The digital age has revolutionized every aspect of our lives. If you want to know something, simply search for the answer on the internet. Email and social media are now prevalent ways to communicate, and are becoming increasingly effective marketing channels. This revolution has changed how we conduct business. More importantly, the way we market our business evolves daily and has created a new role called the marketing technologist. 

The Impact of More Data

A Forrester Research study found that 96% of CMOs surveyed agreed that the pace of change in technology and marketing will continue to accelerate. As a result, firms cannot rely on mass marketing techniques that provide little return on investment. A wealth of information about your prospects and their level of interest is readily available with the right tools and knowledge. This modern marketing world is becoming more strategic and performance-driven. So with the rise of performance-driven marketing, marketing decisions are based on extremely accurate data. This new era of marketing has given birth to a new breed of marketing professionals known as marketing technologist.

What is Required of a Marketing Technologist?

A marketing technologist is a unique individual that is characterized as analytic and creative. They have a background that is a blend between information technology and marketing. Furthermore, a marketing technologist is the secret to staying ahead the technology curve and your competition. They know how to analyze the data collected from marketing campaigns to gain a deeper understanding of your customers. In fact, they can use this data to determine the level of interest of a potential lead to create a nurturing campaign that guides the lead through the business development process. In addition to creating content and evaluating campaign performance, marketing technologist are tech savvy and understand how new marketing technologies work. This increased ability to collect accurate data in near real-time is the direct result of the digital age and the advent of new technologies.

Why the Growing Demand of the Marketing Technologist

The marketing technology software industry is booming. International Data Corporation (IDC) recently reported that organizations worldwide will spend over $130 billion on software over the next five years for marketing departments alone. Today, having a website and a few social media accounts is the norm for business. Now there is a never ending sea of content management and marketing automation platforms that allows for all types of new creative ways to engage customers. More importantly, these platforms can be integrated with internal CRM solutions to increase marketing effectiveness by:

• Enabling lead nurturing before the sales team gets involved in the sales process.
• Gathering data about potential leads by tracking their web activities, browsing habits, and responses to marketing efforts.
• Prioritizing leads by scoring them based on their recorded activities and recognizing when a lead is ready to be engaged by the sales team.

As more technologies enter the marketplace, the demand for marketing technologist will grow.

The Future of the Marketing Technologist

Even though SHRM, the leading organization for human resources professionals, does not recognize “Marketing Technologist” as a job title, there are job postings on employment websites with similar job descriptions across the country. According to a recent study by Gartner analyst Laura McLellan, CMOs will be spend more on information technology than their counterpart CIOs by 2017. Marketing departments are spending more on technology than information technology departments - that is saying a lot about the future of marketing and is indicative of the future growth of the marketing technologist role. As companies invest more into their marketing technology, having a qualified individuals will be a requirement.

A current trend in many organizations is to closely align the marketing and technology departments to work together as a team. Not because they do not want to hire a marketing technologist, but rather the result of having a limited amount of people to choose from with experience in both marketing and information technology. The title of a recent article posted on Forbes, “The Rise of the Unicorns – Why Marketing Technologists will Rule Modern Marketing” supports this assertion and supports the real growth in the marketing technologist role.

I think by now we can all agree: The ability to automate proposals with InDesign and Deltek Vision is the greatest thing to happen to proposal creation since the copy and paste function! In this blog we are going to dive deeper in to the realm of automating information out of Vision in to InDesign and take a look at the two coolest ‘outside of the box’ features currently available. If you are just looking to get started with automating information from Vision to InDesign be sure to check out this previous blog.

It is important to continue looking at ways to increase efficiency throughout the entire procurement process. From proposals to the short-list interview, integrating Deltek Vision and Adobe InDesign can give your firm the competitive advantage needed to wow the client. Answer in days, not weeks. Spend less time on boilerplate material and more time on compelling, tailored responses that will further set your firm apart from the competition.

So, how can we use the Adobe InDesign and Deltek Vision integration in new powerful ways? Let’s get started with my two favorite outside of the box features:

1.  Create new, customized, cover sheets while preserving your firm branding.

Utilize the power of integration to create customized cover sheets for each new proposal. By utilizing the powerful template system created by Deltek you are able to wow the client by creating a beautiful combination of your firm branding and project specific information.  This marriage of project-specific information and targeted marketing media will allow you to quickly separate your firm from the competition with the first thing the client sees – the proposal cover!

