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 have had a crowd like that for a seminar on Excel or QuickBooks, not to mention Sales Force which was just a dot on the horizon in 2002.

If you were brand new to CRM it might be a different story, but you obviously know ACT and have liked it for years. If you move to another product you’ll constantly be missing core ACT features like dynamic groups and lookups.

When the “new” ACT SQL version came out in 2005 the developers asked me for a dozen of my ACT 6 Dummies books which I thought was strange until I realized that the programmers wanted to maintain ACT’s “look and feel.”  That means that although there are lots of cool new features in ACT (Outlook integration, e-marketing, companies, opportunities, web info tab, dashboards, secondary contacts and relationships)  the old “tried and true” features (adding contacts, deleting contacts, groups, lookups, mail merge) remain exactly the same.

I’ve written books and produced training videos on a number of products (Sugar, BCM, Sales Force, Outlook) as well as on ACT and I have not found anything I like better for a number of reasons:

• There’s safety in number s.  ACT has a lot of longevity and loyalty going for it.  It’s been around for over 20 years and has millions of existing users.
• ACT has widespread availability.  You won’t find a box of Sales Force on the shelves of your local computer store.
• Each new version expands the core functionality by adding new functionality that typically matches current technology trends.
• ACT is extremely customizable.  There are hundreds of consultants to help modify your database to exactly what you want – or you can learn to make those changes yourself.
• ACT is easy to use and intuitive.  I recently found out that Sage actually has a “click counter” (OK, that’s not the official title but you get the drift) who’s job function is to “count the click” required for basic functions such as mail merge to insure that the number of clicks is much fewer than with competing products.
• ACT is one of the least costly solutions around.  Compare a one-time purchase of ACT to the recurring monthly Sales Force charges and it’s a no brainer.

Hope this helps you in your decision!

Like it or not, unless you’re working for one of the Fortune 500 companies you too are an underdog when it comes to your business.  It’s an uphill battle to get your name to stand out against the competition.  Compounding the problem is some scary information that I read years ago that still reverberates.  It takes an average of 12 touches to convert a prospect into a customer.  And, 50% of sales people give up after the first effort; 90% give up after the second.

Wow!  With the odds so highly stacked against us it’s tempting to wave the white flag and admit defeat.  But like Butler, or Jimmy Conners who came back from a 1-6, 1-6 deficit to win Wimbledon in 1987, you have to focus on what you can do and not on what the other guy is doing.

Here’s a few coaching tips that apply to both sports and, more importantly, your business.

1. Act like a hero. Think of the frustrations you’ve had when contacting large companies (don’t get me started on Comcast!) and then do the opposite when interacting with your customers and prospects.
2. Out-distance your competition. I always said that if the other guy only tries to reach someone twice, I’d try to reach them three times.  If it takes twelve attempts to win a new customer then make those twelve attempts.
3. Use the proper equipment. I doubt that Conners could have won Wimbledon with a broken racquet or holes in his tennis shoes.  If you’re going to resort to e-marketing use an ESP (e-mail service provider) to track your results.  And by all means use an effective database tool to help you focus on the correct audience.
4. If you can’t be bigger, be smarter. Was it me or did the Butler guys look a heck of a lot smaller than the Duke players?  The fact that they almost won gives testament to the believe that brains can conquer brawn.
5. Don’t think meat, just pitch. In case you didn’t catch it, that’s a reference to what Kevin Costner told Tim Robbins in the baseball classic, Bull Durham.  He was trying to get “Nuke” to stop over-thinking everything and trust his mentor.  Trust your coach or, if you don’t have one and you’re struggling, hire a great coach or consultant to help you out.  It works for major class athletes and it will work for you.

Let the games begin!

• I did a bit of research
• I developed a plan that consisted of a small number of baby steps
• I stayed with the program

My system worked and it got me to thinking how I could apply the same concept to removing some of the “dead weight” often found in the databases.  Although I work with a variety of CRM solutions I find that my clients deal with the exact same issues.  Here are a few of my solutions:

