ACT!ion eNews: Spring 2011 [ Edited ]

[eNews_ACT…]

Spring 2011

SAGE ACT! COMMUNITY You are viewing this ACT!ion eNews edition in the Sage ACT! Community

Get More from Sage ACT! Are We Connected? Listen to Your Sage ACT! Guru Nine Ways to Use Smart Tasks to Automate Your Business Your Business in Mind The New Rules for Cold Calling in 2011 What's New with Sage ACT!? Sage ACT! Earns Positive Review—and an Award for Napkin Mike! Spotlight on Sage ACT! Customers Recorded Books, LLC Increases Sales With Sage ACT! From the Sage ACT! Vault Recorded webcast: Sage E-marketing for ACT!* Sage ACT! Technology Corner How to Install Sage ACT! 2011 without Microsoft® SQL Server®

Get real time answers to your questions.

SAGE ACT! SUCCESS STORIES See how our customers are making the most of Sage ACT!

SAGE ACT! WEBCASTS Register to attend live, or view a recorded Webcast at your convenience

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1Requires additional subscription © 2011 Sage Software, Inc. All rights reserved. Sage, the Sage logos, and the Sage product and service names mentioned herein are registered trademarks or trademarks of Sage Software, Inc., or its affiliated entities. Microsoft SQL Server, Windows Vista, and the Windows logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of the Microsoft Corporation group of companies in the United States and/or in other countries. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.

[eNews_ACT…]

Welcome to ACT!ion eNews

ACT!ion eNews

Spring 2011

What's New in this Issue

• Get More from Sage ACT!
• Listen to Your Sage ACT! Guru
• Your Business in Mind
• What's New with Sage ACT!?
• Spotlight on Sage ACT! Customers
• From the Sage ACT! Vault
• Sage ACT! Technology Corner

Sage ACT! Online Community

You're viewing this ACT!ion
eNews edition in the
Sage ACT! Online Community

Get real time answers to your questions.

Sage ACT! Success Stories

See how our customers are making the most of Sage ACT!

Sage ACT! Webcasts

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ACT!ion eNews> Spring 2011

Sage ACT! Technology Corner:

How to Install Sage ACT! 2011 without Microsoft® SQL Server®

With Sage ACT! 2011, advanced users and facilitators of custom installations have the ability to skip installation of Microsoft® SQL Server® Express as part of the Sage ACT! install. The default installation settings for Sage ACT! install Microsoft SQL Server Express, which enables users to create and host Sage ACT! databases on their local machines. In workgroup environments, that may not be desirable. Some workgroups may prefer everyone to use a centralized database instead of creating local databases. Installing Sage ACT! without SQL on client machines enables the installer to enforce that model, and it also reduces the installation and operation footprint of Sage ACT! for those client machines.

To install without Microsoft SQL Express, choose to 'customize' during the Sage ACT! installation. Then, on the Destination Folder screen, clear the "Install SQL Server Express" checkbox.

You will be prompted to make sure you understand that certain features are not available when SQL Server Express is not installed:

An install without SQL is typically used with workgroups. In this type of installation it is also common to use a silent install, to have settings completed ahead of the install, and to prevent users from picking undesirable settings. When using a silent installation and installing without Microsoft SQL Server, set [SQLLESSInstall] SQLLESS=TRUE in the SilentInst.ini file. To learn more about silent Installs, see Configuring the SilentINst.ini File in Sage ACT! Help.

Xavier Musy
Director of Development
Sage

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[eNews_ACT…]

Welcome to ACT!ion eNews

ACT!ion eNews

Spring 2011

What's New in this Issue

• Get More from Sage ACT!
• Listen to Your Sage ACT! Guru
• Your Business in Mind
• What's New with Sage ACT!?
• Spotlight on Sage ACT! Customers
• From the Sage ACT! Vault
• Sage ACT! Technology Corner

Sage ACT! Online Community

You're viewing this ACT!ion
eNews edition in the
Sage ACT! Online Community

Get real time answers to your questions.

Sage ACT! Success Stories

See how our customers are making the most of Sage ACT!

Sage ACT! Webcasts

Register to attend live, or view a recorded Webcast at your convenience

ACT!ion eNews> Spring 2011

From the Sage ACT! Vault:

Recorded webcast: Sage E-marketing for ACT!^*

(Recorded webcast) Are you looking to learn more about Sage E-marketing for ACT!?^* Have you upgraded to Sage ACT! 2011 and want to learn more about how Smart Tasks works with Sage E-marketing for ACT!?* In this webcast, we'll cover:

• What's new with Sage E-marketing for ACT!^* and Sage ACT! 2011
• What's new in the latest Sage E-marketing for ACT!^* update
• Email marketing best practices

This webcast is tailored for existing Sage ACT! customers interested in Sage E-marketing for ACT!^*, current Sage E-marketing for ACT! customers, as well as Sage ACT! prospects interested in learning more about Sage ACT! and our Connected Services portfolio.

