Salesforce.com Apex Data Loader Basics

The Apex Data loader is designed for managing, updating, and deleting large amounts of data (greater than 50,000 object records), with support for files up to 5 million records. It can be used to schedule regular nightly imports or exports for backup purposes. Exporting data through the loader is only supported in Enterprise, Unlimited, and Developer editions of Salesforce.

Mass updating is as easy as exporting the data you wish to update, and choosing which fields you want to include. A general best practice is to always include the unique system identifier. It is safer to include only the fields that you need to update. At the very least, if you pull more fields than you are updating delete them when you upload the updates. That way you don’t overwrite any changes that could have taken place in the meantime.

The middle step is to write a query specifying what data you want to pull using SOQL, the Salesforce object query language (see http://www.salesforce.com/us/developer/docs/soql_sosl/index.htm for help). The user interface is fairly intuitive and helps you make your query.

Finally, open your exported file in Excel. If you are updating a field based on values in another field you’ll have to write a formula. For example, if I have 10 different lead sources – 5 from different tradeshows and 5 are from webinars you can write a formula that reads the lead source, and displays whether the lead source was from a tradeshow or webinar.

Upload your data back into Salesforce using the Data Loader. Click Insert if you are adding new records (note: create permissions required) or update if you are adding or updating fields on existing records. If you are doing both select “Upsert.”

Stay tuned for my Salesforce tips and tricks, and post your questions below!

Other data loaders: Force.com Excel Connector, Data Loader for Mac OSX, GitHub Loader, Import Wizard in Salesforce (<50K records)

I bet Your ‘Predictive Dialer’ Didn’t Predict I’m Hanging up on You!

You’ve gotten that call–the one where you answer the phone to five seconds of dead air with the telemarketer saying, “Hello, hello?”  If you are a patient person you might then hear them saying something like, “May I speak to the head of house hold or person that makes the decision regarding your Quest phone bill?” Click.

That is the old world of sales and it is dead. The new world of sales exists in a world of mass customization, immediacy,and hedonism. It emphasizes experiences, engages the senses, and neglects personal relationships (to a point). Business deals are now closed over the phone, not on the golf course. You might want to sell your private lifetime country club membership while you can.

Sales is social, but only social in the sense that there is a common business purpose or value proposition. Don’t ask me about my family, the weather or an replaceable noun that you don’t really care about anyway.

So why do sales people still sell with outdated strategies and technologies? They either don’t know better, know but don’t want to change, or are lazy (which is really a symptom of item 2).

On the flip side companies that adapt fast to the changing landscape of sales outperform their competition. They are able to successfully increase and solidifying market share. For example, insurance provider Aetna doesn’t uses outdated predictive dialers like their competitors. They utilize a PowerDialer that has zero lag, and optimizes contact rate by displaying local area codes to their prospects. Aetna provides an experience consistent with what modern consumers demand: customization, immediacy, and a pleasurable experience. Now that is sales 2.0 in action!

From Junk Lead to Major Account: A Lesson for Inbound Sales Consultants

In my previous position at InsideSales.com one of my primary responsibilities was to respond to marketing generated leads. These came in the form of interested parties filling out web forms to access white papers, downloading a trial of our award winning PowerDialer for Salesforce, and viewing our inside sales research. Often times people would fill out junk information into the web form to avoid our team from contacting them. I remember one lead in particular that falsified a name, phone number, and company information, but the email address was correct. From the email address I was able to track down the company website, and from there I was able to track down the phone number. After a brief conversation with the receptionist he pointed me in the right direction and I was able to get in touch with the original person that filled out the web form (and was able to do so while they were still on our website). Two months later they were one of our biggest accounts at InsideSales.com

The moral of the story is to treat every inbound lead like gold. Look for clues when the information is not correct. Get to the lead fast and be persistent. Do not accept what you are given, but nurture a lead with the vision as to what it could become. If you do, you might just land your biggest account!

Inside Sales Managers: Don’t Waste Your Time Cutting the Pie (Make it Bigger)

In a previous blog post Jonathan Miller, Sales Manager at InsideSales.com, described the impossible sales trinity: equal distribution, defined parameters, and lead priority. In this post he stated that it is impossible for sales teams to attain all three criteria without sacrificing sales productivity. I couldn’t agree with him more.

Sadly most sales manager spend far too many resources figuring out how to divide the “pie.” Typically, they try to settle situations in which one sales rep encroaches on the other’s territory after it was divided or two business development associates unknowingly call the same company. Instead managers should be focusing their efforts on value added activities for their sales teams, that is: How can I make the pie bigger? Here are a few ideas:

• Track Key Metrics such as lead source and close rates. Track major metrics that influence buying. These may include local, size of company and lead source. Compile lots of data. More is better to start.

• Begin to mine this data. Run probabilities such as: Given the company is a Boston based real estate company and has 20 brokers, what is the probability that Erik will close this deal versus John? If Erik’s close rate is only 5% and John’s is 10% for this lead profile the lead will be routed to John. In actuality the algorithm used at InsideSales.com is much more complex.

This is what I mean when I say it is the obligation of sales managers to make the pie bigger. It is their jobs to not merely “deal the deck of cards” but to “stack it the deck” for their sales reps.