• Learn your software. Every CRM solution contains a category field; in ACT it’s called ID/Status.  This field usually contains values such as Customer, Prospect, or Vendor.  This will help you pinpoint the exact portion of your database that you need to market to.  Learn how to add another choice like “Dead Lead” so you’re sales folks won’t spin their wheels calling companies that aren’t a good fit for your business.
• Have an easy way to find the data that needs updating. You can’t lose 10 pounds – or slim down your database – in a day.  As you work through your database using baby steps, it’s imperative that you have a quick bookmark to find the contacts you haven’t as yet had a chance to work on.   I set up Dynamic Groups in ACT to keep track of all my contacts that are missing contact information; as I fill in the blanks – or add a new, incomplete contact – my group changes accordingly.
• Have a system for dealing with your duplicates on a timely basis. Unfortunately, computers aren’t bright enough to understand that William, Bill and Billy are all the same person, and that ABC Co and ABC Company are one and the same.   ACT has the cool Copy/Move Contact Data feature that allows you to merge duplicates as you run across them.  A search on the Internet will help you find addon solutions that will “deal with the dupes” for other CRM products.
• Fill in the blanks. Sometimes it’s not what you know but what you don’t know that can kill you.    I recently looked over my own database and found that I was missing the e-mail addresses for nearly 10% of my prospects.  I found a free solution for finding contact information that worked so well that I was soon able to cut that number in half.  Once I had e-mail addresses I was able to use ACT’s e-marketing tool to send out an e-mail requesting corrected contact information; I then sat back as the replies automatically updated my missing contact information in ACT.
• Link to your accounting software. I compare this ability to lifting weight in the gym.  Your existing customers are without a doubt the best source of future revenue.  You need to reach out to the folks who spent lots of money with you three years ago, but haven’t called you since.  The ability to query on your accounting information in your CRM solution is crucial.  I’m running a free webinar if you’d like to see how I’ve linked ACT to my QuickBooks information.
• Eliminate unnecessary notes and histories. I’m a firm believer in keeping accurate notes about my contacts.  However, over a period of time too much information is, well, too much information.   I have a great tool that lets me selectively pick and choose the history data I want to purge from my database.  For example, I recently removed just the histories from 2007 and 2008 showing that I had sent out e-newsletters; that alone eliminated over 50,000 history records from my database!

Although I’m certainly not a weight-loss expert I’d be happy to share my dieting tips if you send me an e-mail. In the meantime, if you take a few baby steps at a time, you’ll find that your database is soon looking a lot sleeker and healthier.  Good luck with your weight loss program!

Once your e-mail address –or worse yet – your company’s domain – becomes black listed it can take you months or years to get the problem rectified.  And, even if you don’t get blacklisted, most spam filters will eat your message for lunch if you don’t follow a few e-mail best practices.

Here’s my short list of suggestions:

1. Scrub your database.  Make sure that you aren’t emailing to e-mail addresses that have bounced in the past or are just plain invalid.  Avoid sending your message to duplicate addresses or generic addresses that start with “info” or “webmaster”.
2. Make sure you’re spam compliant by following the Can-Spam law.  Basically you need to make sure you have procedures in place for users to easily opt-out of future mailings, and include a valid mailing address in your message.
3. Use an ESP (email service provider) that uses a valid form of e-mail authentication.  That basically means that your e-mail blast comes from an authorized source.  These folks spend lots of time – and money – making sure that their emails get through to the folks using the Big Three for their e-mail (Yahoo, AOL and Google).
4. Time the frequency of your mailings; sending out a monthly newsletter is much more appealing than sending out a daily special pricing offer.  Target your mailings so that you are not sending your message to folks who have absolutely no interest in your products.
5. Make sure you know the difference between plain text and HTML e-mails.  If you want to include graphics in your e-mail blast you’ll need an HTML editor or risk having your message show up as a jumbled mess.
6. Avoid common spam triggers like exclamation points, red lettering and words like “sale.”

If you’re new to the world of e-marketing you’ll want to consult with an expert for a while.   They’ll be able to help you master the process and avoid some serious blunders.

Maybe it was a full moon, or maybe it’s the economy that prompted those calls.  However, I’m always amazed that many companies are so unwilling to invest in their software solutions.

For those of you not familiar with the term, an investment is a commitment of money or capital in order to gain a financial return.  If you really want to succeed in today’s business environment you’re going to have to invest some time – and money – into your technology.  And that investment now will result in profitable returns in the future.

Let’s take a look at the first caller.  Aside from the fact that he has created a maintenance nightmare, having so many databases is just plain inefficient.  For one thing, he has to access over 20 Task Lists and Calendars when scheduling appointments and follow-up activities.  He can’t obtain company-wide feedback on his marketing efforts.  He wastes time opening and closing databases.  Worst of all, he runs a huge risk of accidentally stumbling into the wrong database – or deleting it entirely.  And I doubt very seriously if that “kid down the street” is going to be able to help him out of his mess.

His investment in a bit of specialized training and support will result in a huge increase in productivity – and ultimately profitability.

The second caller is obviously quite happy with the status quo.  He certainly isn’t using social networking to expand his client base or e-marketing to promote his products.  His computers are probably 7-8 years old; when they eventually die he’ll have to scramble around at the last minute to replace them as well as all of his outdated software which is no longer compatible with the newer Operating Systems.

His investment in a software upgrade now will result in an increase in sales and business later.  His investment will also prevent the chaos and down time that he’ll experience when he’s forced to replace his infrastructure at a moment’s notice.

Your parents probably taught you as a child to invest in your future.  Shouldn’t you also be investing in your business?

What made the story even more meaningful for me was that I actually knew one of those high-schoolers as well as his father; they were both former ACT consultants who I had met on numerous occasions.

