Remember when we used to ask, “Do you have an email address?” Now the question is, “Which email address do you want me to use.” If you’re managing multiple email addresses/accounts yourself, you can use your GoldMine email Center to retrieve emails from all your accounts. Goldmine has the ability to communicate with different mail servers based on their authentication protocols. The authentication protocol allows the user to transmit password or other identification from your system to the mail server. GoldMine supports three methods of authentication protocol: PASS, APOP, and SPA. We will deal with the PASS protocol which transmits your password without encryption, though it can leave your password vulnerable. Just use the following steps to set up your additional accounts.

• Launch GoldMine
• Select Edit | Preferences | Internet
• Select the Accounts button
• Select New
• Type an Account Name
• Define each of the following fields: POP3 server, username, password, SMTP server and your return address

It’s that simple to set up multiple accounts! In the next issue we’ll configure your Internet preferences.

A water testing firm needed a way to track correspondence between themselves, their clients, and testing laboratories, as well as maintain a comprehensive testing schedule. A GoldMine Solutions Partner suggested an approach that has proven to be very useful for the firm.

Due to the need for the firm to track information about multiple sites/wells, the “one record per company/contact” tradition would not suit their needs. Instead, a contact record was created for each test site, and a uniquely identifiable ID was given to each. To help their clients comply with state regulated testing, the recurring schedule feature in GoldMine was used to prompt quarterly, monthly, and annual tests, using activity codes and references. Custom reports easily identify upcoming testing needs so the firm can notify both the clients who need the testing, and the laboratories that do the testing.

It’s been said, “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.” GoldMine is a great tool for tracking and measuring sales activities, but it can often be challenging to analyze the data.

GoldMine’s “Statistical Analysis” feature is effective for tabulating overall calls, appointments, etc. It’s also useful for counting one-up “Activity Codes” during a data range for one or many users. However, if you need a more powerful dynamic analysis tool with graphical capabilities, consider MasterMine Software. It combines the best of Excel with the best of GoldMine by letting you produce analytically rich “Pivot Tables” in seconds. See a demonstration of MasterMine and you’ll recognize in seconds the potential for using your GoldMine data to effectively measure and manage just about anything you want!

The new task bar area in GoldMine 5.7 Business Contact Manager provides greater capability to add icons to perform various functions including:

• Macros to drive main menu commands
• Custom user recorded macros
• Launch other applications
• Launch documents or executable files
• Go to favorite web sites

Think of the possibilities! You can quickly appreciate how these new capabilities will save you time and increase productivity.

• Performing prevalent tasks
• Opening needed applications
• Performing functions that you may have set-up to be run with an executable file
• Pulling up frequently used pricing sheets or documents
• Going to a favorite site

To add an item to a task bar group, simply right click in the task area and select “add new item.” Then, from the “Item Selection” drop down list, choose the type of item you want to add. Go on to make the appropriate further decisions to complete the procedure.

Keep in mind that the task bar groups can be local for your individual use or system wide for global or shared use. If the additions/modifications you are making only apply to you, versus other GoldMine users, make sure you’re doing these on a “global group.” (Only Master Rights users can add/edit to global group task bars.)

Take the time to organize your task bar groups to suit your daily selling activities. GoldMine power users who rely on GoldMine to manage their time and sales follow-up, find they live on GoldMine. These new task bar resources put much greater capabilities at your fingertips

Whether you have a big or small marketing budget…sometimes less is more. Here’s what I mean.

Short, simple text-only communications to prospects and customers can be just as effective as expensive fancy marketing pieces. In fact, they can even be better. Consider these four drawbacks to more elaborate campaigns.

1. Today, the attention span of consumers is nearly nonexistent. The longer the message, the more appealing it needs be in order to pull the reader in.
2. It’s difficult and expensive to produce an impressive or attractive marketing piece. Besides, with consumer expectations as high as they are, a campaign is more likely to fall short of any powerful or lasting impression anyway.  

3. In the time it takes to conceive, plan, develop, and produce even a modest quality campaign, the marketing opportunity can pass you by.  

4. The instincts of the consumer recognize any mass produced campaign piece as being just that, mass marketing, rather than a personal communication. In other words, consumers don’t feel as though there is a real person on the sending end. Therefore, the affects of personalization are diminished. The recipient feels no sense of obligation to respond.

Consider the alterative classic guerilla marketing strategy. Quickie emails, letters and faxes. Good news for GoldMine users who already have the perfect tool for executing such campaigns.

The trick is to think of a compelling message and then create a highly personalized, extremely brief communication with one main key point and a clear call to action. I’m talking about a few sentences in an email. Or, two or three short paragraphs in a fax or letter. Nothing fancy – no big words, no strong graphics (a logo, maybe)! Use simple, sincere wording, phrased as though it was written by the sender to one person and one person only. This is the kind of marketing campaign that would not even be suspected as being a marketing campaign. Yet, it is a campaign with these major marketing advantages:

• It’s easy and inexpensive to produce
• It can go to market in hours, much less days
• It works as effectively for ten as it does for a thousand
• The feel is personal by its very nature
• What you send gets read!!!

Since it is so easy to tweak the message, you can even target your campaigns based on details you have in GoldMine about your subject audience. So, less is more. And, since it’s less expensive, your ROI should be more too!