How Do You Know Your Business Needs CRM?

"I just need a Simple CRM"

CRM systems are no longer an option, they’re a necessity. Customer Relationship Management systems are now used by businesses of all scales and sizes. How do you know you need one? It’s simple, just ask yourself: Are you selling services or products? If your answer is yes, then you definitely need a CRM software. If you’re still not convinced, here’s why else you need a reliable CRM system:

You’re losing precious data

When you don’t have a CRM system you’re bound to store data in emails, Excel spreadsheets, paper files, and notes. The worst thing is that all that pieces of information are scattered, and as such they become meaningless because you can’t have them all at once when you need them the most. The process of storing customer data becomes laborious and even impossible.

You’re having communication problems

When you don’t have a centralized data system available to all your employees in real time, it’s difficult to communicate and pass on important information and decisions as they happen. The communication gets delayed and the results of that are missed opportunities and clients gone elsewhere.

Your sales team isn’t doing much

If you feel like your sales team isn’t making any progress despite their best efforts, then you know you desperately need a CRM system. Today, there are so many things you can find out about your potential customers that can help you transform your business into something more prosperous. The key lies in managing and using your data more efficiently.

Leads turning cold

When your once hot leads start to turn cold and there’s nothing you can to do reverse that, again, you know you need to get a CRM system. Sure, there will always be leads who turn cold for no apparent reason, that’s not the point. The point is that in the majority of cases you lack the knowledge that would make them change their mind. You lack the details about your customer behavior and their habits that you could use in your advantage.

You lack data access at all times

When your sales people are gathering information about the customers, if they’re storing it on their own laptops or even papers, you don’t really get to see that information right away. Plus, with a CRM it’s easier to keep everyone updated on all the changes and new data entries. The ability to access your data at any time can significantly improve the quality of your work.

Creating Quality Sales: Let's get SIIC

Sales is not only about selling; it is about experience, connections, and most importantly...relationships. Creating Quality Sales helps to nurture relationships, make them stronger, and in the end, last longer. There are many things we as salespeople do incorrectly, such as thinking only of the bottom line. Don't get me wrong, the numbers matter, but how you get there is important not only to your wallet, but to the reputation you carry for yourself and your company. 

There are four main steps, pieces of the puzzle so to speak, that I practice when it comes to selling and working with prospects and customers. Let's get SIIC! Selling with Sincerity, Intuition, Integrity, and Common Sense that is; when they come together is when the quality of sales increase. Let me define and break them down for you one-by-one:

Sincerity: The quality of being free from pretense, deceit, or hypocrisy; a mix of seriousness and honesty

In today's world, sincerity seems more difficult to come by. Social media, blogs, and the age of selfies tend to put a focus on me me me. Everything we do and post, we are more focused on our own wants and desires more than ever. In sales, we must put our clients and prospects first, and us second. Just as we want others to respect our time, we must respect their time in return. Be prompt, be ready, and avoid rescheduling as often as possible. I much rather have a client reschedule a meeting than me. After all, we are the ones that need them, not necessarily vice versa. When you are in a meeting put your cell phone away, not on the table flipped upside down. Allow the focus to be on them; this shows them that you not only respect their time, but their presence as well. You cannot be fully engaged with an individual if you are scrolling through emails or glancing at how many likes your lunch post is receiving.

Most importantly, care about who they are before you care about the sale. Business is great and all, but do not forget they are a person with a life outside of the office. Ask questions about their families, hobbies, where they are vacationing. Empathize with your clients and prospects. If you know their grandmother was in the hospital, send a note to ask how she and their family is doing. Find areas outside of a proposal and quote where you can relate with the client or prospect, such as similar hobbies. Knowing who a person is, is key to any lasting relationship, even within business. Not to mention, if you find out unfavorable facts about someone, their morals, and integrity, you can proceed with caution or kindly back away, and save yourself from hidden stressors down the road...and a potentially bad partnership!

