Salestrakr Blog

Salestrakr CRM 5 Is On The Way

We don't tend to pre-announce a new release.  However, there is much to crow about in Salestrakr 5, due out later this summer.

Here's a hint of what's to come:

• Salestrakr 5's key code has been rewritten for efficiency and speed.  Yes, after 2.5 years, we realized our desire to add new features created a bit of spaghetti in the process.  No offense to the Italians, we are updating our code to eliminate spaghetti.  It's good for the software waistline.
• We are making better use of CSS to manage the look and feel of Salestrakr.  CSS stands for "cascading style sheets".  This will allow for quicker changes to the user interface of Salestrakr.  Plus, many of our customers require unique implementations.  Now we can accommodate those requests while keeping the core Salestrakr code unchanged.
• The Salestrakr Email Dropbox is all new.  We are quite proud of our dropbox but fine that sometimes HTML, attachments, and the nuances in various email clients throw our dropbox facility for a "loop".  OK, that's software humor.  Seriously though, we have rewritten the dropbox and have so far been victorious in our testing.  We are even changing the way attachments are associated with emails showing a link to them in individual emails in Salestrakr.
• Field management is very granular.  We already have a robust custom field facility.  In Salestrakr 5 though, you can add text, checkbox and pull down custom fields.  Further, you can manage what is shown in your contact and account cards, keeping Salestrakr relevant for your industry and your business and keeping clutter down.
• More Edit in Place.  Salestrakr allows you to make many changes by merely clicking on data, making a change, and then clicking the check mark on the screen.  We're greatly enhancing this capability ensuring you can get in to Salestrakr, make your changes and then get back to what matters most, your customers.

Stay tuned, there's more.  In the meantime, make sure you're using the best CRM on the market.  Our 30 day trial is free of charge:  http://www.salestrakr.com.

Salestrakr CRM has Great Customers

We all get so busy adding new customers and working to improve our product that we tend to not pay as much attention to our existing customers.  Well, let's fix that.

Our customers come from many different industries.  All of them have really interesting businesses.  Yet all need to track their prospects, customers and ongoing sales opportunities.  Here are some of our interesting customers and their businesses:

 

ValuTeachers is a team of Retirement Specialists who aim to help educators and school employees retire with financial dignity. ValuTeachers was founded on the principle that “Education is not preparation for life; Education is life itself” (John Dewey). ValueTeachers Retirement Specialists service school systems nationally with 403(b)/IRA/457 plans.  You can visit ValuTeachers at http://www.valuteachers.com/.

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Brainlike, Inc. is a technology company that delivers smart sensing solutions. The company focuses on improving decisions and saving money by reducing real-time sensor data to valuable information. Brainlike sensing solutions reduce clutter by continuously and automatically adapting to changing conditions. Brainlike products and services include analysis tools and real-time monitoring products, analysis support, and real-time product integration. Since beginning research and development work for the United States Navy in 2005, the company has expanded its monitoring products and services for general purpose use.  You can visit Brainlike at http://www.brainlike.com.

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Catalyst is an experienced financial advisory.  They employ the Lifetime Economic Acceleration ProcessTM (LEAP®) to assist clients in analyzing the efficient use of their cash flows as part of their insurance planning practice. The LEAP process can help clients better understand their protection, savings and growth objectives and identify existing resources to fund the products that can help them meet those objectives. Please visit Catalyst at http://www.catalystwealthmanagement.com.

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The Georgia Charter Schools Association (GCSA) is a Georgia non-profit, 501(c)(3) corporation and the membership organization for Georgia’s charter school operators and petitioners, established in 2001. The mission of the GCSA is to be an effective advocate and service provider for all charter public schools in Georgia by:

• Advancing awareness of charter schools and their mission.
• Increasing awareness that charter schools are public schools.
• Communicating charter school needs to state and local officials.
• Supporting legislation to strengthen charter schools in Georgia.
• Facilitating opportunities for networking/collaboration among charter schools in Georgia and nationwide.
• Developing and implementing programs and services that advance student achievement, accountability and success in all of Georgia’s charter schools.

You can visit GCSA at http://www.gacharters.org.

It's Your Money, Salestrakr Should Be Your CRM!

We always have customers present desires for new features.  And we listen.  Most are reasonable and we do work hard to prioritize these and add them to Salestrakr.  However, what causes most new customers to come to Salestrakr for their CRM?  We have those key features that customers want.  But, what really pushes them over the top?  Sure, we are much easier to use.  We are much faster (hate that click and wait in other web CRMs.)  That really pulls them in.  But.....

