If you turn to the Internet to find out more information about a contact in our database you’ll love this. (e.g. driving directions, company research, etc.)  By customizing GoldMine’s Internet Search feature you can automatically pass necessary GoldMine Record information to web forms. Let’s look at the following example, using the search engine Google.com:

First we need to understand that a web form uses variables to store a visitor’s input. Let’s say we’re searching for the company “FrontRange Solutions.” We go to Google.com and type “FrontRange Solutions” in the search box, and click the “Google Search” button. Google will now display its search results. Notice the URL address has changed from http://www.google.com to http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=FrontRange+Solutions. The part that we are interested in is the “&q=FrontRange+Solutions.”

This tells us that Google uses a variable named “&q” to store our search query text. Now in GoldMine create a new Internet Search entry for Google. We go to our menu Lookup->Internet Search, and click on the pencil and ruler icon to edit the ISearch.ini properties. Then we add the following section to the ini file:

[Google]

URL1= http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

Data= &q=<<COMPANY>>

Icon=5

The above section creates a new Icon for Google. When clicked GoldMine will pass the current contact’s company name to Google, and submit the search. GoldMine version 5.7 adds to this capability by allowing us to create a taskbar icon to perform the same search. These features will save your users time by preventing them having to type information that is already in GoldMine.  If you follow this train of thinking, you can also add these searches to your GoldMine task bar. 

If you turn to the Internet to find out more information about a contact in our database you’ll love this. (e.g. driving directions, company research, etc.)  By customizing GoldMine’s Internet Search feature you can automatically pass necessary GoldMine Record information to web forms. Let’s look at the following example, using the search engine Google.com:

First we need to understand that a web form uses variables to store a visitor’s input. Let’s say we’re searching for the company “FrontRange Solutions.” We go to Google.com and type “FrontRange Solutions” in the search box, and click the “Google Search” button. Google will now display its search results. Notice the URL address has changed from http://www.google.com to http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=FrontRange+Solutions. The part that we are interested in is the “&q=FrontRange+Solutions.”

This tells us that Google uses a variable named “&q” to store our search text. Now in GoldMine create a new Internet Search entry for Google. We go to our menu Lookup->Internet Search, and click on the pencil and ruler icon to edit the ISearch.ini properties. Then we add the following section to the ini file:

[Google]

URL1= http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

Data= &q=<<COMPANY>>

Icon=5

The above section creates a new Icon for Google. When clicked GoldMine will pass the current contact’s company name to Google, and submit the search. GoldMine version 5.7 adds to this capability by allowing us to create a taskbar icon to perform the same search. These features will save your users time by preventing them having to type information that is already in GoldMine.  If you follow this train of thinking, you can also add these searches to your GoldMine task bar.

A mortgage finance firm looking for a better way to delegate interoffice action requests immediately recognized the benefits of GoldMine’s new Global Task Bar. Their Mortgage Processors regularly need to ask certain staff to order credit reports, title reports, payoff statements, etc. The people who perform those actions then let the processor know that they’ve done so. Now with GoldMine 5.7, using “Macros” on the Global Task Bar everyone can submit those requests with the click of a mouse. Using Alarms and the RSVP Option in Activity scheduling the administrator is immediately alerted of the request and the delegating party is automatically emailed when the task is completed. Neat and complete!

Soon, using GoldMine Automated Processes, they plan to improve upon inquiry handling, seminar registration and follow up, plus much more. In an office where paperwork and files are sometimes overwhelming, it is very appealing to automate communications to help their team function more efficiently without paper.

Another important benefit of GoldMine is the marketing and sales features. While their business is very methodical when it comes to entering client applications into a mortgage processing program, they’re needed to be a better system for handling “inquiries” (aka prospects). With GoldMine they can capture contact information, including lead source and other key facts, and then systematically conduct and track follow up, as well as report results. All terrific ways GoldMine can be used to squeeze greater returns from their advertising and referrals.

Perish the thought of taking away Outlook? Maybe not! Believe it or not, there are thousands of GoldMine users who have no need for Microsoft Outlook and many who frankly don’t miss it a bit.

While at the same time GoldMine offers more features for integrating with your Microsoft Outlook than ever before, there are many GoldMine users who could care less, or even prefer to keep Outlook off the desktop. Here are some reasons sales managers and users may want to take the stance that GoldMine IS the company’s business email client:

■Computer viruses are very commonly written to use Outlook’s address book for self-propagating
■Outlook tends to hold a great deal of personal email and contacts
■Important information that should be shared and accessible to others in the company may be stored in inaccessible personal folders
■Outlook data often “disappears” once a person leaves
■Contact information, such as faxes, email addresses, etc. maybe hard to round up for campaigns. And, once various personal folders are compiled there is often a duplicate problem.
■Non-authorized confidential company information is available for most users to export
GoldMine 5.7′s email client and email center are full featured and possess all the bells & whistles one needs to manage email communications. And, you can easily avoid the pitfalls listed above.