Intuition: A feeling that guides a person to act a certain way without fully understanding why; something that is understood or known without proof or evidence

Some people are born with natural intuition. Some must work to understand the difference between intuition and individual perception. Paying attention to a prospects' body language and voice inflections are ways to help you to hone in on your intuition. If someone keeps looking at their watch, have delayed reactions, or are sitting with their arms across their chest, they are probably not interested. You might even be talking too much! If they are leaning in, nodding their head, and asking questions, they are engaged and their interest is peaked.

When all else fails, and you cannot read your prospect, do not be afraid to ask questions! Be upfront, ask them for their thoughts and if they understand what you are offering. People appreciate when you show you care what they are thinking, as opposed to assuming or guessing. You know what they say about assuming, right? Listening beyond your rationalizations (a.k.a. personal perception), and putting yourself in their shoes can help you better understand what is going through their mind.

Integrity: The quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness

Keeping your personal integrity is not only important, it is key. Do what you say, own up to your mistakes, and make sure everything is on the table. At times we are tempted to say, "Sure, we can do that!", when you have no clue if it is even feasible. Being upfront with your prospects, even if they might not like what you have to say, is vital. The truth is always appreciated, and empty promises can easily break their trust in you and your company. If you make a mistake, which will happen, be upfront and make sure to apologize. We are all human, and mistakes are expected; however, how you deal with them shows your true integrity.

Avoid the sleazy salesman status! Pressure sales is a thing of the past, as should be little white lies. If you can't give a prospect everything they want, be clear on what you can offer and focus on the positives. If they say "no" do not try to push the sale on them, they will only become frustrated and annoyed. Not to mention, you can come across as desperate. "Do they need the sale THIS badly?!" Bad mouthing a former employer or competitor is also frowned upon, and can come back to haunt you. You want to sell by how good your product is, not by how bad other products or salespeople are. So, do not be tempted to talk down someone to talk yourself up, this reflects in poor taste and poor integrity.

Common Sense: Sound and prudent judgement based on a simple perception of the situation or facts; normal native intelligence

For me, Intuition and Common Sense are similar, but they do differ. Intuition is inference, whereas common sense is more factual and experience based. When is comes to common sense, listen for specific keywords and phrases. If a prospect is saying that their team is small or they do not have resources, you do not want to try to sell them something that is built for a large company; move to a more suitable fit. If a prospect is having a difficult time grasping what you are saying, your product is probably not for them. Again, step outside of your individual perception to understand what they are saying; reality vs. identifiable reality.

Know your industry. Know your clients' industry. This is where straight up factual common sense comes into play. A product built for insurance companies will not work well for real estate clients. The more you understand exactly what your client does, the better you can qualify your offerings. Doing your research is vital to generating quality sales. Learning from experience will help you time and time again. Set aside the needed time in conversation with your clients to ask relevant questions, as well as doing your homework ahead time, will help build the common sense you need for closing a deal.

Author: Erin Ahaus Contreras
Director of Business Development at AddressTwo CRM
erin@addresstwo.com
www.addresstwo.com

Holiday Cards - Why the Direct Mail Touch Should Not be Lost

Tis the season!  

Well, tis almost the season, and you need to start thinking about…Holiday Cards! (Insert rolling eyes and sighs.) October is a few days away, so now is the time to begin thinking about your Holiday plan of action.

For many businesses, sending Holiday Cards can be a time demanding and fund draining activity. Because of this, more and more companies are opting to forgo the card sent via snail mail, and reach for the convenience of the computer instead. An e-greeting can be pretty and send a caring message, but more often than not, gets lost within the Holiday email shuffle or sent directly to spam. And let’s face it, opening an email is far more impersonal and leave many reaching for the delete button as soon as they begin rolling in.

Holiday Cards should be seen as an investment, and spending that time and funds to invest in your clients and prospects speaks more than flashy animation and sparkly graphics. Think of your clientele as family. They help keep your business home up and running, and if you’re doing your job right, they will have your back when the opportunity arises. Would you send your loved ones a birthday card via email if a CVS is not far around the corner? I’m guessing your answer is, “no”.

