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New Infusionsoft.com Site Launched
2007-06-29 21:13:00
I’m happy to announce that our marketing team has launched a brand-new website that will (for many reasons) be far superior to what it’s been. Click here to check it out:   -Scott
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Confirm This!
2007-06-29 21:04:00
Marc Chesley Businesses go through a lot of effort and expense to build and maintain customer lists.  This is particularly true with regard to lists of customers that have taken the time to confirm, or “Double Opt-In” their email addresses.  The problem is that confirmed opt-in email addresses are not portable.  In other words, a business owner can’t take her entire list of confirmed opt-in customer email addresses from one email service provider (ESP) to another.  For example, a business owner starts building their confirmed opt-in customer list with and ESP like AWeber.  This process of compiling lists of loyal customers that specifically request that the business continue to communicate with them through email may take years.  These lists can quickly become extremely valuable intellectual property assets of their respective companies.  For many companies, particularly those that leverage the benefits of Internet marketing techniques, these lists are the life-blood of...

Drip Marketing
2007-06-20 17:28:00
Dave LeeI hate buying cars.  Anything that depreciates THAT fast is criminal.  I’m a lease guy - no down payment, minimize the monthly expense, and get a new car every 3 years.  The lease on my current car is up this fall.  My expectation was I’d get a letter from Infiniti telling me locations of dealers where I can drop my car when the lease is up & that’s about it.  To my surprise, about a month ago, I received a direct mail piece from Infiniti.  It was clearly marked as piece #1 of 4.  I couldn’t believe it!  Someone deep within Infiniti’s marketing department gets it!  Well, almost gets it (no immediate call to action, no scarcity, no emotional selling, etc., etc.).  I have since received piece #2 - another direct mail piece.I’m glad to see that even the often ‘out-of-touch’ big boys are attempting drip marketing (some call it multi-step or sequential marketing).  Some do it better than others.  The best ...
More About: Marketing , Drip

Marketers vs. Sales-ers - How Different Are We, Really?
2007-06-12 21:47:00
Dave Lee (Jeffrey Gitomer and me presenting at his Pheonix, AZ event - April ‘07) I recently attended three different events conducted by three very different personalities/experts: Dan Kennedy (Marketing Guru) - Marketing Super Conference Jeffrey Gitomer (Sales Guru) - “Sales Answers” Event Michael Gerber (Small Business Guru) - In The Dreaming Room As unique as each of these gentlemen are in their expertise, content, skills, abilities, and delivery, I found it remarkable that all three discuss something in common:  The pains and challenges marketers, sales professionals, and entreprenuers face.   Guess what?!  The challenges we face are all the same!  So, what are the common challenges that all three talk about?: Being seen as a pest instead of an expert Not following up enough (or at all) with prospects, customers, past customers, referrals, etc. Lack of systems and processes in the business (not technology systems, necessarily - but rather system...
More About: Rent , Really , Marketers , Ally

Infusion Software June 2007 Release
2007-06-08 18:00:00
We just rolled out a significant release.  If you missed the announcement, newsletter, and list of enhancements that were released, here they are (Infusion Software customers can learn more about them by visiting the Knowledge Base):   Usability Enhancements  Custom Records New Custom Field Types Basic/Advanced Search Email Reports/Saved Searches Scheduled Actions Automation Enhancements New Actions in Action Sequence Rules on Action Sequences Checkboxes on Web/Sale Forms Order Management Enhancements Continuity Program Management Creating Taxable/Non-Taxable Products IIF Export Buyer Defined Product Options Shopping Cart Skins Continuity Program Retention Summary Report Charge Back Dispute Report Marketing Management Enhancements Campaign Step Simplification Opt-Out/Info Update Form Enhancements Contact Click-Thru Percentage Report Affiliate Module Enhancements Affiliate Log In Center Enhancements Affiliate Resource Enhancements Referring Affiliate Merge Fields Aff...
More About: June , Release , June 2007 , Lease

