Recently my ole friend, now Dr. Simon, asked me to write an article for his website and blog.  I jumped at the offer and was all too happy to contribute.  The result is an article that any entrepreneur (active or nascent) can I'm sure relate to.  Have a read and check out my friend Mark's other articles and resources!  Click her to follow the link to the Balanced Entrepreneur Website and blog.

Dashboards function real-time with interactive access to data in GoldMine, as well as external MS SQL data on the server which may be stored in another system such as an accounting application.

Dashboards provide the ability to view your data graphically (in a chart) along with the means to drill down (click)  into elements of the chart in order to view that actual data in a  grid/table view.  One can dig further with "links" in the table that will launch the actual window and data the grid is based on.  For example, you could go from a graph of your sales pipeline to a list of the deals and then to the actual forecasted sale pending in a specific GoldMine record.

GoldMine supplies approximately 10 pre-designed dashboards consisting of numerous sub-reports.  Because a dashboard consists of many "parts," an individual dashboard can present many alternative ways to view information.  Data "binding" creates a dynamic result where the information in a report updates as you drive from one selection (click) to another within the report.  Dashboards can contain a drop down filter within them so one can control parameters the reader wishes to select, such as a date range or  territory.

There is also the capability of copying and modifying the stock reports or creating new reports.  A "design" view that is open to Master Users features many tools for creating custom reports tailored to your business processes and how you use GoldMine, your users' needs, and your security concerns.  Security functions within the dashboard allow administrators to control the user's ability to view, print, or output the information.

Within the parts of a report a user can modify the view in order to select a different graph style or to change the colors, hide the legend, etc.  The local menu for these functions is available from the "right click" in the report section or from an available "toolbar."

Management has obvious interests in reporting.  Dashboards can enhance decision making.  By the same token, dashboards can also provide highly useful work-flow advantages.  So your organization would do well to create dashboards which help users at every level of your organization to be more productive and effective!

As simple as they are to use, the one major drawback of Dashboards is the complexity involved with creating them!  They are very difficult to learn and even an experienced programmer will find that creating & modifying dashboards is hard to figure out and do.   On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the hardest I would give GoldMine dashboards a 9 and Crystal Report, which also ships with GoldMine, a 7.5.  But once a dashboard is created, it ought to be very simple for the users to run!  An alternative add-on tool that makes it simple to create robust reports with graphical abilities is MasterMine.

First Direct Corp. offers professional assistance on this subject and can even create dashboards for you.  We also conduct a GoldMine Dashboard training class to introduce your organization to the features and benefits of GoldMine dashboards.  Request a free, no-obligation demonstration of either GoldMine dashboards or MasterMine if you're interested.

In the competitive arena of sales, and generally where people’s activities are concerned, most of the emphasis is on recognizing and rewarding success.  There is little attention given to failure.  We tend to reward success and tell people to “keep up the good work.”

Failure is success inside out:

It may seem strange to talk about failure, but what success story doesn’t have a prologue about failure?  Failure is as much a part of success as creativity, hard work, and timing.  In the area of R&D the part failure plays in success is widely known.  IBM's rumored motto about mistakes is legendary: “Fail Faster.” Such high importance has been placed on learning from failure that it has be said that the need is to "fail faster to succeed sooner."

If all we do is “keep up the good work,” there can be a tendency for entropy to creep in.  Change comes from an effort to make improvements and fixes.  In some ways, more can come from failure than our success.  That’s why there’s a lot to be gained by finding failure in one’s CRM system!

Failures cost you more than you think:

Success has a value, whereas failure has a cost and a lost value. (The cost of doing it wrong and the lost value that was not realized had the failure been turned into a success instead.)  Failure repeats itself.  If you find one failure, chances are there are many.  The cost of failure can be high when it’s fully calculated.  (e.g. leads that are not followed-up, broken links on a PPC search term, forgotten sales opportunities, call backs that are not made, timed follow-ups that are missed, not getting referrals, not fixing undeliverable email addresses, etc.)

Failures hide out in the grass:

Failure hides out! It’s easy to overlook failures.  For one, people boast about their successes, and keep quiet about their failures.  In fact, while the common perception is that salespeople are reluctant to use CRM because other salespeople can “steal their leads,” I believe the main fear comes from their intuitive sense that CRM will reveal their failures.   Truthfully, salespeople have more to gain by embracing a tool that identifies their failures!