Printed Holiday Cards are a great way to thank your clients and partners for their support and loyalty over the past year, and to let them know how much you value their relationship. Most Holiday Cards are opened and displayed throughout the busy holiday season, keeping you at the forefront of your clients’ mind. If you keep up the tradition, those on your list will look forward to receiving your card year after year. There’s power in that; knowing you are important enough to make it on THE LIST.

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When you take that step to send out Holiday Cards via direct mail, make sure you do it right:

Personalize it. If you can’t afford to write a unique note in each card, create and print different messages per recipient. In other words, categorize your list into three or four different groups. A message to a client vs. a vendor or business partner should be different.

Leave sales at the door. This is a time of thanks for past and current business, not a time to generate more sales. Greedy Holiday givers who create expectations in return show poor taste.

Be sincere. If you send flowery words full of caring sentiments to a client you typically butt heads with, the message could come across as sarcastic. Always use kind words of course, but if you are generally a playful person, have fun with your messages. If you are a sentimental bird, allow your thanks to flow plentifully.

Design smartly. Catchy, yet simple, designs will stand out from the crowd. Incorporate your market niche within your design. For example, if your business is centered around fresh produce, use an image of a broccoli Christmas tree within the design. Remember to keep your logo small, perhaps even on the back of the card. This is about them, not you. (No business cards within either…)

Be a friend, don’t offend. Avoid including content, including words or images, that could come across as offensive or is inappropriate for the workplace. One would think this is common sense, but you would be surprised.

Time your sending. The first or second week in December is the best time to get your cards in the mail and in their hands. Any time after that, you are risking your investments to be caught in the mail rush, or lost in vacation pile for your recipients to shuffle through following the Holidays (embarrassing).

So, now that you have all of your contacts organized and in one location...take this opportunity to get them into a Simple CRM (Client Relationship Management) software, such as AddressTwo. AddressTwo was built for small-medium sized businesses who need a smart and cost effective solution for contact management, setting follow-up tasks, email marketing (drip campaigns), and pipeline tracking, to name a few features. Your clients are important around the Holiday Season, don't let the rest of the year stay quiet! Register for a free trial of AddressTwo CRM to see how it can streamline your sales and communication processes year round. Better yet, email your client list to A2, and have a trial created for you with your contact list imported and ready to go!

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Allow PostTwo to do your Holiday cards for you! Simple and easy solution for printing, stuffing, and mailing. Part of your friendly neighborhood, simple CRM, AddressTwo.

Discover what the power of Two can do for you! 

Mom Did Know Best: Clean it up!

It has to happen every once in a while and this is the perfect time of year to face it. I’m talking about cleaning up your list.

This realization came crashing down on a client recently and it just serves to remind me that it is one of the last things busy small business owners are thinking about, but it is just so important.

photo credit: ginasanders @123rf.com

Is your list a mess?

This client wanted to establish a monthly email newsletter. One of the steps was uploading the CSV

file of his list into the app. When the CSV file arrived and my team and I took a look at it, we immediately realized that there was a lot of work to do before it could ever be uploaded.

First off, information had been entered into the wrong fields and we had first names like Quick and surnames like Order. Then there were company names entered where the contact’s name should have been. That was just the beginning. After reviewing the file, there were lots of other changes like who the contact for the company was now and outdated email addresses.

Hey, don’t beat yourself up because there are always changes and mistakes, it’s inevitable that your list needs to be cleaned up, sorted out and purged of all sorts of inaccurate information. But the thing you have to keep in mind is that your list of contacts is one of the most valuable assets you have in your business. So you need to keep it polished up and in good working order.

Make an update part of your regular maintenance.

The end of the year is a busy time and part of the busy-ness is sending “thank you for your business this year” greetings to your clients. Take this opportunity to review your list. Make it part of the process in sending those greetings. Schedule it for fall. That gives you time to actually remove any problem entries as well as request new, updated data.

In some instances, the email contact may be the only information you have. Sending out requests for actual postal mailing addresses via email will help you sift through outdated emails as well as provide an extra touch with the client and get more information from them.

