The Most Important Skill We Can Develop

My youngest (who is a Junior at the University of Texas) will be going back to college this week. His dad took him to Office Depot to help him stock up on printer paper, etc.

I think how important it is to be organized in life and I want to stress to him that he will be so much more successful at school and in life if he finds his own way to be organized and he practices and develops it to an art so that it supports him.

It’s not like he doesn’t know ACT!. He’s helped me with some projects in the past and has done many of the screen captures on two of “The Official ACT! by Sage QuickStudy Guide” books I have written. However, he currently uses the calendar on his generic cell phone to record due dates. While I don’t think that is the best way to do this, he is the one that has to be comfortable with the system he uses.

That ultimately is the most important skill that any of us can develop. Each of us needs to find an easy organizational system that works for us. Then we need to work that system so that it supports us and helps to reduce stress while keeping our lives on track.

I want to say all these things to him on our last day, but I know he would only roll his eyes. Instead I say “Keep up with your homework and tests. Keep your grades up. But don’t forget to have fun. You’re only young once. Don’t let this time pass you by, sweetie. I love you. Call me when you get there.”  And of course he will forget that last one. What’s a mom to do.

ACT! 2009 Demo Database

When you install your ACT! software, a demo database is also installed so that you can play with your new software and learn more about using it before you create your own customer and prospect database. Ever wonder who creates and updates the database? Yeah I know… probably not. But as a piece of trivia, it is me.

Each year when I write and update the ACT! QuickStudy Guide, I also update the demo database as well. The demo is used for practice exercises in the QuickStudy Guide, so it helps if I can design the database in a way that encourages users to better understand the functionality of the new version of ACT!.

In addition to making it work better with the QuickStudy guide, the inside sales team often asks me to include certain things so that they can better demo the product to prospects. This year I added customized templates and reports to the demo database, along with several other features. For example, the demo database is designed so that for the next 12 months, no matter when you open the database, you will see open and closed activities and opportunities for 3 users in the database (Chris Huffman, Allison Mikola, and Ernst Anderson). So there are opportunities that closed in July 2009 (even though July 2008 isn’t even over yet).

Another piece of trivia. Chris Huffman has been the primary logon user for the ACTDemo database since the beginning. The company that Chris runs has changed over the years from CH Imports… to CH Gourmet… to the current CH TechONE. When ACT! included the ability to maintain photos with each contact record (several versions ago), I needed to select a photo for Chris Huffman. It was at that time that it occurred to me that no one really knew much about Chris. So, I made her a woman. You can see her photo on the Home Address tab on her record. Be sure that the ACTDemo layout is displayed.

You can see more obscure facts about the demo database in ACT! 2009. There is an attached file on the Notes tab that fills you in.

LinkedIn

Social Networking is the hot topic these days. I’ve recently started playing with LinkedIn and Twitter. Can it make you any money? Not sure yet, however, in filling out my profile, LinkedIn asked if I would like to see other members that went to the University of Kentucky during the same years that I was there.

I have tried to find my college roommates several times over the years, but it can be hard to find women if they have since married. I knew their maiden name, but have no way of knowing what their married name might be. I looked and of course couldn’t find them. Then my eyes stopped on the name Patricia. I didn’t recognize the last name, but she was in marketing. I followed through to the website and found a photo of the college roommate I hadn’t spoken to in over 20 years. We’ve had a fun time catching up.
 
I also located a fellow MBA graduate, but he was easier to find (no name change). Even if I never make any money from this new tool, the time I spent so far was more than worth locating and reconnecting with 2 great friends.

However, I am determined to take this further to see where I can go with it. Oh yeah and my LinkedIn profile is: View Susan Clark’s profile

ACT! PlatinumCARE Release-Huh?

ACT! just released this new product offering PlatinumCARE. It has taken me a bit to get my arms around what they are offering. Even for partners, they are sending us information in multiple e-mails, each with 4-5 documents attached explaining different parts of the program.

