There are times that I really wonder if everyone has forgotten about sales force automation as a topic. Am I behind the times in not getting everything roped into the CRM corral, or is specialization the key in this field? There are so few of us doing pure SFA (not that it's that pure anyway - SFA is about communication and collaboration with other depts, not silo building) that I find myself explaining SFA and its benefits to nearly everyone.

One thing that tells me that SFA is a discipline unto itself is the recent announcement that salesforce.com CTO Dave Moellenhoff has been selected as a Top '25 Innovator' by CMP Media's CRN.

"Salesforce.com has replaced software with low cost, low risk software-as-service for more than 100,000 subscribers worldwide," said Moellenhoff. "Everything we have achieved -- from Web services breakthroughs to profitable operations -- is a direct result of our total focus on customer success.