A Computer Control Corporation
GoldMine Support Newsletter

Volume 4, Issue 1

Welcome to the web edition of January 2002's GoldBytes newsletter from Computer Control Corporation.  This issue is filled with news, ideas and tips that will help your business grow in the coming year.  We hope you enjoy it!

Below is a list of articles in this issue:

1. A Word From Our President
2. GoldMine 5.7 Business Contact Manager Launches
3. Computer Control Launches WebLead Service
4. Computer Control Wants to Write You a Check!
5. Tips-and-Tricks: More SQL Queries We Love
6. CCC Team
7. Some Great News
8. Upcoming Training Dates
9. Hardware Services
10. Check Out Our Newsletter Archives For Past Topics of Interest

  A Word from Our President

GoldMine guru and GoldMine for Dummies author Joel Scott shares his thoughts on building business relationships through technology in challenging economic times.

1. Well hello Joel, how's business?

Computer Control couldn't be doing better. We've got offices now in Hartford, Boston, Austin/San Antonio, Dallas and Los Angeles. Our team has grown to 20 of the most talented people in the market. And we're making a big difference by helping small-and-medium businesses thrive in challenging economic times.

2. So the economic downturn hasn't hurt?

Well, 2001 was a bit tough - the hype around CRM died down a bit and the economy stopped growing. But we've stayed focused on GoldMine, the CRM-solution that's easiest-to-use, fastest-to-implement and quickest-to-payback. A number of people that were smitten with big, complex solutions have come back-to-basics. And, as the largest and most-experienced GoldMine reseller in the world, that's brought a lot of them back to us.

3. What do you mean by 'back-to-basics'?

I mean that now more than ever, our clients need to generate promising leads, close prospects quickly and retain and grow their valued customers. In tight times, firms can't afford to lose a key account. A carefully crafted GoldMine solution, with some attention  to core business processes, can ensure that they won't.

4. But hasn't the downturn cut into technology and marketing budgets?

For some, it definitely has. But there isn't a more critical time to keep your name out there. Competitors are hungry, and eager to grab the clients and prospects you're not staying close to. Targeted marketing campaigns and relationship building are critical in tough times. But with leaner staffs, clients sometimes find getting it all done a big challenge. Thankfully, we implement CRM in a way that automates the manual tasks and frees up time for key people to get out there and make money.

5. That's quite a winning proposition. Where are you headed in 2002?

Well, I'm excited to say that we'll be bringing a major vision of mine to fruition in the coming year. It's a vision for Computer Control to offer turnkey solutions, built on GoldMine and other CRM-solutions and integrating the very best add-ons and enhancements the market has to offer. We'll be targeting sales, marketing, service and support offerings with proven ROI potential, and pricing them in innovative ways.

6. Another innovative leap from CCC. We look forward to learning more. Thanks Joel!

Thank you!

Back To Top

GoldMine 5.7 Business Contact Manager Launches

FrontRange solutions has launched Business Contact Manager, an innovative solution for small organizations whose team's have big contact and customer relationship needs.
GoldMine Business Contact Manager builds upon the award-winning, team-based GoldMine® 5.5 and offers significant enhancements, including enhanced data integration with Microsoft® Outlook 98/2000/2002 and Intuit's® QuickBooks® Pro 2002 and QuickBooks Premier 2002, to facilitate effective and consistent customer interaction and sales force automation functionality within historically underserved small and mid-sized organizations.

"GoldMine Business Contact Manager provides the critical first-step elements for businesses that are ready to move to the next level in contact management," said Ric Miles, executive vice president of worldwide operations for FrontRange. "With the data integration to Outlook and the QuickBooks 2002 products, it offers the same contact interaction benefits of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) automation available to larger corporations at a fraction of the cost and time necessary to get the entire team up and running."