Failures often come in the way of omissions which can make them more difficult to spot.  Consider synonyms for the word Omission and you can start to appreciate why it I believe it is so closely tied to failure:  blank, breach, break, cancellation, carelessness, chasm, cutting out, default, disregard, elimination, exclusion, failure, forgetfulness, gap, ignoring, lack, lapse, leaving out, missing, neglect, overlooking, oversight, skip, slip, and withholding. CRM can help you locate meaningful “omissions” so that you can do something about them.

The irony is that the failure I am speaking about finding in your CRM is really about missed opportunities, which is something we’re all interested in.  Therefore, what we have is a whole bunch of missed opportunities that are hiding out in the fields as failures.  If we till the fields we can surely turn up missed opportunities to grow our success!

What might we find when we get our hands dirty and dig into our failures?  Here are some examples of what you can find when you a find a failure:

• An undeliverable B2B Email >> a change in our decision maker
• A missing field value that is the basis for creating a marketing list >> grow our marketing list
• A missed goal learned by finding the raw data >> a prospect that was being overlooked
• An incoming email marked “false positive” as spam >> a lost quote request from someone who got blocked
• A past due open service issue >> a customer that may turn away from us
• A lead that has not been updated >> a lead that’s not been followed up

Out-of-sight is out-of-mind!  What you don’t know can hurt you!

The problem with out-of-sight is that it is out-of-mind which means it is not being addressed.  And too often those oversights cost you business.

In a recent survey First Direct Corp. conducted with a manufacturing association it showed that business recognize that information isn’t a visible as it we’d like it to be:

30% do not believe sales is sufficiently following up on leads

80% have difficulty knowing the status of your leads in the database without personally asking the salesperson

40% don't believe interactions with prospects & customers are tracked and available to others who need the information

80% have to go asking for information that is important for others to collect on prospects & customers

60% find that changes to contact information that salespeople discover about customers/prospects is not supplied to marketing

Failure doesn’t have equal consequences:

Not all failures have equal consequences.  And addressing one failure may have substantially greater or lesser value over another.  The key now is to set your priorities.  Chances are you’ll want to focus on the failures with the greatest potential for improving your ROI.  For example, the consequences of not having someone’s email address are greater than not having some other piece of information.

Each organization’s priorities, needs, and business practices differ.  What is important and useful to one organization may not matter to another.

To overlook failure is to accept its fate!

While actions lead to success or failure. I am especially concerned with inaction.  Because, in my experience, it is not so much what people are doing that is leading to failure, as it is what they are not doing.  In my opinion, it is inaction and omission that are much more to blame for failure!  For example, how would you find a call you forgot to schedule?

The problem is that working up a smart way of identifying let alone managing failures is often beyond the skill set of the typical CRM user.  It begins - like many aspects of CRM - in the planning, design, and implementation of the system.  By simply providing a process and means by which one can find their failures, can go a long way in helping them do their job better.

To overlook a failure is to accept it as fate.  And because we’re going to see that the failures which a CRM system can expose occur on a perpetual basis, you need to develop solutions for handling failure which are driven by a process.  You could think of it as “Managing failure on the road to success!”

Take proactive steps to mitigate failure:

Managing failure is about being proactive.  Day in and day out we’re reactive, but in the process things slip by us. Things that should be done are overlooked and, once they are, if we don’t have a system for handling those overlooked situations they fall into an abyss and are lost.  Before we know it, we are onto the next hot thing.

We all have things that are falling through the cracks.  The difference in the way one can use CRM to pull up a list of what’s falling through the cracks and organize the information in ways that allow them to work from that.  Some examples:

• Ability to search based on multiple criteria to find a missed activity.  (example of a missing source)
• Ability to use search results as an action list
• Ability to delegate and/or get assistance on leads from support staff (example of Susie making my calls)

Leverage your CRM Functions:

• Queries & Reports to find details
• Create quick tasks and automation to help with productivity and proper lead follow-up
• Automatically update one field based on the value in another.   Validate a field entry to ensure entries will match up to searches

Answers to the best questions:

The best professionals ask the best questions.  Whether that professional is a doctor, lawyer, accountant, or a salesperson or marketing director.