The above story struck me for two reasons.  First, those three incredible kids were reunited via a networking site, Facebook, which wasn’t even in existence 20 years ago.  And secondly, I gained a bit more insight into two of my business acquaintances.

You might feel that technology has served to make our world a bit less personal.  And, while I agree that Internet shopping lacks the warm and fuzzy feeling our parents might have encountered at their local store, I think that in many ways technology has made our world a much smaller place.  In fact, technology makes it even easier than ever to develop a personal connection with our business associates.

When I first started my consulting practice over ten years ago, I routinely hopped in my car and drove to my client’s location.  Now, I’m more likely to hop on their computer.  Although this has allowed me to expand the territory that I service, it’s also removed a great deal of that human touch.  Consequently, I make just a bit more of an effort to build a better relationship with my clients.  I’ll admit I cheat a bit by using ACT’s web info tab.

I recently discovered that the Travel Channel had run a piece on a cool diner in one client’s small New Jersey town, and that another client has pretty much devoted his life to finding a cure for his special needs child.  If nothing else I can badger a client about a winter snowstorm when I reside in Florida, or discuss an event that might have occurred close to his location.

For me, the world just keeps getting smaller, and folks a bit friendlier!

If you’d like to read the original story about the abandoned baby you can find it by click here. You might also want to take a course on Facebook at lynda.com to see the ways that it can benefit your business.

I began to wonder what prompted this I-Phone fixation by my friends.  The answer is quite simple – it pays to advertise.  After all, the harder “they” sell the more likely we are to buy. 

All too often CRM shoppers succumb to the same sales tactics that got my friends to buy I-Phones.  They’re told that one solution is “better” or “easier” than another when in reality most solutions offer pretty much the same standard set of features. 

A simple search on the Internet will provide you with hundreds of CRM solutions.  So how do you narrow the field?  Here are a few of my suggestions:

• Look for software with a proven track record; after all, there’s safety in numbers.  A large user install base means that the company has been able to keep lots of people happy – and stayed current with the latest advancements in technology.
• Avoid start ups.  Period.  Sure, they can promise you the moon but might lack the financing to stay solvent.   Where will you – and your database – be if the company goes belly up?
• Look for a variety of technical support options.  If you love to DIY you’ll want a large searchable knowledge base.  Look for books and online training videos from third-party vendors; those vendors will only create materials if there are enough folks out there to buy them.  Are there independent consultants available to help you and, if so, at what price?
• Understand the pricing structure before you sign on the dotted line.  Are you paying a one-time, monthly or annual fee?  Does the pricing include all of the software’s functionality or do you have to pay extra for adding additional features?  Will you be hit with an additional charge as your database grows?
• There is no such thing as a free lunch –avoid free software unless you have a very high tolerance for buggy software and advertising sidebars.
• A good CRM solution should be fairly effortless.  For example, if you want to send out a lot of letters make sure you can accomplish that task quickly and easily.  Have your sales person concentrate on the features that are the most important to you not the bells and whistles that you’ll never use.
• A good CRM solution should be easy to customize.  The goal is to help you become more efficient, organized and profitable.  Don’t be forced into changing your existing successful businesses practices to accommodate your software; a good CRM solution should be flexible. 

Hopefully these hints will prevent you from making a costly mistake both in terms of time and money.  And remember, if you’re one of those folks who avoid doing your due diligence, I have some prime Florida swamp land you might be interested in!

My dad taught me that when I pointed my finger at someone (or something) I was in fact pointing two fingers back at myself. Think about it the next time something goes wrong with your computer.

I recently corresponded with a very irate ACT user. He had tried in vain to install ACT without success. He had hired a “computer expert” who had tried to help him, again with no success. Of course he pointed his proverbial finger at ACT, not realizing that two fingers were pointing directly back at himself.

The first mistake the user made was not to call Sage’s technical support team for assistance. One benefit that comes with your ACT software purchase is 30 days of “Getting Started” support. This support includes phone, chat, and e-mail support for up to 30 days from the date of product registration. I guarantee that had he called the support line, or taken advantage of the online chat, he would have been up and running in a matter of minutes.

The second finger, or mistake, that the user made was not being aware that all the safety mechanisms he had in place to “protect” himself from intrusions from the outside world were also preventing ACT from installing properly. There are three common safety devices that should be turned off, at least temporarily, during the installation of most any software program:

· Anti-Virus Software

· Firewall Software

· The Vista operating system’s User Account Control (UAC).

Ironically, ACT warns you to turn off your Anti-Virus and Firewall software during the installation process. And, a quick Internet search will explain how tame the UAC warnings that drive many users nuts – and interfere with software installation.

Although I wouldn’t categorize my Dad as a “computer expert,” his common sense would have saved this user from a lot of unnecessary aggravation!

For more information about ACT please visit www.techbenders.com or e-mail me at blog@techbenders.com.