CRM Update – May 22 : 12:03 pm

Actor Richard Dreyfuss took an unexpected detour before his tribute to Steve Jobs at Monday night’s Webby Awards, taking a moment to criticize Mark Zuckerberg and Sergey Brin.
“Mark Zuckerberg and Eric Brin,” Dreyfuss said, possibly confusing former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and company co-founder Sergey Brin, “if you’re going to take our privacy away from us, why don’t you tell us something private about yourselves? And if you change our world, why don’t you pay for it because it’s theft…

High-pressure sales tactics can be more annoying than effective. There’s a better way to move a deal forward.When you’re moving a sale forward, it’s a mistake to be either too passive or too aggressive. Instead, be assertive, which is a completely different thing altogether.This is an important distinction.For example, let’s suppose you’ve had a conversation with a prospective customer and want to know when they’ll make a decision whether or not to buy.Here’s the passive approach:”Could you give me a call when you’ve made a decision?”"Would you mind if I sent you a brochure to help you decide?”"How about I call you in a few days to see if you’ve made a decision?”The passive approach does not move the sale forward but instead creates a next step that’s irrelevant to the decision-making…

Facebook’s Advertising Opportunities and Challenges
Facebook—Wall Street is all a buzz about its lackluster performance following its historic IPO. To put a Shakespearean spin on Facebook’s experience, I come not to bash Facebook but to support it. Let’s face it—Facebook’s not disappearing any time soon. (Here’s 5 ways Facebook’s IPO will affect marketers and charts related to the IPO.)
Facebook: It’s About Engagement

Unlike the banks, Facebook’s problem isn’t that it’s too big to fail but rather that its raison d’etre is about the engagement, not the dollars…

7 smart ways to pay for college [MSN Money] “Try these 7 savvy strategies to help them get an education without going broke.”Generics: Six I Buy, Six I Avoid [The Simple Dollar] “Use these lists as encouragement to try a few lower cost store brand products, as well as a useful reminder to not buy something that will end disastrously.”25 Ways to Have Cheap Summer Fun [Wise Bread] “Check out the following ideas for frugal summer fun.”7 Things Employers Want from New Grads [US News] “For 2012 grads intent on landing their dream job, here are seven key things that employers want…

Would you like Facebook ads to be a regular part of your marketing strategy?Wondering what you can do to tweak your ad strategy to get better results?This article will give you six tips to help improve your return on your Facebook ad investment.#1: Do Your ResearchWatch other Facebook ads and take a look at their techniques.You won’t be able to see a list of all of the ads that are out there right now, but you can watch the ones that are being served to your demographic. You can see all of the current ads that would target your profile by going to Facebook’s Adboard…

How long will it really take for Microsoft to grab even ten percent of the worldwide smartphone market?

Welcome to this morning’s edition of “First To Know,” a series in which we keep you in the know on what’s happening in the digital world. Today, we’re looking at three particularly interesting stories.
Samsung Galaxy S3 Now Available for Pre-Order at Amazon
Samsung Galaxy S3 is available for pre-order at Amazon for a hefty sum of $799, in blue or white color. The blue version is expected to start shipping May 29, while the white will ship a few days later, on June 1.
Have in mind that the version on sale at Amazon is the international one, the i9300…