A few months ago I was invited to speak to the members of the Mentoring Program at the Phoenix National Association of Women Business Owners.  The group is designed to partner new entrepreneurs with experienced business owners, learning best practices and achieving professional goals more effectively.  The group leader requested a presentation to demonstrate how ACT! software is utilized in tracking one’s goals.

First of all every business should have a business plan with goals and objectives; a business without a plan is like putting together Ikea furniture without the instructions.  The entrepreneurs were in the process of learning how to create a plan for their business and mapping out objectives, focusing on goals critical to their success.  Any business goal must be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time Bound) with clearly defined steps to achieve the goal.  Increase sales 30% to $2M in 2009 or introduce a new product line in 1^st quarter 2010 with an estimate 1^st year sales of $150K are examples of SMART goals.

OK – so what does this have to do with ACT!?    You can use ACT! to put your goals and steps into action by creating Activities in ACT! or assign Activities to other users, then carry-out the steps to attain your goals by completing the Activities.  If your goals include sales you can create and track your opportunities. Gain insight into the execution of achieving your goals by utilizing ACT! reporting , you can monitor performance and review your successes and determine improvements.

Kick it up a notch by customizing ACT! for your goal tracking.  You can create custom Activity Types of Goal and Goal Step.  Using the Goal Step Activity you can schedule due dates for each goal step and using the Goal Activity represents the completion or end date of the Goal.  You can create a Goal Dashboard that monitors you goal Activity Types and include panels that show what is due today, this month, all goals, all goal steps and those that are past due – never let a goal or action get overlooked.  If tracking sales as a goal, include a sales gauge with your company’s sales target.  An example of a Goal Dashboard can be found at:  www.actplatinum.com/ACTBusinessGoalsDashboard.pdf

Every business can use ACT! Software, it’s a dynamic CRM system ideal for tracking sales, marketing endeavors, customer service and support, and daily business operations – key components to the success of any business. Use ACT! to put your business plan in action, accomplish the goals you set and achieve business success!