BrainSell Acquires Denver-Based Software Reseller, The CRM Connection

by John Kaufman on January 11, 2012

logo BrainSell Acquires Denver Based Software Reseller, The CRM Connection brainsell logo BrainSell Acquires Denver Based Software Reseller, The CRM Connection

BrainSell Technologies is please to announce their acquisition of The CRM Connection, the second Colorado acquisition that BrainSell has made this month. The CRM Connection (www.thecrmconnection.com) joins BrainSell with a plethora of CRM expertise, including ACT!, SalesLogix and SugarCRM.  We’re super excited to welcome The CRM Connection into the BrainSell family!

“We are very excited to have joined the BrainSell Technologies team,” said The CRM Connection’s Managing Partner John Kaufman. “Our clients and alliance partners will all benefit from the  additional resources and software solutions they provide.”

Current CRM Connection customers will continue to receive the same caliber of support from their existing contacts. However, customers will also benefit from BrainSell’s extensive team of Sage ACT!, Sage SalesLogix and SugarCRM engineers, as well as ERP and marketing experts if they choose to increase sales with cutting edge technology like Marketing Automation and integrated ERP.

“This is a win-win acquisition,” said BrainSell President and CEO, Jim Ward. “BrainSell brings onboard a top reseller of Sage ACT!.  Heck, they ended 2011 as ACT!’s  11th largest selling reseller in the U.S. They also have SalesLogix expertise, which is a fantastic added resource to our top SalesLogix team. On top of that, The CRM Connection recently added  SugarCRM into their portfolio, which brings perfect synergies to BrainSell’s portfolio and helps our rapidly growing SugarCRM practice keep up with demand.  Put that together with our two acquisitions of ERP partners this past month in Colorado and we have a fantastic western region team.”

The CRM Connection is based out of Denver, Colorado, but they also have offices in Michigan and New York.

Click here for the full press release.

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Customer Relationship Management – CRM – Comparison

by John Kaufman on September 19, 2011

Salesforce.com may own “CRM” on the NYSE, but they are not the overall leaders in CRM. Salesforce is a great cloud-based solution, with strong features in sales and customer service, but it is not necessarily the best fit for every company out there. Frankly, SugarCRM does most, if not all, of the same things Salesforce.com does but at lower price points. It has several competitors that bring quite a robust offering to the table. Below are five that are worth checking out.

Saleforce.com, Sage ACT! 2012, SugarCRM, Salestrakr, Maximizer, Infusionsoft
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

This feature comparison is a helpful tool, but for a more in-depth analysis, contact us by clicking here  and/or check out this entire post by Lauren Carlson for Software Advice: Salesforce Alternatives | 5 Cloud CRM Systems to Consider

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Sage ACT! 2012 ROADSHOW COMING TO SOUTH FLORIDA

by Karen Fredricks on July 22, 2011

The Sage ACT! 2012 Roadshow will be held on Thursday, July 28, 2011, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Fort Lauderdale Westin Hotel, 400 Corporate Drive, Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The event will feature presentations by Karen Fredricks, the woman who wrote the book (actually 7 books) on ACT! and representatives from Sage North America which is headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona.  Prior registration is required and includes complimentary hors d’oeuvres. There will be raffles for free ACT! 2012 software, ACT! addon products, books, and training videos. Attendance will be limited to the first 100 who register at http://act2012.eventbrite.com/.

Attendees will have an opportunity to interact with Sage ACT! representatives and have a sneak peak at some of the new ACT! 2012 enhancements.

Karen Fredricks, an ACT! Certified Consultant, Platinum ACT! VAR and Premier ACT! Trainer, will conclude the event with a presentation of her Top 10 Favorite ACT! Tips & Tricks.

Attendees will have the opportunity to network with each other and the Sage representatives as part of the event.

According to Fredricks, “I like to think of the Fort Lauderdale Road Show as an ACT! celebration.  I held a similar event at the Westin in 2002 to launch ACT! 6.  Then, as now, ACT! users eagerly anticipated a look at the new ACT! features.  Ironically, the Scratch Pad feature is a modern version of the old Side ACT! functionality that was so popular in the earliest ACT! versions.”

For further information, contact Karen Fredricks of Tech Benders at 561-470-5450, Ext. 1.  To register for the event go to http://act2012.eventbrite.com/.

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Cloud Computing: The sky does occasionally fall

by John Kaufman on July 6, 2011

With all the hype about Cloud Computing, all the benefits of having your data and programs has never been more promising.  But what happens when The Cloud goes dark and it certainly does happen?  Unless you have a copy of your data on your computer or handheld device,  you’re cut off from your information.  Users who have experienced this say it feels far worse than a broken computer or cell phone.  Why?  Imagine opening your email to find that it’s all gone. Your contacts? Gone too.  Accounting data and the ability to generate invoices, pay your bills and more?  Gone!  The fear stems from not knowing if you data is gone permanently or temporarily compounded by when the system will be off-line.

