A David Creation

I’ve been keeping an eye on some full scale CRM programs in the cloud and a number of simple and less complicated CRMs for small business for many months now and have some exciting news to report. Pipeline Deals, a simple and easy to use CRM for small business, finally made a big change to their cloud-based CRM. They integrated a two-way sync with Google Contacts and Calendar. They are also on the Google Marketplace, making signing in a cinch. A two-way sync makes Pipeline Deals miles ahead of most other online Customer Relationship Management systems. I am surprised that Zoho, Tactile, Highrise, Batchbooks and most other companies have not integrated a two way sync.

So why is this such exciting news for small business? If you are like me, I’ve completed switched from Microsoft products to a Cloud-based business. My business is run using the following: a Mac, an iPhone, Google Apps, Dropbox and 37Signals’ Basecamp. I did not use a CRM, because nothing synced well with my “Office in the Clouds.” I’ve been testing out Pipeline Deals CRM and so far…so good! I can make an appointment with Google Calendar, and it shows up in my Pipeline CRM account. Also, if I create a new contact on my iPhone, that syncs to Google Calendar, which then syncs to Pipeline Deals.

I must add 4 items for my Pipeline wish list to make it an almost perfect program:

1. I’d love to see a Native iPhone and Android App, and not web-based. The current mobile version does work well but has its limits. The scheduling of an appointments do not work well on Pipeline’s mobile version, for example. But now I can just continue to use Google Calendar!
2. Make the flow of creating a new lead to customer easier (currently a bit confusing where to start and enter data).
3. Creating and managing deals (opportunities) are a bit confusing as well. I’d stick to what people are familiar with: Opportunities. I’m still figuring out how to use “deals”
4. Make the Mobile Version’s activities (events) with more details: location, time, reminder, (like Google/Outlook details). It is currently more setup for “Task” that activities

All in all, Pipeline Deals is excellent for tracking your sales on the go! Now that it is one of the first to truly sync with Google Apps, it makes it my favorite! Pipeline will get my business, and I’ll stay with them…especially if they make my wishlist come true.

Get a copy for your estimator/salesperson today. It is only $15 a month!

Cycles, waves, seasons, trends—everything comes and goes.  Our world is a changing place, the business world is no exception: just when we think we´ve got it figured out, something big changes!

As contractors, we enjoyed a decade of prosperity when sales were plenty, and salesman were like ticket sellers for the World Series—just smile at the customers and take their orders!   Then there was 2008, and things changed.  With contractors struggling to land even the smallest jobs, sales and marketing took on a whole new look.  Those who are making it through these lean years are those who are building and nurturing relationships with clients, connecting and engaging.  Some marketers are calling this the “Thank You Economy”, or the “Word of Mouth Economy”, where businesses need to show clients their gratitude and commitment in order to keep them coming back and telling their friends.

Now, while news headlines can´t seem to make up their minds about whether the economy is recovering or not, it seems from my recent conversations with salesman that things are looking up.  They have spent the last two years learning to prospect and build good contacts, and in the last few months they have been rewarded with many bids and sales.  Things are looking encouraging, even if we´re not feeling quite confident enough to take out the loan on that yacht!

I want to provide a simple warning, however, to business owners and sales staff: don´t forget the past two years of struggles.  Building relationships is the key to your success.  Don´t say you don´t have time.  We all know that you make time for what´s important.  If you don´t make time for exercise, the pounds just keep adding up.  If you don´t take time away from work, that vacation will never happen.  If you don´t make time to work on relationships, they fall apart.

So stop and send a thank you note.  Take a client out for coffee.  Stop by a home just to say hi, and see if they´re still happy with your work.  Remember what´s important to them.  The salesman who budgets the time to build long-term client relationships will spend less time chasing after dead-end leads.  Instead, one-time sales will become repeat customers, and cared-for customers will tell their friends.

People want to be cared for—that is one thing that will never go out of season or out of style… it is one economy that will never crash!  Decide each day to invest in genuine, caring customer relations as one of the key elements of your sales and marketing plan, and watch your business grow!

Facebook: What´s the Big Deal?

Six years ago, Harvard sophomore Mark Zuckerberg began Facebook—a website for Ivy League students to connect and interact online.  Gradually, the site opened up to new groups of users until anyone over the age of 13 can have a profile.  Now, the 1,400 employee company boasts 500 million active users, and suddenly “facebooking” and “friending” are verbs!

But the landscape is changing at the world´s largest social networking site: though youths are using facebook from their phones during classes, church services, and while driving, there are now more Facebook users over the age of 35 than under.  In the age 65+ category, the number of users has doubled in the last 12 months.  Facebook is growing up!