2.  Stand above the rest and break away from the chains of PowerPoint

You’ve landed that ever elusive short-list presentation. Congratulations! Now you have to win it, or all of the work that you did was for naught. This is your opportunity to separate yourself from the competition. You can basically guarantee that the other short-listed firms are going to present a boring old standardized PowerPoint presentation. This is your chance to stand out and relate to the client on a personal level.

How does the Adobe InDesign and Deltek Vision integration help your presentations stand out from the rest? Simple:

• First impressions are everything | Too many professional services firms fail to differentiate their firm from the competition and let the client mistakenly believe that the decision boils down to price. By creating your presentation in InDesign, you are able to break away from the design restrictions of PowerPoint and instantly differentiate yourself from the competition.
• Eliminate mistakes | How embarrassing is it when our proposals and presentations reflect two different sets of data? Avoid this pitfall by automating all client and project specific information directly from your Deltek Vision system.
• Reinforce your firm branding | Your firm spent countless combined man hours putting together a proposal that got you to the short-list stage. At this point the client likely feels like they know your firm on a basic level. So why change your overall branding now, and start anew? By creating your proposal and presentation from the same set of templates and data-sources, you reinforce your firm branding at every stage of the sales process.

These are two of my favorite ways to use the Adobe InDesign and Deltek Vision integration to make my life easier. Are you thinking outside of the box and using this functionality in any neat ways? We would love to hear - please comment below.

Not currently integrating your Deltek Vision system with Adobe InDesign? Click below to learn how to begin:

It’s time to break away from the chains of your desk, and get mobile with Deltek Touch Time & Expense, and Touch CRM 1.3. With these apps, both available in iTunes and in the Play Store, it is now easier than ever to research (and update) contact records, as well as capture expenses and track time on the go. Take advantage of the following features, and provide your staff with the most powerful remote tools and utilities to do their jobs to the fullest:

Deltek Touch Time & Expense 1.3:

• New Name, New Features, Same Reliability | In this release, expenses were added to the Touch Time application, and the application name has officially changed to ‘Touch Time and Expense’. No more waiting to manage timesheets and create expense reports. Avoid forgetting the details or losing receipts by entering as you go. Wherever your mobile device is, Touch Time & Expense follows.
  
  
• A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words | Touch Time and Expense allows you to create a new report, and then associate expense with that report. Take pictures of receipts, and upload them directly!
  
  
• Numerous User Experience and User Interface Upgrades | A number of improvements have been made to the application to improve your experience. Upgrades include:
  
  
  • A sliding menu to replace all tabs and provide quick access to Help and Log Out.
     
  • A menu button to allow you to perform specific tasks for timesheets and expense reports.
    
    
• Math is Hard, Let Your Apps Figure it Out | Touch Time & Expense allows you to select or update default transaction currency and exchange rate for an expense report. This screen, however, only displays if Multicurrency is enabled in Vision core.

Deltek Touch CRM 1.3:

• Touch Knows How to Push Your Buttons | Touch CRM now has buttons, with icons, to replace labels on certain screens. Examples of new buttons include:
  
  
  • ‘List Button’ - Tap this button to display options specific for the contacts, clients, and opportunities screens.
     
  • ‘Pen Button’ – Tapping this button allows you to edit contact, client, and opportunity information.
    
    
• No Mobile Limitations | Touch CRM allows you to search, edit, and add clients on the go. In addition, add or update Opportunities with the touch of a button.
   
• Syncing Made Easy | Touch CRM automatically syncs up with your Deltek Vision system, and allows you to create activities and calendar events on the desktop, and access them on your mobile device.
   
• Full Visibility | See user defined fields in contacts, clients, and opportunities. Additionally, Touch CRM 1.3 gives you the ability to view activities!
   
• It’s All One Touch Away | Make a phone call, send an email, or map an address with the touch of a button.
  
  
• And more | Interested in learning more about the features and functionality included in Touch 1.3? Reach out to us today for a demo, and start operating better!

