| February 6, 2012 | | CONNECT WITH SMARTBRIEF |  |  | |  | | | The Leaderboard |  | | |  |  |  | 10 Principles for Building an Effective Human Capital Plan
The Human Capital Plan is an important tool that organizations use to drive focused actions that can ensure goal achievement and business success. It allows organizations to assess, plan for, and respond proactively to its human capital challenges and needs. Download the white paper to learn more. |
 | | - Why coaching and training are 2 different things
Coaching and training are designed to improve sales representatives' performance, but they are fundamentally different processes, writes S. Anthony Iannarino. "Coaching isn't an event. It is a relationship and, as such, it requires frequent communication," he writes. Training, on the other hand, is a less personal process. TheSalesBlog.com (2/2)      - Get a better grasp on the state of your sales funnel
Trying to maintain visibility in your sales pipeline can be a difficult process, and CRM systems aren't necessarily the answer, according to Jim Burleigh of Cloud9. Companies can improve their sales-management efforts by increasing automation, making use of big data and aligning their sales processes with how buyers make purchases, writes Christine Crandell. Forbes (2/1) |  | The Business Platinum Card® from American Express OPEN
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  | | | Daily Data Points | | | |  | - Car companies create marketing magic with Super Bowl ads
Car companies appear to have been the big winners with professionals and consumers in the Super Bowl advertising bonanza. A Chrysler spot featuring Clint Eastwood sent a powerful message, and an Acura commercial featuring Jerry Seinfeld and Jay Leno had the early edge in a Wall Street Journal poll of the best ads. The Wall Street Journal (2/6) |  | Organizational Privacy Architecture and Assessment
This checklist for Ecommerce, Web Development and Design, and Direct Marketing professionals enables you to gauge your organization’s privacy compliance and best practice levels. Thousands of companies leave the intricacies of privacy management to TRUSTe, the 13-year-old leader in online privacy. Gain an overview of the program today. |
 | | | Strategies from Sales & Marketing Management | | - Why assertiveness is the secret to effective sales
Business-to-business customers don't want to be asked question after question; they want knowledgeable salespeople to provide them with insight, according to Matthew Dixon, one of the authors of "The Challenger Sale." "At no point are we saying this is easy, but it does mean that you have to know your customers' businesses better than they know it themselves," said Brent Adamson, the book's other author. Sales & Marketing Management (2/6) | | On the Road | | | |  | - Hotels upgrade menus to include gluten-free, macrobiotic items
More hotels are introducing food items in their menus to meet the dietary preferences of health-conscious guests, including dairy-free, gluten-free and macrobiotic food. "This is a subtle message that we are attentive to health issues. It brings with it an image that is very positive to the traveler, especially older travelers like baby boomers who are increasingly focused on health issues," said Bjorn Hanson, dean of the Preston Robert Tisch Center for Hospitality, Tourism and Sports Management at New York University. USA TODAY (2/5) |  | Leveraging Cloud Security to Weather Threatening Storms
Web attacks and retribution campaigns are on the rise, and they have become more frequent, more random and more extreme. This paper assesses the current cyber threat environment and discusses the use of distributed cloud services as an effective means to protect against evolving, modern-day IT threats. |
 | | | App Update | | | |  | - More companies find the value in social media
Social media has multiplied the ways companies can interact with customers, but measuring the return on investment can be tricky, executives say. The first steps involve listening and engaging with audiences to find ways to connect them to the business. Some organizations even use social media tools to network employees internally. "It's about efficiency. We spend less time on transactions and more time on strategic analysis," says Scott Travasos, chief financial officer at Blue Shield of California Foundation. CFO Magazine (2/2012) |  | Costs are rising in China and Japan, prompting high-tech firms across Asia to consider new sourcing locations so they can remain efficient, while focusing more on service. What will be the impact of this behavioral shift? Learn about the findings in this free white paper. |
 | | | Most Read | | | |  | Top five news stories selected by SmartBrief on Sales readers in the past week. - Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.
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| | | | | Most Popular Headlines from Last Week Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers. |
- Swedish rabbit tries to put sheepdog out of a job
A video depicting the sheep-herding skills of a beige rabbit has received more than 700,000 views on YouTube. The bunny might have learned how to herd by watching dogs and is apparently quite good at it. "I work with sheepdogs and know how hard this is. There are very few dogs that could do what this rabbit does," said a friend of the rabbit's owners.  The Huffington Post (2/3)  | It's hard to put a dollar figure on the collaboration advantage we get from [Salesforce] Chatter. It's about efficiency. We spend less time on transactions and more time on strategic analysis."
--Scott Travasos, chief financial officer of Blue Shield of California Foundation, as quoted by CFO Magazine  |
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