Databases are used to store and use these answers.  Management tends to be selfish when it comes to reporting.  They want their reports, and often overlook their subordinates’ need for reports, including administrative staff.

Signs of failure in field information, activities, outcomes, etc:

1.     Missed date – Call, renewal, etc.

2.     Empty field – that could be the basis for a marketing list or report

3.     Lack of scheduled follow-up or in-activity in a relationship

4.     A changed classification – review lost deals for insights

5.     A goal or objective not achieved (20 calls a day)

6.     An negative outcome to a prospecting call – could provide an opportunity for coaching to improve effectiveness

7.     A lack of communication internally and externally  (E.g. An RSVP not responded)

Analyzing former prospects and customers to reveal competitive decisions

Compare Lead source figures from one year to another year may show a declining campaign

Qualitative Understanding:

What’s behind the numbers?  When you look below the surface of your failures, the information in your CRM can often provide a deeper understanding.  Here you hope to find the notes and explanation that provide a narrative for a more meaningful understanding.

• Comments – he said, I said
• A reason or response to a relevant follow-op question
• Raw data is seldom as insightful as graphical representations
• Clicking Into the Results - Anytime a user can act off the data with less steps, the more likely they are to do so and the more productive they can be
• Everything is relative and therefore when you are considering how you want to analyze things context is an important consideration.  A result in one place in a database often needs to be put in context with data in other places in a database.  Failure to follow-up may really be just a matter of honoring a request to not call or email. Lower volume in one area may be due to lower volume in another.  An external factor could have an impact.  A new rep may need time to come up to speed

In Conclusion:

There is no question that there are little and large failures taking place within every organization virtually every day.  If you accept that those same failures could be the seeds of success, then you have a simple choice to make.  Either you find and manage the situation in order to produce more desirable outcomes, or you accept failure as fate.

To begin with I'd actually like to take your expectations down a notch.  I believe one of the problems GoldMine administrators and organizations with GoldMine run into regarding the capabilities of Automated Processes is that they try to do too much too soon with it.   There are also unrealistic expectations.  So I want to offer a few simple examples of how I use Automated Processes that you might use as well.

Keep in mind that an Automated Process can be applied to a record very easily once it's created.  A couple of key strokes and it "does what it is designed to do."  So that might include:

• Record in GoldMine that you called and left a voicemail message to confirm an appointment and send a reminder email
• Queue up an email to follow-up a proposal
• Print a cover letter and schedule a literature follow-up call
• Mark a record for "Do Not Email" and notify your sales rep that their customer/prospect "opted out"

The possibilities for handling simple everyday tasks and recording them in your CRM system are as endless as the imagination.  But be practical.  Focus on the most prevalent needs you have -- those things that can immediately save time, reduce training, add consistency, and increase productivity.

First Direct conducts a 4-hour workshop on Automated Processes in which we cover much more detail and address more uses.  To look into that click here.  If you'd like one-on-one assistance with planning and implementing Automated Processes, just contact First Direct at 845-221-3800.

It is up to the GoldMine Administrator and management see to it that what users need to see and work with is visible or at least conveniently available.  While there are real and practical limitations to what can be displayed on any CRM record, there’s a lot that can be done to optimize how data appears in GoldMine Premium. Here is a list of a few areas in particular where you can make changes to the way your GoldMine system displays information:

1. Primary View – Otherwise known as the “Main View” or the top half of a GoldMine record.  With the “tab viewing” format in GoldMine Premium you gain nearly 75% more space than older versions of GoldMine to present fields.  Using a feature known as “Record Typing” to create custom Primary Views for different types of Records (e.g. prospects versus vendors) you can have unique Primary Views for each.  Pulling custom fields and Summary Tab expressions into your Primary Views is a great first step.  Then when people are on the Record they will be much more likely to see and/or capture valuable information.

2. Calendar Views – The default calendar views can be customized.  You can edit calendar preferences and options to add or hide types of activities.  You can also display your activity codes or even customize the view to show fields from the related records.

