Central Databank partners with Funambol on managed service for sync'ed mobile data

Central Databank, (CDB), Ireland's channel exclusive B2B utility online offsite backup service provider and Funambol, a provider of mobile cloud sync and push email, today announced a partnership to bring Funambol's sync and backup service to Ireland. The partnership allows CDB to be the first managed service provider for mobile phone data in Ireland and, as a result, CBD is able to wirelessly sync PIM data, between mobile phones, the Internet cloud, and desktop apps.

"There is nothing to compare with the Funambol service in Ireland today. This is truly a unique service," says Dermot Mooney, managing director of CDB. "Mobile phone users, of all hues, can wirelessly sync their data, from SIM card and from the phone itself, onto an online service. Once registered, it only takes seconds to sync the phone and it is done without any cables. No one keeps phone cables anymore and most people save their data on a mixture of SIM and phone. These are the first two operational problems associated with mobile data capture solved in one fell swoop."

"We are applying the same rules to this service as we apply to our online off site back service" says Mooney. Funambol from CDB is hardware and operator agnostic. Set it up on your old phone, backup your data and then set it up on the new phone and restore onto a new phone, all without having to use a PC.

CBD offers its service lines exclusively through the reseller channel and specialist trade verticals of more than 45 IT companies across Ireland and overseas. In this role, companies have sought a solution for their mobile phone data and CDB researched all product offerings until he came across Funambol. "This over the air (OTA) service from Funambol is of the highest quality and matches our professional online backup service," says Mooney. "We expect to have more than 50,000 handsets backed up for business clients by the end of 2009 in Ireland during this phase."

Other equally compelling reasons for reluctance to backup mobile data online have traditionally been cost, security and reliability. The partnership between CDB and Funambol claims to offer an affordable, secure service that is reliable. "We are offering a business-2-business service though our growing reseller network," explains Mooney. "This service is aimed at professionals and is offered with full Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and a properly developed infrastructure to provide online backup. It is a robust and cost effective solution to the perennial thorny issue of mobile phone data backup."

Once users have registered with the CDB service, their data is protected and secure, regardless of what happens to the user's phone or SIM card. If they lose or damage the mobile component, they can still access the same saved data using a newly purchased phone or they can log into the web portal and view and or modify their phone data.

Christian Marsch, Funambol Vice President, also expressed his satisfaction with the new partnership. "For businesses, the security and reliability of mobile data is as important as the service itself. By partnering with CDB, we can offer this extra step, this extra layer of service which is vital for businesses, large and small. They cannot afford not to backup mobile data but they also cannot afford to have it compromised."

source: http://www.mobileeurope.co.uk/

Textile industry looks at novel ways to thrive

Not everyone in this sector accepts its woes as insurmountable, writes Mathabo le Roux

WHILE the woes of the clothing and textile industry are worsening, an apparel initiative to promote a regional response to global demands shows that not everyone in the industry has surrendered to the grim outlook.

A two-day African apparel business-to-business (B2B) event, linking firms across the value chain in Africa with buyers from Europe and the US, was hosted in Pretoria last week.

Supported and funded by the Global Competitiveness Hub divisions in Africa and the ComMark Trust, an agency of the UK’s Development Fund for International Development, the goal is to foster closer ties between regional players in the value chain, which it is argued would help strengthen competitiveness in the region.

Already in its fifth year, the event’s past success speaks volumes. Last year’s B2B generated business deals worth more than $10m and the organisers expect that this year’s event, which attracted the likes of UK retailer Top Shop, will generate more strategic linkages.

At the heart of the painstaking link-up is the imperative to cut down lead times. Many firms source their inputs from Asia, which puts them at a distinct disadvantage to deliver according to the aggressively tight time frames increasingly dictated by seasonal fashion changes.

The B2B meetings are based on the sourcing, outsourcing and sales requirements of participants and involve a painstaking pre-selection and match-up of firms.

The selection and screening of participants is facilitated by industry stalwart Joop de Voest. Months ahead of the event, De Voest travels across Africa to find suitable participants and match them with one another.

The B2B this year attracted 65 companies and 85 delegates including buyers, sourcing houses, retailers and manufacturers. Previously reticent South African retailers clamoured to be part of the event this year, with Mr Price, Pep Stores and Edcon in attendance.

“What the B2B brings is a wealth of information,” says Kevin Ashton of Hanger Dynamics, a coat-hanger manufacturer with operations in SA, Mauritius and Kenya. Ashton first attended the B2B two years ago and the event prompted him to set up shop in Mauritius. He is about to invest in a new plant in Lesotho.

