Imagine that, some companies actually pay for reviews!

I had to chuckle when I read the article in this morning's Wall Street Journal (search for: Paying for Online Reviews Can Fan Fame by Simona Covel.) The article described how a company increased traffic to their web site by paying bloggers to post reviews about their services. If you are curious, go check out http://payperpost.com/ . Now, I suppose this is O.K., though I think people should disclose when thay are posting a "sponsored" review.

Now, this could never be the case with CRM reviews that you might find on the web, could it? I first became aware of this practice when, in the beginning stage of reviewing a new CRM program, the product manager asked me what our fee would be. Perhaps I can still be naive sometimes, but I really wasn't sure what he was asking. I told him that we do not charge the CRM vendors for our review process. To preserve our independence, we earn our way selling the best possible reviews we can produce directly to the people shopping for CRM software.

At this point, I had been writing CRM reviews for more than 15 years and had always been proud of our total independence from the CRM developers! So, I was a little surprised that some of my new competitors were charging a fee to publish their mindless check-list "reviews." I guess I shouldn't have been though. As a recipient of CRM developer press materials, I had long ago noticed how similar some of them were to the many "independent" white papers I get from those brainy research firms with Boston area addresses.

So, what's the lesson here for you folks trying to make the best possible CRM purchase decision? As with many things, it is caveat emptor! We know we should be careful believing everything we read on the internet when the topic concerns enlarging certain parts of the male anatomy. Why would you expect it to be any different when you are looking for honest information on CRM solutions? So, do your homework on this important issue too. I have been at this for more than twenty years and it is now a labor of love for me! I lay all my cards on the table. Expect the same from any other "independent" source you might consider for CRM software advice!

As always, thanks for your time,

Rich