Do you use Customer Relationship Management software, like Salesforce.com?

When I was a cubicle dweller, of course, I used Outlook, but as a solo Web designer and copywriter, it seemed like overkill.

Besides, although I own Outlook (and the rest of the MS Office suite) I prefer web-based and preferably open source solutions. Because I use multiple computers and multiple operating systems (Windows, Linux), a Web-based solution seemed ideal.

I’ve long used Highrise from 37Signals, and it’s fine — for what it is. But it’s not really CRM, and I’ve never been able to make it an intrinsic part of my workflow. It doesnt have an inbox, and I often forget to BCC client emails to my dropbox, so I end up without records of what I’ve done or said to a client. So what’s the point?

This weekend, I spent hours scouring search engines, small-biz websites and dozens of reviews looking for a better CRM solution.

I eliminated lots of them for lots of reasons, then spent hours torture-testing what seemed to be the best Web-based CRM solutions for small and solo businesses like mine.

The surviving candidates include Relenta, Capsule CRM, and Tactile CRM. I signed up for free trial accounts for all three. I’m still testing them, but so far my favorite is Relenta.

Email-oriented CRM

It’s not perfect by any means, but I think they’re on the right track. Or at least, their orientation (prejudices?) match mine.

First, Relenta is email-oriented. I live in my Inbox, and often use it as a de facto to-do list, flagging and starring messages as reminders. So far, it doesn’t appear Relenta lets me color-code or flag messages, although there’s something called “Filters” that I still haven’t explored which might do the trick.

But it might not matter, because Relenta puts my to-do list (“Activities”) just one click away. In fact, their whole ethos is for everything to be just one click away: Inbox, Contacts, Activities (To-dos) and files (both email attachments and uploads).

Activities can be viewed as a complete list by date, today’s only, or on a monthly calendar. The calendar design won’t keep Google’s people awake at night, but at least Relenta has one — unlike a lot of so-called CRMs.

Also one click away is your contact list. Like all CRMs, Relenta makes it easy to import existing lists as CSV files.

But here’s a real treat:

Every time an email arrives, it offers to create a new contact using info from the email (left). Very slick! If the email is from someone already in your address book, it can automatically assign it to that contact.

When you click on a contact, that person’s entire “activity stream” appears: emails, notes, to-dos,file attachments, everything. Excellent!

As the screenshot also shows, you can also create an activity (i.e., a to-do) right from the guts of the email — another very handy feature.

Another benefit: it integrates beautifully with Google Apps email.

Too expensive?

This isn’t a full review, of course — just a first impression. But so far I’m really pleased to have found a streamlined CRM that works the way I do, with (almost) everything I need, and boats an attractive interface, too.

On the down side, Relenta is more expensive than Capsule or Tactile CRM. At $25/month it costs less a Highrise solo account, but does much, much more. You could even cancel your AWeber or Constant Contact account and use Relenta to send out your e-newsletters (although I wouldn’t advise it, for fear of getting your personal email address blacklisted).

Besides, if your business can’t afford $25/month, you don’t really have a business.

Well, that’s my take so far. If you’re a small or solo biz, what’s your choice for CRM? Tell me in the comments.

Update:

After almost three full days of use, I’m giving up on Relenta.

The main culprit, imho, is Relenta’s email client. It’s OK for the basics, but not for business use. You can’t create bullet lists, even in the rich text/html version? Seriously? Also no threaded conversations.

My conclusion: if Relenta’s email client is so limited that I can’t use it for my client communications, then for me its overall usefulness falls apart. So for now I’m back to switching back and forth between Gmail and Nirvana for my to-dos.

That’s my take. Your mileage may vary. Hey, you may find it perfect.

While most of his advice had to do with humor writing and making people laugh, many of his suggestions are valid for copywriters and business writers, too. In fact, anyone who wants people to keep reading what they’ve written.

Here’s some of Dilbert’s daddy’s advice:

• Start with an attention-getting “lead.” Here’s Adams’ opening gambit in his Wall Street Journal article: “Last weekend a French fry got lodged in my sinus cavity.” Does that make you want to read more?
• Hook your readers with stories. You don’t have to be funny, like Adams’ tale (about his ignorance of the human reproductive system when he was 11 years old). But stories resonate with people, draw them in and make them feel closer to you. What if you told the story of why you started your business — who you wanted to help, and why? Show a little of your authentic self — I guarantee it will be a lot more exciting than your company mission statement.
• Make them curious. “Good writing makes you curious without being too heavy-handed about it,” Adams writes. “My first sentence in this piece, about the French fry lodged in my sinus cavity, is designed to make you curious.”