Opening shop in Lesotho — likely at the expense of his established operations in Cape Town — makes business sense. Operations close to the export-orientated manufacturers in Lesotho could open up lucrative business links.

With no corporate tax levied over five years, factory space costing a quarter of the rent being charged in SA, and wages a third of SA’s, the Lesotho government has made it exceedingly attractive for potential investors to move plant there.

Ashton says it is all about being close to the customer. “Freighting out of China is a big exposure, and then there is enormous congestion at the Durban port. What we’ll bring (to Lesotho manufacturers) is a door-to-door service which cuts out 25 days on the water and delays at the port, which sometimes stretch lead times to a month,” he says.

Glen Isserow of Ideal Fastener, which supplies clothing accessories and has offices in Hong Kong, Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban, says the B2B event is a “phenomenal” way to meet potential business partners in a cost-effective way. “I will sign business out of this without a doubt,” he says.

While Ideal Fastener’s operations are still largely South African-based, Isserow reiterates Ashton’s sentiment, predicting that the strength of the industry is moving out of SA and into the rest of Africa.

“Because of the cost and low productivity (in SA), major retailers will increasingly look at garment factories in Africa, such as Kenya, Tanzania and Ethiopia. These industries have evolved. First-world countries do not see a stigma attached to African product anymore,” he says.

The B2B approach takes its lead from the linkages that industry experts moot as the only realistic option for African countries with small markets to gain a foothold in the international trade arena. The idea is to create economies of scale with a united bloc that can trade with the rest of the world.

But it is also about price. Pep Stores buyer Stella Romanis says the retailer’s first bite at the B2B cherry was a promising experience.

“We are keen to pursue some of the potential link-ups in Lesotho, Mauritius, Tanzania, Madagascar and Zimbabwe.”

Apart from SA, Pep Stores sources only from Lesotho. But while these countries present opportunities, she insists price and service reliability will weigh heavily when the retailer decides about switching suppliers.

Source: http://www.businessday.co.za/

Closing the Gap Between Marketing and Sales

Closing the Gap Between Marketing and Sales

B2B marketing must be tied to sales to survive.

Good marketing helps generate inquiries, create awareness and credibility, build relationships, and get a company on the short list. A good sales team closes deals.

In many cases, however, marketing creates campaigns to generate leads for sales, but often those materials aren't focused on producing leads that the sales team considers qualified. In addition, the metrics for judging marketing lead generation are often based on quantity, not quality.

This kind of poor internal alignment could be all it takes to get a marketing program, agency contract, or entire marketing department shut down. To survive, marketing must cooperate with sales to align goals, strategies, tactics, and metrics.

A 2007 study by the Industrial Performance Group indicated that sales teams spend just 38 percent of their time selling and 62 percent on "non-revenue-generating" activities. One major reason for this: the sales and marketing disconnect that exists in many companies.

A 2008 CMO Council study called "Closing the gap: The Sales and Marketing Alignment Imperative," reveals that 56 percent of sales, marketing, and channel management professionals report that their companies do not yet have any formal programs, systems, or processes for unifying sales and marketing.

According to sales consultant John Neeson, the national average for closing sales is just less than 27 percent. Of course, that means some companies are closing more than 50 percent, while others close almost none.

To move your company to the right of the bell curve, you must implement a sales-centric marketing methodology built through a collaborative effort with sales. But go into the process with realistic expectations. Changing a cornerstone business process is painful and typically slow.

Here are some general guidelines that will help your two teams toward a bloodless transition:

Start speaking the same language

Clearly state the company's unique selling proposition. Define and differentiate "qualified lead" and "sales-ready lead" based on agreed criteria. Use BANT (budget, authority, need, and timeframe) as a starting point for identifying leads.

Set the bar

Goal setting must address sales, marketing, and corporate needs. Use metrics that matter to the CEO and CFO to ensure C-suite backing. Goals must be based on analysis of prior performance. If you don't have any data to analyze, then collecting data is a goal. Some goals will be financial, others performance based.

Completing this step can be difficult for companies that use marketing agencies. Most agencies want to be judged by their creativity, not their sales success. Sometimes this challenge begs the hard question: "Is my agency committed to my success or its own?"

Say all the right things

B2B purchasing is a process and price is not always the most important factor. Research must guide messaging for each customer engagement stage and delivery tools. Early-stage education is vastly different from late-cycle nurturing.

