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 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!

Karen Fredricks
www.techbenders.com
blog@techbenders.com

My company is a member of several local chambers of commerce and there seems to be a chamber sponsored networking event every day. Since time and money are limited resources we have to be selective in the events to participate in.  As a B-to-B business, we find that the chamber’s annual tradeshows to be the best investment in that they have high attendance and lots of business owners.  Exhibiting in a trade show is an excellent opportunity for our company to gain exposure and connect with decision makers to generate new business.  

Through trial and error we’ve learned that a successful trade show takes lots and lots of preparation.  Using ACT! helps us in organizing our trade show activities and marketing the event to our Customers and Prospects.  We make sure to engage our contacts before, during and after any event.
 
Before the Show – Generate the BUZZ
A trade show is a great way to introduce a new product or service, or to demonstrate how existing products or services will benefit an attendee’s business.  Invitations are sent to our contacts encouraging them to attend the event, we always provide show-only promotions as a thank you.  We create a custom Drip Marketing campaign to provide information about the show using our ACT! program and incorporate a variety of communication methods.
 
 -> Create Custom Letter, Postcard and/or E-mail Templates and personalize the invitations and announcements
 -> Send ACT E-marketing and track the interest level (opens & clicks) of the recipients with the built in reporting feature
 -> Make Phone Calls either from a list from ACT! or a Call List created from an ACT E-Marketing and personally invite our contacts to the show
 -> Social Media Updates post announcements on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or other channels
 
During the Show - Build Your Database
We draw attendees to our booth by having a live demonstration of ACT! software in action.  Our WOW factor is showing  that ACT! is more than just a place to keep your contacts, it can help you understand your business and solve business problems.  I love to have engaging conversations and share information, I will make it a point to jot down a short comment on what idea, problem or question was the topic of conversation so I can respond to any opportunities.  Knowing that everyone likes to win a prize we incorporate a business card drawing for free software and no-one walks away empty handed as we provide free 30 day trials and other helpful materials as reminders of our business, products and services.  

After the Show – FOLLOW-UP
We always feel great after a show; meet lots of people, have dynamic conversations and receive all of that positive feedback.  However, the show isn’t a success unless we dedicate time to immediately follow-up.  First we take all of those business cards gathered at the show and use ScanIT to import the contacts into our database – what a time saver!  Next is generating the BUZZ after the show by placing phone calls and sending Letter, Postcard and/or Emails to those who attended and those who couldn’t attend the show.  Based on interest level we place the contact in one of our post-show drip marketing campaigns to send reminders of how we can help their business.  Follow-up is a must and an ongoing process for relationship building.

So go showcase your business at your chamber’s next trade show, get involved in your local community. If you’re new to trade show marketing, as ACT! Marketing Experts and Swiftpage Gold Drip Marketing Certified Consultant we can help you with generating your BUZZ.  If you can’t exhibit then attend, we would love you to come to our next tradeshow - stop by and say hello.  You may even catch us sending twitter updates while at the show!

I’ve just returned from my weekly meeting of my local referral network (www.washtenawreferralnetwork.com).   And I wanted to tell you that if you are not part of a referral network you should visit one, or more, in your area soon.

Hoovers is good, and InfoUSA.com is good.  H&ll, lists are good:  good for marketing that is.  But  if you want leads there is nothing to beat a referral!  I’ve been attending various referral network groups for 9 years and consistently 40% of my new business comes from referrals received from the group.

Why not give it a try?

So I’ve used Outlook since I switched from Eudora 4 years ago (with ACT 2005 it was goodbye for Eudora support).   People are often sloppy about the subject line in Outlook – reusing the same subject even though they’ve changed the topic completely.  Even occasionally leaving the subject blank.

So when I want to change the subject on an incomming message prior to saving it I change the subject: that way I can find it later.

Double click  on the message in the inbox.  Click on the subject line and edit as much as your heart desires.  Close with saving and you are ready to file the message.