It’s this author’s opinion that one reason more firms don’t make the decision to rely completely on GoldMine email is that the decision makers are part of the problem – they find it just as appealing as their staff does to take advantage of features that favor the user, rather than the organization’s interests. On the other hand, a dedicated employee whose focus is to help the company achieve its mission will do what’s in the firm’s best interests to achieve their personal success in the process. Entrepreneurs, as well as Presidents, CFOs, and CEOs who are reading this article, wake up and smell the coffee. If you don’t put your foot down on this subject, chances are it isn’t going to happen.

The other reason people don’t change is the “comfort factor.” Folks are comfortable with Outlook email. They haven’t familiarized themselves with GoldMine’s client or email center. And, maybe they find GoldMine’s “linking” feature strange. (Frankly, this linking feature which make’s GoldMine email so powerful and appealing.)

Making GoldMine’s email system a requirement for sales, marketing and certain support personnel, doesn’t mean that you have to require it throughout the firm. Nor does it mean that you have to entirely take away Outlook or Outlook express as client for “personal” types of communication.

Life can function without Outlook. And with GoldMine, you may find your business functions much better!

Outlook® is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corp.

Since it is so common to be put into voicemail on prospecting/sales calls, consider an alternative approach that leverages GoldMine in order to make more effective use of your “LM” (Left Message) calls.

Here is a strategy you or your whole sales force can deploy to make the most of voicemail on “prospecting calls.” To begin with, prepare a great little message that sales reps can leave. In the message, point out to the prospect that you’re going to send them something and then follow up to make sure they received it and see if they are interested. Create a GoldMine Automated Process that can be assigned to a “Prospecting Call” with a “LM” result. Here are the events and actions that you might have it perform:

1. “Create a History” of “PC” (Prospecting Call) activity with an “LM” (Left Message) result code

2. “Send an email” or schedule a fax with OmniRush that introduces you, with a link to your web site, referencing your left message and the fact that you’re sending your business card, etc.

3. “Print a Form” as a cover letter for your business card, etc.

4. “Print a Report” using GoldMine (with or without OmniRush) to print an envelope or label with a Dymo® LabelWriter

5. “Schedule an Activity” for a follow-up call in your calendar for specific number of days in the future

If only once click could do all this, wouldn’t you do it! If you need OmniRush, a label writer or help with creating an Automated Process, your Solution Partner can assist you.

Having done all this on your first call, then your next follow-up call will leverage proven sales techniques for literature follow up in order to improve your odds of directly reaching your prospect. And, once you do reach them, they’ll have a better sense of what you can do for them. Of course they still need to want what you have to offer, but at least with this approach and a little luck in terms of timing, you’re certainly better off on your second call than you would be otherwise!

Equipped with a short and sweet voicemail script and this GoldMine Automated Process you will be more effective and start to feel more successful even on “left message calls.”

I don’t suppose your prospects generally take the time to tell you that your decision maker has left their company and to please redirect all future sales and marketing communications to the new person who has replaced them. (Yeah right!) Maybe your customers even forget to do this.

Suppose there was a free service that automatically gives you a list of every one of your business contacts that is no longer with the firm you knew them to be with. Wouldn’t this be handy!

People move on. And in business it’s over 30% annually. With a long sales cycle, as well as the fact that some companies may not be in the market one year and then be serious buyers the next, staying in touch for the long haul is critical to the success of marketing and sales. Furthermore, relationships with current customers can hinge on the relationship you have with one person. If they go, you now have to start building a new relationship with someone who may be predisposed to taking your account elsewhere. Suffice to say that it is essential to know when your “contacts” move on!

Email is one cost effective strategy for identifying key contacts who may have moved on. Undeliverable email will automatically bounce back to the sender. And, unlike the postal service that charges for address change notification, this way is free! Besides, with B-to-B address change notification through the Post Office is only effective for telling you that the firm has relocated. It’s not effective for personnel changes. What you need to do is email.

If you do a broadcast email, within 24 hours you’ve received notifications of not only bad addresses, but also for folks who are no longer with the company.

Using GoldMine’s email rules, you can automatically file all those bad emails into an “undeliverable folder.” By looking up email addresses (Lookup Menu > Details > email Address) or using eGrabber you can easily identify the records in GoldMine that you need to follow up and identify a replacement for, or at least a corrected email.

With this strategy in mind, “Return to Sender” takes on a new meaning and a new value!