Key features and enhancements include (click on the topic of your choice for more detail):
1. Re-designed toolbar icons enhance ease-of-use.
2. User-friendly, Microsoft Outlook-style Task Bar streamlines access to favorite GoldMine menu commands, macros, other applications, documents, and Websites.
3. Expanded contact record creation options and enhanced Organizational Chart.
4. Expanded scheduling capabilities.
5. Easy One-button synchronization for remote (undocked) users who synchronize with GoldSync.
6. Quick and easy remote (undocked) user set up for GoldSync administrators.
7. Customizable background to personalize the GoldMine desktop and work area.

Updated Toolbars
Toolbars throughout GoldMine Business Contact Manager have been re-designed to be more intuitive. Each toolbar contains the same commands as previously available, but now share a consistent look and feel that helps you logically organize related concepts and functions so that you can find and run the commands you need more quickly than ever!

Working with the Taskbar
GoldMine Business Contact Manager v5.7 features a customizable Taskbar for one-click access to frequently used GoldMine menu commands or macros - all in one convenient location. You can even use the GoldMine Taskbar as a "jumping-off" point to start frequently used external applications, display documents created by a word processor, such as Microsoft Word, and to visit your favorite Web sites.

Using the taskbar, you can:
* Execute GoldMine Main Menu commands
* Run user-defined GoldMine macros
* Start another application, such as Microsoft Excel
* Open a document
* Launch a Website

These actions are known as task items. You can add up to 50 task items in a task group. You can add up to 20 task groups to your taskbar, and your system administrator can add up to 20 global
task groups.

Creating a Contact Record and Org Chart
With GoldMine's enhanced Organizational Chart and record creation options, it's easier than ever to effectively manage a variety of customer relationships. From the "File | New Record" menu, you can now:

With the new options for creating a record, GoldMine makes the workflow for setting up accounts and their related contacts quick and simple. It also helps to cut down on duplicate records and promotes better account management!

GoldMine's New Scheduling Features
GoldMine streamlines your scheduling with new capabilities to:

Using One-button Synchronization
For organizations that use GoldSync for synchronization, GoldMine Business Contact Manager v5.7 offers the new One-button method for remote, undocked users. When One-button synchronization is enabled in the remote GoldMine system, the user enjoys a simple, single-step process to synchronize. Because the remote user cannot modify any of his synchronization settings, the organization increases data security and enhances control of information access for each synchronizing remote system.

Undocked User Installer
GoldSync administrators can now quickly and easily distribute a single executable for their remote (undocked) users to allow field or mobile staff to effortlessly install a fully customized, personalized and populated GoldMine system.

Upgrade to GoldMine 5.7 Business Contact Manager
"With the release of GoldMine Business Contact Manager coupled with the QuickBooks 2002 products and Outlook, FrontRange Solutions has succeeded in bridging the gap between traditional personal contact managers and complex CRM solutions," said Mike Jude, Senior Analyst, Enterprise Management Associates. "This team-based approach in collaborative contact management is just what the small to medium sized business needs to excel in today's market."

For additional information on the product or the new Upgrade Protection Program, call Computer Control Corporation at (860) 529-6232 or e-mail us by clicking here: Business Contact Manager.

Back To Top

 Computer Control Launches WebLead Service
 to Help Clients Close Web Visitors Faster

Computer Control's new WebLead service can take information from a form on your website (name, company name, e-mail address, etc.) and automatically create a new GoldMine contact record. WebLead can even assign follow-up for one of your sales reps. Save time, save money, increase profits!

Do you use your website to attract customers?

Do you ask for contact information?

Does that information get into GoldMine automatically, so you can follow-up while the leads are still hot?

I'm betting that you answered 'Yes', 'Yes' and 'No'. Your website is a powerful and cost-effective tool for prospecting. You're pulling leads in (and if you're not, we should talk!). But most of these leads aren't getting into the hands of salespeople fast enough. And that's because GoldMine and your website aren't talking to one another. Yet, anyway.

Before today, you had three ways to get contact information from your website into GoldMine:

- retype by hand
- cut and paste
- hack together a script of some sort

On average, you might be spending between $5k and $15k per year in staff time bringing leads from your website into GoldMine. This means a person is re-keying data rather than generating revenue. And it means that some clients get a response the same day they visit your site, while others wait a few days. Or a week. Or maybe forever . . .