Are you currently using the Touch applications? If so, respond below and let us know what your experience has been like so far.

The other day I had a prospect call looking for a CRM (Client Relationship Management) software, but what he found was a CRM Consultant vs. a “salesperson”. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely want to sell software…to the right fitting firm. As with most calls, the caller wanted to set-up a time for a demonstration. The issue with immediately showing the software without a discovery is that it tends to be a waste of the client's time and mine. Without understanding the prospect's challenges, and ultimately how the software will help the client’s marketing strategy, a demonstration is futile. A CRM system isn’t a magic bullet. So when you are looking for a new CRM software, it’s important to also evaluate who will assist you beyond the sale. Below is what to look for in a CRM Consultant:

1. A Results-Oriented CRM Consultant Identifies Firm Needs

When speaking to a client or potential client, a CRM Consultant asks probing questions to evaluate the firm’s current processes, their challenges, and ultimately what they were looking to accomplish. As a CRM Consultant, it’s important to understand the firm’s level of sophistication related to marketing processes and measurement. Just like a growing baby, each firm is at a different growth stage. A baby must learn to roll over, crawl, stand, walk, and then run and so must a firm. You can’t expect to immediately start running. Some firms’ processes are advanced despite the fact that they have no CRM system. Others have no processes at all. A firm must start somewhere. So as a consultant, it’s important to understand the firm’s marketing maturity before establishing a CRM implementation for that firm. 

During the above mentioned call, the prospect was a little taken back when I told him that our system wasn’t the right fit for his needs. Ultimately, he was looking for another type of software. Although it ended up not being a lead, the prospect was thankful for my honesty as I took the time to understand what his firm needed and helped guide him down a better search path.

2. A Vigilant CRM Consultant Engages Key Players Throughout Implementation

After establishing needs, it’s important to make sure you have the right players. As outlined in this previous blog article, 8 Reasons for a Successful Implementation, it’s important to ensure executive buy-in during the sales process. Just as important is having the right CRM champion and with an ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system it’s important to get finance involved. All of these key players must be a part of not only the implementation, but also the sales process. When involvement from any of these roles is lacking, the likelihood of success is lessened. It is the role of the CRM Consultant to make sure that these key players are established from the beginning, and play their part through the implementation. These key roles play a huge part in the roll out of the system and must also engage other end users to ensure all departments, divisions, markets, and offices are represented.

3. It is the Duty of a CRM Consultant to Look to the Future

When going through an implementation, a misconception that many firms have is that once the implementation is complete, so is the development of your CRM. What worked today won’t necessarily work tomorrow. As your marketing strategy and the competitive landscape changes, your CRM system must continue to evolve. Your CRM Consultant should look to resolve short-term and long-term needs, as well as, think about strategic marketing plans. For example, do you plan to open a new office, go into a new market or start a new service line?  A CRM Consultant is there to guide your firm on metrics that would be valuable to access your marketing traction.

4. Your CRM Consultant Should Be a Strategic Partner

A CRM Consultant should be more than a trainer or a vendor. Treating one as such is a common mistake made by firms seeking to hire a CRM Consultant. So how do you know if you have a consultant or a vendor? If we look at the basic definition of a vendor, “a person or company offering something for sale”, we can see there is no value-added beyond the sale. Whereas a consultant is “a person who provides expert advice professionally”. A value-added CRM Consultant should have a background in marketing and be able to help your firm adapt the system to your marketing strategy. A consultant will:

• Ask strategic questions to better understand your business needs
• Provide best practices and facilitate your company in adapting the system to gain insight on metrics that matter
• Go beyond showing you how to just use the system
• Help you understand how to increase user adoption
• Look at ways to improve your business and your clients

Ultimately, your CRM Consultant should be a partner that understands your business needs whom you can rely on to help you as new needs arise. If your firm is looking to improve your CRM processes or looking for a CRM, be sure to check out Full Sail Partners’ webinar on Managing Your CRM System and Beyond! The webinar provides insight on CRM objectives, clean-up, set-up of your system, metrics that matter, and how to engage finance.

Be sure to add a comment to let us know if this article and webinar were helpful or reach out to us personally via email, phone or LinkedIn. 

