Chapter 18

Top Ten Social CRM Thought Leaders

The world of social CRM would be a much different place without the leadership and guidance of the people listed on the following pages. Their guidance whether by phone, through writing, or e-mail helped form the contents of this book and the industry.

They are the preeminent thought leaders of social CRM and will continue to write, create, and lead the revolution of the social consumer. We recommend that you read, friend, and follow them. (Find each person's Twitter handle and website under his or her name in this chapter.) If you stalk them, we didn't tell you to do that.

Paul Greenburg

You want the scoop on CRM strategy, technology, stories, companies, and personalities? Paul is your guy. He's known widely as the Godfather of CRM. His writes about the world of traditional and social CRM, focusing on not only what CRM is, but also where it's going. His blog is shown in Figure 18-1.

Figure 18-1: Paul Greenburg is known as the Godfather of CRM.

Adam Metz

Adam Metz is considered an expert on the social customer. He's also touted as one of the first consultants in the social CRM space to devise a holistic social web analytics model for his clients (which we feature in this book).

R “Ray” Wang

Adam and Paul mention R “Ray” Wang multiple times throughout their writing, and literally hundreds of thousands of readers follow Wang's enterprise software blog, A Software Insider's Point of View. His blog, shown in Figure 18-2, provides insight into how disruptive technologies and new business models impact the enterprise.

When he isn't speaking all over the world, Ray Wang is Principal Analyst & CEO of the next-generation research and advisory firm Constellation Research, Inc.

Figure 18-2: R “Ray” Wang's blog.

Wim Rampen

Wim Rampen knows social communication. Period. He's especially sharp with anything pertaining to customer-facing departments and challenges.

When he isn't writing about customer relationship management, Wim is Manager of Customer Intelligence and Brand Management at Delta Lloyd Group.

Kate Leggett

Kate is a Senior Analyst Serving Application & Delivery Professionals at Forrester Research. She leads the charge in helping organizations establish and validate customer service strategies. You can find her research and writing all over the web. Her blog is shown in Figure 18-3.

Figure 18-3: Kate Leggett writes for Forrester Research.

Esteban Kolsky

If you want to know anything about CRM, social CRM, social business, CEM, CX, or any other combination of letters that has C (for customer) in it, Esteban Kolsky is your guy. His blog thinkJar, shown in Figure 18-4, is one of the leading editorials focused on the world of social CRM.

Martin Schneider

When he isn't mixing things up at 451 Research, you can find Martin's writings over at CRM Magazine and other noteworthy CRM publications. Martin was previously at SugarCRM, where he started the CRM Outsiders, a blog and social media project that quickly became a destination for companies and individuals seeking insight into the new rules of social sales, marketing, and database development.

Figure 18-4: Esteban Kolsky writes thinkJar.

Mitch Lieberman

We enjoy Mitch's strong focus on customer experiences and next-generation CRM (social CRM). His day job is Vice President of Marketing for Sword Ciboodle. Mitch makes a point of reminding us that the hyper-connected, mobile, and localized customer demands simplicity and is less tolerant of business-driven organizational procedures.

What we love most about Mitch? His blog title, which is Mitch Lieberman – A Title Would Limit My Thoughts. Touché Mitch; touché. Check it out in Figure 18-5.

Figure 18-5: Mitch Lieberman has no limits on his blog, A Title Would Limit My Thoughts.

Bill Ives

Bill is an academic psychologist who just happens to love the world of social business — and we love that he loves it! Bill rocks it over at the Merced Group, where he focuses on business strategy, program design, and implementation services in social business efforts. He's also a team member at Darwin Ecosystems, a content-awareness and discovery engine. You can keep up with what he's thinking via his blog, shown in Figure 18-6.

Figure 18-6: Bill Ives offers an academic psychologist's point of view.

Marc Benioff

If you don't already know, Marc is the founder of Salesforce.com and one of the top thought leaders in the world of cloud-based CRM solutions. He revolutionized the way sales forces communicate with prospects and customers. Benioff is regarded as the leader of what he has termed “The End of Software,” the now-proven belief that cloud computing applications democratize information by delivering immediate benefits at reduced risks and costs.