I am not suggesting that The Cloud is not a safe and viable way to store your data and use software programs.  I meerly share this with you so you can be prepared before it happens to you and inevitably it will. 

This is has happened to Microsoft, Google, SalesForce.com and other “big name” cloud technology providers.  Click here to review The 10 Biggest Cloud Outages of 2011 (so far).

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Scanning Business Cards into Sage ACT! 2011 Premium

by Pete Fernald on June 23, 2011

Over time I’ve tried various card scanners and integrating software that make them work with CRM applications including Sage ACT! 2011 Premium. The current scanning solution I recommend is the Scan Shell 800NR from Card Scanning Solutions.

The 800NR hardware appears to be more reliable as with other solutions I ended up sending the unit back for a replacement every year or so, even though covered under warranty is was a pain and motivated me to look for another solution. Other products did not include the integration with ACT that I was looking for, as all I wanted to have to do was scan and review the contact information without any extra steps involved.

The Scan Shell captured most business cards, scanning them succcessfully, and if a duplicate entry was about to be created you are asked if you want to proceed. One thing I have noticed is that when some business cards do not scan successfully, it has to do with the graphics and font that were used — as a result I have to manually enter these cards. As a professional I would ensure that your business card is actually scannable as more and more people are using automating technology to save time and money.

Here is a link to the Scan Shell 800NR solution and enjoy!

http://www.scanshell-store.com/scan-business-cards-to-act.htm

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Which Cloud is Right for You?

by Tara Schinkel on May 24, 2011

As a technology services provider, we find ourselves repeatedly answering the same question for our customers:  Which Cloud is Right for Me?

Deciding whether or not to move your business into the cloud can be a complex decision – mainly because of all the options available on the market today.  Type the word Cloud in any search engine and you will find a million different possible choices. Trying to sift through all of the options for many business owners can be a difficult task on a good day.  Here are a few pointers that I found to be helpful when taking that first foray out into the wonderful world of Cloud technology.

First, evaluate your current business environment and decide what actually needs to be in the cloud. Knowing what information you want to be in the Cloud is a critical step in determining the type of technology you will need. Listed below are a few examples of what you may want to put into the Cloud: 

  • Regular backups of your critical data.
  • Web access/hosting of software applications you may use such as ACT!, Outlook, QuickBooks etc.
  • Files you want to be able to share with other users in your organization or trusted business partner.

 Once you have decided what information you want in the Cloud, the next step is to decide what type of Cloud works best for you. Common types of Cloud (i.e. hosted solutions) include:

  • Hosted data services – This form of hosting is great for off-site backups or hosting of a particular software application (like ACT!, Outlook or QuickBooks).  A hosted data service enables you to pick and choose what areas of your business need to be in the cloud.
  • Hosted servers – This is a great option to consider if you looking to share files, share multiple applications or possibly put your entire company’s data and computing power in the cloud.  Due to the multitude of options in this area, our term “hosted servers”  is a generic term and for the purposes of this article, serves as a guide rather than an exact type of service. 

A third area to consider relates to some of the logistics of Cloud computing:

  • Who within your company will need access to what’s in the Cloud?
  • What additional hardware or software will you need to make your data easily accessible once it’s in the Cloud?
  • How much space will you need to have hosted? This is particularly important when addressing the need for an online backup solution or the renting of server space.

 By carefully considering the questions listed above, you have now armed yourself with enough information to start narrowing your focus for the type of Cloud that will best work for your business.

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Calendar Moving a Little Slow

by Tara Schinkel on May 18, 2011

At least once a week, we receive a call from one of our ACT! customers saying that their calendar – which use to load in 2 seconds or less, is now taking 2 minutes to load.  Depending on the age of the database involved and how heavily the calendar is currently being used, we often find that there is an easy fix to this frustrating problem.

Here are a few quick tips to help keep your calendar and ultimately you, working at optimum speed.

  1. When using recurring activities, be sure to put an end date for when you want the activity to stop recurring. Recurring activities without an end date means that ACT! is working extra hard to load all the instances of that appointment for as far out as ACT! calendar can see.
  2. Make sure you are clearing activities as you do them.
  3. Purge cleared activities once you no longer need to see them on the calendar. I had one customer who had 10 years of activities still loading on their calendar. ACT! has a built-in utility that helps remove all cleared activities after a certain point.
  4. Set your calendar filters for what you actually want to see on your calendar. If you do not need to set to do items on your calendar, set the filter to ignore them. This will help the calendar load faster as well as cut back on the clutter.

Following these few quick tips can help keep your calendar moving right along.