The newest version of Deltek Vision (7.3) has been released, and along with it comes a new slew of powerful features and functionality. As always, operating on the newest version of Vision gives your firm the ability to manage better, achieve more, and improve your ability to better track your projects and efforts. Let’s take an overview glance of the new benefits.

Vision 7.3 Product Enhancement Synopsis

• Manage company paid credit cards | 7.3’s new credit card functionality streamlines cost accounting. Features include the ability to setup credit cards, import credit card charges, and reconcile credit cards.
• Expanded internationalization and localization features | New globalization functionality included in 7.3 gives your firm the tools needed to expand into new markets, and win more work!
• Improved compensation break out | Gain additional insights into fee structures with detailed compensation breakouts.
• Dashpart enhancements | Users can now choose which columns to include in info center dashparts; including user defined info center dashparts. Additionally, the dashpart can be populated with work breakdown structure level two or three record data.  Lastly, users can create an Invoice Review dashpart; providing a quick summary of outstanding receivables for chosen projects.
• Core CRM | Users can now edit activities directly in the grid. Many new text editor features have been improved; including highlighting misspelled words and the ability to add words to the spelling dictionary.  Enhancements to the Opportunity Forecast Report; including revenue allocation for fiscal years.
• And more | Interested in learning more about the features and functionality included in 7.3? Reach out to us today for a demo, and start operating better!

Is Your Firm Prepared for Deltek Vision 7.3?

Because of Microsoft’s de-support of Windows XP in April 2014, Deltek can no longer support the Windows XP client operating system beginning with Vision 7.3 and extending to future releases.

The following client operating systems will be supported for Vision 7.3:

• Windows 8 or 8.1
• Windows 7
• Windows Vista

Additionally, to use this new version you must ensure that .NET Framework 4.5 or 4.5.1 is installed. For more information on the .NET Framework and to determine how best to deploy the 4.5 or 4.5.1 release within your organization, please refer to the Microsoft web site at http://www.microsoft.com/net.

Often when discussing the benefits of using mobile CRM, we overlook just how powerful the tool actually is. You can literally leverage the power of a mobile CRM through every aspect of a client meeting or interaction. This is not hyperbole, but real life applicable benefits. Let’s break down the process of a meeting, and look at how technology can help you become a better professional:

On the way to meeting the client
I’m on the way to a meeting with a client and I can’t recall where their office is.

• I pull up my Vision Touch Mobile CRM application that allows me to look up the client or the contact and by clicking right on the address I can map my directions right to the office.
• If the address isn’t in there, I  update the information into my mobile CRM application to ensure the data is updated for upcoming marketing mailings or for other employees that might reach out to the same contact.

As I wait for the client to arrive

Just before I head into the meeting, I can also review previous meeting notes from myself or my co-workers who last visited the client.

• I previously asked my marketing team to add client research to client notes. So to prepare for my meeting, I review this information to assist me with our discussion.
• I review the list of past projects, and familiarize myself with similar clients that I might share with them.

Walking into this meeting I’m confident that I have a solid background and I’m more aware of where I still have gaps that need more information.  If any questions arise in the meeting, I have information right at my fingertips.

After the meeting, it’s time for action

When I’m leaving the meeting I pause to grab a cup of tea and add in any new contacts I met at the meeting.

• Because I can access custom fields in my Vision Touch Mobile CRM, I can add more than just new names. I can include their role and add any upcoming opportunities we discussed.
• In an effort to build more personal relationships, I fill in notes I learned about the client -- my contact loves to run, so I even add them to future marketing campaigns for a relay team we are organizing for a local industry charity event we are a sponsor of.

I take the time now to jot down my notes while they are fresh in my mind, as I know I won’t have time when I get back to the office.  So I pause now to make sure I add not only new contacts, but also notes regarding strategic information I gathered at the meeting before I forget what I heard. This information, because it’s entered in through my Mobile CRM, is sent directly to Vision and recorded for future review by me or others in my firm.

So what does this all mean?

I take my last sip while I add any reminders or follow-up activities and assign them to myself or others at the firm.  I don’t want to forget anything I promised to get back to the client on. I grab my keys and I head back to the office knowing that I’m doing what I can to move the relationship and opportunities along.

