CRM Idol

CRM Idol is an international award presented annually by Paul Greenberg and a panel of eleven other judges. It is sponsored by several media partners including Information Today, Inc.'s CRM Magazine.

History

CRM Idol was founded by Paul Greenberg, Chairman of the Advisory Committee of the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management CRM Centre of Excellence, the Executive Vice President of the CRM Association, and author of a best-selling business strategy book CRM at the Speed of Light (2004, McGraw-Hill Osborne Media). CRM Idol was founded by Greenberg as a way of giving small CRM-related companies improved exposure.

Competition

The competition is in four phases:

Submission: A submission phase selects a limited number of official contestants from contestant submissions.

Briefing: A Briefing phase requires official contestants to demo their product and highlight their company's strengths before the CRM Idol judges. Contestants have thirty minutes to conduct their briefing, followed by a fifteen-minute round of questions by the judges.

Semi-Finalists: Based on the briefings the judges narrow the field to twenty semi-finalists. Semi-finalists undergo another round of InterViews by the judges.

Finalists: Ten finalists are selected based on semi-finalist interviews. Finalists are then required to make a five-minute video pitching their product and company. Contestants are encouraged to be creative. After the videos are submitted, three regional finalists are selected based on popular voting on the videos and votes by an extended judging panel.

Prizes

For the 2012 competition, prizes are awarded to winners from three regions:

The Americas: North, Central, and South America
EMEA: A block comprising Europe, Middle East, and Africa
Asia and the Oceania region

CRM Idol offers winners a basket of prizes provided by the sponsors and organizers. Notable prizes for the 2012 competition include the right to make a pitch before Bain Capital Ventures, mentoring by Accenture executives, and an invitation to partake in a three-day program at University of Toronto Rotman School of Management CRM Centre of Excellence.

The 2011 competition awarded prizes to two winners, the Americas and a block comprising Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia and the Oceania region.