In today's economy, cash is king.  People who need business tools can't overpay for Salesforce.com.  It seemed all the rage a couple of years ago.  Pay a lot and not get much.  All because it's "cloud" computing.  Not anymore.  Think about this.  Salesforce.com Professional has a few more features than Salestrakr.  Most of our customers don't need these features though.  And Salesforce.com Professional costs a LOT MORE.  $780 per user per year.  Compared with $100 for Salestrakr.  Buy Salestrakr, use it on your new iPad and still have money left over for a family night out.  They do offer a "Group" edition.  In our opinion, it's a much less capable product than Salestrakr.  And it's $300 per user per year.  You could buy Salestrakr and still have that family night out for less money.  Even more, that edition stops at 5 users.  Ooops.  You better not grow.  They also offer a simple contact manager.  Whew, it's only $60 per user per year.  That's less right?  For a whole lot less product.  Sounds to me like $60 down the drain.  No family night out.  Stops at 5 users.  FRUSTRATION.

So, frustrated Salesforce.com users.  Call them up.  Request your database.  But, be nice.  They may charge you.  Then let us, at no charge, import that database and have you happily using Salestrakr.  Maybe you can even take the iPad with you on the family night out.

The Sales Meeting: Waste of Time or Advancing Your Strategy?

I read this article by Joe Calloway (writing on Jeffrey's Gitomer's site.  The items in this article should not be read as "hard and fast".  But, in a world of too many things to do, these can help you ensure you don't waste your time or someone else's.  Of course, using Salestrakr as your CRM is key!

Here are some good do's and don'ts related to sales meetings (per Mr. Calloway).

1. Only have a meeting if it advances your strategy.
2. Don't meet for the meeting's sake.  ONLY if it advances your strategy.
3. Make your meeting simple and accountable.  The meeting is an asset.  Don't waste it.

Joe goes on to illustrate how best to have great meetings by listing meeting mistakes:

1. Having a meeting just because you always have a meeting. 
2. Going into the meeting without stated objectives and a clearly defined outcome 
3. Putting more focus on what leadership wants to say rather than what the team needs to hear. 
4. Overloading the agenda without giving participants time to network, process what they’re hearing, and discuss action steps.
5. Focusing on only one mode of communicating (i.e. a podium parade of talking heads) as opposed to looking at multiple ways to communicate and engage the audience. 
6. Poor coordination and communication between/among speakers, resulting in conflicting messages or unnecessary repetition. 
7. Making no provision for building on the meeting’s objectives and goals after the event. Structuring the meeting so that the audience is completely passive, not allowing them to interact and affect the meeting and its content.  

If you want to know more about Joe Calloway and his company Engage, please visit them here.

Corporate Files Feature March 2010

New Feature for March of 2010

Trying out a New Service

I've been trying out a new service here at Salestrakr.  It's called Edocr.  Edocr takes your marketing materials (ones your provide), coverts them to "Flashpaper" and notifies Google and other search engines.  It also "tweets" their availability using your own Twitter account.  It also provides embed code so you can easily make the Flashpaper version available on your blog.  So, here goes.  Take a look at the brochure below.

http://www.edocr.com/doc/5519/salestrakr-simple-powerful 

http://swf.edocr.com/a83a814b92111859eed9eff1be21bb4445aba65c.swf

Can You Apply Gitomer's 12.5 Steps To CRM?

I read this blog by Jeffrey Gitomer today where he talks about commitments and 12.5 points to live up to them.  He's concerned that his 6 foot tall frame has gone from weighing 135 pounds early in his early years to just over 200 pounds today.  I thought I was reading a blog post I may have written.  I am that tall and did weigh 135 and now find myself at 200.  Just like Jeffrey, I want to weigh less than 180.

In reality though, Jeffrey is a Sales Coach extraordinaire.  His 12.5 points are really for how you can improve your business and sales performance.  Here are his 12.5 points:

1. Today, not tomorrow. Tomorrow never comes, especially where change or breaking a habit is concerned.
2. Develop a passion or an anger about your present situation. The only way to make the goal a reality is to get determined and create the inner energy.
3. Do it for the most important person in the world…YOU! Don’t do this for or against anyone but yourself.
4. Write down your exact plan. Detail both the actions you must take, and the rewards for achievement.
5. Set a time frame. The end is as important as the beginning.
6. Determine the daily dose. Just figure out what you need to achieve each day, and do that.
7. Look for substitutes (placebos or pacifiers). If you have to quit something, get a diversion to take your mind off of temptation.
8. Don’t quit just because you slip. If you fall off the (achievement) wagon, get back on.
9. Post your goals and achievements. Post-it note your goals on your bathroom mirror. After you achieve them, take them down and post them on your bedroom mirror. Look at your success every day.
10. It’s a day-by-day process. And if you do your daily bit-of-achievement, the passing weeks will bring you the prize.
11. Change other habits, so that one is not overpowering the other. Goals require change. Take the opportunity to make a few more.
12. Celebrate your victory. Ring bells, drink champagne from the winners cup, PARTY!
12.5 Grim reality is having a crisis occur that forces the commitment to be made. This can be anywhere from bombing the World Trade Center, to having a massive heart attack. Where crisis is not the best place to have commitment occur, it is certainly the best place to show how to take immediate action.

You need to interact with your CRM application searching for contacts, reviewing your sales opportunities, logging calls and assigning key tasks.  Don't sit on the real value of your business as 2010 approaches.  

Read it all at http://bit.ly/8HsseU.

Do Your Business Anywhere

I've written before about the usefulness of a Skype subscription.  I have a Skype World subscription and can call both land and mobile lines anywhere in the US, Canada, China, Singapore and Thailand.  Plus, I can call landlines in 38 other countries at no additional charge.  Not bad for $12.95 to Skype each month.  Of course, using Salestrakr with Skype on my laptop is the perfect combination.  I find who I want to speak with in Salestrakr, click on their phone number, slide on my digital headset and make a phone call. 

Even more interesting though are the places I can setup shop.  Salestrakr is completely online.  So, no need to ensure my contacts are synchronized.  I can setup wherever I can find internet access and do business.  Here are some of the places, other than my office, that I operate Salestrakr and reach my clients and prospects:

• Starbucks.  I have a T-Mobile HotSpot account that works at almost 7,000 Starbucks.  If you have AT&T Internet Access at home, you can use wifi at no additional charge at Starbucks.
• Caribou Coffee.  Wifi is free at Caribou
• McDonalds.  Starting in 2010, wifi at over 11,000 McDonalds will be FREE.  It's already free at the McCafe store near my house.
• Hilton Garden Inns.  Free access in the lobby.

There are though some new concepts that are better for business people

• Roam Atlanta.  Think of a Starbucks without the kids, the coffee grinders and cool music.  Roam has offices you can use either for a fee or for free if you have a "subscription".  I wish these were all over.  Offices have back lit glass whiteboards and LCD televisions with VGA cables for presentations from your laptop.  Include a full kitchen and the ability to host functions (with a full bar) and you've got a place for business people to work.  Just need them all over the US.  http://www.roamatlanta.com/
• Regus Business Lounges.  Not quite as full featured as Roam, but definitely with great facilities, good Internet access and over 1,000 locations worldwide.  http://www.regus.com/businessworld/businesslounges.html

Referral Marketing, How to Shorten Sales Cycles

Attached is an article by Tony Rushin at Harvest Business Advisors.  In it are some key ways you can shorted your sales cycle by employing referral marketing techniques.  Having sold technology products for a long time, I always prefer to speak with someone who already knows about what I'm selling, knows why it's good for them and likes someone I know.  

Referral Marketing Article

Email Blasts and CRM

Salestrakr provides email capabilities directly within the service enabling you to find a contact, click on their email address and pull up a dialog box for an outbound mail.  And when you want to find a select group to email, you can use advanced search to find that particular group that may benefit from a specific message.  But, if you want to send out hundreds or even thousands of emails..............better get the right tool for the right purpose.  Salestrakr isn't an email blaster.  What applications or services do this well?  Below are a few to consider:

• Constant Contact - A very popular online service that allows you to send simple emails, newsletters, surveys and event notifications to a large list of addresses.  Salestrakr uses Constant Contact.
• MailChimp - A very easy to use online service developed by former Georgia Tech "Rocket Science Group" folks
• VerticalReponse - Lots of customers, easy to use, completely online.

These online services though would prefer you don't refer to their services as "Email Blast" services.  In fact, they are quite firm in their demand that you not spam people.  Yes, you can reach your constituents and lots of them.  But, the terms of service for these companies require that your list be populated with the email addresses of people who have opted-in to our list.  That is, they have requested to receive your emails destined for many people.

How can you use Salestrakr with these services?  Your initial list can be created by an export from Salestrakr.  Further, your email replies can be forwarded to a Salestrakr dropbox.

Don't let email marketing scare you.  It can play a big part in your marketing plan.  Use it too much though and you may turn people off.  Use it too little and people may ask "what's this?".