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July 28, 2010 [ 7 Comments ]

Calling all Hubspot users! Is it worth it?

Posted by: Sonja Fridell
Tags: ,

hubspot 300x203 Calling all Hubspot users! Is it worth it?Being a very cutting-edge software business, it was natural for us to get immersed in social media. However, we quickly found ourselves missing some vital links in our social media routine/adventures. The blog gets LOTS of hits, but from who and how do they find it? Are they potential leads? Gallivanting on our web site without leaving a trace behind? The idea has un-nerved some of us.

So we’ve tried several different programs to convert those visitors to live leads.

Hubspot was first. I liked it, but didn’t completely understand the value. We already track our analytics through Google, retweets and mentions are easy to find. I couldn’t grasp why we should spend $9000 a year on a tool that aggregates what I already do for free. Sure, it will save us time, but not $9k of time.

The real value of Hubspot is in it’s landing page builder. So what if people are looking at your blog, you need them to fill out a form. My Hubspot consultant didn’t concentrate on this feature, and that’s where she lost the sale. I know how amazing landing pages can be. Offer a free white paper and watch the names filter in. Then nurture that lead and hope it converts.

LeadLander was next. It’s a neat tool, but incomplete. LeadLander tracks visitors IP address when they’re on your site and creates a list of those addresses. They’re names of companies, not people. Neat, but then what? It’s a HUGE tease to see a company come back again and again and not convert them. That’s where landing pages come in. You need conversion tools that are tempting and easy to use.

Lead Lander is over $1000 per year. Not bad, but I’d rather get forms filled out than see who’s playing on my site. Plus, Hubspot tracks companies that visit your site anyway.

Is $9000 worth it? What kind of returns can you expect if executed correctly?

Calling all Hubspot users!!! Is it worth it?

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July 26, 2010 [ 0 Comments ]

6 Reasons to Take on a Point of Sale System

Posted by: Sonja Fridell
Tags: ,

point of sale systemA point of sale (POS) system can be a big investment, both time and money-wise. When is time to make that investment? Let’s start from the ground up… What exactly is a POS system? Point of Sale systems are packages of software and hardware that run the selling process in a business. Think bar code scanners, inventory, layaway.

Ok, but when is it time to invest in one of these systems?

  1. Inventory Overload: Taking inventory cannot be done by hand. You just have too much stuff to count.
  2. Buy the Right Items: Do you know what your best sellers are? Why not stock more of those items? If you don’t know what’s selling well, you aren’t stocking your store correctly.
  3. Theft: If you don’t know what you have, you don’t know what’s been stolen. If you have NO clue if things have been stolen, assume they have. Taking inventory and seeing what’s missing will answer your theft question… and you’ll be able to CLAIM that number!
  4. Marketing: Do you know who your best and worst customers are? Want to send mailings/email promotions to them? Ever thought of a customer loyalty program that can be tracked by a computer? You can with many POS systems.
  5. Employee Automation: Are your employees “clocking in” with a pen and paper? Stop inaccurate hours with a time clock on your POS system. Employees simply sign in and out on the computer. Payroll can happen right from there too. Piece o cake.
  6. Layaway: Do you have piles of items in the back room with sticky notes declaring who they’re for and how much is owed? This can often be a disaster. Automate your layaway process with POS, you can take deposits and payments from the computer and keep track of aging items.

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July 22, 2010 [ 0 Comments ]

Jimmie BrainSell Brings CRM to the Pearly Gates

Posted by: Sonja Fridell
Tags: ,
July 19, 2010 [ 0 Comments ]

Need a Small Business Loan? How Your ERP Software Can Help

Posted by: Steve Sakoff
Tags: ,

Small Business LoansAmherst accountant James Kincaid prepares more financial statements for small-business clients now than he did two years ago.

The uptick, he says, stems from stricter lending practices. Many banks and other financial institutions want details – lots of them – before agreeing to extend financing packages to small businesses.

“It means more hours and more work, which frankly for accountants isn’t a bad thing,” said Kincaid, partner at Lougen Valenti Bookbinder & Weintraub LLP. “But it’s a huge effort for business owners.”