AND, while you are doing that, remind yourself of all the contacts and potential clients that you haven’t connected with for some time. Out of mind means just that – out of mind, and out of mind means a big NO SALE on the cash register.

So cleaning up is not just cleaning up, but use it for bringing to mind potential clients that need a note, call or some other bit of communication from you. Use it to re-connect and update your records. The biggest benefit is that you are ready for a big push in the New Year.

To Your Success!

Jack

GrowYour Business™ Coaching founder Jack Klemeyer is recognized as a preeminent resource for business professionals. As a John Maxwell Certified coach, speaker, trainer and facilitator of Mastermind groups for business owners and professionals, his results-driven philosophy calls for action and accountability. He and his Grow Your Business™ team are dedicated to taking businesses and their owners to the next level. Jack can be reached at Jack@GYBCoaching.com or at 317-755-6963. Learn more at GYBCoaching.com.

Holiday Email Marketing Tips

Have you started sending holiday emails yet? If not, what are you waiting for? Holidays are that time of year when people shop the most, and chances are that your small biz can benefit greatly from that. Successful email marketing is an amazing tool to reach out to your target audience and turn them into buying cust0mers.

If done right, that is.

If you’re sending emails just to send them, it won’t yield the results you need.

If you really want to impress them, stick to these holiday email marketing tips:

Plan in advance

A good marketing strategy is the first (and perhaps the only) thing you need to generate sales. A large number of marketers who know how to make a killer email holiday campaign start planning as early as August. But it’s not late now either.

Email marketing should be at your to-do list if you want results. There is no excuse – make a plan and stick to it. Let’s take a look at some of the tips on how to grab the attention of your target audience through holiday emails:

Focus on mobile

The first practical advice is to focus on mobile, and for a good reason. More and more people are checking on their mail and viewing it from the mobile devices. To put things into perspective, it has been reported that in 2014 that more that 50% traffic was mobile during holiday seasons. Below are a few tips on how to make sure that your emails are mobile-friendly:

Use an email template that is mobile-optimized

Keep it short and snappy

Three sentences on your computer may look like 6 sentences on your mobile device. So, make sure there isn’t too much text, otherwise people won’t even bother to read it. You emails need to be catchy and a bit personal, something people can relate to. Something short but powerful that will make them want to know more. 

Make it simple

The best email promotions are simple with a clear layout. If you have too many colors or use 5 different types of front people may get distracted from the main goal. And that is – to take some kind of action. 

Run a social media promotion

Prior to actually creating an email campaign, run a promotion on Facebook, Instagram etc. If you want your customers to respond to your holiday emails, first you have to remind them of who you are. Just to get their attention. So that when they receive an email from you, they’ll know who you are and they will be more likely to take action.  

Make them engage with you on social media. Engagement is the best way to get closer to you customers and stay on top of their mind. Run a holiday photo contest to make your followers engage. Alternatively, offer buy-one-get-one-free promotions to spur engagement. 

Use proper CTA

A call-to-action is supposed to make people buy something, so you need to make it catchy and simple. For an eye-catching call-to-action you can visually emphasize it. Also, you don’t have to use CTA just once – use it several time throughout your email.

The paradox of choice – stick to one

If you want to lead your potential customers to one single action, make sure you lead them with one single thought in mind. Even though you may have several products you’d like to offer, stick to just one, or to several relatable ones. You need to hack into the psychology of a buyer’s mind. Sometimes less is more, and in this case it seems to be truer than ever. People get easily confused if they need to choose between several things. 

Pay attention to the subject line

Last but not the least – make a killer subject line. Since the subject line is the first thing people see when they get a new email it’s worth investing some thought into it. How many times did you not open an email because of a crappy boring headline? Probably more often than you can remember. The same goes for your subscribers. If it doesn’t spark their interest, they won’t open it. There will be so many emails anyway, why would they waste time on reading yours? Because you have to offer them something others can’t. So express that in your subject line. You can do that by asking a question – questions resonate well with customers. And, of course, add some holiday spirit to it!