Sure, there are task lists, emails, note pads, and plenty of other ways I could keep track of these meeting notes. However, all of those are missing something that a Mobile CRM application such as Vision Touch CRM give me – the ability to not only track but also assign and share tasks and information with everyone else in my firm. With all the noise, meetings, and short amount of time I have in the day, there is no better way for me to collect these nuggets of gold from clients or the things I promised to follow up on during that meeting.

What does CRM Mean? CRM (Customer Relationship Management) is a solution that enables your firm to cultivate relationships and gain valuable insight in to marketing efforts. An integrated CRM solution brings together data from all data sources within an organization to provide a holistic real-time view of each customer or campaign. This real-time knowledge provides your team with the metrics and data needed to make informed decisions in a quick, yet calculated manner. 

What Does CRM Mean for My Firm 

A CRM system is truly something that each member of your team can benefit from. Examples of the benefits a CRM solution provides include: 

• Track client contact information | No need for the use of virtual cards or digging through outlook to find email signatures, a CRM allows your entire firm to store valuable customer information in one location.
• Monitor marketing campaigns and efforts | What good are your marketing efforts if you cannot track the results? Track the effectiveness of your efforts and campaigns to help better refine your message and target audience.
• Review past engagements | Utilize dashboards to easily track which messages, campaigns, and leads resulted in the highest wins.
• Access customer (or lead!) information, on the go | Never get left out in the cold again! Gain access to your customer information on the go! Readily available intelligence allows your business development staff to go out and produce, and track, results.

What does CRM mean for your SMB, and how can you use it to grow stronger? The answer is simple; a CRM solution means that as your business grows, and the associated contacts and connections grow with it, you have the ability to manage a myriad of relationships across your entire firm. Clients are the lifeblood of any professional services firm, and without a proper CRM solution in place, you are essentially ignoring an open wound. So how can your firm use CRM to manage an opportunity from concept to completion? Simple: 

• Pipeline and Cash-flow forecasting | Avoid rough patches and dry spouts by becoming intimately familiar with your pipeline of potential new business, and the value of your current projects.
• Track progress on current sales opportunities, review historical information on past opportunities | When speaking to a client or prospect, easily log details about the conversation for later follow-up. Tracking detailed information about interactions can allow you to win future work, based on often overlooked past experiences.
• Create milestones for each step of the project, and specify a target completion date | Tasks can be created and associated with each milestone within the project, so you have more granular control of what needs to be done, by whom, when.
• Comprehensive reporting allows deeper insight | Setup your marketing goals within your CRM and track status and progress quickly and easily.

It is important to not only track valuable customer data, but to do so in a way that promotes sharing amongst your team. Promote growth and sharing and consider taking your customer data in to the cloud with an all-in-one CRM solution that consolidates all of your information in to an easy to access system. Stop wasting valuable customer insights and information, and start impressing customers with your deep firm-wide knowledge about each relationship. 

So next time someone asks you ‘what does CRM mean’, you can tell them, “CRM means winning more work!” 

For years marketing professionals have been clamoring for a way to directly merge information from their Deltek Vision system to an InDesign template. For firms with Deltek Vision version 7.1 and higher, the wait is over! Creating InDesign Templates and merging information directly from Deltek Vision is simple, and is very similar to merging from Word, with some usability enhancement.  

Before we begin, you might be asking yourself, ‘What kind of functionality will InDesign merging include?’ To answer your question, we have highlighted some of the major areas below:

• Add fields and grids (including user defined!) to an InDesign template
• Format number, currency (projects only), and date fields in a template
• Merge data directly from an info center record into InDesign
• New ‘Select Projects’ function for Employee Resumes allows for more precise formatting of project examples on resumes within InDesign

So as you can see by the functionality, the ability to merge data directly from your Deltek Vision system to Adobe InDesign is going to allow your firm to easily deliver accurate, more consistent proposals through the industry standard desktop publishing software.

What exactly will we be able to merge?

If your information is in Vision, you can now export it out allowing your firm to merge the following documents from Deltek Vision to Adobe InDesign:

• Resumes
• Cover letters
• Project cut sheets
• References
• and much more from your Vision system 

Merge functionality includes the ability to pull information from tables, grids, custom Info Centers, and user defined fields.

