Changing the Way Business is Done: The Wall Street Journal Customizes Salesforce CRM to Drive Journal-in-Education Program

Challenge

• The Wall Street Journal— the world's leading business publication—wanted to more effectively manage the sales component of its highly successful Journal-in-Education program
• The newspaper sought a customizable CRM solution that could easily adapt to its unique processes and academic structure
• Rudimentary spreadsheets failed to adequately manage the sales pipeline
• The system had to integrate with Microsoft Outlook and an online fulfillment system

Solution

• The company chose Salesforce CRM with front- and back-end implementations—easily integrating the system with Microsoft Outlook and an online fulfillment system
• Without the help of IT, the Wall Street Journal created custom tabs to manage institutional sales contracts and customized fields to align with its business processes
• A documents tab allows users to access all marketing materials, order forms, and contracts
• Custom objects provide an intuitive way to manage data for vending machines, rack displays, and multi-addresses for wholesale drops
• Surveying internal Salesforce CRM users helps generate ideas for changes that add value to the solution
• The company is considering adding workflow functionality to automate lead generation and distribution

Results

• Salesforce CRM helps sales reps develop and maintain strong relationships with universities and professors
• Management has gained clear insight into its sales pipeline, nationwide activities, and successes
• With improved productivity, the company easily identifies and prioritizes new opportunities
• All subscriber data is now accessible on demand: orders, inventory, subscription expiration dates, and more
• Salesforce CRM gives the Wall Street Journal a consistent face across institutions and geographies
• A centralized source of information makes for a seamless transition when a rep leaves the company