It was another beautiful day in Atlanta! If you missed any key moments from yesterday’s power-packed agenda, session videos are now available in the Convergence Video Library.

We started the second day with Microsoft Business Solutions Corporate Vice President Wayne Morris and a General Session on SMB success in a cloud-first, mobile-first world. This is critically important because small and midsize businesses comprise 50% of the global economy. 

“Cloud and mobility technology is having a tremendous impact on the SMB. They don’t necessarily spend more on technology as they grow, but they do invest for impact.” 

After an introduction of the small business landscape, Wayne handed it off to Laura Robinson and Errol Schoenfish for a demo. They transported us to a day in the life of a small business, Blue Yonder Solar Panels, looking at the roles of small business owner and financial operations with demos of Microsoft Social Engagement, Office 365, Yammer, Power BI, Microsoft Dynamics GP and Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online. 

Wayne closed out the session with visits from two impressive customers – Gearys and Kelly Roofing. Gearys is using a combined business solution that includes Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online and Microsoft Dynamics GP to deliver old fashioned customer service in a new century. Without having to increase staff size, Kelly Roofing has been able to double revenue since they implemented their Microsoft Dynamics solution. 

In the afternoon, Tony Prophet, Corporate Vice President, Microsoft Windows and Search Marketing presented on enterprise mobility. Focusing on the idea that work is no longer a location, it’s a collection of experiences that follow us from location to location. 

“The future is about more than just the mobility of the device, it’s about the mobility of the experience.”

Tony showcased how Microsoft is reinventing mobile productivity with the Enterprise Mobility Suite, providing a single sign-on, common identity, conditional access, self-service experiences and SaaS applications. Adam Bresson gave us a demo of these capabilities on the recently announced Microsoft Lumia 640 XL.

After the demo, George Grippo joined Tony on the stage to highlight the many ways NASCAR is using Microsoft technology to make their processes more efficient. 

The session concluded with a very impressive Windows 10 demo from Bryan Roper, with a look at features like universal applications, task view, Cortana, the return of the start menu and the highly anticipated browser code-named “Project Spartan.” We also looked at how Windows 10 will usher in the era of holographic computing with the Microsoft HoloLens. 

To finish off the day, Judson Althoff re-imagined the enterprise in a mobile-first, cloud-first world. Grant Thornton’s Chief Marketing and Sales Officer Ed Novak joined Judson on stage to share how opportunities have increased by 755% since they implemented Microsoft Dynamics CRM. 

Wondering what’s on deck for tomorrow? Interactive, deep dive and breakout sessions will continue through out the day. It’s also a great day to stop by and check out the Community Experience if you haven’t visited already. Then get excited to rock out with OneRepublic at the Convergence Celebration kicking off at 8:00PM at the Phillips Arena. 

Want to help support Atlanta’s youth? 

Microsoft is hosting several short research conversations to learn about your business challenges and how technology plays a role in solving those challenges. There are still spots left for Wednesday and Thursday and for every participant, Microsoft will donate $100 to the Atlanta Youth Project. Please reach out to convergence@greenbergstrategy.com for more information. 

The post Convergence 2015 – Day 2 Recap appeared first on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Blog.

Whether you’re devastated that he left Miami or thrilled to have him back in Cleveland, analysts and fans can both agree that LeBron James is one of the best players in the NBA. But what makes him one of the best in his industry? It’s not just the number of points he puts up each game, it’s the relationships he cultivates with his teammates that truly make him great. And while basketball games are won or lost by the number of points scored, sales deals are won and lost in the customer relationships.

In this new era of sales, customers are more prepared and better equipped to make a buying decision before they even reach out to a sales representative.

In fact, studies have confirmed that today’s buyer begins the buying process without the involvement of sales 60 to 80 % of the time.

Many sellers are turning to social media in an effort to navigate the changing landscape, and social selling is becoming a respected and effective way to generate leads and successfully close deals. According to Social Centered Selling, social selling is defined as the process of using social media to prospect, research, engage, collaborate, network, teach and close all with purpose of attaining quota and increasing revenue. In 2012, 72.6 percent of sales people using social media as part of their sales process outperformed their sales peers and exceeded their quota 23 percent more often.

So, is your sales team using social media for selling? Are they using it effectively? Our easy-to-use Social Selling Assessment Tool allows you to quickly determine how well your sales team is using social media. We’ll also give you a peek into how you stack up in your industry and will provide your team with quick and easy tricks you can implement to take your social selling business to the next level.

Think you’re already the King James of social selling? Our Social Sales IQ will put your individual social selling expertise to the test and show you where you rank within your organization. Want to see if you can beat the other representatives on your team? Challenge them to see how they rank!

The possibilities that arise when you throw a formal social strategy into the sales mix are limitless. Social can help you learn more about your prospects, see what they’re interested in and allow you to invest in relationship with both potential and existing customers. But LeBron James doesn’t win games just by playing in them and the same goes with winning deals, preparation happens on and off the court. Social selling isn’t a replacement for traditional sales techniques, to become the LeBron James of social selling you’ll still need to practice and prepare if you want to close the big deals!

Get Started with our Social Selling Assessment Tool

Good luck!  

Photo credit: brunkfordbraun / Foter / CC BY-SA

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