Several times a month I receive a call from an organization that has lost their ACT! password. Sometimes this happens when the ACT! Administrator leaves the company – and takes his password with him. Fortunately we are able to recover those passwords and send the new administrator on their way with the advice to have…
So, you’ve purchased ACT and you’re ready to install it. Sounds easy, right? Sure it is – if you’ve got your ACT together! Here’s a few hints that will help speed you on your way: Make sure that Windows is up to date by rebooting your machine. If you are going to be integrating Act…
A few weeks ago I wrote about some of the changes that ACT! has experienced during its 25 year history. I received a call this week from one of the original ACT! co-founders , Mike Muhney, prompting me to take you on another trip down Memory Lane in Mike’s own words. “The mid-1980s were a…
Back in the days of ACT! 6 (was that really ten years ago?) my telephone message asked callers if they had recently “Compressed and Re-Indexed” their database. Back then, there was no way to automate this process although a reminder could be set to prompt a user to run maintenance. Unfortunately, many ACT! users either…
I have a page on my website that offers free software for the old ACT! 6 product. Unfortunately, ACT! 2006 users frequently try to download and install those freebies and find that they don’t work. Let me make this abundantly clear – ACT! 6 and ACT! 2006 are not the same product. If you’re not…
I often expound on the virtues of ACT! E-Marketing, formerly known as Swift Page E-mail. I thought I’d share a conversation with one of my clients who had some reservations about switching to ACT! E-Marketing from one of the “other guys.” “Hey Karen, I know you push ACT! E-Marketing. I use MailChimp and I’m pretty…
Wow! As hard as it is to believe the ACT! software program turned 25 this month. If you’re into numbers that translates into 14 versions, five named owners and millions of users. I received an e-mail this week from a long ACT! user who was complaining about everything from the confusing naming conventions for ACT!…
Hard as it is to believe, I’ve written over a dozen books on technology and created training videos for LinkedIn Learning. Trust me, writing is a labor of love. My “day job” is to help my clients utilize CRM software to make themselves – and their businesses – more efficient, effective and profitable. For me,…
The other day I was working with a client when his ACT! alarms window opened; I must say that the number of alarms he had was, well, alarming. He quickly clicked the Select All button, selected Snooze and put all the alarms to rest for the remainder of the day. Curiosity got the better of…
When I was five I spent a week with my family at a vacation spot that included a water park with a rather large slide going into the deep end of the pool. My older brother and sister spent the week using that slide but alas, I was too scared to try it. I remember…
Several years ago a marketing company offered to do a mailing for me to all businesses within a 50 mile radius of my office. This sounded like a great idea until I realized that areas to the east and south of me contained nothing but the deep blue sea, and a large portion of the…
OK, I’ll admit that as a 30 year user of, and consultant for, Windows products I might be a bit prejudiced but can anyone explain to me the current obsession with Apple products? My local Apple store had a line wrapped around the mall before the holidays, and I witnessed similar occurrences at the Apple…
Many of you have been asking me when my next “ACT for Dummies” book is coming out. I’m pleased to announce that it’s here – although maybe not in the same format as you might expect. Anyone familiar with the publishing industry – or the local bookstore for that matter – knows that the industry…
My rule of thumb for writing a marketing piece is to pretend that I am writing to one of my buddies with a bit of friendly advice.
So, do you think you want to start using ACT!, Microsoft Office Live or Outlook Business Contact Manager to help manage – and grow – your business? You’ll want do a bit of homework first to see if you’re ready to take the plunge into the world of CRM . 1. How different are your…