Announcing CRM Playaz!

CRM Playaz - Read Post First, Then Listen, Please....

CRM has always been controversial. To the point that it has its haters and its lovers (don't read anything into that, okay?).  Failure rates can be high and successes can be spectacular at times and just rock hard beneficial at others.  Implementation problems have been rife, but the systems can also be user friendly and easy to play with.  But one way or the other, despite CRM's mainstream appeal and use - it has been controversial.

In the spirit of that controversy, in the interests of stirring the pot even more, of providing some more edge to an industry that can pass for a suits delight if we don't prevent it - Brent Leary, guru of CRM for small business and I would like to announce the pilot audio episode of CRM Playaz - a show steeped in controversy, with the edge of a straight razor and the wit of....of....of....uhhhh....Steve Martin? Not Dane Cook, that's for sure. Maybe Lenny Bruce? Louis Black? I don't know, somebody really funny.  You tell me.

The model for CRM Playaz is, for all you sports fans, Pardon the Interruption (PTI) run by Monday Night Football blabber Tony Kornheiser and Washington Post sportswriter Michael Wilbon.  Just to make it clear - I'm the Kornheiser equivalent, Brent is the Wilbon equivalent.

The game plan for the show is to provide 15 minutes of topical riffs. That means a couple of subjects that we just go off on - not always nasty, not always on the same side, but always impromptu - the riffs, not the choice of subjects.

We're starting out with this episode in audio and I want to warn you - this is a pilot. We're not smooth yet. We will be though. I need feedback, even if you think its crap.  But if you do, I'll be glad to hear that you do if you can suggest how we can make it better.

The long term plan is to go to video and have guests on the show.  We have two segments we're going to add as we go along.  One is called CEO's Corner - where we invite senior management of CRM vendors on the show - but they can't talk about their company or we rake them.  They can talk about themselves, CRM topics of interest, whatever they want  - except the company they represent. We have several willing to take the chance. Let's see how long they last.  DNA is tough to combat.

Another upcoming segment is called "Open Season" where anyone gets to come on and attack, attack, attack - us if they want. But they have to be prepared to get as good as they give - or better - and stay on topic - meaning CRM related topics.

CRM Playaz - Pilot Episode

The audio you can listen to below is the first - and a pilot audio. Brent and I riff on two topics - an ongoing and rather odd discussion going on about whether to call what's happening to CRM either CRM 2.0 or Social CRM. My take and Brent's is, "who gives a ----?" but because we had nothing better to do, we took sides for a few minutes and went at it. The discussion is irrelevant to customers at best and confusing to them at worst - if they perceive them to be different. But in the fine tradition of "things-that-don't-matter-in-the-short-run-much-less-the-long-run" the debate goes on.

The second topic of interest was something that came up the other day. My good friend and community/social network expert, Filiberto Silvas, sent me an ad on Facebook from Hubspot. Imagine my surprise when I saw my mug plastered on that ad as a "fan of Hubspot."  See?

Well, I love Hubspot and think they are classy, and I'm in the group "Fan of Hubspot" but unless I unwittingly agreed to something that said they could use my countenance in an ad, I can't say that I'm happy about this.  While I'm sure the group member was randomly chosen to be me, I have a brand and this kind of public acknowledgement should be up to me, not either Facebook, Hubspot or both.  I think that I make that clear on the air here.   What do you guys think about this?

In any case, "talkback" away folks and let me and Brent know what you think about the pilot. Its not polished, we're not smooth though not lame either and there's room to improve. But this is going to be a regular thing with us so join in with us at CRM Playaz and let's par-tay!