3. Dashboards, SQL Reporting Services, and SQL Queries – Information that helps with decision making, workflow, etc., can be provided with these functions in GoldMine Premium powered by Microsoft SQL.  This way you can offer customized views of data that are not otherwise available with GoldMine’s native UI (User Interface).

4. GM+Views and GM+Browser – Here’s a pallet that’s as flexible as HTML.  What do you need to see?  Maybe here is the place to build it.

5. Details – If you need it, here it is -- a table for certain types of particular details such as equipment, accounts, serial numbers, registrations, etc.   Each category of Detail comes with up to 12 custom fields, notes, and an automatic audit trail of creation and last update.

Like a lot of things in GoldMine, success with all these features is in the planning, execution, and training.   It’s clear though, you surely will only get the data you need if you have a place for the data that is easily accessible to users.  To put a spin on another old expression, “what you see is what you get!”

In situations that call for "filing" (completing) or deleting a list of pending activities, GoldMine provides a tool for making a global change to a list of activities.  Perhaps a users is not longer with the organization and you want to file all their outstanding tasks.  Or maybe you have calls from years ago that you never got to and might as well be deleted at this point.  In any event, GoldMine provides a function for clearing up the  your Calendar and Activity list.

This feature has risks, because it can change data globally.  So, it should be ONLY used by experienced GoldMine users or Administrators!!!  Furthermore, this is NOT a proper way to complete individual activities with relevant notes and specific results, and scheduled follow-up when appropriate!  This is really intended as a way to clean up data!  It is also not for making yourself "look busy" - do not complete activities as "successful"  if the work wasn't performed!

How to Auto-Update Activities

To do this it requires that you be in your Activity List and select the User you want to view.  Be on the appropriate Activity Tab (Calls, Appointment, Actions).  Set the date range and/or filter in the view to so that you ONLY see the data you update! Everything you see will be updated and there is NO GOING BACK!!

Auto Update Activities

Use the following procedure to auto-update an activity.

1. At the Activity List or the Pending tab, right-click in the tab and select Options > Auto-Update.
2. At the Auto-Update Activities dialog box, select one of the following options:
   • Complete ALL of the Activities currently displayed.Completes activities in the current tab and updates the specified Result and Success.
   • Complete selected Activity Type(s) Only.Completes activities selected in the Activity Type area, the specified Date range, and updates with specified Result and Success.
   • In the Activity Types area, select the options to process:
     • Appointments. Scheduled appointments.
     • Calls. Scheduled calls.
     • Next Actions. Scheduled next actions.
     • Others. Scheduled other activities.
     • Events. Scheduled events.
     • Forecasted Sales. Scheduled sales.
     • To-dos. Associated to-do activities.
     • Lit. Requests. Scheduled literature requests.
     • E-mails (GoldMine). Pending GoldMine e-mail messages.
     • E-mails (Internet). Pending e-mail messages for the Internet.
     • Delete ALL of the Activities currently displayed. Deletes activities in the current tab.
     • Delete selected Activity Type(s) Only. Deletes activities selected in the Activity Type area based on the specified Date range.
3. Specify a result code and success level for completed activities.
   • Type a result code in the Result field.
   • Select Successful or Unsuccessful from the Success drop-down list.
4. If you selected Complete or Delete selected Activity Type(s) Only, select Date range, then From and To dates using the F2 graphical calendar.
5. Click OK.

 Other Benefits:

• Off-Line Access - You can use GoldMine even when you don’t have Internet access
• Be More Productive - GoldMine operates faster than web applications and gives you the flexibility to be on more screens at once
• No Need to “upload documents” - Every time you want to link a file you won't have to upload it – A big time saver and you don’t have to pay for storage
• The Data is Yours - When you stop paying rent for "software as a service" you don’t get your data back! With GoldMine your data never leaves your office unless you want it to. Because the data is in house you access it easily for integration and other uses

STOP PAYING RENT TO USE CRM SOFTWARE!

Unlike  the flat fields in GoldMine Contact1 and Contact2 tables, the GoldMine Details tab have a "one-to-many relationship" which offers great flexibility and advantages.  Below, I've listed all the fields associated with a "Detail."  To help with clarity, I will follow one example all the way through - storing and searching for "Serial Numbers" - but this could be anything!

