  | December 27, 2011 | | CONNECT WITH SMARTBRIEF |  |  | |  | | - Companies tell employees to just say no to e-mails
More companies are limiting the use of e-mail to give employees a better work-life balance. Volkswagen workers in Germany will be unable to use a BlackBerry to send or receive e-mail during nonwork hours, the company announced. A European chemical company declared "amnesty" from e-mails during the holidays. "I don't have to read my e-mails simply because someone somewhere is bored and sending me them," says Kasper Rorsted, chief executive of Henkel, a chemical company. NPR.org/The Two-Way blog (12/23)       |  |  |  | | How to turn money you already spend into points you can use:
Introducing The New Business Gold Rewards Card from American Express OPEN, designed to earn Membership Rewards® points faster: 3X on airfare. 2X on advertising, gas & shipping. 1X on everything else. Use points to pay for travel, Amazon.com purchases, Facebook ads, and more.
LEARN MORE & APPLY | |  |  |  |
  | | | Sales Strategies |  | | |  | - How to give your customers more value
Figure out which sales force activities your customers value the most and then concentrate your efforts in those areas, writes Scott Gruher. A number of techniques, such as customer surveys and interviews, can be used to gather information for this project, he writes. "Look at the tasks that do not drive as much value for your customers and try to shift them, minimize them, or eliminate them," he writes. Sales Benchmark Index/Sales Force Effectiveness Blog (12/24) - Use social media to learn more about your customers
The Internet and social media have created a wealth of information for sales teams looking to learn more about new prospects, writes Koka Sexton. "Sifting through it to find the relevant information you can act on today appears to be the challenge at hand," Sexton writes. LinkedIn and Twitter can both be powerful tools for driving sales, according to experts. The InsideView Blog (12/22) |  | Your job as an Exchange administrator isn't easy. You have to respond to lost messages, handle email discovery requirements, and keep everything up and running. Is there an easy way to manage your Exchange environment — and do it under budget? Learn about the challenges faced by three real organizations, and how using the right solution brought them peace of mind. |
 | | | Daily Data Points | | | |  | - 10 executives give their predictions for 2012
The next year will be tough, but will bring opportunities for smart companies in emerging fields, say top executives from a range of industries. Manufacturers of solar-energy products will have to adapt to increased demand but fewer government incentives, and tech-dependent companies will all jockey for the attention of consumers. FastCompany.com (12/26) - Third-quarter growth rate is revised to 1.8%
The Commerce Department's Bureau of Economic Analysis has revised the economic growth figure for the third quarter to an annual rate of 1.8%. The government initially estimated the rate to be about 2.5%, while economists had expected growth of about 2%. The rate remained faster than the second-quarter growth rate of 1.3%. Los Angeles Times/Money & Company blog (12/22) |  | To combat piracy and avoid lost revenue, ISVs need to understand what types of software attacks are out there and how to defend against them. Be aware of the types of attacks you're facing. Implement the right protection. Start by downloading this free whitepaper from SafeNet. |
 | | | Strategies from Sales & Marketing Management | | | |  | - 4 signs you're leading a team of weak negotiators
Are you, as a sales manager, finding yourself playing a dominant role in your salespeople's negotiations rather than serving as a coach who is slightly more removed from the process? Do you find your salespeople overreacting -- panicking, one might say -- to the threat of a sale not going though? These are additional signs of weakness identified by Grande Lum in the second part of his two-part article on factors that can help you assess negotiating weaknesses. Sales & Marketing Management (12/23) | |  | 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. |
 | | | On the Road | | | |  | - 4 flight predictions for 2012
The new year may usher in fewer flights, higher fares and more fees, but the overall process of getting from point A to point B will be less stressful thanks to technological breakthroughs that tie in to the growing use of smartphones and other mobile devices, writes Cranky Concierge founder Brett Snyder. "[F]lying will be less frustrating next year," he predicts. CNN (12/26) |  | Relax with the “Beyond Breakfast” package at The Benjamin.
Indulge with breakfast for two each morning at celebrity Chef Geoffrey Zakarian's newest restaurant–The National, and enjoy 20% off spa services. Sample our renowned 12-choice pillow menu before dozing off with a satin eye mask for a great night’s sleep. Call 1.866.222.BENJ. Use code BFAST. |
 | | - The business case for using tablets in the sales process
Tablet computers can help sales professionals deliver more effective presentations, writes Brian Swanson of SRV Network. "With tablets, setup is simple and speedy, and presentations can be performed anywhere, whether it's at a coffee shop, on the train, or during a flight layover," Swanson writes. Tablets can be passed around during meetings and can run a number of useful applications, he notes. CRN.com (12/23) 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.
| | | Most Popular Headlines from Last Week Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers. |
 | Social media isn't a replacement for the prospecting activities that success in sales requires, as some seem to suggest. It is a simply a set of tools that allow the execution of some of those activities."
--S. Anthony Iannarino, president and chief sales officer for SOLUTIONS Staffing, as quoted in The InsideView Blog  |
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