The Power of Small Business CRM Software

Are you tired of storing your customer data in spread sheets, emails and who knows where? Are there other employees interacting with clients and you’d like a way to supervise the activity? Do you feel like things are slowly getting out of control? All is not lost. There’s a solution - Whether you’re a small or a mid-size business owner, having a good CRM software is no longer an option nowadays – that is, if you want to stay in the game.

What makes CRM so powerful?

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software helps small and mid-size biz owners to increase their sales and customer satisfaction by sharing the customer information throughout the system.

With CRM software, biz owners are able to predict customer behavior while scaling up their services.

If you’re still not convinced, let’s see exactly what this software can do for your biz:

• Integrity of information: CRM software stores all the data you need at one single place. The data is stored in a consistent and user-friendly way so that everything is at your fingertips whenever you need it.

• Customer – Employee interaction: CRM software automatically keeps track of every interaction between the customers and company representatives. This is good for two reasons. Firstly, you can determine customer behavioral patterns, and secondly, you can estimate employee performance.

• Evaluation of marketing success: With real info at hand, you’re able to track the success of each and every marketing tactic you employed. For example, you can assess how many people were referred to you by being a member of Rainmakers or paid advertising, so you can know what to focus on in the future.

• Tracking the progress of your biz: Finally you can have real data at one place to evaluate the success of your business. This is crucial to business of all sizes. If you don’t have accurate data, how can you know what exactly is going on with your sales and ROI? Tracking the progress is a prerogative to business success.

Thousands of business owners have already embraced this amazing tool and they’re doing much better than before.

What’s your excuse? Do you want to get in control of your own business? Get ahead of the pack and sign up for our Simple CRM software today!

A CRM Might Just Save Your Business

Sending out a warning into the air just won’t work
 to provide your clients with urgent and important information.
Photo credit: alistair Cotton, www.123rf.com

This has been a really trying week here in our office. You see, we have had our website hacked. And we have been frantically trying to get it fixed. You might think that is because we don’t want to miss any potential clients, and it is. But even more important to us is that we don’t want to share any viruses or any bad digital thread with any of our existing clients and contacts.

And, we have several programs with open registrations, blog posts and other bits of information out on social media and in email communications that link back to our site.

Now, you might wonder why I am telling you all of this. Well, we have figured out the protocol for when bad things happen and we have to notify our clients urgently. We know we can’t just stand at our office door and yell out into the street. We have to be effective!

When it’s urgent to reach your tribe…be smart and use your CRM

It’s your CRM. Yes, once again a CRM is key to making business work. With all your contacts in a CRM like AddressTwo, you can very quickly send out an urgent message and reach as many people as possible. With a subject line that lets them know there’s a problem and you have an important message, your open rate (ours did) will soar.

This solution is not limited to letting people know your website is down – or is dangerous to their digital health – but also any time there is a problem, great news, or important information they need.

If you are making regular touches through a weekly email or monthly digital newsletter, your contacts expect to hear from you and your subject line should let them know you are sending a message for them. But when these random important communications go out, you have to let them know there is a special event, reason or warning that you are sending and your subject line is the place to do that.

Of course, you can put the information out in your social media, but social media connections are sporadic. The latest statistic I’ve heard is the only 7-10% of your fans see your posts on Facebook and tweets are swallowed in a blink of the eye. So using your email list makes sense. It’s fast, effective and easy.

The case for a contact list in a CRM

Sure you have contacts in your email and you may even have groups set up for emails, too. But building a contact and client list in a CRMmakes life really easy. You will recognize that when you have an urgent need. And the beauty is that it grows right along with your business. It’s not a fill it in and then continually have to update. No, you build it one person, one contact, one client at a time and before you know it, you have a herd, or a tribe, whichever way you want to think about it.

Choose the technology app that serves you best and can grow with you. Choose one and use it. Don’t get caught out with new somethings that are bright and shiny. Stick with one until it no longer serves your purposes. Learn all the features and utilize every tool inside it.