GoldMine Detail Information:

• Detail Name - the category or type of information you are storing (e.g. Serial Numbers)
• Details Reference - the primary look-up (e.g. Product Name)
• Note - a memo field that would allow you to describe and journal the entry
• Custom Fields - GoldMine Premium allocates 12 fields that can be custom labeled, however the field lengths and formats are predefined (eg. Product Version, Purchase Date, Number of User Licenses, etc.)
• Audit Information - GoldMine automatically enters the date the Detail was entered and updated including the user who did so
• Custom Tab - there is the ability to create a custom tab specially for this information

How to Search for a GoldMine Detail:

1. GoldMine Search Center - drop down the "Search By" and select Details
2. GoldMine Details Tab - right click on the specific category of Details and select "Lookup" from the local menu
3. GoldMine Lookup Wizard - to create custom SQL queries
4. GoldMine Universal Search - will pickup data stored in any of the Details fields
5. Report Writers - SQL Reporting Services, Crystal Report Writer, MasterMine, Stonefield, etc.
6. GoldMine Premium Dashboards- in GoldMine 9.x
7. Details Plus- offers filter capabilties and expanded integration with GoldMine Details including but not limited to Email and Letter merge

Have an idea for how you want to use Details and need a second opinion or some professional assistance, or any questions?  Let us know!

People learn differently and so training solutions need to address these preferences.  Some users train best in a group, while others require a more personalized coaching like style.  Some people have short attention spans while others may be able to focus for hours straight.  Some would prefer a self paced resource, such as a book or CD and others need live interaction.

A great source for all these GoldMine training options is First Direct Corp. (www.1stdirect.com) As a winner of  "GoldMine Training of the Year," a Premier Elite Solutions Partner with more awards then any other GoldMine partner in the last ten years they are an extremely credible source for your GoldMine training needs. And, First Direct Corp offers all the training options to meet your GoldMine users training needs.

• Interactive Training CDs
• Training Books & Guides
• Sharpen Your GoldMine Knowledge Webinars
• Private Group Classes
• One-on-one coaching
• GoldMine Success Newsletter
• The GoldMine Guide to SQL Queries
• GoldMine 8.0 for Dummies
• Other Resources

In addition First Direct Corp. has services to help you before, during and after your GoldMine  implementation.

1. Dashboard Infrastructure

• Real-time, graphical, and interactive view of your CRM data provides you intelligent understanding of your business results and processes
• Benefit from intuitive and easy to read perspectives of you organization's activities and the happenings with your prospects, customers, customer service issues, and more
• Includes many predefined dashboards along with the flexibility to modify and create your own powerful dashboards
• Because you can "drill-down" into the data and contact records associated with the tables that the dashboards are based on, unlike other competitive CRM solutions, GoldMine's dashboards are superior tools for users and management and can contribute to greater productivity and effectiveness

2. Greatly Expanded MS Outlook Integration

• View related GoldMine record information, including record fields, notes, opportunities, cases, and more from your Outlook calendar, address book, and even linked emails
• Quickly and easily associate your Outlook calendar, addresss book, and even emails with records in GoldMine
• Apply GoldMine email templates when composing emails in Outlook
• Automated synchronization with many ways to control the transfer of data between Outlook and GoldMine
• Leverage Outlook as a conduit for communicating your GoldMine information with your Smartphone
• Many other benefits as well

3. Numerous Administration Improvements

4. Hundreds of User Interface Changes 

Many of us who have seen the new GoldMine Premium Edition 9.x as BETA testers and Solution Partners are very excited about what this latest update has to offer.  Personally, I believe this is a "game changer" for the entire GoldMine community, including the users.  Just when firms are beginning to appreciate the high ongoing rental costs and disadvantages of software as a service, GoldMine with its affordable one-time purchase price, and the many feature benefits that are native to the application is becoming a more attractive solution than ever!

Click here to see flash slides including the 8.5 Upgrade and the new GoldMine 9.x.

Click here to attend a live demonstration of GoldMine 9.x with First Direct.

GoldMine Premium Edition owners with Current Maintenance are entitled to this upgrade at NO software charge.
Older edition users can upgrade - contact First Direct for special pricing.