MediaFirst PR - Atlanta - business to business

LinkedIn + Facebook + Twitter Lead The Social Media Charge For Today's Business (& Business Professional)

jimcaruso — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 05:00:00 +0000

Businesses and individuals increasingly see the value in online social media for industry connections or introductions and clearly for employment opportunities. Beyond these are company branding, business reputation management, and professional business networking. It is true that online networking can degenerate into the kind of networking event where you show up and everyone else is there to sell you what they have. But most online social networking can be contained to the important kind, not just a virtual room of vulturous vendors. "Old Style" professional connections are not dead, they've just met up with the latest technology tools.

Connect To Audiences Via Social Networks

These tools, such as LinkedIn (very B2B), Facebook (evolving to more B2B from a college-oriented service at it's start), and MySpace (very B2C and younger) let your firm have an online page or presence with it's own fans. These connections are individuals connecting to the business. Some list current and former employees. They are increasingly tied to other feeds, maybe your great press coverage. In any case, a forum where your firm and customer experiences are discussed. Beginning to see the value in monitoring and participating? The better known online social media services enable personal or professional, 1-to-1 connections. These services provide access and information on you and your firm.

Begin Here With This Social Media Starting Point

Here is a minimal plan for a social media presence for you and the company:

Customer-facing employees should be on LinkedIn and Facebook, and participate
The company should have it's own page on LinkedIn and Facebook
Employees should have a photograph on their LinkedIn page - 1/3 do not
Press releases and news should be aggregated on the company Website and probably via online services, such as del.icio.us (also now at Delicious.com), Digg.com, Reddit.com, or StumbleUpon.com
News and events can be posted on Twitter. Direct messages or replies on Twitter should be monitored, so you may respond - engaging with the audience for your firm.

There it is, a straightforward way to implement social media at your company. Remember that these tools represent are an innovation - just like any new tool that you might adopt for the business - so think of Social Media tools as part of the company's continual improvement program. (I'm a fan of W. Edwards Deming, a famous proponent of quality and continual improvement).

Get Started, Use Social Media For Your Business

Call Jim at 770/642-2080, x218 to talk more about social media for business.

Elemica Facilitates Connectivity With Road Carriers For BASF, Driving Inefficiencies Out of the Value Chain

Becky Boyd — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 19:23:09 +0000

Elemica Logistics Solution Integrates Transportation Parties & Processes for Lower Spend

Exton, PA – April 20, 2009 – Elemica, the industry-leading B2B supply chain execution network, announces that BASF, one of the largest producers of chemicals in North America, has implemented the Elemica Logistics Road solution to facilitate collaboration with its carriers. The successful project, which seamlessly connects, standardizes, and automates logistics processes with more than 100 North American road carriers of all sizes, was implemented in less than six months. Elemica’s next-generation logistics platform provides the flexibility and scalability carriers need to connect to the network regardless of their technical infrastructure. Streamlining connection through Elemica to its North American road carriers, who transport several hundred thousand shipments annually, means BASF can expect to yield short-term results and build strong relationships with their carriers to drive sustainable value.

“In an effort to respond to erratic market conditions, manage capacity constraints, contain escalating freight rates and demanding vendor requirements, companies like BASF turn to Elemica to get the job done right and to keep their supply chain flowing much more cost effectively,” said Mike McGuigan, CEO of Elemica. “With Elemica’s Logistics Solution, companies gain real-time insight into the status of their shipments, automate processes, ensure compliance with customer needs, and cut freight expenses.”

“Elemica keeps costs of external communications down by handling all of our outside connections. Rather than interfacing with a couple hundred customers and suppliers, we only have to connect once. Elemica is the middleman that sits between all of us, ensuring we’re all coordinated in the electronic playground,” said Tom Warner, BASF Manager of e-Commerce Systems Integration. “BASF gains by streamlining processes for lower transportation costs and improved customer service levels.”

BASF is using the Road module of Elemica’s business process network to garner visibility into carrier activities, ensuring shipments are correct, the right carriers are selected for order requirements, and shipment turnaround time is greatly enhanced. The Elemica network integrates completely with BASF’s ERP system, improving invoice and shipment accuracy. Carriers can view the loads and bookings that BASF has tendered to them, respond to tender offers, set pickup and delivery appointments, communicate shipment status information, and submit freight invoices.

Benefits of the Elemica Logistics implementation include collaborative planning and execution with carriers for “right carrier at the right time” scenarios, higher on-time delivery, single point of visibility and real-time access to information for better, faster decision making, reporting for trending and performance management, reduced transportation spend with optimal carrier selection, and more.

Carriers no longer have to support multiple shipper systems in their back office environments, enabling better responsiveness to shipper demands. Per Tom Warner of BASF, “This is a win-win for both sides. The whole process just works better.”

"Electronic connectivity increases data accuracy and timeliness which prevents rework for us and our customers, especially in our freight invoicing. Overall, an 18 percent reduction in administrative costs is possible with full integration. Elemica provides us with that possibility in the chemical industry,” said George Grossardt, VP and GM, at Schneider National Bulk.