You’ll find your day-to-day operations and those random, urgent situations can both be handled quickly, easily and professionally.

-Jack Klemeyer

Grow YourBusiness Coaching

Addy's Top 10 Things You Should be Doing in Your CRM Everyday

Day in and day out, you should be using your CRM to keep your business on track. Here are the top 10 things you want to do every day to ensure that you are getting the most out of your CRM software:

1. LOG IN
2. Review task list
3. Complete tasks
4. Schedule follow-up tasks
5. Enter new customer/prospect information
6. Record history entries in contacted accounts
7. Remember to BCC Addy@addresstwo.com on all contact emails
8. Update current contact information
9. Review email statistics
10. Review pipeline statistics

Completing everything on this list doesn't have to run your day. Forming these daily habits in our simple CRM will help you hit the ground running to customer management success. 

Happy CRMing!

Why Moving to a CRM Can Be a Pain in the Butt

CRM’s promise to make your business life so much easier. Having all of your customer information in one place can really improve your sales and business efficiency, but that information won’t just appear. Whether your information is manually entered or uploaded from a comma separated value (CSV) file, it’s not always easy to get started in your CRM. Here are some cons (and pros) to really starting to use your CRM.

Contact Manager and Data Entry

To start in your CRM, you have to have the patience to enter all of your contacts.  

As mentioned before, there are multiple options for uploading information into your CRM. You may choose to manually enter all of your contacts from your paper and pencil customer management method, or you can upload your information from Excel using a CSV file.

If you have been using the pencil and paper method to keep track of all of your contacts, this can be a very timely process. Opening a business now a days, it is very important that you see the benefits of starting in a simple CRM system early because using technology like this will be beneficial from the start. This will avoid having to manually transfer data. But since there is no going back in time to the beginning of your business without your DeLorean handy, it is important to take the time to transfer this data**. As a note, when adding contacts into your system one must simply add all of the information they know about each contact. Getting yourself into this habit will keep you from having to use your very full memory banks to recall information about these customers later.

CSV files must be properly cleaned and organized before they can be uploaded into a CRM like AddressTwo. This method is riskier due to the nature of transferring data. Before you upload your CSV, you have to clean the file, this is called data cleaning or data scrubbing. Column headers, filled in values, and other important features of this file will affect how well it uploads into the CRM system.

For more on how to add comma separated customer information, click the link to view the AddressTwo tutorial video on uploading CSV data.

Old Habits Die Hard

It’s easy to write up a sticky note to remind yourself to call Frank back, but that isn’t how you’re going to get used to using your CRM. Your CRM will remind you to call Frank next month, but a sticky note can end up in the trashcan before then. Getting yourself into the habit of entering everything you do or need to do into your CRM will help you immensely; these features are called history and tasks in AddressTwo. After a week of forcing yourself to use these features, it will start to come as second nature. Additionally, with AddressTwo as shortcut on your phone's home screen, you can have all of your business reminders and upcoming dates in one place- your CRM.

The Facts

Starting to use a CRM can most certainly be a tedious task, but there are so many benefits to forcing new user repetition. CRM software helps to:

• Increase sales
• Increase leads and quantity of customers
• Monitor and maintain business success
• Improve customer satisfaction
• Improve quality of staff to customer interactions

It is important to get into the habit of using your CRM before you allow yourself to miss another customer opportunity. With small businesses, one opportunity can be all you need to get your business off the ground.

For more on launching into your CRM software, watch this tutorial video with 3 Simple Steps to Just Getting Started with AddressTwo.

Breaking Down CRM- The 3 Keys to Better Business Relationships

Customer Relationship Management is as simple as C-R-M. Breaking down these three parts of a greater whole will help you to deeper understand how a CRM software system is the key to business success. Here are three videos that will explain each of the important aspects of CRM: Customers, Relationships, and Management.

