Five CRM Commandments
Having written numerous books on ACT! software I frequently receive phone calls from strangers that go something like this:
“We purchased ACT! a few years ago and it’s just not working for us. No one is using it. We’d like to switch to ABC_CRM. They gave us a really great demo and I think it’s exactly what we need.”
My advice is that rather than investing in more CRM software they need...
Free Sources of Act Training
Some of us love Act because it has a very friendly and easy interface. Some of us love Act because it has so much functionality. And some of us would love to know the fastest way to become an Act Power User!
Free Act Training
Who says there’s no such thing as a free lunch? There are actually several free ways to learn more about Act:
Look at the Playlists on my YouTube Channel.
Go to the...
The Importance of an Act Consultant
Now that you have purchased Act! v17 for your business you may think that hiring an Act! consultant is a waste of time and money. The software does it all already doesn’t it? Wrong! Act! is only beneficial to your business if you utilize it properly, and that is what an Act! consultant can help you with.
Not sure about how to install and implement your new Act software? An Act consultant can...
Why Cheaper is Not Necessarily Better When It Comes to an Act! Consultant
The major focus of my business comes from being an Act! consultant. With all due modesty, I am great at what I do. I often come up with the perfect solution to a client’s problem in an extremely timely fashion.
I did not garner my CRM knowledge through osmosis; I spend quite a bit of my time keeping up to date with technology other than just Act!.
Today’s reliance on the Internet has...
Act! Software is Magical
The Contact field can prove to be surprisingly confusing for both new and old Act! users alike. Although the field seems very straightforward at first glance, it contains a bit of “magical Act! functionality” that can prove to be either a help or a hindrance.
Let’s start with the Salutation field. I often ask Act! users what a salutation is and I receive answers such as “Dear” “Mr.”...
Silly Answers to your ACT! Questions, Part 2
Last week I shared a story about an ACT! user who thought he had a major problem which turned out to have a rather easy, if not silly, answer.
My second story involves an ACT! user who could not open his ACT! database; he kept receiving an error asking him to verify his user name and password. He insisted that he “did not have a password” and that ACT! “must have just stuck one in there.” ...
Silly Answers to your ACT! Questions
As an ACT! consultant I am often called on to answer ACT! questions. And yes, there is a charge for my services. Generally, ACT! users reach out to me after they’ve gone through a variety of attempts to solve their issue. Sometimes the solutions to the ACT! technical support issue are quite involved and incorporate solutions that might be beyond the realm of what a typical user can accomplish...
Back Your ACT Database in the Clouds
Any Administrator or Manager user can create an automatic schedule for creating backups using the ACT! Scheduler. Combine this power with your free Drop Box account to save your database “in the clouds.”
Download and install Drop Box.
In ACT, click the Tools menu, and then click ACT! Scheduler. The ACT! Scheduler – Create, Edit or Delete a Task panel appears.
Click Create a task...
So Write a Book Already
Hard as it is to believe, I’ve written over a dozen books on technology and created training videos on ACT! and Outlook. Trust me, writing is a labor of love. My “day job” is to help my clients utilize CRM software to make themselves – and their businesses – more efficient, effective and profitable. For me, writing was a second job that required untold hours of my time during the evenings...
Creating an ACT Link to a Client Folder
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...
