• Demonstrate a successful proof of concept before recommending a full- fledged implementation


• Be a software as a service (SaaS) model with competitive pricing


• Offer onboarding and timely train- ing support with the sole objective of catalyzing user adoption


Overall, the account planning tool


should be designed for complete auto- mation functionality. It should follow the iceberg principle of automation – that is, the tool should minimize man- ual input from users. Manual inputs are best restricted to important fields like account insights and specific user actions. The tool should automatically synthesize data points from Salesforce CRM covering accounts, opportuni- ties, product portfolio, account team, contracts,


contacts, meetings


tasks. DemandFarm’s


strategic and account


management technology, and its entire team, patiently and success- fully addressed all the above require- ments. Needless to mention, it was a proud moment


for DemandFarm to win a global mandate from Diebold 1 6 VE L O C I T Y ®


Nixdorf. Right and rigorous imple- mentation was next.


Right implementation was key The driving mantra during imple-


mentation was “simplification.” The implementation team pushed hard to simplify existing processes so that tool implementation could be most effec- tive. In addition to prioritizing automa- tion, the following factors also played their part:


• Top management buy-in and push • Cleaned-up CRM data • Tool usability


• A well-thought-out change manage- ment strategy that included a pilot learning approach, rollout concept, ramp-up with ongoing support, get- ting the process started and keeping it going


• Cross-functional teams (sales opera- tions,


IT, sales) with clear require-


ments set for two target user groups, i.e., account management teams and sales teams


The implementation and roll-out have been successful to date and will


soon be closed in its 12th month of implementation.


The DemandFarm Impact By building an account plan-


ning tool on top of Salesforce CRM, DemandFarm brought in account plan- ning within Salesforce, the most-used software tool other than email. Added to this, the sheer simplicity of the tool nudged account managers


towards a


better way of planning and manag- ing strategic accounts. The flexibility offered by the tool enabled DN to set up specific automation and data-cap- ture requirements.


The table above gives a snapshot


of the impact that DemandFarm has delivered for Diebold Nixdorf.


How this initiative to digitalize


account planning plays out in the com- ing years remains to be seen. The true impact would be when all this goes on to help the fintech industry chart a new normal. Will that also herald a new “strategic account management?” Only time will tell. n


VOL. 21 ISSUE 3 2019


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35