The Taskbar is an incredibly handy feature in GoldMine. And, because I find a lot of organizations and users are either not aware of or are not using it, I should begin with a brief explanation of the GoldMine Taskbar.

On a tangent note, it never ceases to amaze me how many fantastic features in GoldMine people don’t know about it! Don’t get me started on why I believe this is the case. But, one of the reasons I take the time to write this GoldMine Success Newsletter is to expose users to the possibilities their software has to help them sell more, market better, and manage smarter. Now back to this issue’s Tech Tip …

The GoldMine Taskbar is a navigational tool – meaning it is used to get around the application. The Taskbar gives you a handy and quick way to:

1) Go to places in GoldMine (menu items)

2) Launch web sites,

3) Open documents (Word, Excel, PDF, Images, or any other kind of file)

4) Launch other software applications

5) Trigger a GoldMine Macro.

The GoldMine Taskbar is nothing until you customize it. In other words, out-of-the-box there’s nothing useful about it, however, once it is personalized, either for all your users or just your own individual Taskbar, it becomes a power tool that will save you time & effort throughout your day. (Learn more – First Direct has a webinar on how to be more productive by using GoldMine’s Taskbar.)

If you’ve been using the Taskbar you probably have already added a document to it. It’s a cinch – just a right click “add item,” choose “document link,” and then browse out to find and “open” the specific file you want to link. But, if you’ve ever tried to add a whole “file folder” containing the paths to any number of files, you would have found out that you can not select a folder. Or so you thought!

The way to link a folder is so easy it made me chuckle when it occurred to me how simple it is. Just add a “website” link and instead of typing a URL, type a file location. It will look like this file:/// followed by the drive letter and file path. That’s it! Then you’ll have a GoldMine Taskbar entry which will open your identified folder so you can then select any file you want.

This is great for creating handy links to folders with too many items to put individually on your taskbar. Some examples I’ve come across for this include folders with product literature, graphics, price lists, project information, etc.

As you know, in GoldMine Premium some pull down menus have changed. And, some new features have been added. So for all of you GoldMine Administrators out there, it’s time to revisit your “User Properties” and “Security Profiles” in order to update their available “Menus.” 

When you do, the User Properties dialogue window may confuse you because you’ll see the old menu layout. FrontRange is due to change this, and hopefully they do before the next issue of this newsletter. Nonetheless it is still worthwhile for you to revisit the settings you’ve applied to your users. Chances are if you haven’t done this in some time, or if you are running either the default settings or those your Solution Partner may have done for you when the software was first installed, you are bound to find appropriate changes to improve security as well as to cut down on the unnecessary and confusing choices your users face of features which they do not need, and should not be given!

Making intelligent decisions about what your “GoldMine User Properties” should be is a lot more difficult than doing the changes themselves. These choices require a full understanding and appreciation of the implications that will affect your users.  In other words, checking or un-checking a box doesn’t require any technical skills … but knowing the effect when you do takes considerable familiarity with the GoldMine application itself and CRM acumen.  If you want an expert input, contact First Direct Corporation.

Our Golden Nugget this issue is about company called RSight Investigations, Inc.. (http://www.rsight.com)  As their name implies, RSight provides investigative services to the insurance industry, employers, TPAs, and others.

The RSight organization started using GoldMine since its inception in 1999.  The customer had originally contacted First Direct back in Sept. of 2003, however, as it turns out they purchased GoldMine from another vendor.  In 2007, RSight decided it was time to take GoldMine to the next level and they turned to First Direct to help make it happen. 

One reason they remembered First Direct was that they had received marketing communications from them ever since their initial inquiry. This impressed decision makers at RSight who saw that First Direct was knowledgeable on how to market effectively with GoldMine.

Sandra von Eschenbach saw what their organization could do with GoldMine Premium as a result of a couple demonstrations by First Direct and the firm moved forward with an upgrade of their 28 user GoldMine system through First Direct Corp. 

