Fred the NY VC highlighted some examples of how technology is democratizing the modern corporation and how it enables nearly everyone to participate in corporate governance. As an employee in a technology company disguised as a transportation provider, I say that the evidence of technology's impact is irrefutable. With the democratization of customer data through SFA, we are able to notify our customers at a moments notice when major industry events occur. Through the magic of data warehouses and analysis tools like Cognos, almost anyone in the company is able to get customer data and make the right decision with the right information. It amazes me how much power we all have to make decisions that just ten years ago were reserved for those with the keys to the kingdom. Now, it seems, we all have the keys, and they are technology.

I can remember debating whether or not a salesforce needed SFA, or CRM, or even computers. Now, those aren't even arguments we're even vetting. Nevertheless, many companies still have a long way to go on the sales side of the business to realize better utilization of technology and the benefits that ensue as a result of said utilization. More to the point, we (sales/marketing) are often behind the times when it comes to the effective use of technology in our departments. Operations, for those of you in manufacturing, have complex and intense ERP systems to ensure that orders are shipped on time and the right products are made. In the transportation and logistics world, we have truck and package level tracking to ensure that our deliveries are made on time and that we can plan the movement of items though the global supply chain. Yet, in many companies, we can't get an accurate sales forecast or measure our advertising effectiveness to save our lives.

While we have certainly reached the 'coordinate and cultivate' age, coming out of the 'command and control' era, we still have a great many strides to make to realize the full impact of technology in our sales and marketing teams.

the pervasiv impact on technology is just about ok, its basic. But the real question is 'what do marketing managers and researchers think about the impact of technology in marketing?