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Taking a Vacation Without Technology

by Renee PJ Cronin on May 11, 2011

I took a vacation recently…like a real, true vacation…not something that I have really done since my days before entering in the ACT!, SalesLogix, Wired Contact and MAS consultant profession, 14 years ago.

As usual when planning to take time off from work, I contacted my clients via phone and emails, letting them know of the dates that I would be unavailable. I made arrangements with The CRM Alliance to cover any client emergencies…nothing different as in past years…

Everything was in order: passports, travel itinerary, bags packed, sunscreen purchased, making sure my carry-on bag did not violate any of the liquids, flammables, sharp-object regulations…but something kept nagging at me on the ride to the Harrisburg International Airport…

Thankfully, we got through security, experienced two uneventful flights and an enlightening bus ride through Jamaica…so what was nagging me all this time?

It was not until we got settled in our hotel that I realized what the problem was…

Simple, I took off for the week and did not bring my laptop. I kinda sorta experienced a moment of panic, not true panic, after all I had purposely left my trusty laptop at home. But it did not ‘hit’ me until I looked around the room and there was no means to access the internet. I felt disconnected, out of touch and ultimately, outside my comfort zone..

I knew this fact when we made the reservations. I disabled my Work and Personal email, as well as, gasp, my Facebook notifications on my beloved Blackberry before we left for vacation. The only reason I brought my Blackberry was in case there was an emergency back home and my grown kids needed to contact me, and I stressed the word ‘emergency’ to them…needing money transferred to their bank account does not constitute an emergency.

I have to admit that I thoroughly enjoyed relaxing in the sun, eating way too much and taking long walks for an entire week…I even played volleyball in the pool and got spiked in the nose by some overzealous sport-dude.

You may ask why is this such a big deal that I felt I needed to write about this? Surely, professionals take vacations all the time without their computers and other means of ‘outside’ communication.

The reason is that I felt completely energized upon my return. I had a fresh new attitude, bold, if you will. I realized that even though I love my job as a consultant, I can actually take some time for myself and not think like a consultant 24/7. I returned from my vacation, well, a new person.

I entered my office Monday morning, booted up my 3 computers and went to work, with a smile on my face and in my heart.

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Using e-Mail for Marketing is great but……

by Joseph on February 11, 2011

In the last few years we have all thought that sending e-mail blasts is the way to generate new sales from new and existing customers.  Sure it’s inexpensive to send e-mails but it’s not the only effective way to get your message out.  There is one type of media for marketing that some businesses have moved away from or totally abandoned in this economy primarily due to price! 

Direct Mail is still a very viable and valuable part of any marketing campaign.  Marketing Weekly just did a survey and found that 56% of marketers still plan on using direct mail as part of their campaigns for clients to get their message to the desktop or kitchen table.

Here are some reasons why:
• Less mail is being delivered so your message/direct mail piece can standout more.
• People are inundated with e-mail and pay per click ads so your direct mail message arrives at their desk and sits there to remind them of you.
• They can’t delete direct mail and usually it will be passed around for others to read.
• Your direct mail piece doesn’t automatically get blocked by anti-spam filters or sent to junk mail folders and ignored.

Your investment in a direct mail piece including postage can be as little as $0.55 to $0.75 each.  Send out 1,000 pieces of mail and if your product or service grabs a bunch of BIG DEALS then you are making up for the cost of the mailing and more!!

It’s also a good way for you to stay in front of prospects and customers without having to get through the email noise out there.  But don’t give up on email.
You should use a mix of media when marketing to prospects and existing customers.  You should be using direct mail, email, fax, telemarketing and follow-up calling to get your message or offer out.

We are here to help you automate your marketing using many different resources of media to deliver your message.  Give us a call at 508-226-4565 to discuss with us how we can help you increase your sales and marketing automation.

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Minimize Entry and Improve Communication

by GordonHilleque on February 10, 2011

I recently asked a sales rep what is the most aggravating part of their CRM application. His long answer could be summarized in a single sentence.
“Entering data more than once”
“I write it on paper, then I type it into our CRM, and many times I have to follow up by sending an email or calling someone about the details.” The same task gets repeated nearly 3 times in many cases. This is a common occurrence in almost all industries we work with.

Tip:
There are many dictation services out there but they can be a hassle to train, costly, and sometimes require additional hardware. One free option is provided by Nuance http://www.dragonmobileapps.com/ and is available for an iPhone, Blackberry, or iPad.
At the end of each meeting, read your notes to your device. They are immediately transcribed for your review and correction. You can then email them to yourself, your assistant, or copy and paste them into a meeting on your calendar.

CTRAX Users:
When you post a note in CTRAX it automatically creates an Alert. Enter the data once and select the user you would like to have the information emailed to automatically. The email contains the details and a link sending them to the original note. They will have the option to check it off or reply automatically documenting the response in the customer record and notifying the author via email. This is a great way to keep all departments informed about changes and problems with key accounts

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