For me I like to see things all in one place so I can analyze what the deal is. Well I finally put it all together on my Platinum CARE web page and I think it is a pretty nice offering (only available until 9/30/2008). If you are already an ACT! 2008/10.0 user, the deal is sweetest for you. You can upgrade to version 11 for about a third of your normal upgrade pricing, plus get a whole bunch of bonuses. If you own an older version of ACT, they are throwing in the bonuses for the regular upgrade pricing.

If you are remotely interested in upgrading, then you might want to check out the offer while it stands.

Yeah, It’s Finished

The final pdf, edited version of “The Official ACT! by Sage QuickStudy Guide” (for ACT! 2009 software) is off to the printer. In order for me to write, I need to have long periods of uninterrupted time. I don’t see clients. I limit my access to emails (a very easy distraction). I sit on the couch cross-legged with my PC on my lapdesk and write away. My family brings me meals and then clears them away so I can continue on with unbroken chains of thought. I eat popcorn when I am stumped with how to more clearly explain features. Some years I gain more weight than others. (Regardless, it is back to the gym for me.)

When I have been this isolated, it is also a little hard for me to get back to working with people again. I start with the overflowing emails in my Inbox that need to be answered and then move to starting to work with clients again. There is always some project waiting for me. Maybe some documentation for Swiftpage’s new Drip Marketing. Hmm.

ACT! by Sage QuickStudy Guide

Memorial Day usually marks the start of my 4+ week hibernation period. For the next few weeks I will be writing and editing the 2009 (11.0) version of the ACT! QuickStudy Guide. Since there is only a narrow window of time between when a software is ready for testing and when it is ready for shipping, I have to work fast. I usually spend about 12-16 hrs a day editing and updating the almost 600 page manual on all things ACT!. I’m looking forward to writing about the new features (with corresponding screen shots). I’d like to also throw in a few really advanced topics (like OLE/DB connections for reporting).

Annual ACT! Certified Consultants Conference

I’m just back from our nation’s capitol. I am alternately invigorated and exhausted when I attend these conferences. There were close to 3000 Sage-affiliated Business Partners and over 200 ACT! Certified Consultants from around the world in attendance. There were lots of new ideas, camaraderie, and friendships developed. No one gets much sleep since we are all connecting with other consultants. I love it, so I put off sleep until this week.

Then there was the trade show where we could see all the add-ons in action (the subject of the next Houston Area ACT User’s Group meeting).

ACT consultants also got to preview the next version of ACT! by Sage (sorry… they make us all sign non-disclosure agreements). I’m looking forward to later in the year when I can tell you more.

Are You Keeping Up With Reading?

According to the US Department of Labor and a survey by Yahoo! Chief Solutions Officer, people who read at least 7 business books a year earn over 2.3 times more than people who read only a single book each year. What books have you read lately to fuel that constant flow of new ideas and strategies to help take your business to a new level?

ACT! Tips on Video

ACT! asked me to write the lead article for their e-newsletter (being released tomorrow). Entitled “Three Quick Tips for the New Year”, it covers how to create and send an e-mail merge template for quick follow up with clients and prospects. The article also include instructions on creating groups based on queries for quick lookups that are always automatically updated by ACT!. Finally I included a reminder that by even learning just a few new tips and tricks using “The Official ACT! by Sage QuickStudy Guide” that readers could make a huge difference in their productivity for the year.

While some readers are content to see the numbered steps on how to accomplish a task, many like to see the steps performed. So I also included links for some quick flash videos that demonstrate the concepts. You can also see these videos on YouTube.

Creating Mail Merge Templates (no audio)

Creating Groups Using Criteria (no audio)

Kaizen

In making New Years Resolutions, it is tempting to create life-changing Mount Everest types of goals which can seem overwhelming and many times cause us to abandon the climb before even starting out.

At this time of year, I try to keep the concept of kaizen in mind. Kaizen is a Japanese word meaning change for the better. It is also frequently used in conjunction with productivity programs that encourage you to pursue continued improvement. Similar in concept to the “baby steps” from the movie “What About Bob”, kaizen encourages us to make even the tiniest imaginable change. Even the smallest incremental improvement can many times have a huge impact over time as the effect is compounded. In addition, smaller changes are easier to implement and have less chance of failure.

Can you think of just one very tiny change to make in your life… just a little one… sort of your own baby step?