With First Direct Corp.’s support, RSight has developed a dramatically new approach to using GoldMine to meet the needs of their complicated workflow.  The changes to their GoldMine configuration enable them to improve operating efficiency and customer satisfaction.  According to Sandra, “With the use of Record Typing, redesigning our Primary Views, and creating considerable number of specialized SQL Queries the organization can access information more quickly and use it to enable our staff to focus on their activities.” 

To overcome some unique database challenges, and better communicate with clients, RSight deployed EmailRush and MasterMine.  Steve Cassell, President, says, “We attribute First Direct with innovative ideas and solutions to help us achieve our objectives through GoldMine.”
                          
Sandra adds, “What we are doing today with GoldMine would not have been possible without the upgrade to Premium Edition and the assistance of First Direct.  They have been fantastic!”

Read the case study

In this issue of GoldMine Success I’ve already mentioned SQL Queries.  But I realize that many of my readers don’t know what I’m talking about when I say “SQL Queries,” let alone why this is such a great feature in GoldMine Premium.  So, this article will provide you a brief explanation and hopefully some understanding of this fantastic tool.

Let’s begin with a broader explanation of what a SQL Query is, and then I’ll bring it back to its place within GoldMine. 

GoldMine Premium runs on Microsoft SQL.  Microsoft SQL Server is a relational database management system (RDBMS) produced by Microsoft Corporation. Its primary query language is Transact-SQL, an implementation of the ANSI/ISO standard Structured Query Language (SQL) used by both Microsoft and Sybase. 

SQL is a standard interactive and programming language for querying and modifying data and managing databases.  IBM deserves credit here because the first version of SQL was developed at IBM by Donald D. Chamberlin and Raymond F. Boyce in the early 1970s. (Windows isn’t the only thing IBM paid to develop.J)  This version, initially called SEQUEL, was designed to manipulate and retrieve data stored in IBM’s original relational database product. 

The most common operation in SQL databases is the query, which is performed with the declarative SELECT keyword. SELECT retrieves data from a specified table, or multiple related tables, in a database.  SQL queries allow the user to specify a description of the desired result set.  A SQL query returns a list of columns with all the relevant data.

OK … maybe I have you more confused, so let’s say all this another way and get to the point at the same time!   If you want to find and see specific information stored in your SQL database, a “SQL Query” is one way to do it!

Now let’s talk about what this has to do with GoldMine.  First of all, since GoldMine7x., all the data “stored in GoldMine” is actually really all stored in a MS SQL database.  (It’s in either MS SQL 2000 or 2005, depending on when you purchased GoldMine and if you’ve upgraded your SQL.) 

Here’s the implication!  Because your data is in SQL, you can QUERY it!!  Which also means you can find and see information with SQL queries that you can’t get to with the standard GoldMine pull down menus and screens.  The implications are huge! 

SQL Queries, which can be run and looked at from within the SQL Tab of the Filters & Groups Menu as well as other Query tools, unlocks information in ways you couldn’t have before.  It gives you the ability to apply conditions so that you can select and see your information a multitude of ways.  It can literally change the whole value proposition of your GoldMine database! 

The applications are far reaching including but not limited to better workflow, better management information, ability to target market, etc., etc. 

The possibilities are so great that I can’t cover them all in one article. This is why I’ve decided to organize a webinar to show you.  Would you be interested in the details?  Click here to register and I’ll invite you to the event once I’ve locked down the specifics.

It’s worth mentioning that SQL Reporting Services is another just as powerful feature that comes with your Microsoft SQL.  SQL Reporting Services was greatly enhanced with SQL 2005, and further so in SQL 2008.  First Direct Corporation also has training and technical services available to help you leverage this feature with your GoldMine software.  Let us know if you’re interested!

Last but not least, if you’d like our help writing a SQL query, just contact my office.  Send me an email describing the nature of your query and we will contact you.  A lot of times we can write the query pretty quickly and email it back to you with instructions on how to easily put in your system and start using it.

This article begins with comments about the value of information and then progresses on to offer some suggestions for using GoldMine Premium.

