chinese searchers...

"Our voluntary agreement with the state attorneys general builds on Philip Morris USA's existing trade programs and policies intended to preserve the integrity of our brands and the legitimate trade channels through which they are sold," said Denise Keane, Philip Morris USA executive vice president and general counsel. "It sets a framework for continued information sharing with law enforcement and support of their efforts to eliminate illegal sales of Philip Morris USA products."

Have you noticed the "dial 'O' for a human" movement gathering steam? One related manifestation is the clever set of ads put out by Citibank for its credit cards. You may have seen the ads showing a man calling for service and navigating through the tragedy that is the automated call response system so many companies use ...