Gooooooood morning and thanks for dropping in here at Radio CBM, 98.6 on your dial.
Today's song dedication is The Rolling Stones' "No Expectations," going out with love to Barry O. from all your friends in the SMB sector.
Barney Beal has a good piece on how much more attractive CRM outsourcing is during these subprime economic times. Gartner's calling for a 60 percent growth in offshore IT outsourcing in the U.S. in 2009 [1] and about 40 percent in Europe, with a ten percent chance of scattered showers in the Tri-State area.
The Hackett Group, a Miami-based consulting firm, is predicting that a quarter of IT jobs at Global 1000 companies may be moved offshore by 2010 [2], and for more about using Miami to move offshore product call this number and ask for Raul.
In domestic news President-elect Barack O'Bama says that even though the current federal budget deficit is $455 billion, "we've got trillion-dollar deficits for years to come [3]," or at least for "as long as I can get away with blaming Bush for everything."
The Best Little Software Company in Redmond finally took the plunge and put its CRM data management tool, Microsoft Dynamics CRM, online [4]. Said one Microsoft official, "We've just discovered this great new invention called the Internet. We think it might have some business possibilities, we're still checking into it."
Sedona Corporation has announced an agreement with Share One to sell Member Relationship Management apps and services to their clients. Memphis-based Share One sells tech to credit unions. California Congressman Brad Sherman is advocating re-regulating credit unions, calling them "among the healthy financial institutions," because as we all know, when an industry is healthy in tough times it needs more government interference.
In sports the Ohio State University Buckeyes lost their third consecutive BCS bowl game, falling to the Texas Longhorns 24-21. Buckeyes Coach Jim Tressel vowed not to accept any more BCS invites "unless we play someone from the Ivy League."
In a tremendous boost to the press release industry Red Herring has named the two hundred finalists for its Global 100 list [5] of what it considers to be the top privately-held tech companies. The 100 winners will be announced next week in what is sure to be another PR flurry because hey, nobody ever got fired for buying one of the Red Herring Global 100.
A moment of silence on a Marshall amp turned up to ten for protopunk Stooges guitarist Ron Asheton, dead at 60, about 36 years longer than most punks' shelf life. You did good, Ron.
VerticalResponse has released the results of a "Political Impact" survey [6] it conducted among a sample of nearly 50,000 small businesses, finding that while 66.4 percent of small business owners have been "affected for the worse" by the recession, less than half of small business owners think the O'Bama administration will have "a positive impact" on SMBs.
The survey found 72.5 percent of SMB owners "have not had to lay off workers," 14.4 percent are "still hiring" and 28 percent "can't find a decent Thai place."
And wrapping up the broadcast this morning a LogicBright survey has the answer to the age-old question of what exactly do small businesses want in a CRM product?
Over 80 percent of users surveyed (!) want to use their CRM as a straightforward contact manager, just somewhere to put their data so "those clueless jokers in sales don't lose it." They don't need "specialty applications" such as mobile phone support or an offline version, according to the LogicBrighters, but something much resembling, coincidentally, the LogicBright offering.
LogicBright users surveyed express a preference for LogicBright products. You doan say. In related news, a survey of Harley-Davidson customers reveals a "significant percentage" ride Harleys.
Other responses included "remembers birthdays and anniversaries," "a caring listener," and "little romantic gestures," such as flowers, cards and long walks on the beach followed by candlelight dinners.
Over and out, campers, we're off to reset our Twitter passwords.
Radio CBM is sponsored by Frank Sinatra's A Swingin' Affair. To submit song requests, news tips or complimentary bottles of fine single-malt Scotch e-mail david@davidlsims.com.