We decided that it was time to change all this. So we developed a service called WebLead that eliminates the manual labor, cuts lead management costs by 80%+ and gets all your web leads into GoldMine - immediately and automatically.

Here's what this can mean for you:

1. No more retyping, cutting-and-pasting or scripts to run
2. Automatic alerting about potential duplicate records as they're imported
3. Immediate interaction with web visitors who want to do business with you, including e-mail responses and salesperson follow-ups

We can have WebLead up-and-running within days. And we can work with you to make it even more powerful once it's in place, with automatic lead distribution, alarms and alerts, and personalized templates to respond to visitors interests and needs.

Computer Control Corp's new WebLead service retails for $995 per year. It includes one web-based form and an unlimited number of leads. But through December 31st, CCC is offering it for either $749 - a savings of 25%, or, four easy quarterly payments of only $229.

If you're ready to order, give us a call today at (860) 529-6232.

If you'd like to learn more, send an e-mail to sales@ccc24k.com or click on www.ccc24k.com/cccwebimport.htm to give WebLead a test-drive.

Cut costs. Speed follow-up. Convert more prospects faster. Get the lead with WebLead.

Back To Top

Computer Control Wants to Write You a Check for Helping a Friend!

Computer Control has recently re-launched its Customer Referral Program. Earn cash or credit for turning a friend, client or supplier on to our customer relationship solutions. Become part of our extended sales team and earn bonuses for your efforts.

If you can help us find more people like you, we'll write you a check - up to 8% of the first sale we make to each lead you share with us. That could mean thousands of dollars, just for introducing us to someone who really needs a CRM solution anyway.

Today's challenging economic climate makes attracting and delighting customers more important than ever. With lean sales and marketing teams, firms need cost-effective and easy-to-use solutions - business relationships powered by technology.

We need your help to deliver these solutions. We want to make the firms you know thrive and grow. And we're prepared to reward you handsomely for your efforts.

Here's how it works:

1. You provide contact and background information on people and companies who might be interested in Computer Control Corporation solutions, either by entering it on the form found here: www.ccc24k.com/referralform.htm or by e-mailing it to us.

2. We confirm each lead's details with you.

3. If you'd like, you send a brief note letting each contact know that you've provided their name and that they should be expecting a call from us.

4. We assign each lead to a member of our sales team for phone and face-to-face follow-up

5. We let you know when leads close, and reward you with a bounty when we are paid.

So help us help you. Click www.ccc24k.com/referral.htm to learn more about cash and credit rewards for you. Or click www.ccc24k.com/referralform.htm to go ahead and enter the names of people you'd like us to reach.

Back To Top

Tips-and-Tricks: More SQL Queries We love

We've got some of the best technical minds in the CRM business. And they're eager to share their wisdom and work-arounds. Here are the technical tips for this issue:

1. Last issue, we provided some SQL Queries we know and love. Here's a way to increase the number of records those SQL queries produce:

In 'username.ini', add this statement to the [Goldmine] section:

SQLQueryLimit = 30,000

The default is 10,000. You can actually make the limit as large as you'd like. Just remember that the larger the file set, the longer the query will take to process.

2. Have you ever wanted to get a listing of all of your primary contact's e-mail addresses? Here's how:

Select 'Lookup' and then 'SQL Queries' and paste in the appropriate query from below (based on what type of database you're using:

a.) for SQL databases, cut-and-paste either:

select contact1.company, contsupp.contsupref, contact1.contact from contact1,contsupp where
contact1.accountno=contsupp.accountno and contsupp.u_contact like 'E-MAIL%' and contsupref <>'' and substring(contsupp.zip,2,1)="1" order by contact1.company

or

Select contact1.accountno, contact1.contact from contact1 where contact1.accountno in (select contact1.accountno from contact1, contsupp where contact1.accountno=contsupp.accountno and contsupp.contact="E-mail Address" and contsupp.zip like '_1__') order by contact1.contact

b.) for dBase users, cut-and-paste the following:

select contact1.company, contsupp.contsupref, contact1.contact from contact1,contsupp where contact1.accountno=contsupp.accountno and upper(contsupp.contact) like 'E-MAIL%' and contsupref <>'' and substring(contsupp.zip from 2 for 1)='1' order by contact1.company