About Elemica
Elemica was founded by 22 leading global corporations to deliver best-in-class integration of trade partners in the external supply chain for seamless execution of business processes such as order management. Elemica's leading-edge technology unites global trade partners and provides a true framework of 'Connect Once. Connect To All.' The sophisticated hub automates the execution of key business processes, removes transactional and communication barriers, and integrates the information flow between business partners, resulting in reduced cost of operations and faster process execution with fewer resources.

From order entry to invoice processing for logistics, planning, and purchasing, the Elemica network enables real-time data exchange, improves productivity, decreases errors, and increases customer and business partner satisfaction. Elemica has connected more than 1900 companies across multiple industries and processes over $50B in annual transactions. Clients include Dow, BP, Rohm and Haas, Shell Chemicals, BASF, and Lanxess. For more information, visit http://www.elemica.com.

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Elemica Logistics Solution Integrates Transportation Parties & Processes for Lower Spend

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Elemica Facilitates Connectivity With Road Carriers For BASF, Driving Inefficiencies Out of the Value Chain

Becky Boyd — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 19:22:46 +0000

Elemica Logistics Solution Integrates Transportation Parties & Processes for Lower Spend

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Elemica Logistics Solution Integrates Transportation Parties & Processes for Lower Spend

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FRONTLINE Selling Cements Leadership With Software For Prospecting Productivity Management (PPM)

jimcaruso — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 04:00:00 +0000

PPM Fills Gap, Driving Prospecting For Sales Force Automation

ALPHARETTA, GA -- March 15, 2007 – FRONTLINE Selling, the leading provider of high level, business-to-business demand-creation training solutions and outsourced services, announces FRONTLINE PPM(TM), Prospecting Productivity Management, an on demand software solution that leverages FRONTLINE's flagship methodology for high-value business to business prospecting, RAMP-UP(TM). PPM is proven to guide inside and outside sales people to higher success rates by systematically identifying key decision makers and securing 30 minutes of their valuable time to discuss a value proposition in a meaningful way.

"FRONTLINE PPM is the only tool solely focused on maximizing productivity at the very top of the sales funnel. Much like e-mail marketing or campaign management solutions extend the scope of CRM, PPM addresses a gap in the functionality traditionally offered with these solutions," according to Mike Scher, president of FRONTLINE Selling. "PPM reinforces the best practices indigenous to RAMP-UP(TM) (Repeatable and Measurable Process for Upgrading Pipelines) by guiding sales staff through a program to succeed and giving sales and sales management visibility into the quality metrics necessary for measuring continuous improvement, success, and Return On Investment (ROI)."

The software was developed, refined, tested, and proven with clients such as VMware which uses it as a component of their "SolutionTrack(TM) partner program; and at FRONTLINE Selling, where the software has helped produce thousands of Meaningful Interactions(TM) (MI's) over the past 2+ years via FRONTLINE's outsourced services division for high value prospecting and demand creation. PPM creates a prospecting process flow, based upon FRONTLINE Selling's rigorous methodology, RAMP-UP.

FRONTLINE PPM is delivered as a core component to FRONTLINE's Advanced Prospecting Skills Workshop (APSW) and/or as a stand-alone, on-demand application. PPM features functionality for the sales prospecting needs of sales organizations for high-value and complex sales, either selling direct or through alliance partner channels.

About FRONTLINE Selling LLC

FRONTLINE Selling helps companies that sell "high-value" solutions become more effective at building their sales pipeline. We do this via a strategic Vision-Lock(TM) Selling approach providing structure, metrics, and a common language around your demand creation activities. To support Vision-Lock(TM), we have developed and utilize our own tactical methodology (RAMP-UP(TM)) for execution. The result is a repeatable and measurable sales process transforming sales people into highly leveraged communicators of your value offering.

Companies such as (RIM, Symantec, Microsoft, Sun Microsystems BEA Systems, GuardianEdge and Arcsight) take advantage of FRONTLINE Selling's methodologies as either an outsourced services provider where FRONTLINE, leveraging our proprietary RAMP-UP(TM) methodology, identifies targeted executives and secures their TIME and ATTENTION, or as a skills development workshop where we teach these repeatable methodologies to the sales team.

Either way, sales people are able to engage in meaningful business dialogues with a highly coveted audience. The result creates net-new sales cycles with your solution at the forefront of dictating the business requirement and the buying process. For more information, please visit us on the Web at www.frontlineselling.com.

PPM Fills Gap, Driving Prospecting For Sales Force Automation

ALPHARETTA, Ga., March 15, 2007 – FRONTLINE Selling, the leading provider of high level, business-to-business demand-creation training solutions and outsourced services, announces FRONTLINE PPM(TM), Prospecting Productivity Management, an on demand software solution that leverages FRONTLINE's flagship methodology for high-value business to business prospecting, RAMP-UP(TM). PPM is proven to guide inside and outside sales people to higher success rates by systematically identifying key decision makers and securing 30 minutes of their valuable time to discuss a value proposition in a meaningful way.

About FRONTLINE Selling LLC