Automatically Add Contacts from Web Form Leads

act emarketing
A good CRM implementation should be making you more efficient and saving you a lot of time.  After all, time is money. A common question I’m asked is whether there is an easy way to add the incoming leads you receive from a website form directly into an ACT! database.  My answer is a resounding YES. Many ACT! users don’t realize that the ACT! E-Marketing functionality does a whole lot more than...

Creating an ACT Link to a Client Folder

dog tricks
As most of you know, I’m probably one of the biggest ACT! cheerleaders around.  However, sometimes I run across an ACT! feature that makes me slap my head and wonder “what were they thinking??”  A case in point is the Documents tab.  I love the ability to create shortcuts to my documents so that I can easily access them from the contact’s Document tab rather than grappling around searching...

Wishing You a Wonderful Holiday

act upgrade
‘Twas the holiday season and all through the house, Not a creature was clicking, not even your mouse. The stocking were hung by the “Windows” with care, Glad that Win 7 was finally there! My clients were sleeping, all snug in their beds, While visions of Microsoft danced in their heads! Elf Karen has taught you that ACT can be fun, And the software you need for your business to run. It’s...

Procrastinators of the World Unite!

I’m fairly good about getting ready for the holiday season.  In fact, I have a pretty set schedule:  decorations go up the weekend after Thanksgiving and come down the weekend after New Years.  Most gifts are purchased via the Internet on Black Friday.  I even stock up on little “stocking stuffers” just in case I left someone off my list.  But, like everyone else, I find myself at the mall...

Market Unto Others as You Would Have Them Market Unto You

act emarketing
Absolutely the best part of being an ACT! consultant is that I work with a wide variety of industries. “Out of the box” ACT! is suitable for just about any business you can think of; with a bit of customizing you can create your own unique database at a fraction of the cost of buying an industry specific solution. This week alone I worked with the manufacturer of medical supplies, a commercial...

ACT! 2011 COOKBOOKS GO “R.A.W.”

act 2011
I am thrilled to announce that my two latest books have been selected by Packt  Publishing for inclusion in their R.A.W. (Read As We Write) program.  The two books, ACT! by Sage 2011 Cookbook and ACT! by Sage Reports and Dashboards Cookbook, are designed to provide step-by-step instructions so that you can master ACT as quickly and efficiently as possible. The RAW program is an innovative publishing...

I’m Thankful for the New ACT! 2011 Service Pack 1 (SP1)

act 2011 sp1
There’s always something to be thankful for. In my personal life I’m thankful that I live in Florida, the weather is absolutely perfect, and for the first time in years I’m not responsible for “the” dinner.  I’m thankful that my daughter has inherited my “shopping” gene and will actually accompany me to the mall on Friday and that I have lots of great activities planned for the weekend. In...

Using the Web Info Tab to Link ACT! to Your Social Networking Sites

act web info tab
If you have ACT! 2010 or 2011 and you’re not using the Web Info tab you are missing the banana boat as we say in Florida. And, if you haven’t figured out how to use the Web Info tab in conjunction with your favorite social networking sites, then you’re in for a treat. You’ll find the Web Info tab in both the Contact and Company Detail views. The Web Info tab is actually a browser that displays...

Ding Dong – Your ACT! Database is Calling

act dialer
There are virtually hundreds of add-on products that work with ACT!.  Need calculations between two fields?  Got it.  Need to link ACT! to QuickBooks?  Done.  One of my favorite add-ons is the Call On CRM solutions that allows you to dial your phone directly from ACT!. “What happened to the ACT! phone dialer?” is a question I’m often asked.  Some of you ACT! “Old Timers” remember back...

ACT! Goes R.A.W.

ACT 2011 Books
The publishing industry, like so many other industries these days, has undergone radical changes.  I’ve written for a traditional publisher since 2002; I recently made the switch to a newer, less traditional one. In traditional publishing, it takes at least 9 months for a new book to arrive on the shelves of your local book store.  The writing process takes less than half the time; editing, typesetting,...