Banks that once accepted tax returns as proof of companies’ stability may now require full-blown financial statements, which means business owners must provide key details to accountants who, in turn, create the statements.

James Segarra, managing partner at Tronconi Segarra & Associates LLP, said he views the additional work as “helping clients become better prepared to borrow money” needed to run businesses.

“Lines (of credit) aren’t being pulled, but banks do want to see more information,” he said. “It’s a totally different system of keeping records. I don’t fault the banks, but these can be onerous things to comply with.”

Read full article…

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July 16, 2010 [ 1 Comments ]

It’s Dog Friday!

Posted by: Sonja Fridell
Tags:

Nothing brings the week to a close like Dog Friday. VP Ross Jones has his delightful Yellow Lab Gibby in for a visit today. What a gentleman!

Dog Friday

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July 14, 2010 [ 0 Comments ]

Accpac for the iPhone, a Sneak Peek

Posted by: Sonja Fridell
Tags: ,

Sage has a mobile strategy and it’s pretty great - Here’s a peek at the Accpac interface, due for release when Accpac v6 comes out this December.

Mobile phones like the iPhone allow you to run web sites in the same manner you run native applications. So you can add an icon to the phone’s home page and then run your web based application.

Sage is working on the “Accpac Mobile Desktop” to launch various data portlets This lets a user see various dashboards in real time from their phone.

 Let’s take a tour…

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July 12, 2010 [ 2 Comments ]

7 Signs That Your Company is Ready for a CRM Solution

Posted by: Sonja Fridell
Tags:

BrainSell CRM

 1. Things are falling through the cracks and you’re losing sales

2. Your client list is a mess and marketing to them is no easy task

3. You’re generating leads, but not converting them into sales

4. Duplication of effort: Multiple salespeople are touching the same account

5. The right information is not accessible at the right time

6. Little or no ability to forecast and plan

7. Your current system is becoming obsolete: You can only use spreadsheets for so long

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July 8, 2010 [ 4 Comments ]

QuickBooks vs. Peachtree, Which One is Right for You?

Posted by: Sonja Fridell
Tags: ,
QuickBooks vs. Peachtree

Oh The Choices!

QuickBooks holds 89% of the small business accounting market in the U.S. But we can’t forget about Sage’s small business product, Peachtree. They both have their strengths and weaknesses, so let’s dive right in…

Peachtree strengths:

  • Stronger inventory management
  • Job costing capabilities
  • Over 140 customizable reports
  • Work flow management
  • Scalability/multi-user performance
  • Through GAP checks for duplicates and suspicious activity
  • Can accommodate up to 40 users, 10 more than QB

QuickBooks Strengths:

  • Attractive and very easy adoption
  • Accountant Copy Capabilities
  • Multi-Currency
  • E-Store/E-Commerce Integration
  • Online SaaS option (QuickBooks Online)
  • Very nice Point of Sale option
  • More third party add ons

Conclusions: QuickBooks is great for service-oriented businesses; inventory control is where it falls short. Peachtree has the market on that. QuickBooks only works in average costing; Peachtree can manage inventory by LIFO, FIFO, serialized and average costing. Pricing for both products is very close. QuickBooks is overall more attractive and easier to use, and they have a Mac version. QB also has an online version that is VERY affordable, but limited and more appropriate for home finances. Both products are dependable and excellent.

Click here more information on chosing the right accounting software

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July 6, 2010 [ 0 Comments ]

Sage Saleslogix has a Podcast!

Posted by: Sonja Fridell
Tags: ,

Sage saleslogix podcastThat’s right; a new way to stay up on the latest Saleslogix news. The Saleslogix podcast is geared towards developers, but avid users will find value in it too.  Each podcast includes commentary on upcoming release news, discussion of new videos added to the Developer’s subscription, responses to current threads on the newsgroups, and an update of what’s new in Sage Learning Services.

Check it out on iTunes, it’s free!

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June 30, 2010 [ 2 Comments ]

Jimmie BrainSell – CRM Superhero

Posted by: Sonja Fridell
Tags: , ,

World, meet Jimmie BrainSell. A superhero taking on business pains from around the world. Sales people all over the world are restricted by sub-par technology and less than ideal operations. Have no fear… Jimmie BrainSell is here!

CRM cartoon

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