The process of finding and implementing solutions for our clients allows us to get “up close and personal” with a wide range of technologies. For each technology we select and implement with a client, The Pursuit Group team has to drill deeply into how it works, and how it can be configured to efficiently support sales objectives. So when we find sales technologies that work – really work – we get excited. Here are some of our favorites.

OnLetterhead creates eye-catching template designs to match your corporate or product branding style, including the use of logos, slogans and pictures. And your e-mails can include calls to action in the form of links back to sections of your website – all in the framework of your e-mail. Using the template is no different than using e-mail as you do now. OnLetterhead installs a toolkit right into your Outlook toolbar, so whenever you want to send a branded e-mail, you just click, the “New” button. From there, you simply type your content and press “send”. Your recipient sees your e-mail with the branding template.

The more creative you get with how you use OnLetterhead, the better. For example, you can build different templates for different target audiences so one template can be used for your domestic clients and another for your clients in Asia. Or build separate templates to promote a new produc or service, or create a temporary template for a special promotion.

OnLetterhead is affordable, with several packages that meet the needs of almost any size company. There is an upfront cost of between $228-628 depending on number of templates, plus a $20 user activation fee and $8 per user/month. To sign up -- or to get a free test drive of the capability -- visit OnMarketer.com.

Demandbase enables you to buy marketing or sales opportunities in quantities as small as one, or filter lead generation marketing lists with unprecedented detail. The service starts with a master list of more than 4 million business contacts, assembled from a wide range of providers. Then they provide a filter that lets you choose targets by any combination of industry, department, company size, employee level or geography. You can even drill down into the filters to identify a specific role within a department, company type in an industry or a specific geographic area down to cities and towns. Or-- if you want to target specific companies -- enter company names, then select only the departments, levels or geographies you want your salespeople to cultivate.

Demandbase also provides a unique filtering capability: a quality index for each individual name. The quality score is based on three criteria: relevancy to your search filtering, the quality of the data source that provided the name, and -- perhaps most importantly -- the historical responsiveness of the individual.

Buying is even easier: drag your selections to a Web shopping cart, then check out and pay by credit card. Prices are based on quality and amount of data provided (for example, the e-mail address is extra). Since you can browse before you buy -- and since the cost of a name starts at well under a dollar each -- consider logging on for a test drive at Demandbase.com.

DidTheyReadIt? is a Web-based E-mail tracking software that adds an invisible tag to your outbound e-mails. You will get an immediate notification when the e-mail is opened, and a complete report when the message is closed: how long it was open, and where (in general) the recipient is located. In addition, you will be notified whenever the e-mail is re-opened, so if repeat reads is one of your “trigger” points for a change in prospect status, you will learn that as well.

DidTheyReadIt? is compatible with all e-mail software, and works well whether or not you e-mail goes through a corporate mail server. Implementation is simple, especially for Outlook users: download, install and configure a small plug-in (five-minute task). The next time you create a message (or reply to an existing one), you will see a new DidTheyReadIt? button. If it’s activated, the message will be automatically tracked. If you don’t want the message tracked, just click the button once to turn it off.

DidTheyRead It? offers a free trial, so if you think this tool could help your prospect nurturing efforts, click here: http://www.DidTheyReadIt.com

Axonom’s Powertrak software is a line-up of separate, but integrated modules that sit on top of Microsoft Dynamics CRM to provide both enhanced functionality and ease of use.
Powertrak provides enterprise-level Customer Relationship Management and Partner Relationship Management (PRM) solutions for companies that manufacture and distribute through multiple distribution channels. Powertrak’s modules include advanced marketing, customer and partner portals, call center, product configuration, certification tracking and technical case management.

Axonom’s Powertrak suite has out-of-the box functionality for the high-tech and government/association markets with specialized industry needs. For example, Powertrak includes dashboards that extract critical business data from Microsoft CRM. That real-time extracted data shows which channel partners are most effective.

We like how Powertrak is so easy to use. Anyone familiar with Microsoft Office products will feel completely comfortable in Powertrak. A full set of administrative tools enables easy integration with other applications. With its industry-specific functionality, Powertrak can be implemented either on-premise or as Software as a Service (SAAS). Powertrak makes Microsoft Dynamics CRM an even more powerful tool.

Visit www.axonom.com for more information.

For any company that makes high-stakes proposals – or has to respond to lots of RFPs – Sant offers a way to increase your hit rate, as well as reduce the time and resources it takes to produce the document.

Sant ProposalMasterTM assembles a proposal document from a database of content modules, and does it in a way that orients the entire proposal around the individual prospect’s needs and objectives. And Sant RFPMasterTM helps you quickly identify the right response to each RFP question from a master database of similar questions collected from previous RFP responses. Moreover, the RFP module can help manage the process of seeking and collecting answers to the unique questions.

A recent Sant survey of more than 500 customers shows that the average productivity jump is 44% and the average increase in hit rate was 28% across all industries. Apply those numbers to your own experience and figure out the ROI for your organization!
Check out www.santcorp.com for more information.

A rich-media tool, Brainshark delivers an audio-enhanced PowerPoint that cuts through communication clutter to reach your prospects, and tracks their interaction with your message.

We use Brainshark to build interest in upcoming meetings, deliver a very specific message to niche prospects, follow-up after presentations and proposals, and respond to specific queries in a very attention-getting way.

Building a Brainshark message is an easy, three-step process:

1. Assemble your PowerPoint slides and script.
   
2. Phone into the Brainshark assembly tool and follow their simple menu to record your message slide-by-slide.
   
3. Send an e-mail with a link to your Brainshark presentation.
   

And afterward, you can long onto the Brainshark site to find out how many recipients opened the file and watched the PowerPoint. Best of all, Brainshark will notify and provide insight to you about when, how and by whom your presentation was viewed. Click here for a sample Brainshark presentation produced by The Pursuit Group.

Find out how Brainshark can boost attention and response rates at www.brainshark.com.

The problem with using search engines in sales is obvious: even when you use narrow keywords, you must sift through a ton of irrelevant information to find the buried treasure you need. Broadlook Technologies is changing all of that, with amazing tools that let you use the power of the internet in a much more streamlined and productive manner. The Broadlook suite includes a range of search tools that helps you find the handful of companies or contacts that you really want. Then they can find out everything available about the company…and feed you breaking news about them as it happens.

Broadlook can help you find out lots about a particular target, or a tightly-defined list of prospects, or who to contact within a target company, or a host of other queries that can’t be done efficiently with standard search engines.

The result – as Broadlook puts it – is that you can market to the 50 you want to reach, not the 500 you don’t.

Click here www.broadlook.com to learn more.