Watch this webcast
Running Time: 56 minutes

Reminder, you can access the entire portfolio of Sage ACT! webcasts here.

Brian Benner
Marketing Director
Sage

Did you find this article useful? Let us know by posting your thoughts here in the Sage ACT! Online Community. You must be a registered member to reply or post. To reply, click on the reply link at the top of this post.

Important Noteage E-marketing for ACT! is powered by Swiftpage™.

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^*Requires additional subscription

[eNews_ACT…]

Welcome to ACT!ion eNews

ACT!ion eNews

Spring 2011

What's New in this Issue

• Get More from Sage ACT!
• Listen to Your Sage ACT! Guru
• Your Business in Mind
• What's New with Sage ACT!?
• Spotlight on Sage ACT! Customers
• From the Sage ACT! Vault
• Sage ACT! Technology Corner

Sage ACT! Online Community

You're viewing this ACT!ion
eNews edition in the
Sage ACT! Online Community

Get real time answers to your questions.

Sage ACT! Success Stories

See how our customers are making the most of Sage ACT!

Sage ACT! Webcasts

Register to attend live, or view a recorded Webcast at your convenience

ACT!ion eNews> Spring 2011

Spotlight on Sage ACT! Customers:

Recorded Books, LLC Increases Sales With Sage ACT!

Recorded Books, LLC Increases Sales With Sage ACT! For more than 30 years, Recorded Books, LLC has been supplying products and services to school districts and libraries all over the United States. Using Sage ACT!, Recorded Books has increased sales, and improved communications between the corporate office and the field thanks to remote access and synchronization. The company also now enjoys easier reporting and better time management. With Sage ACT!, Recorded Books, LLC is able to measure its sales efforts with 50+ reports and dashboards.

“Since I started using Sage ACT!, I have increased my sales comfortably by 12% over the last year.”

–Dan Morris
Western Regional Sales Representative
Recorded Books, LLC

Watch the video:

Jennifer Holm
Product Marketing Manager
Sage

Did you find this article useful? Let us know by posting your thoughts here in the Sage ACT! Online Community. You must be a registered member to reply or post. To reply, click on the reply link at the top of this post.

Customer is a participant in the Sage Customer Reference Program and may be eligible for participation-based incentives. For more information regarding the Customer Reference Program, please click here.

[eNews_ACT…]

Welcome to ACT!ion eNews

ACT!ion eNews

Spring 2011

What's New in this Issue

• Get More from Sage ACT!
• Listen to Your Sage ACT! Guru
• Your Business in Mind
• What's New with Sage ACT!?
• Spotlight on Sage ACT! Customers
• From the Sage ACT! Vault
• Sage ACT! Technology Corner

Sage ACT! Online Community

You're viewing this ACT!ion
eNews edition in the
Sage ACT! Online Community

Get real time answers to your questions.

Sage ACT! Success Stories

See how our customers are making the most of Sage ACT!

Sage ACT! Webcasts

Register to attend live, or view a recorded Webcast at your convenience

ACT!ion eNews> Spring 2011

What’s New with Sage ACT!?:

Sage ACT! Earns Positive Review—and an Award for Napkin Mike!

Sage ACT! 2011 was recently reviewed by Small Business Computing. Read the entire review. In the article, Jamie Bsales acknowledged that Sage ACT! 2011 "offers a lot to like" and went on to state:

"The most powerful small business contact and customer management software just got better … already arguably the most complete small business software package available, the latest version of Sage ACT! adds new features -- most notably the Sage Business Information Services for ACT!^* -- while also streamlining ease of use."

Napkin Mike wins a Short Tale award
But the good news for Sage ACT! didn't end there. Our own Napkin Mike won a "Short Tale" award from industry analyst Denis Pombriant and Beagle Research for his talent in the Sage ACT! 2011 video series. Ok, to be technical about it, Napkin Mike didn't win the award—our hard working marketing team earned it for the "Best Use Of An Animated Character." CRM Buyer published an article about the Short Tale awards. And if you've never seen Napkin Mike's acting skills, you can check out his video on YouTube.

Brian Benner
Marketing Director
Sage

Did you find this article useful? Let us know by posting your thoughts here in the Sage ACT! Online Community. You must be a registered member to reply or post. To reply, click on the reply link at the top of this post.

