Resources 

How to Reduce Contracting Delays with E-Signatures

Free Educational Webcast

Recorded On: Thursday, Sept 23 2010, 2:00pm EST
Length: 60 Minutes
Presenters:
Robert Al-Jaar, PhD, EVP & Chief Technology Officer, Silanis Technology
Peter Ostrow, Research Director, Sales Effectiveness, Aberdeen Group

Overview

As sales organizations struggle to mitigate the effects of the economic downturn, one of the biggest challenges is bringing their sales cycle under control. Recent Aberdeen research reveals that in 2009, many companies experienced a year-over-year increase in their sales cycle by as much as 12%. Electronic signatures represent an opportunity for sales organizations to reduce the lead-to-win timeframe, remove friction points from the contracting process and increase close ratios. 

Today there are more options than ever for sales organizations looking to eliminate paper from the contracting process. E-signature solutions have evolved to offer greater functionality, making it possible for companies to:

• Invite customers online to review and “click-to-sign” Non-Disclosure Agreements, Sales Contracts and more 
• Increase visibility into the contract execution process and quickly identify bottlenecks
• Reduce legal exposure in the event of a contract dispute thanks to comprehensive electronic evidence

In this free Webcast, Aberdeen Group and Silanis discuss e-signature solution options and share the benefits reported by sales organizations that have adopted the technology including:

• 50% more likely to show year over year improvements in customer renewal rates
• 41% more likely to reduce proposal error rate 
• 18% more likely to shorten their sales cycles

 

Presenter Biographies

Robert Al-Jaar - Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Silanis

As Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of Silanis, Dr. Al-Jaar is responsible for the company’s product portfolio including its online e-signature service offerings. He also leads Corporate Product Management, R&D, and the Customer Advocates Team. He has played a key role in making rapid customer implementations a reality and in bringing the company’s flagship desktop solution to the Web, and our web solutions, to the cloud. His 23 years of IT experience includes senior positions at Cap Gemini Ernst & Young, Netscape, DEC and Schlumberger.

 

 

 

 

Peter Ostrow, Research Director, Sales Effectiveness, Aberdeen Group
Peter Ostrow is the Research Director for the Sales Effectiveness practice at the Aberdeen Group, a leading provider of fact-based research focused on the global technology-driven value chain. 

Peter has been focused on sales and marketing best practices for 25 years, beginning with a long-time stint at advertising firm JWG Associates. As JWG’s third employee, he participated in every aspect of the company’s sales growth, from $1M to $135M, until its acquisition by Monster Worldwide’s TMP AdComms division. Here, Ostrow deployed additional CRM, pipeline management, lead generation and competitive intelligence practices as VP, Global Sales Administration. He then spent five years as VP, Business Development with MarketOne International, a global provider of lead lifecycle management services to technology sales and marketing executives.

At Aberdeen, Peter leads the Sales Effectiveness practice, covering the technology, service and consulting enablers that enterprise sales forces deploy to become best-in-class organizations.  His research is widely publicized and covers topics such as sales training, sales intelligence, CRM/SFA, sales performance management and integrating technologies around customer acquisition and retention.

Peter holds a Bachelor of Arts in History and Political Science from Brown University.