Zimbra Zooms Ahead

1. The Zimbra sales process begins by a free 60-day trial download by any one of its 200,000 weekly visitors. Sales people of Zimbra then contact, through phone or email, the people who download the software who have been determined to be most likely to upgrade to a commercial version of the product. At first, Zimbra used automated software from Eloqua. This software was deemed too complicated for its marketing and sales staff. This software required coding which was a poor use of the sales staff’s time. Also, the software only used the internet explorer web browser but two-thirds of the sales department was accustomed to using Mozilla Firefox. Lastly, the software from Eloqua was very expensive, allowing Zimbra to use only the entry level package for only five salespeople and one marketing person.

2. Zimbra needed a marketing software package which was highly effective and cost efficient. Their new software had to be more streamlined than the old one from Eloqua. It needed to focus on lead generation, e-mail marketing, and Web analytics. Also, it had to be easy to install and maintain. If I was preparing the RFP (request for proposal) for the new system I would ask what exactly was needed in the software, how many people would be available for managing of the system, and the price range allowed for the software.

3. Zimbras new marketing system allowed for highly targeted functions. Also, the new software from Oneview allowed Zimbra to implement solutions and maintain them in an automated fashion without having to dedicate someone to this task. The new software also was very flexible with their pricing options and allowed Zimbra to pay for only what it used. This new software was easily integrated with Saleforce.com which is Zimbras preferred CRM solution. Lastly, the new software from OneView worked with multiple browsers, had simplified reporting processes, and allowed for the ability to manage a greater number of leads with the same sized sales...