Michelle Scott

Your Virtual Assistant – ACT!

/in /by

Most sales gurus will tell you that staying in touch is one of the most important things we can do as good sales people.  Some go so far as to prescribe a minimum number of touch points you should make.  I’d like to think I know a thing or two about selling.  I’ve been selling since I was 16, everything from cold call telemarketing to my current CRM career.  And, yes, I’ll brag a bit.  Trilogy has been in the top 25 for Sage ACT! sales for the last 7 years.  If you ask me what the most important staying in touch tactic is, I have to go with remembering to stay in touch.

So, how can you ensure that?  Schedule it in ACT!, of course.    Read more

Michelle Scott

Sage ACT! E-marketing

/in /by

If you work with us, you know we do not push products we don’t believe in.  If we haven’t tried it, used it, or received positive feedback about it we don’t sell it.  Sage ACT! E-marketing is one that if you aren’t using it, you probably should. 

Almost daily we receive questions about how to send e-mail campaigns.  Without dredging too deeply into why you shouldn’t just blast out of Outlook, skipping the soap box speech on CAN-SPAM rules, and glossing over putting yourself at risk of being black listed, (all very direct hints that those are bad things)  we thought we’d point out a great utility that’s literally built into ACT! – ACT! E-marketing.  If you send out newsletters, announcements, or just regularly scheduled touch base e-mails, you really need this add-on. 

You see Sage ACT! E-marketing every time you open ACT! and likely don’t even realize it.  It’s that button in the toolbar with the fluffy little cloud behind it. 

There is also data dropped right in your database if you subscribe to ACT! E-marketing.  That is the tab you probably click on and immediately close because you don’t know what that dialog box is that splashes your screen. 

ACT! E-marketing is a safe way to send out glossy, professional e-mails.  Because it is powered by Swiftpage, it includes web reports and tools that help you hone your e-marketing based on real results.   You can track open rates, manage opt-outs, all those things you need to know to be a nimble e-marketer.   

You should check it out.  Free, live demos of Sage ACT! E-marketing.  Or, give us a call, we’d be happy to talk about how we leverage Sage ACT! E-marketing.

Michelle Scott

Beyond Meetings, Calls & Todo’s

/in , /by

One of the great things about ACT! is its flexibility.  You can tailor so much of the application to fit your process.  Yes, we know most people install it out-of-the-box and never even relable a single field.  (Shameless plug, we can help with that!)  One of the simple ways you can customize ACT! to your process is by creating Custom Activity Types.  Because each company’s process is slightly different, the old Meeting, Call and To-do options just don’t cover it.  We have customers across almost every imaginable industry.  Pharmaceutical reps need to track their doctor’s office “Drop Ins”, another company needs to schedule “Equipment Deliveries”, and yet another has and Activity Type of “Install”.   Sure they all have Calls, Meetings and To-dos also, but they have those just outside the box items that warrant a custom type.  In the latest versions of ACT!, you, or your trusted TrilogyCRM ACT! CC, can customize the Types.  Read more

Michelle Scott

Sage ACT! 2012 Road Show

/in /by

Summer means sunshine, swimming pools, beach vacations, and . . . software previews.  Sage ACT! 2012 is coming to Columbus for a special preview prior to its release this Fall.  This year, we are happy to sponsor the Ohio edition of the Sage ACT! 2012 Road Show.  The ACT! 2012 Road Show is a great, FREE way to see the latest product features right in your backyard.  We’ll have Sage employees on hand to showcase what’s new and improved.  Read more

Michelle Scott

Export to Excel – Better than a Report

/0 Comments/in /by

If you keep up, you’ll notice we love pointing out things that ACT! users don’t necessarily notice.  We get it, there are a lot of pretty buttons.  So many to click on, too many to know them all.  Well, we’ve tasked ourselves with keeping you in the know regarding the ones that can make your life easier. 

Fairly often, customers ask things like can they can print a report of all of their sales reps top accounts in their territory.  Or, they might want to see a report of all of their customers that came from a particular referral source.  First thought, as an ACT! CC, do you really want a report?  A report is typically something canned, and is typically in a stagnant format.  Then, do you really want to print it?  Most of the time, it’s not a report the customer is looking for.  It’s a list they want.  And, what they want in or on that list is a moving target.  That’s why we love the Export to Excel feature.  It’s been there for a few versions, but it’s one of those, “show me that again” features we love to show off in demos and trainings.  Simple and effective.  Read more