AI Refuses to Leave the Chat. Now Invades the Job Market.

This week on Funnel Frontier: Explore AI's impact on the job market, Monday's WorkCanvas, and the latest scoop on CRM trends.

This week on Funnel Frontier:

• Assiduous AI? (via HubSpot)
• Monday got board (via monday.com)
• Zooming through value streams (via ClickUp)
• Take me to your leaderboard (via Capsule)
• If you build your dream customer (via EngageBay)

Stat of the Week 

The use of AI in lead scoring can improve sales productivity by up to 15-20%. (McKinsey & Company)

AI allures and alienates (via HubSpot)

AI refuses to leave the chat. 

LinkedIn's latest probe into the workforce reveals chatter about AI's job market invasion has skyrocketed by 70%. 

Professionals donning orb-shaped helmets are ready to ride this tech comet, with 47% believing AI's the booster for their career trajectories (many are using AI at work, even without approval). 

LinkedIn pinpoints the Professional Services, Tech, and Education sectors as the hotbeds of AI chatter. 

HubSpot says corporate execs are thumbs-up on AI, envisioning a universe where the mundane is artificial intelligence’d away. Yet they're dragging their boots when navigating this new frontier ethically and safely.

As for the AI talent hunt, companies are on a meteoric mission to snag that elusive “Head of AI,” with relevant job postings shooting up helter-skelter.

Gen Z may find their start-up tasks zapped by AI, but they're gonna be okay. Why? They’re an adaptable, tech-savvy bunch.

But don't motor away just yet! While AI's reshaping the job galaxy, it's not all warp speed ahead. 

The shift to a tech-powered workforce is more of a moonwalk and less of a teleport—and new skill sets, hitherto unknown, may appear on the horizon.

The Week @ CRM.org

WordPress CRM Plugins (Free & Paid). Because no website should be an island.

Pipedrive CRM Review. Our read on this particular pipe-dream to pipe-line.

18 Benefits of CRM Software. Watch your customer satisfaction soar—as long as you don't mention you forgot their… everything and had to look it up.

CRM for Small Business. Just because your office space is tiny doesn’t mean your customer relationships should be, too.

Weekly Bloom

History of Computing: Part VII. Nowadays, computers live in pockets and cafes, acting all casual— but big rigs run everything sight-unseen. This is the final article in our history series. 

Monday got board (via monday.com)

Fear not the nebula of the blank canvas. A void is just brimming with possibilities!

CRM-mainstay monday.com just dropped a new product called WorkCanvas. A place where flowcharts meet doodles and retrospectives are dashed with color. 

It offers an embarrassment of templates, each a launching pad for your creative ticks. But it’s more than MS Paint for the roaring 20s.

This ain’t no solitary, sad sack spacewalk. Assemble your star-crossed visionaries and connect in a collaborative orbit. Assign tasks with the precision of a satellite docking, transforming your project from a space napkin scribble to a Solaris-esque spectacle.

Cluster your cosmic concepts into projects, each a galaxy of its own, swirling with the gravity of shared purpose. 

When it's time to broadcast your celestial creation, you can switch to presentation mode and let your ideas shine like supernovas. Or, capture the windmills of your mind as a PNG.

Feel free to peep.

Stellar Strategies: Tips & Tricks for Sales, Marketing & Service

Starry-eyed dreams of value streams (via ClickUp)

Navigating the vast void that is Product Development can be spooky. Thankfully, Development Value Streams (DVS) are here for you. 

But DVS is less like a shiny S-rank spaceship and more like a rickety rocket—known not for a graceful glide but for its chaotic cosmic jig.

It’s a caravan of product managers, designers, and developers crammed together, each a peculiar species with its own intertwingled lingo. 

This motley crew is tasked with charting a course from the nebulous nebula of “idea” to the terra firma of high-priority tasks and customer value. 

In DVS, it's all about embracing the wobbly waltz of creation (think mind maps and whiteboards), ensuring your product's journey is not just successful but also extremely interesting.

Read all about value streams with ClickUp.

Take me to your leader[board] (via Capsule)

Sales. What a rush. Every call could lead to a Jackpot—or a polite "no thanks." 

To keep the energy flowing, why not add a pinch of Vegas to the office floor via Sales Leaderboards?

Because life on the sales team could be gamified, collaborative, competitive in a good way. 

You can set up a leaderboard via CRM and integrations. You’ll probably want to budget for rewards, too—top performers could be awarded cash or a totally un-ironic dinner at Nobu.

But whoa now, while leaderboard-ing could promote transparency, motivation, and a camaraderie that's one part healthy rivalry and two parts mutual cheerleading, tread carefully. 

The line between sporty spice and freaky rat race is thinner than the margin on your last deal. 

Remember: the goal isn't just to win but to ensure nobody feels like they're losing.

Full tips from Capsule here.

The cream of the customer crop (via EngageBay)

Picture yourself as some kind of space chef, tailoring delectable experiences for diverse space gourmands.

To get them munching in the aisles, you’re gonna want an Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) to map palate. 

You may have heard of another “ICP” (hint: insane clowns), but this one involves illuminating the demographics, behaviors, and aspirations of your most stellar clients. 

Happily, you can harness CRM to craft a robust ICP. So, ready your thrusters—Engage ICP! 

EngageBay has the goods here.

Galactic Gourmet

CRM blips from around the web

ZNet partners with LeadSquared. The India-based cloud distributor is teaming with the CRM/automation platform to boost sales and marketing offerings.

Salesforce lays off approx. 1% of its global workforce. About 700 jobs were cut. On the other hand, Reuters reports that 1,000 jobs at the company are still open, so this could just be an adjustment. 

Pipedrive appoints new VP of Demand Growth. It’s Marc Waxman, formerly of Japanese tech giant Rakuten and B2B SaaS business GoCardless.

HubSpot will announce Q4 and full year 2023 financial results on Feb. 14th. They’ll report after markets close that day. The conference call takes place at 4:30 EST.

Astronomical Assets

Significant Stock Moves (01/29 - 02/02)

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