So what does this mean for the future of Facebook, and for businesses?  Two things are very likely:

1. Facebook will begin targeting their site more towards businesses and adults, because that is where more money is found.  They have already started down this road by creating Facebook Places: whenever a Facebook user enters a location or business registerd as a Facebook Place, the user can instantly announce to all his or her friends where they are.  Users can find friends while out on the town, and businesses get a free name-drop!  Also, business “fan pages” are multiplying rapidly, and new applications are being developed that make company websites almost unnecessary.  Imagine your business fan page with the tabs of your choice: Customer Reviews, Portfolios, Signup Forms, Surveys, and much more, all for free!  As companies sign up, Facebook will increase its services that cater to businesses and consumers.
2. For business and social reasons, adults are learning the language and mapping out the terrain of Facebook.  As this trend grows, young users will begin looking for a new place where parents can´t monitor them so closely.  I think it likely that the younger generation will begin to drift away from Facebook and back towards texting and instant messaging until a new company comes along with a social site just for teens or college students.

Who Gives a Tweet?

I commonly hear the complaints, “Argh!  I hate Twitter!  It is so annoying.” and “I just don´t get Twitter!”   Yes, Twitter can be aggravating, but the site has gained 100 million users in four years, and it´s not likely to disappear.  In fact, if you aren´t connecting with clients through Twitter, a competitor probably is.

Twitter is a site that lets users become “authors,” posting short messages that are automatically displayed to all of their “followers.”  Casual users use it to find out what their friends are thinking and doing, as well as to post their own thoughts and doings.  More strategic users, such as politicians, non-profit organizations, and businesses, use Twitter to grow a list of followers who enjoy reading their short updates.

Let´s look at a Hollywood example:  The actor Ashton Kutcher currently has 5.7 million followers on Twitter, and a similar amount on Facebook.  These fans read his updates to feel connected, and to “know the inside story.”  Now imagine Kutcher is in a new movie, and it´s not one he´s really proud of—it´s a bit of a flop.  If he mentions the movie on Twitter, even if only half of the people who read the post go to the movie, at $10 per ticket, it would make at least $28 million!  On top of that, his Facebook users are an eager audience to his subtle advertisement, and any of these followers and fans might also end up bringing a date along!  Clearly, the business potential is there.

It´s easy to look at those numbers and be discouraged, but you don´t need to be rich, famous, and handsome to make Twitter profitable.  Research shows that 64% of Twitter users are over age 35, and the median user age is 39.  With so many users out there, many of them would be interested in your business.  Even if you just have five followers, that´s OK—just make those five followers love you!  They´ll tell five of their friends about you, and you´ll be up to 25, and so it goes.  Share expert tips, interesting articles, news updates, trends in your field, and anything new happening in your business.

Many followers look at Twitter the same way people scan the Highlight section on the front page of the Wall Street Journal.  It gives a quick overview of the main content in the paper, and if something catches your eye, you open to it.  An interesting Twitter post will draw visits to your site in the same way.

What now?

You don´t have to love Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or whatever´s next, but you do have to know that these social networking sites are growing, and many of your customers are on them.  Put away your shield and dagger, and ask your clients what they do online.  Many clients are embarrassed to admit just how much time they spend on those sites—especially on Facebook. Some of your customers use Facebook religiously (some even in church!), while others hate it.  Others are using Linkedin and still more visit Amazon.com, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, a community forum or even Grandparents.com to stay connected and research purchases.  Once you find out how your clients are using social media sites, you can plan and budget the strategy you need to reach them.

I don’t typically rant and rave much on my blogs or videos, but today I felt like it. So, enjoy my 2 min video as I comment on a sneaky and dirty trick a painter did to his competitor.

When your company receives a request for an estimate, there is one very important step your salesperson should take before going out to the prospects home or business. He (or she) should type their prospect’s name into Google and do a little research. The salesperson should discover as much as possible about his prospect such as: occupation, company, hobbies, contributions, education and more. When the salesperson arrives at his appointment he will then have a better understanding of how to begin and lead the sales process.

A number of years ago, while working at Chism Brothers Painting, I researched a new prospects name on Linkedin and Google. I discovered that this homeowner had been the former CEO of several well known nationwide companies. I found out a lot of information about this prospect before ever meeting him. I then began to rehearse how the sales appointment would look like. When I met the owner, I did not mention my discoveries until 3/4 of the way through our walkthrough of his home. Once I got to know him a bit more, I began to talk about his success as a businessman. I’ll never forget his response when I asked him a few questions about his work at his former companies. First he perked up and sounded excited to talk about himself. He then said, “How did you know I worked for there?” His wife heard the question and responded, “He probably googled you!” After that, he began telling me a lot about running a successful business and looked at me almost as someone he could mentor. I also got the job, which turned into about $100,000 of repainting work. There was such a change in our conversation after I started talking about him.

One final “tip” about researching a client. Use good judgement when talking to a prospect about some of the things you discover about them online. Make sure it is the right timing when you bring things up and if it is relevant. Using the Internet can be one of the most powerful tools you have as a salesperson.

If you really want a great gift idea, you need to check out this LEGO Jewelry website! The owner and designer is my wife’s Uncle, Damien Howard. This guy is incredibly creative. He started a business a few years ago creating Jewelry using only LEGOS. He designs earrings, bracelets, and necklaces. Each piece is designed and created on the Eastern Shores of Maryland, by Damien himself. What a great business idea. Tell your friends and spread the word.

Check out their online LEGO Jewelry Store