If “information is power” then your access to it will determine your power to sell.  Here’s another old adage that speaks to the point of this article.  Know your audience!  Sales is contextual … meaning what you say and what you do relates to who you’re dealing with. 

It’s true that your ability to be effective as a salesperson depends on having access to facts, figures, and historical details regarding the consumer or business you are working with.  The more accessible the information you need to sell is, the better you can sell and the more you’ll sell, not mention the value it has for servicing your customers. 

What kind of information?  Some of the information you need is obvious – name, company, phone, email, and relevant qualifying details.  But you also should be collecting information to satisfy your marketing and management reporting needs such as lead source, industry, etc. 

In addition, if you are a real smart operator, you can appreciate the usefulness of less obvious details such as the age of the lead, when they were last contacted, a history of previous sales, credit status, customer service history, etc.

Enough said about what you need; what I’d most like to point out is how GoldMine Premium can help you access it.

To begin with, GoldMine Premium’s screen design has moved to a maximized view of the record with convenient tabbed access to windows such as your calendar, activity list, and email center.  In doing so, the top half of the screen provides much more space in which to layout fields.  Bringing fields up to the top half of the screen that were previously in the “Summary” and “Fields” Tab will display information at glance, so you can do less “clicking around.”

Plus, what many users don’t know is that you have the ability to have multiple “Primary Views.”  Primary Views are different screen layouts that you can apply to the top half of the records in GoldMine.  You can also automatically drive which screen is displayed using Record Type Rules which change the screen based on the value of the data in “Key1.”  (Click here to learn more about Record Typing) 

Within GoldMine Premium you can also have a GM+ View Tab or GM Browser Window that presents an entirely custom layout of information.  Because these screens in GoldMine use Internet Explorer to present HTML, your options for presenting information are practically limitless.  You can organize information the way you want, drill-down, and even tie in to external data from other applications in your office or from over the Internet.  

There’s even more possibilities using SQL Reporting Services and SQL Queries!  These tools, made possible because GoldMine Premium runs on MS SQL 2000/2005, offer firms powerful capabilities that can put the right information at your finger tips so you can target and analyze your sales activities far better than before!

This is all very powerful.  It’s time to think of new and creative ways that you and your organization can use information to sell more.  If you have an idea, and you’re wondering if it can be done with GoldMine, let alone how to do it, contact First Direct Corporation – we’re here to help you.

Consider this …

First Direct Corp. is having a webinar on April 2nd titled, “Using GoldMine Through The Eyes of a Sales Rep – A Sales Centric Approach to Using GoldMine.” 

One of the many advantages of GoldMine over other CRM applications like ACT! and Outlook Business Contact Manager is the “Details Tab” that GoldMine has for storing “one-too-many” types of information. 

Unlike a “Flat Field” which can only store one entry per field per record, the “Details Tab” stores data in an indexed table row.  This means you can enter a type of information once or several times for each GoldMine record.  So, when you’re dealing with the need to record information in a Record that may occur multiple times you don’t have the limitations and problems that “fields” has.  Here’s some examples of the kinds of “Details” I’ve seen organizations store in Details:  Serial Numbers, Parts, Policies, Accounts, Registrations, Expirations, etc.

There are more good reasons to use Details in GoldMine.

For each type of Detail you create in GoldMine, the system automatically gives you the ability to store 10 additional related pieces of information.  For example, if you’re capturing a Detail about a Registration, or Serial number, etc., you may want to enter a related date, notes, etc. 

Another nice aspect of GoldMine Details is that the system automatically tracks the date a user entered the original information and the date your entry was last modified, each along with the “user” in GoldMine who did so.  This “audit trail” is great for referencing and reporting!

Keep in mind that all the data you enter into Details can be reported or used in SQL queries. There are many ways to make uses of GoldMine Details.  If you have a situation where “flat fields” just simply are not designed for what you need, it may be time to consider Details.

The features and benefits of the Details Tab can be greatly expanded with an “add-on product” called “Details Plus.”  Now with the latest edition of Details Plus, this longtime popular product is even better. 

Learn more about Details and Details Plus from First Direct Corporation and give us a call.