Important Note: Import functions for Sage Business Info Services for ACT! must be performed on the web server when using Sage ACT! Premium (access via web).

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^*Requires additional subscription.

[eNews_ACT…]

Welcome to ACT!ion eNews

ACT!ion eNews

Spring 2011

What's New in this Issue

• Get More from Sage ACT!
• Listen to Your Sage ACT! Guru
• Your Business in Mind
• What's New with Sage ACT!?
• Spotlight on Sage ACT! Customers
• From the Sage ACT! Vault
• Sage ACT! Technology Corner

Sage ACT! Online Community

You're viewing this ACT!ion
eNews edition in the
Sage ACT! Online Community

Get real time answers to your questions.

Sage ACT! Success Stories

See how our customers are making the most of Sage ACT!

Sage ACT! Webcasts

Register to attend live, or view a recorded Webcast at your convenience

ACT!ion eNews> Spring 2011

Your Business In Mind

The New Rules for Cold Calling in 2011

Cold Calling is Proactive - Productive - Profitable . . . it gives you instant gratification . . . and when you know how to do it right it is the most powerful skill in your sales arsenal. The Sage ACT! team is pleased to present Wendy Weiss, The Queen of Cold Calling™, for a one hour webcast that will help you hone your cold calling skills.

Register for the webcast

According to a recent Expertise Marketing Research Report, "of 30 possible marketing tactics . . . [cold calling] rose to the top as the most effective".

A Marketing Sherpa survey found 45%-53% of the executives interviewed stated a cold call helped vendors get on the shortlist for purchase.

During this webcast, Wendy will cover:

• IMMEDIATE RESULTS: Take what you see and hear in the webinar and put it to work for you on your very next dial. It's like flipping the switch "on". . . suddenly you are a master at business by phone.
• 6 NEW RULES: Make your phone the most powerful, most productive, most profitable business tool you own.
• #1 QUESTION: The #1 question you must answer and show you how to answer it so your prospects want to hear more.
• THE NEW REALITY: You can't afford to let the misconceptions and myths about cold calling lead you to missteps that cause failure. You'll learn what works and how to get results now.

Webcast: The New Rules for Cold Calling in 2011
May 25, 2011
10 a.m. Pacific
Duration: one hour

Register for the webcast

Wendy Weiss, The Queen of Cold Calling™, is an in-the-field first-hand cold calling practitioner. She's on the phone everyday making success happen.

She's also a best selling author, speaker, sales trainer, and sales coach. Leading authorities like Inc, the New York Times, BusinessWeek, Entrepreneur Magazine, Selling Power, and more come to Wendy when they want to know about cold calling and lead generation.

She is a recognized expert when it comes to lead generation, cold calling, and business development. She helps her clients speed up their sales cycle, reach more prospects directly and generate more sales revenue.

She has worked with well over 1,600 companies from the very big like Avon Products, ADP®, and Sprint® . . . to the very small one man operations. Thousands of individual sales professionals have turned to Wendy to boost their sales.

Brian Benner
Marketing Director
Sage

Did you find this article useful? Let us know by posting your thoughts here in the Sage ACT! Online Community. You must be a registered member to reply or post. To reply, click on the reply link at the top of this post.

[eNews_ACT…]

Welcome to ACT!ion eNews

ACT!ion eNews

Spring 2011

What's New in this Issue

• Get More from Sage ACT!
• Listen to Your Sage ACT! Guru
• Your Business in Mind
• What's New with Sage ACT!?
• Spotlight on Sage ACT! Customers
• From the Sage ACT! Vault
• Sage ACT! Technology Corner

Sage ACT! Online Community

You're viewing this ACT!ion
eNews edition in the
Sage ACT! Online Community

Get real time answers to your questions.

Sage ACT! Success Stories

See how our customers are making the most of Sage ACT!

Sage ACT! Webcasts

Register to attend live, or view a recorded Webcast at your convenience

ACT!ion eNews> Spring 2011

Listen to Your Sage ACT! Guru

Nine Ways to Use Smart Tasks to Automate Your Business

Have you had a chance to set up and use some of the Smart Tasks in Sage ACT! 2011? Smart Tasks are a series of common and connected steps, performed inside of Sage ACT! that can help you save time and establish automated workflows within your sales, marketing, and customer service processes. This helps everyone in your organization to work more productively so you can contact more prospective customers, sell more products or services and support more existing customers—all without needing to hire new employees or acquire resources!