1. Customers: It is important to maintain data on current and future customers of the business, but defining the term “customers” goes far beyond this scope. It’s about maintaining relationships with people who may never even intend to become a customer. Troy has a better way of explaining what I mean:

2. Relationships:

Relationships are much more than just knowing the permanent details of a person. It’s about learning and understanding more about a person through keeping record of the different interactions that you have with one another. In turn, it is important to adapt future interactions based on these records. So how can a CRM software help you to deepen these relationships? This is where video two comes into play.

3. Managment:

In business, we often need more relationships than any one person can manage on their own. In the final installment of “Breaking Down CRM,” Troy explains how a CRM system can help you manage and maintain your business relationships.

The C, R, and M of CRM software is only the tip of the iceberg. You can learn more about the benefits and usability of a simple CRM software by visiting the website for AddressTwo or by attending Troy’s weekly AddressTwo demo on Wednesdays at 3pm. Sign up here today!

Juggernauts, Monkeys, a CRM and Email Marketing

We already know about the advantages AddressTwo has over other CRM software providers. But, did you know the AddressTwo CRM software is more than "just a CRM"? AddressTwo can also serve as your Email Marketing Service Provider (EMSP). But how does it really stack up against some of the other email marketing providers like Constant Contact and MailChimp? After all, at its core, AddressTwo is a CRM. Can it really be both a great CRM AND a great EMSP?  We think it is! Let's take a look at some of the more popular providers for email marketing and see how AddressTwo compares, shall we?

Email Marketing & You

Before we look at any of the EMSP’s, though, we must set out the first distinction.  If all you want to do is send email, and a CRM is not on your list of requirements, then AddressTwo is probably not the best solution. AddressTwo is, first and foremost, a CRM, but it includes email marketing tools. And tasks. And lots of other cool things. 

That means, if you only need email marketing, don’t buy a CRM. While we believe every small business needs a CRM, we know sometimes you have to start somewhere. However, if you need a CRM for contact management and want to do email marketing too, then AddressTwo is a great solution.Whether you're already doing these things or want to in the future, AddressTwo can help.

Email Marketing & Monkeys: MailChimp

Who doesn't love free? (I love free!) And who doesn't love a cute monkey? (I love monkeys!) All kidding aside, MailChimp is a powerhouse when it comes to email marketing. For free, (yes, free forever*) you can send out up to 12,000 emails per month as long as you have under 2,000 subscribers. True to their word, they won't even take your credit card "just in case." For free (within the limits of course), you can send some pretty sweet emails to your list. You also can easily add tons of photos into your library without worrying about space. Unfortunately, not all is perfect in the "free" world.  

In MailChimp’s free plan, you can't take advantage of some of the more sophisticated reporting features and there’s no autoresponders. Of course, for a small list, doing things manually isn't too bad. But the closer you are to the 2,000 subscriber threshold, the more painful those limits become.

MailChimp calculates your plan structure based on the number of subscribers, rather than the number of emails you send. So, if you have 5,000 subscribers and send them one email or 100 (not recommended) per month, the charge is the same. Your charge for such a list would be $50, allowing you the full set of features (including autoresponders). At subscriber 5,001, your cost goes up to $75 per month. Again, you'll get charged based on your number of subscribers instead of the number of emails you send.

Email Marketing Juggernaut: Constant Contact

Admittedly, Constant Contact is an email marketing juggernaut (What? It's a cool word!). They've become a go-to resource for small businesses looking to manage their email marketing.  What makes them so great? First, you can start for free for the first 60 days. During that trial, you can send emails to your heart's content as long as you don't have more than 100 email addresses. After that, you graduate to an official plan.

Like MailChimp, plans are based on number of subscribers but before we talk about price, let's talk about features. Hands down, Constant Contact has easy to use templates. This is great for those of us who weren't born speaking HTML or CSS. And Constant Contact includes right away something our banana-loving friends do not: autoresponders. They also offer personal support. Once you sign up for an account, be prepared to hear from one of their representatives who will help you get setup.

If your email list is small (under 2,500), a Constant Contact plan is under $30 per month. At 2,501 and up, like MailChimp, you're looking at spending $50 per month.

