Blogs have gone from an Internet craze to a way of life. Alongside online chat and instant messaging, blogs are shifting organisation’s trading approaches. Sales teams are taking advantage of this, turning blogs into a marketing tool by expanding and accelerating the flow of ideas and information among agents.

Numerous tools, like e-mails, e-newsletters, and even the conventional mail, may be used to capture the attention and cultivate relationships with prospective clients, but the Web log or blog is the latest and most effective. A blog is an online journal published regularly, sometimes on a daily basis.

Blogs are short and snappy, making them popular reads for those with packed calendars and a thirst for knowledge in certain areas. Blogs range from personal online diaries to Internet-based trade publications to functional business marketing tools. The deep substance offered in most blogs, make bloggers’ websites gain high ratings at search engines such as Google, MSN Search, and Yahoo.

Communication varies in forms and uses different tools. "Sometimes the phone is the best way to exchange ideas, sometimes it's a face-to-face meeting. Technology has given us email, IM, and now blogs as another option”, says Pete Quintas, CTO of SolidSpace (formerly SilkRoad Technologies). “There are many ways a blog can have a positive impact on sales by getting sales teams to work smarter”, Quintas revealed.

The most common usage of Blog is advertising. A developer uses external blogs to promote products and events. Blogs don't have to be one-way communication. Online journals with fresh and frequent updates maybe used to eliminate status calls. For some marketers, blogs has replaced periodic progress phone call. "By using the blog for status reporting, nobody needs to wait anymore. We note events as they happen, and business developments are in an instantly published and consumed form", stated Quintas. This improves company reaction time, saving time for more productive purposes.

Leveraging team resources is another need filled by a blog. Blogs provide another way for salespeople to swap marketing experiences, sharing selling techniques, competitors encountered, and hurdles overcome. "A salesperson with a problem used to call or email one or two individuals who they thought had specific expertise they needed. With the blog, requests for help and support can be seen by the entire force", added Quintas.

Marketers are also seeing internal blogs as a great motivational tool. "Sales departments can blog each deal, tracking it all the way from prospect stage, or just posting every closed sale", Quintas said. "When your team is closing half a dozen major sales a day, it gives the agents insight to sales velocity and is a great morale builder."

Positive results are guaranteed with blogs, but you’ll never know what you can achieve unless you give blogging a try.