Are enterprise/internet applications too complex? I think the answer is yes. And it is the same answer to the same question that I have about Connectize’s current release. During a beta – you get a lot of time to reflect upon what you have so painstakingly built, the thousands of details you have solved, who your targeted user is and how well they understand what value you are attempting to deliver to them. When you live and breathe a product – as a founder -  you totally understand every square inch of each page of the application and what it’s supposed to do. And it is really fun to add layers of complexity and think you’re really smart. Unfortunately, that is not cool for new users coming to a site, who have about 20 seconds free to to figure out what value (if any) you are offering and how easy it might be for them to participate in your solution.

If you need to cut a rope, you need a knife. Simple right? But if I gave you a Swiss Army knife and asked you to analyze and try every tool available in this device – you might never get around to cutting the rope – which in the end was the ultimate goal. Point is, you can miss your goals by following exactly what your instincts tell you to do. I think we might have designed the uber Swiss Army knife with our current release. Agree?

Connectize – let’s dumb it down! Our beta was basically an enterprise app pushed out to the internet. There is a BIG difference in terms of targeted user, available time and adoption curves between these two very different environments. The Sales 2.0 evolution begs me to make things simple, both from a development and user perspective. It’s the core idea behind “The Power of Less” which was the theme at the past Web 2.0 show in San Francisco. The KISS Principle still exists and is even more relevant with today’s new internet generation. Call them Gen X, Gen Y or Gen Me, – but basically – everybody and everything needs to be really simple today and solve a specific problem.

So what does all this mean? There is a new release of Connectize coming which is downright simple! So simple it is dumb. So dumb, it is brilliant! The new version will deliver a value that remains untapped today and from an existing ecosystem of real time experts. Enough said for now…expect to see the new release in July!

Sales 2.0 as we (or I) preach, talks to people, processes and technology efficiencies all integrated to accelerate the selling cycle. Connectize, in this new upcoming release, is what I would consider the fastest way for a sales person to find the help and account insight they need. The new site is aimed directly at sale people who want the edge on accounts they are prospecting or currently engaged with. Down the road – we will share a product road map with upcoming features that you can vote on to help us prioritize what you really want. These features will bolt seamlessly onto this upcoming core release and be spun out very quickly. Agile software development at it’s best!

I think you will enjoy the new Connectize. If you have been wondering where we’re been – now you know. Stay tuned as we crank on the code.

Jeff Howe is a contributing editor at Wired Magazine, where he covers the media and entertainment industry. I saw his video on YouYube and thought I would share it on my blog today. Crowdsourcing, as Jeff describes it, is when “a company takes a job that was once performed by employees and outsources it in the form of an open call to a large undefined group of people”

Mmm…  I remember working for various companies were we had employees responsible for competitive intelligence, lead generation, territory help and basically attempting to enable the sales organization to be more effective and efficient. I also remember how rarely that information actually helped me close a deal! For years, smart sales people have “crowdsourced” the important information they needed – and it was this information that made them successful in their sales execution. I’m really pleased that Jeff has written this book. You can check it out at Amazon.

Connectize is a form of crowdsourcing, enabling a sales person to reach out to an undefined group of people and to connect with these people based on shared interests. Every sales and sales related person either needs or has information on an account, territory or industry – yet all to often there is no easy and fast way to get to the right person. Sales people have various crowds they can access; prospect, current customers, past customers, fellow employees, partners, school, social, etc… and yet there remains an undefined “crowd” (the people you would never normally meet) that possess vast amounts of untapped information and expertise. It is that crowd that we hope to connect you with. The person you don’t know, haven’t met before but based on shared interests, could play an instrumental role in your sales success and career.

This week’s feature is

• Connection Referral

As a way to help build the Connectize Sales 2.0 community and extend the “crowd” we’ve added the ability to refer someone. By simply referring a profile need, it is really easy to share with other users or anyone that might not yet be aware of Connectize, an opportunity to help someone and get paid in the process.  Referral activity generates an in application meassage for all parties involved – so you will always know when someone might be looking outside the crowd to help you.