A new day for PRM

A new day for PRM… CRM – PRM – ABC – XYZ - I know, I know. Partner Relationship Management was really ahead of it’s time though. Actually it may have just been ahead of technology. Traditional PRM solutions were expensive, on premise, separate or add-on to CRM and really focused on lead sharing and deal registration. I understand these are very important features especially for the VAR and reseller channel but really only scratch the surface when it comes to the level of collaboration required between a manufacturer and its independent manufacturers’ representatives. The technology has definitely caught up. PRM is alive and about to be as popular an acronym as CRM, only with a better reputation.

Dell Picks Salesforce.com PRM Platform

DATE: 05-DEC-2007

By Jessica Davis (Channel Insider)

The PC maker will use Salesforce.com's new CRM-meets-Facebook technology, which links separate Salesforce CRM implementations. Dell and its solution provider partners are among the first customers of Salesforce.com's Salesforce to Salesforce technology, which lets different companies share their Salesforce.com information.

Dell first began using Salesforce.com's CRM (customer relationship management) platform a year ago for its direct sales force. Over the last 60 days, the PC maker has taken the relationship a step further, implementing Salesforce Partners, Salesforce.com's PRM (partner relationship management) platform.

"They wanted one solution to collaborate with direct and indirect sales," said Elay Cohen, senior director of products at Salesforce.com. "They have a history of being a direct business, and their No. 1 business problem is they want to mitigate channel conflict. The only way to do that is to have a single platform."

Dell solution providers can leverage the platform even further if they use Salesforce.com in their own operations. For example, rather than use the different deal registration screens at all the different vendors' portals, solution providers can enter the required information on a single familiar interface—the one they use at their own company.

Dell's deal registration through Salesforce.com has about eight required fields and two clicks.

Ultimately, Dell may also look at using the platform for use with some of its bigger strategic partners such as EMC, according to Channel Chief Greg Davis.

Enterprise ($125 user / mo.) and Unlimited ($195 user / mo.) edition users can share data using Salesforce to Salesforce for a fee of US$1,200 per year, per connection.

http://www.channelinsider.com/article/Dell+Picks+Salesforcecom+PRM+Platform/221021_1.aspx