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!

Why (Even) Hubspot Makes Outbound Prospecting Calls

A lot has been written about inbound marketing this year. Hubspot defined the space as earning the attention of prospects, making yourself easy to be found and drawing customers to your website. Google put an exclamation point on “inbound” with the release of Penguin algorithm that prioritizes search ranking based on social media such as Google+. This paradigm shift away from outbound marketing (cold calling, direct mail, tv advertisements) and toward inbound have left marketers and sales people left asking “Is there still a place for sales calls?”

A quick visit to Hubspot’s website reveals the answer to this question to be an unequivocal yes. Just look at the position they are hiring for:

You’ll notice Hubspot describes that their business development reps will make between 60 to 80 outbound calls per day. There still is a place for making sales phone calls in business. However, the terms in which these calls are conducted have changed.

Here’s how:

People know what they want, when they want it, and how they want it. The advent of the Internet has enabled buyers to do much more research before they ever talk to a salesperson. This is where the importance of inbound marketing comes in. Your business needs to be searchable and earn the attention of prospects. The Hubspot software suite is one of the best on the market to accomplish this goal with numerous lead scoring and content management features.

When your prospect finally makes their decision to learn more about a service you it is crucial to have a salesperson available. At this point the prospect has opted into the sales process (either by filling out a webform on a website or requesting additional information in some way). After they opt into the sales process it is appropriate to have a sales person call them.  InsideSales.com has one of the market leading sales communication software that allows sales people to call leads within seconds of a webform being filled out or when a lead reaches a certain score.

In closing inbound marketing and outbound calling are not diametrically opposed models, but instead two different models that can compliment each other when executed correctly.

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