Since buzzwords like social shares, mobile marketing, and (wait for it) Big Data are nothing new and don't really provide a competitive advantage any longer, the marketer of the future will be nothing like the marketer of the past... or present. Marketing has changed more in the past two decades than it has in the last 80 years and we are all just trying to keep up. From data to design to content to creative, customers are becoming harder and harder to impress.
Managing this deluge of requests is time-consuming, unwieldy, and difficult to sustain as your company scales. Follow these best practices to bring order to the chaos of incoming work requests so you can spend more time completing important projects and less time apologizing for dropping the ball.
"I wouldn't say I'm achieving amazing things. I would say our customers are achieving amazing things with a little help from us." — Errette Dunn Our very own Implementation and Project Management Coach, Errette Dunn, was featured on the PM for the Masses podcast hosted by PM Influencer, Cesar Abeid. In this episode, Errette discusses his work — how he started out as an engineer at Toyota and transitioned to Airbus just as they transformed to using Lean Management methods. He also talks about his coaching at Wrike and how different customer personas can influence what solution is best for them. In this Podcast, you'll learn about: Lean Project Management and how Toyota piloted a method called Lean Manufacturing that would eventually transform the automotive industry Airbus's transition to Lean and how it influenced change management and culture The similarities and differences between Agile and Lean Project Management "Accidental Project Managers" and the pains driving them to adopt new tools How Wrike molds their product based on what problems their customers are trying to solve Listen to the full podcast episode here: From Toyota, to AirBus, to Wrike: The Lean Journey of Errette Dunn Want to learn more about how Wrike can help your team? Take a tour of the product or start your free trial today!
Summer no longer carries the same meaning once you pass childhood. Before, summer meant school's out, movie dates, picnics, and warm nights. Now, summer only means that it's going to be hotter in the office. It's not easy to stay productive when the sun is tempting you to skip work and go outside — but it is easy to bring summer into the office so employees don't feel like they're missing out completely. Here are some ideas on how you can bring summer to work, even as Fall starts rolling in: Like this infographic? Print it out, or share it with your colleagues using this embed code: Infographic brought to you by Wrike How do you celebrate summer in your office? We're always looking for new ways to play here at Wrike. Share your summery ideas with us in the comments.
We're not like a regular startup, we're a cool startup. ;) Here's the 411 on work events outside the office: team bonding events are difficult to pull off. They're normally unoriginal or downright boring. At Wrike, we were looking for a way to celebrate a successful end of the quarter with a game that everyone could take part in and be excited about, and we wanted to use a collaborative tool we all know how to use. We decided it was time for... the First Annual Wrike Scavenger Hunt! It started by creating teams of five and choosing a theme and a name for each team — oh, the creative possibilities! On the big day, teams gathered around and the list of scavenger hunt items was revealed in Wrike tasks. Teams had two hours to run around downtown Mountain View, CA and complete the tasks by uploading proof-of-completion photos or videos to the tasks via Wrike mobile app. Some of the tasks included taking a selfie with a stranger, snapping photos of all six downtown bubble tea locations, finding an item that cost exactly $0.49 cents, and completing a water balloon toss. Emeka and Patricia — our scavenger hunt facilitators — were able to get updates in real-time on their phones, so they could keep track of who was in the lead as the clock ticked down. How to Create Your Own Scavenger Hunt in Wrike Step 1: Divide everyone into groups of 2 or more and have them choose a fun name or theme that represents their team. . Step 2: Create a Folder and add a single task. . Step 3: Within that task, add subtasks with the specific actions you want completed during the Scavenger Hunt. Make sure these tasks require teams to take a photo or video they can upload to the subtask before they hit complete. . Step 4: Duplicate the parent task for each of the participating teams. . Step 5: Name each task with a specific team name and share it with them. . Step 6: On the day of the Scavenger Hunt, give all the teams a time limit to complete each subtask. Explain to the teams that they will have to upload a photo or video to each subtask using the free Wrike Mobile App. . Step 7: Follow the Scavenger Hunt progression in real time by watching as the subtasks are completed by each team. The team who completes the most subtasks in the shortest amount of time, wins! . Step 8: Share the winner with us on social media with the hashtag #WrikeScavengerHunt . Have fun and Wrike on! Check out our short video recap of the scavenger hunt to inspire your own team and use Wrike for your own adventures! We're an ambitious bunch, so it was a great opportunity to unleash our competitive spirits while having fun with our co-workers. And we found a fun new way to play with Wrike! How do you use Wrike for fun? Share your own stories in the comments!
