About

My goal is to help organizations understand the unique business value derived from using CRM as the focal point to the entire enterprise.

WillSladeMy name is Will Slade.  I created this blog to share my ideas, thoughts, and opinions on Microsoft Dynamics CRM (Customer Relationship Management) as well as xRM (eXtended Relationship Management – aka the CRM platform).

I started this blog to share helpful posts related to my favorite application, Microsoft Dynamics CRM.  I enjoy writing about innovation and good clean design as it relates to CRM as well as why anyone would want to implement CRM for their organization’s needs.  I try my best to keep a business focus and avoid the heavy technical stuff unless of course it is appropriate.

From direct hands-on experience, I try to help organizations tame their wild contact management methods and corral their separate rogue databases. I help organizations understand what a well-planned CRM can do and the value of having a single place to go for member engagement information, transactions, communications, and social interactions. A well-designed CRM can increase user adoption, consolidate separate systems, provide the roll up analytics executives need to steer the ship, increase profitability, reduce operational expenses and manual efforts, and often help improve the general state of technology at an organization.

Working mainly with Associations and Not for Profits since 1998, my CRM focus has broaden over the years to also include clients in the Commercial, Federal, and Enterprise space.

I currently work for Protech Associates (a gold certified Microsoft partner) helping associations and member-based organizations.  I endeavor to help clients realize the full potential of Protech’s Cloud based solutions called UX and MX. Products build specifically for associations using Microsoft Dynamics CRM – again my favorite application 🙂  The MX product integrates CRM to the web for online self-service such as online meeting registrations, online membership join and renew, online product sales, and online directories.

I welcome and encourage feedback.  If anything I share is factually wrong, please call me out on it.  Otherwise, I hope you enjoy my observations and opinions.

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I have been working with Microsoft CRM since version 1.0. I received the “Sales and Industry” certification from Microsoft back in 2003. I went on to receive my CRM Applications certification when version 3.0 came out. CRM is now on version CRM 2013 and Microsoft continues to make dramatic improvements.

Here are the Microsoft Dynamics Partner Academy Certifications that I have earned:

  • Microsoft Dynamics CRM Application – Certification (MB2-704)
  • Certified Microsoft Dynamics CRM – Sales Specialist
  • Certified Microsoft Dynamics CRM – Presales
  • Certified Microsoft Dynamics ERP – Standard Sales
  • Certified Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0 for Applications

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Personal Interests outside of family and kids include audiobooks on business, history and American literature (big fan of Hemingway), the sport of Powerlifting, and the odd occasion to play chess on my tablet.