Fill the cracks

Good leads are too hard to come by to allow them to slip through the cracks, yet B2B companies typically lose or ignore 75 percent of the leads they generate. A closed-loop lead lifecycle is the only way to stop this. The two danger areas are 1) the handoff between marketing and sales, and 2) the lead that isn't closed by sales.

The handoff is dangerous because it is often a blind heave over the cubical wall (figuratively speaking). Handoffs need a documented process complete with a history. Once received, sales must document where the lead went, the action taken, and results. Any lead not contacted or not closed should be cycled back to marketing for further nurturing.

Judge and be judged

The most overlooked aspect of any program is analysis and modification. Schedule separate and joint reviews right when you set goals. Doing so commits everyone. Include interim reviews for fine tuning.

All together now

While B2B businesses tend to follow well-defined buying cycles, numerous decision makers are involved and the process is complex. When a B2B company targets prospective customers with a sales-centric marketing approach, it gains a better understanding of customers' attitudes, fears, preferences, and expectations. This allows companies to close sales without excessive price cutting. It all starts with bringing marketing and sales into a cooperative partnership, and using an agency that specializes in and understands your market space. A company can expect an increase in sales productivity when it makes its marketing and sales departments equally responsible for the bottom line.

source: http://www.1to1media.com/

B2B Marketing Study Identifies Risk Gap between Vendors and Buyers

KELOWNA, British Columbia, Apr 30, 2009 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Findings from a new comprehensive study on B2B buying by Enquiro show a difference in vantage points between buyers and their drive to eliminate risk, and vendors who assume a rational buying process. The research identifies a common "risk gap" that will depend on a number of factors, including a vendor's physical presence in the market, the number of people involved in the buying organization, and a product's recognized differentiation.

When businesses buy, risk - and the subjective human evaluation of risk - complicates the marketer's buying funnel model. "It's easy for us as marketers to oversimplify rather than bring out the real distinctions in the marketplace. In looking at some of the grey areas, this research is going to help us all be better aligned with real-world customer behavior," says Mark McMaster, Google's Senior Planner of B2B and Technology Markets. Ben Hanna, VP of Marketing at Business.com, adds, "I want to emphasize how important this research is to providing B2B marketers a more realistic, and ultimately more useful, understanding of the business buying funnel."

In the 18-page paper titled Mapping the BuyerSphere, author Gord Hotchkiss examines different buyer roles, the identified risk control mechanisms, and the relative effect of a vendor's credibility and positioning. The paper also presents a mapping process for marketers to gain the necessary external perspective on their products, marketplace, and business buyers in order to more effectively reach and engage their potential customers.

The white paper and accompanying webinar are part of Enquiro's ongoing B2B Expert Series, and are available at www.enquiro.com/b2bresearch. The study is published by Enquiro with the help of Google, Business.com, Marketo, Demandbase and Covario.

Source: http://www.marketwatch.com/

"90% of our orders come from Alibaba.com"

Foshan BANBO Lighting&Electron Co., Ltd., was established in 2002 and specializes in Vehicle Lighting and Electronic Products. Thanks to our sincere attitude, professional knowledge and high quality products, we grew rapidly to become one of the top ten suppliers to enjoy high reputation in the domestic industry within 4 years.

In 2006, we became a Gold Supplier on Alibaba.com and started to expand our business overseas. We received many inquiries via Alibaba.com and met many excellent customers, most of whom were from areas such as North and South America, Europe and Southeast Asia which eventually became our main markets.

In the beginning, we put all our product photos and descriptions on our Alibaba.com Company Website and thought that’s enough to attract foreign buyers. Alibaba.com provided many good suggestions to us such as improving the quality and appearance of our pictures, simplifying and highlighting the selling points in the description, changing the page’s background design to be more professional, and updating our products’ information promptly, etc. These suggestions helped us attract more attention from customers. Besides, the 3rd Year Gold Supplier approval seal helps us build trust faster with our customers.

Alibaba.com also offers many courses and trainings to improve our sales and marketing ability. We learned a lot from that. We believe that innovation and development are the lifeblood of a company. So we keep on learning and listening to the world. Alibaba.com offers us chances to learn from other successful cases and experienced members of the industry, and keeps us advancing with the times.

Currently, 90% of our orders come from Alibaba.com which gives us a very good platform to show BANBO to the world. E-commerce is a worldwide trend. We are doing our best to introduce our company to the world, and also to learn more about the world. It’s all about communication, and I believe Alibaba.com is a good B2B platform and a valuable acquisition to productive enterprises.

Source: http://news.alibaba.com/