What technical requirements are required?

In order to run a Deltek Vision merge to Adobe InDesign, you will need to be running a copy of Adobe InDesign CS5.5 or newer, installed on your local user directory. You will also need to be running a copy of Deltek Vision 7.1 or newer, with TDM enabled.

So what are the steps?

Setting up Deltek Vision to Adobe InDesign merge capabilities is surprisingly easy! The process requires five major steps, highlighted below.

1. Access the ‘Merge Templates’ section in Deltek Vision (Configuration>General>Merge Templates), this step may require you requesting additional privileges from your Vision administrator
2. Select the Info Center you would like this template to be associated to
3. Create or upload a new template. If creating a new template, please be aware that you will need to insert merge codes from the Vision Merge Code window
4. Open the ‘Custom Proposals’ Info Center, select the proposal you want to merge information out of, and link the new template to the merge function
5. Merge your information out of Vision!

So now that you know the basics of what Deltek Vision Adobe InDesign merge integration offers, we encourage you to get started. Should you or your team need further information, reach out to our team of CRM experts to assist. 

Full Sail Partners, a Deltek Premier Partner, is pleased to announce its recent hire of Stacey Ho, CPSM who will join the Full Sail team as a CRM Consultant. Within this role, Stacey will provide CRM consulting to Deltek Vision users. Her proven background supporting firms through CRM implementations and understanding of firm-wide marketing processes and procedures will ensure Full Sail Partners continues to provide clients with the most knowledgeable professionals the industry offers.

"I am excited to join the team and further support services marketers looking to connect and grow their firms,” said Stacey Ho, CPSM. “I love seeing my peers grow with firms by working smarter and loving their jobs more because they finally have more time to truly strategize and win good work. With Full Sail Partners well-rounded team it will allow me to take my knowledge and capabilities even further.”

Stacey Ho comes to Full Sail Partners with more than 15 years of experience in the A/E/C industry. Most recently, as the owner of Stacey Ho Marketing, LLC, she worked with clients as their Marketing Information Systems Strategist. In this role, Stacey was able to assist project-based firms elevate the role of the marketing team by helping them with processes and procedures to help achieve the firm-wide marketing plan. Further, she helped marketers to develop and implement internal systems and tools that can capture, store, and retrieve information useful in preparing sales proposals. Stacey has worked in various marketing positions in firms including Kennedy/Jenks Consultants, David Evans and Associates, and Century West Engineering.

Stacey Ho’s appointment comes shortly after the one year anniversary of Full Sail Partners. "As the economy rebounds, Full Sail Partners looks to assist our clients in the process of efficiently expanding their businesses," said Sarah Gonnella, Vice President at Full Sail Partners. "Stacey's depth of experience, leadership acumen, and track record of success are exactly what the company needs for its next major phase of growth."

For more information, please contact Full Sail Partners’ Marketing Communications Department at or leave a comment below.

Activities provide a greater way to gain visibility into communication efforts across the firm about a client. They provide a detailed view of what is going on with a project/firm/opportunity and are critical for providing team backup and covering your backside.  You are probably aware of three main ways to create activities in Deltek Vision – Manually (slow), Using MODI (faster but limited), and CMO (even faster but costs more $$).  The innovation team here at Full Sail Partners has developed a fourth way, the fastest, easiest, most convenient way to create activities so far:  Just do your timesheet and let the activities be created for you! 

The way it works is quite simple, just enter your hours, as well as, a detailed comment regarding work done for a project on your timesheet and make sure the first character in the comment is a tilde symbol (~).  Save your entry and close your Deltek Vision timesheet.  Overnight all the timesheets will be scanned and those that start with the special character will have activities generated for them.  Additionally the leading character will be changed from the tilde to a carot (^) to signal that an activity has been created for this entry.  Once your Deltek Vision timesheets are closed out and before billing is run all special characters are removed. 

So just by adding one additional character to my timesheet, this: 

Becomes this:

This is a great way for you to “kill two birds with one stone” (well maim them maybe) – Keeping your timesheet up-to-date and relevant (making accounting happy) and providing the CYA and team insight into your progress on the project (making management happy). Want to learn more about this and other Full Sail Partners solutions?