ACT! Software Naming Conventions

act 2012
I have a page on my website that offers free software for the old ACT! 6 product.  Unfortunately,  ACT! 2006 users frequently try to download and install those freebies and find that they don’t work.  Let me make this abundantly clear – ACT! 6 and ACT! 2006 are not the same product. If you’re not yet confused, let me try harder.  Potential clients will call with questions on “ACT! 8”...

Happy 25th Birthday ACT!

sage act software
Wow!  As hard as it is to believe the ACT! software program turned 25 this month.  If you’re into numbers that translates into 14 versions, five named owners and millions of users. I received an e-mail this week from a long ACT! user who was complaining about everything from the confusing naming conventions for ACT! software to the fact that his old ACT! wouldn’t do any “new tricks” but that...

ACT 2012 is Here!

act 2012
There’s a reason why ACT has been around for over 20 years and has over 6 million users world wide.  It’s a great product! In addition to all the great functionality found in ACT 2011, here are some of the brand new features: The ACT Scratchpad Kiss your pen and paper good-bye!  The ACT Scratchpad is a separate program that runs outside of ACT!  You can use it with or without opening ACT!....

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...

ACT 2011 Road Show

ACT 2011
It was a dark and rainy night – literally – in August of 2002. Let me digress.  I was one of the 12 consultants nationwide that had been chosen to run an ACT 6 launch event.  I was given 6 weeks to secure a location, make audio/visual arrangements and run a trade show of ACT addon vendors.  Attendees were invited based on a circle of Fort Lauderdale; the “powers that be”...

Top 10 Reasons to Upgrade to ACT 2011

ACT 2011
I know what you’re thinking.  Another year, another upgrade.  And with new versions of ACT rolling out on a yearly basis you might not feel the need to upgrade.  After all as the saying goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. If you’ve been sitting in the Stone Age and are still clinging to your tried and true version of ACT 6, you might want to take a look at the features that you missed...

Upgrading to ACT 2011 Will Actually Save You Money

ACT 2011
I had a prospective client call me recently.  He made it clear from the start that he had absolutely no desire to upgrade to the newest version of ACT.  Not a problem as we support any and all versions of ACT.  He then proceeded to send me his wish list for ACT which included finding updated information for his 4500 contacts, integrating with Outlook 2007 and bulk e-mailing. He was using ACT 5/2000,...

Should I Switch from ACT to Sales Force

Boy, do I hear that question a lot!  Sometimes I get a variation (feel free to substitute the name of the current CRM product du jour for Sales Force). Here’s the deal.  I know folks like you – I call them ACT fanactics.  I had 500 of them wait in line to get into a seminar I ran in August, 2002 on a not so sunny night in South Florida introducing the all new ACT 6.  I guarantee I wouldn’t...

Four Hidden ACT Software Easter Eggs

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This being Easter weekend I thought I’d share a couple of my favorite ACT Easter eggs.  In case you’re not familiar with the term, a software Easter egg refers to a bit of hidden code in the software.  Although these Easter eggs are all represented by fields and aren’t necessarily hidden, they do tie into other parts of ACT which you might not be aware of. ID/Status: Although I hate the name,...