3. Are there any Orphaned Records in the Contact2 table?
Many of our clients find themselves with Contact2 records that lack a primary Contact1 parent -- orphans if you will.  To find out how many of these you have, try the SQL query below.  And to find out what to do about them, call CCC at (860) 529-6232 or email sales@ccc24k.com

select accountno from contact2 where accountno not in (select accountno from contact1)

4. Are there any Duplicated Records in the Contact2 table?
Many of our clients also find themselves with duplicate records in the Contact2 field.  To find out how many of these you may have, try the SQL query below.

select count(*), accountno from contact2 group by accountno having count(*) > 1

5. Ever run into a website address that's just too long to fit where it belongs? Web site addresses are basically unlimited if you go into the Details tab of a contact record, select the Web site detail and put your extra-long URL into the Notes field, leaving the reference line blank. Doing it this way, you have up to 64K for a website address.

Back To Top

 CCC Team   

FrontRange veteran Ronan Vance has joined CCC as Director of Business Development. Vance will oversee the development of enhanced software vendor partnerships that will lead to unique product and service offerings.

Reporting to Joel Scott, president of Computer Control, Vance will work on developing relationships with other CRM-related businesses.

Vance most recently served as Director of Technology Partners & Alliances for FrontRange Solutions, formerly GoldMine Software Corporation. During his five-year tenure with FrontRange, he was responsible for overseeing the company's 2,000 member worldwide value added reseller channel, independent software vendor partner programs and strategic alliance relationships, including worldwide distribution and marketing agreements with Microsoft.

"The experience, skills and talents Ronan developed at GoldMine Software and FrontRange Solutions will be put to valuable use at Computer Control," said Scott. "Ronan was instrumental in steering our growth and success as our GoldMine account manager and later as VAR channel director, and is now poised to capitalize on and extend our position as the number one FrontRange reseller worldwide."

"I am delighted to be joining the established leader in CRM software sales and solutions," said Vance. "I look forward to building on a solid foundation and helping Computer Control to package, resell and support unique product and service offerings developed with FrontRange Solutions and other vendor partners." Vance also suggested he was impressed by Scott's vision of linking vendors, in-house innovations and channel partners for the benefit of client firms who are poorly equipped to capitalize on monolithic, single-brand CRM installations.

Back To Top

    Some Great News

We peruse the press and wander the Web to identify great sources of insight on CRM and small business success. Below are three links we thought you might enjoy:

BusinessWeek Online's View of 2002 for small business:
www.businessweek.com/print/magazine/content/01_50/b3761601.htm?mainwindow

ClickZ's insight into CRM lessons learned (part of a series):
www.clickz.com/crm/crm_strat/article.php/934381

A great CRM website with lots of white papers and related content to help improve your ROI:
www.crmcommunity.com/

To ask a question or share an idea, call us at (860) 529-6232 or e-mail us by clicking here.
To Subscribe a Friend to GoldBytes, CLICK HERE
To Unsubscribe from GoldBytes, CLICK HERE
To Access the GoldBytes archive, CLICK HERE
To Visit the CCC website, CLICK HERE
To Ask a Question, Phone us at 860.529.6232.

Back To Top

Training Center of the Year Upcoming Training Dates

This is the schedule for the Rocky Hill, Connecticut Training Center. Click here to contact your Regional Office to obtain training information for that location.

Click here to view a GoldMine Training Schedule.

Click here to Register.

Click here for detailed Course Descriptions.

Back To Top

Reminder - Hardware Services

Did you know Computer Control Corporation is not only a “Top Ten” GoldMine Platinum Dealer, but also a qualified hardware and networking service provider?  Keep us in mind when purchasing or servicing computers for your company.

Click here to send the hardware guys an e-mail.

Back To Top