Adams also explains why “yank” is funnier than “pull.” Now there’s something every writer ought to know!

Bob’s a successful and savvy advertising executive who owns his own agency in San Francisco. He’s also a delightfully grumpy old fart who loves to snicker at the Emperor’s missing bloomers, as well as the foolishness of the people watching the parade.

Like me, Bob gags at what passes for B2B copy these days, especially the “cutting edge, state of the art, scalable” baloney favored by technology companies big and small:

“One way we can tell that the marketing and advertising industries are in dire straits is by listening to the language. From the HP website:

“… (HP’s) collaborative approach is tailored to a customer’s ecosystem to create adaptive infrastructures that use leading software products and architectures and leverage HP’s own expertise in the creation of adaptive infrastructures.”

“Spend time at a conference, read a trade publication, listen to a presentation and it soon becomes obvious that speaking plainly and clearly has become anathema to most marketing practitioners.”

As a copywriter and former technical writer, I confess I have been forced to write that kind of crap on any number of occasions. But in my defense, the clients flatly rejected my initial drafts — the ones written in plain American English, easily understood even by CEOs. The kind of everyday shirtsleeve English you and I speak to each other.

Can you imagine meeting someone new, asking what they do, and have them say, “Oh, we create adaptive infrastructures…”? Of course not. Nobody really talks like that. Not even the guys who wrote it.

I have a theory. See if you agree. I think vague, jargon-filled copy are like those giant boulders in old TV westerns. They’re really big, they slow down your enemies … and they’re really great to hide behind.

PS: After a month-long, self-imposed hiatus from blogging, Bob’s and his blog are back together. To be honest, I think he was considering a divorce, but settled on a trial separation instead. Since he’s pretty skeptical about the business value of social media, we’ll see how long he lasts. Enjoy his curmudgeonality while you can, kids.

photo credit: colinedwards99

It’s understandable for business owners and marketers to dread nasty feedback from unhappy customers. It’s even worse when they vent their spleens online, posting negative reviews on the company’s own or resellers’ websites, in independent customer forums, Amazon reviews, etc.

Some companies even go so far as to try and squelch or remove them if they can. Which isn’t exactly the spirit of openness and honesty the interwebs are famous for.

But surprise! Negative reviews are not necessarily the kiss of death. As CNN/Money (via Consumerist) reported, sales can still increase. One company discovered that sales on a particular sweater increased 23%, even though its ratings were less than stellar  (e.g., three stars out of five).

“People are really researching their purchases,” said AlpacaDirect.com co-founder Jim Hobart. ‘We knew our customers liked our products, and we wanted them to tell one another.’

Here’s my take on negative reviews:

• All reviews, even mediocre ones, tend to reduce the “fear of the unknown” factor which can stop sales in their tracks.
• Something that might be a dealbreaker for one customer might not matter that much to another.
• The seller appears stronger, more confident, even fearless, by allowing both negative and positive reviews.
• And of course, negative reviews can be a form of market research. They can help you decide where you need to improve.

And be honest. Haven’t you ever read a negative review of a product or service you’re perfectly happy with? Haven’t you sometimes wondered, ‘What is this guy’s problem?’ A review that’s dripping with hatred and bile sometimes says more about the reviewer than the product.

photo credit: B Rosen

Yes, campers, every day or so, a warm, fresh Gaping Void will appear in that spot in the sidebar. For those unfamiliar, Gaping Void is the business-card-size philosophical treatise/cartoon by Hugh MacLeod.

Hugh is probably best known for his wonderful treatise, “Ignore Everybody” — a bracing dip into the waters of self-expression and self-confidence. It begins:

“The more original your idea is, the less good advice other people will be able to give you… You don’t know if your idea is any good (until) the moment it’s created. Neither does anyone else. The most you can hope for is a strong gut feeling that it is. And trusting your feelings is not as easy as the optimists say it is… Feelings scare us.”

That’s also why market research is so often short-sighted and futile. It misses a lot of great opportunities simply because the people they survey have never encountered an idea like yours before, and simply don’t know what to make of it.

So the moral of the story is… If  your idea feels right, go for it!