You can set up Smart Tasks in different stages of the sales cycle to establish best practices for following up on opportunities and nurturing your sales leads. You can use Smart Tasks to kick off at certain times, or when certain conditions that you define are met, such as a change in opportunity status.

Sage ACT! 2011 includes pre-defined Smart Tasks that you can deploy right out of the box. It's also easy to make new Smart Tasks by editing the templates for the pre-defined ones. Here are nine ideas for how you might use Smart Tasks to improve productivity within your organization.

1. Warm up new leads. Early in the sales cycle, put new contacts into a lead nurturing drip email campaign in Sage E-marketing for ACT!^*. After they receive that series of emails, schedule a call for the record manager.
2. Automate the sales cycle. Schedule phone calls for the record manager to complete needs assessments early in the sales process. As prospective customers evaluate products or services, send automated emails^* that provide additional product information, or describe why your company offers more benefits that competitors. Schedule follow-up calls from the record manager at intervals that have proven most successful for your business in the past.
3. Get stalled opportunities moving again. Set up a Smart Task that automatically communicates or schedules a sales call, whenever the status of an opportunity has stalled for over a month.
4. Welcome a new customer. When a contact moves to "Opportunity Closed – Won" status, you've added a new customer. Send them a welcome message. Schedule a follow-up call from record manager to thank the customer again for his or her business and ensure that our products or services are getting the job done. Now is the time to begin nurturing this new customer relationship for future repeat business.
5. Commemorate the anniversary of a customer's first purchase. It's nice to say thank you to your customers for their loyalty in a special way. Recognize customers with automated communications set up as Smart Tasks, or reminders to staff to call or send a gift.
6. Survey your customers about satisfaction. Set a Smart Task that waits for a defined period of time (perhaps a month) after an opportunity has moved to the Sales Fulfillment stage. This gives customers time to use your product or receive your service. At that time, the Smart Task will add the customer email address to the Customer Survey campaign that you have set up in Sage E-marketing for ACT!^* Monitor the responses using Sage E-marketing for ACT!. You could even map the fields in the survey to fields in your Sage ACT! database, so your sales or customer service team has a complete history and can follow-up, if needed.
7. Invite customers to interact. Do you have a customer newsletter that you'd like to send? Is your company hosting an upcoming event? Use Smart Tasks to automatically invite customers or prospects to participate.
8. Remember your customers' birthdays. Give them a call, or send a birthday greeting with an invitation to try a new product, or enjoy a birthday discount.
9. Keep your database up to date. Set up a Smart Task to look for missing fields in your database and then automatically send an email inviting customers to fill out a web form that updates the database.

Katharine Stalcup
Sr. Product Manager
Sage

Did you find this article useful? Let us know by posting your thoughts here in the Sage ACT! Online Community. You must be a registered member to reply or post. To reply, click on the reply link at the top of this post.

^*Requires additional subscription.

[eNews_ACT…]

Welcome to ACT!ion eNews

ACT!ion eNews

Spring 2011

What's New in this Issue

• Get More from Sage ACT!
• Listen to Your Sage ACT! Guru
• Your Business in Mind
• What's New with Sage ACT!?
• Spotlight on Sage ACT! Customers
• From the Sage ACT! Vault
• Sage ACT! Technology Corner

Sage ACT! Online Community

You're viewing this ACT!ion
eNews edition in the
Sage ACT! Online Community

Get real time answers to your questions.

Sage ACT! Success Stories

See how our customers are making the most of Sage ACT!

Sage ACT! Webcasts

Register to attend live, or view a recorded Webcast at your convenience

ACT!ion eNews> Spring 2011

Get More from Sage ACT!

Are We Connected?

Social media has become a powerful force in the business world. In upcoming editions of this newsletter, we will feature information about how social media can fit into your company's sales, marketing, and customer relationship management plans. In this issue, learn about how to get started with Facebook for business.

That brings us to another question . . . are we connected? Sage ACT! has an active social media community and we want you to be a part of it. Become a Facebook friend… link to our B2B network. . . follow our tweets! There are so many ways for you to get more from Sage ACT! through social media and online community.

These tools will help keep you up-to-date about the latest Sage ACT! product news, special events, and new features and enhancements. Let's get connected!

Tawny Mergel
Social Media & Community Manager
Sage CRM

Did you find this article useful? Let us know by posting your thoughts here in the Sage ACT! Online Community. You must be a registered member to reply or post. To reply, click on the reply link at the top of this post.

[PL]

Love using smart tasks. I have one big problem. I have 3000 pending smart tasks that I want to delete and not send. Can someone help me with this? Your article has generated some great new idea's for staying in touch with my students. Thanks