Simple CRM and Email Marketing Too: AddressTwo

So how about AddressTwo? Which is the better choice? Both MailChimp and Constant Contact have some amazing features but to really get the best use of them, you'll definitely be looking at one of their paid plans. Money aside, while MailChimp is free, the learning curve is a little longer and their support relies heavily on your ability to navigate their provided videos and knowledge base.

Constant Contact has incredible templates to choose from but you’re limited in your photo options (you have to pay to store more than five in your library). Perhaps you can overlook that limitation when you consider the one-on-one support you get.

However, AddressTwo is not only your EMSP but also your CRM, meaning you can truly manage your database and its activity, rather than just storing information to push out a communication. With AddressTwo, you can both manage your contacts and do your email marketing for a monthly charge of $34.95 (Professional Edition) for unlimited contacts & users. You then email on a pay as you go basis (or can upgrade). The cost for sending out 5,000 emails would only be $25.00. No monthly fee, just pay for what you use, as you use it, whether it's one email, 10, 100, or 100,000. You can even purchase a monthly plan that includes your monthly emails if you know exactly how many emails you'll be sending per month.

AddressTwo also allows you to specifically target using lists. So instead of sending 5,000 emails to everyone on your list, you can segment your database and only target the ones you want to reach. Have multiple products? Want to limit your geographic reach? No problem. 

AddressTwo's unique ability to truly target your market (rather than a general group subscribed to your newsletter) amps up your marketing power to a priceless level. Oh, and that doesn't even include the amazing one-on-one service. The AddressTwo team is always here for you, runs weekly webinars to help you make the most of AddressTwo and is committed to what you need and want, so we can make the tool even better for you!

Don’t get us wrong, we have much love for our EMSP cousins. But hopefully you now see the value of having a combined CRM and EMSP like AddressTwo.  If you'd like to chat about email marketing using AddressTwo, feel free to call us anytime! Or click here for a free trial today!

Two Dimensions of Influence

If you haven't ever visited our sister site: www.influenceofmarketing.com, you should take that opportunity now.  AddressTwo is a powerful CRM system and database marketing tool, but if you don't have a strategy for turning your database into business, then it's not going to be that helpful for you.  You need to think through your plan for building a database and for marketing to that database.

In essence, those are what we call the two dimensions of influence.  In the Influence of Marketing methodology, we focus on two dimensions: breadth and depth.  Breadth of influence is how many people you have in your database.  Depth of influence is how much influence you have over those people.  Primarily: can you affect a buying decision or not?

Now, AddressTwo offers features to help in the expansion of both dimensions.  First, with breadth of influence, we offer a free contact form for your website. This simple form can be created by logging into AddressTwo, and from your dashboard, click the "How?" link atop the "Recent Website Leads" box.  You can custom design a form for converting leads from your website.  Another handy tool that we've created is Addy's ability to add new people to your database when you email them.  If Addy is CC'ed or BCC'ed on your outbound email and the recipient is not yet in your database, then Addy will automatically take two actions: (1) create a new account for that contact and (2) send them a verification request to fill in the blanks.  You can find these Addy-created accounts on your dashboard in the box called "New from Addy."

Secondly, the real power of AddressTwo as a CRM system is the tools it provides for expanding your depth of influence.  This is the real bread-and-butter of what AddressTwo was designed to do.  I can't even list here all the ways that AddressTwo can help with this, but to name a few high-points, let's start with drip emails. 

Drip Marketing is the most important part of any Influence of Marketing methodology.  Those contact forms that you install on your website can be configured to trigger an automated series of response emails (also called Autoresponders) from AddresTwo.  Beyond that, you can also use the Task Manager to trigger a series of follow-up actions for sales people in your organization that is also queued automatically from a contact form.  The list is endless of ways you can use AddressTwo to deepen influence.  Just watch our tutorials.  The program is full of them.

The most important part, though, is that you realize that these two dimensions are separate objectives.  Create two strategies: one for increasing breadth, and one for increasing depth.  Approach your marketing with this simple dichotomy and you will gain impressive results.