Salesnet charts a course with GPS

Hosted SFA specialist Salesnet today announced a new strategy and an additional $10 million in funding.

The Boston-based provider's game plan, termed Guided Performance Selling (GPS), boils down to delivering software, configuration and integration as a service, said CEO Mike Doyle.

Salesnet has made available pre-configured integration to more than 200 back-end applications, including software from SAP AG and Oracle Corp., as well as popular e-mail applications like Microsoft Exchange and Lotus Notes. Salesnet also expects to announce new vertical configurations for the banking, technology and life sciences industries.

"Traditional software is near its death, and this is the next peg in the coffin," Doyle said.

The $10 million in private funding came from West AM, Prism Venture Partners and Phoenix Investment Partners.

Competition in the CRM market is heating up, particularly in the midmarket as Salesforce.com prepares for an IPO, Siebel and IBM make strides with Siebel CRM OnDemand and NetSuite keeps rolling out new functionality. Salesnet will use the new funding to expand sales and marketing efforts to gain more awareness, increase distribution and launch new business and product initiatives in specific markets, said Dan Starr, Salesnet's chief marketing officer.

Salesnet has already announced an original equipment manufacturing (OEM) partnership with Encoda Systems, a Denver-based software maker that serves the cable television industry. Salesnet's hosted SFA application integrates with Encoda's billing software and is marketed to Encoda's 137,000 users. Other vertical-specific OEM deals are also in the works, according to Salesnet.

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