Some people compare sales operations teams to a car's engine. Although not seen by drivers, it's working away under the hood, powering the car to get from point A to point B. In the same way, sales operations teams are the people making sure the sales force is always moving forward successfully. They are responsible for leveraging technology and information to support sales, troubleshoot CRM issues, and design solutions that drive sales onward and upward. Today, the average sales representative is so busy with routine tasks like emails and meetings that they spend less than half of their day actually selling. An awesome sales operations team can help those reps cut back on administrative work and provide the company with a huge return on investment. While it's up to sales reps to keep revenue figures climbing up and to the right, the sales ops team must ensure everything is running smoothly on the back end — as well as face their own set of work-related difficulties. Here's a list of 5 common, but rarely-acknowledged, challenges sales operations teams face today: 1. Wearing too many hats Sales reps have a very defined role: convert leads into buyers. Everything related to sales teams that is not defined within that sales rep role is usually relegated to sales ops. If you look at a typical sales ops job description, you'll find a range of responsibilities that include overseeing sales performance analysis, developing a sales incentive program, managing sales force automation and CRM, evaluating and designing sales force strategies, and providing technical support for sales functionalities and tools. This wide range of tasks, in addition to addressing the immediate needs of sales reps, can become overwhelming and taxing for sales ops teams. 2. Keeping up with evolving technology The dynamic world of CRM, marketing automation, and predictive marketing analytics tools is forcing sales ops to constantly reevaluate their strategies to stay ahead of the game. With sales becoming more aligned with other departments like marketing and customer success, sales tools need to be able to integrate and connect to other business tools. Sales ops is responsible for making sure the tools in place are cost-effective and bring in measurable ROI. 3. Juggling ad-hoc requests Because a huge part of sales ops involves supporting and managing the sales force and corresponding tools, it's impossible to plan out when requests are going to arise. It's difficult to keep a consistent, predictable workflow in an environment where sales strategies and technologies are constantly changing. Work management and instant messaging platforms are becoming more popular across sales ops teams to stay on top of requests and communicate quickly. 4. Adjusting to the shift in customer interaction Currently, consumers have access to more information about a product than ever before. With blog content, videos, tutorials, reviews, and free trials all being thrown into the lap of a potential buyer before they even speak to a sales representative, it can be difficult to find a reason to get them on the phone. It's up to sales ops and managers to determine how to engage with potential customers when they already know so much about the product, as well as how to shift the sales conversation from "what" to "how and why." 5. Reaching larger, long-term company goals while keeping up with immediate sales needs Sales ops' top priorities are accelerating revenue and sales growth. But new lead-gathering strategies outlined by executives, combined with input from the full sales team, can be overwhelming. Unless there is a clear, continued understanding between executives, marketing, and sales on how to identify high-value prospects for sales reps, the sales funnel will flood with uninterested leads and general inquiries. And while sales ops may be focusing on reaching their lead conversion goal for their quarterly OKRs, sales managers could be pushing their reps to focus on target accounts — which could mean fewer overall conversions, damaging the sales ops' perceived success. What other challenges have you seen arise in sales ops teams? As sales operations become more common in organizations, it's important to recognize when these challenges start turning into full-blown barriers to success. Once resolved, your sales team can focus less on administrative fire drills and more on closing deals! What are some of the other challenges facing professional services firms and sales ops teams? Share with us in the comments!
