When it comes to software solutions that improve your productivity by enabling you to manage your contacts and customers, over the past 20 years ACT! has proven that is unparalleled. According to ACT consultants, the software allows users to track sales opportunities, manage everyday responsibilities, increase effective communication, and organize contacts.
The newest version of the software, ACT 2008, features an interactive dashboard that gives you a 360-degree view of your work. You can see the big picture, and then drill down for details, while also being able to write emails, view opportunities, and schedule meetings. The dashboard is available for all versions of the ACT 2008 software (ACT, ACT Premium, and ACT Premium for Web).
For those needing a vertical software solution, ACT has a product for real estate professionals. ACT certified consultants note that the version for real estate professionals creates integrated information about buyers, sellers, and properties that is easy to reference. It also allows Realtors to take a property listing from the inquiry stage all the way through the closing stage with exquisite detail. Most importantly, it enables real estate professionals to access critical calendar information, as well as buyer, seller, and property information through mobile computing devices. Having relevant information at your fingertips - regardless of where you are - is a critical factor to your success.
ACT's vertical solution for financial professionals is similar to ACT for Real Estate Professionals in that it provides mobile portability, but it also assists financial service professionals in collecting important, finance-specific information on clients. In addition, it helps those in the financial field comply with company-wide and industry standards.
ACT also has a number of partners who provide add-on solutions to the already robust ACT 2008 software. These include data and document management, addressing and shipping solutions, email and direct mail marketing add-ons, faxing capabilities, project management and sales management, import and export solutions, and graphics and mapping add-ons.
When it comes to implementing ACT software, your best bet is to engage the services of ACT consultants. Getting ACT help can take many forms. For example, because ACT certified consultants are fully trained in ACT 2008, they can review your current business practices and suggest ways to customize the software to maximize your company's productivity. They can also utilize their extensive experience to train your staff or your systems administrator, who can in turn train new employees to use the system. In addition, ACT consultants can assist you in integrating everything from handheld computers to servers. Some are even remote sales force automation experts, and can expedite the process of gaining remote access to your databases. And, should the unthinkable happen, the best ACT consultants are also specialists in database recovery.
There's no question that ACT is the premiere customer and contact management solution being used today. Licensing the software and engaging the services of ACT consultants can transform the way companies work and can improve productivity and performance across the board.
Software For Contact Management
If I was to take a look at most sales teams today, My first question to the guys and gals would be where are they keeping all their valuable Leads? My best guess would be that your keeping these leads in your Outlook contacts! Okay well not all of you are but a good amount of the sales force today is.
Using your Outlook or any kind of address book is a natural way to organize phone numbers and email addresses, but this is not the place you want to keep track of those valuable leads you have! Taking this approach to managing your leads is killing your sales. The Address books being used here are simple , and just electronic representations of the classic rolodex. However, in the old days we used sales sheets as an extension of that static database of contacts. Sadly , most software will not support this part of the process and sales numbers are struggling because of it.
Why Your Rolodex Wont Close Deals
The trademark of any great sales person is the size of his or her rolodex. The bigger the better. These painstakingly cultivated databases of business cards, phone numbers on cocktail napkins, emails, and referrals can be rich customer fields to be cultivated.
Unfortunately, most forget that a huge database of customers yield nothing without a process to cultivate that database. Rolodexes and address books will not close any deals for you--they are simply opportunities.
Activating Your Contact Database
The key to start turning your contact database into clients is to use a system and get deep into those opportunities. You need a way to generate sales sheets or activate that database. This is where lead management software does all the work.
Your lead management system can automate the segmentation, marketing, and follow-up on the opportunities in your contact database. It will activate your contacts and discipline you in touching base, providing additional information, and calling these relationships to action from time-to-time.
Turning Your Address Book into Lead Generator
If you activate your address book by integrating it with a good lead management software you can turn those stockpiles of contacts into real leads. Your lead management should take in those contacts in a simple way and help you to segment, market, and regularly contact each and every contact in your database.
The results of using lead management software will be a great increase in sales performance and you will be actively more engaging with your contacts which will increase your bottom line. Lead Management will increase your sales but it will also make your contacts feel like your more tuned into their needs. Adding Benefits that you and your contacts will love.
Both Chris Robertson & Bill Rice are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Causes Of Sleep Paralysis With that in mind, it is important to identify the potential causes of sleep paralysis and do everything possible to help prevent this medical condition from recurring