Bridging the Gap Between Marketing and Sales
2007-05-31 16:21:00
May 31, 2007 By Dave Lee At least a couple of decades have passed since the CRM movement really began.  It was supposed to make everyone happy… including the Marketing , Sales , and Customer Management departments… as well as the customer!  However, I gotta wonder if the gap between marketing & sales has grown even deeper & wider than before.  The truth is, Marketing continues to be ticked off at the Sales team for not closing the leads they have worked so diligently to generate.  Sales is just as PO’ed because the leads they receive aren’t nearly as qualified as they should be… resulting in longer sales cycles and all the other issues that come up when trying to close prospects that aren’t ready yet.  In medium and big businesses, it’s a much harder problem to solve.  It should (and could) be easy, but it’s not.  Call it beaurocracy, politics, ownership, turf, ego, budget, or a myriad of other crapola, it ensures that a big ole’ crevasse remains cos...
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A Painting Disaster? Or…
2007-05-29 18:02:00
Dave Lee I woke up at 6 AM on Memorial Day to surprise my wife by painting our laundry room ceiling.  You see, the previous owner painted the entire room, ceiling included, and it has always bothered me because it’s too dark in there.  So, I figured by painting the ceiling white, it would brighten things up.  I taped off the walls, covered the laundry machines with plastic, and started painting.  Only ten minutes into my painting session, a disaster struck. I was standing on top of the sink counter painting the final ceiling corner before starting the fun part — the roller.  Suddenly, only 7 feet away from me, the 1 gallon can of paint which was sitting atop my new ladder (propped up at a slight angle) decided to slide off after having sat there for at least 5 minutes without moving.  Let me tell you, a gallon is a LOT of liquid - especially when the can hits 3 of the ladder steps on the way down to the floor, splatting paint out of the can along the way ...
More About: Painting , Disaster , Paint , Aster

There Were No “Special Rooms”
2007-05-26 00:38:00
At Ken McCarthy’s System Seminar, Lloyd Irvin, Brazilian World Jiu Jitzsu champion, successful info-marketer and Infusion CRM user got up to share his story.  Several years prior, he had shown up to a System Seminar as a newbie… didn’t know a thing.  He told the story of how he had gone from completely green to where he is today. I watched and listened. Many people sat back in awe at what he had created.  I heard someone say that “It is so clear for him… it seems so easy… he knows exactly what to do!” Lloyd finished off with a great statement. He said: By the way, there were no “special rooms” that I went into at that seminar.  I sat there in the audience next to a whole bunch of other people just like you and we all listened to the same speakers.” Thanks Lloyd… I like that.  Now, I suppose there actually are special rooms somewhere where special people get advantages over us regular people. But for the most ...
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Repository or Robot?
2007-05-18 00:17:00
I was talking to the sales guys today, and they helped me realize why Infusion is so cool. I’ve taken it with a grain of salt because sales guys could probably convince Steve Erkel that he’s cool… But anyway… Most database software programs out there follow the repository/retrieval paradigm: I put something into you (the software), then later I get it out. It seems to fit, since that’s pretty much what a database is, but what does that do for a business? Well, for an enterprise, it’s HUGE! It puts millions of records into one place so reporting, mining, and accountability can be managed. It allows managers at the tops of massive org structures to get a peek into what’s happening in their world. It allows you to forecast, track, report, search, and mine the data. And that’s why they pay huge amounts of money to get it. But what does it do for a small business? Not much. Yes, it organizes their stuff, and helps them locate information ...
More About: Robot , Sito , Posi , Tory , Robo

You have a nice SaaS
2007-05-18 00:13:00
Quickly, can I rant about the term SaaS?? I just don’t like words that have two lowercase letters squeezed between big letters. Yes, it’s very symmetrical, but it’s practically just a sentence with the first letter of every word, like we used in our notes in 8th grade (INVU4URAQT). And SaaScon bugs me more, because it breaks the logic of lowercase-articles-only. Instead of SaaS, they could have used these: StrorW Software that runs on the Web StraS Software that’s really a Service SnotD Software not on the Desktop Was there really anything wrong with ASP? or On-Demand? or Web-based? I think we should come up with a new name.
More About: Nice , SAAS

Platform Perspective From the Little Guys
2007-04-24 07:58:00
There was lots of talk about platform at SaaScon 2007, starting with SalesForce’s Jim Steele revealing Apex (SalesForce’s new development platform). As part of the presentation, a SalesForce developer presented an application he’d created using SalesForce’s Apex. The application allowed for tracking time-off requests, and included a custom time-off record, workflow rules for escalation, actual code to calculate holidays and weekends, and a calendar to show the time people were taking off. The demo was very impressive, and definitely seemed to validate the Saugatuck keynoter’s suggestion that we will see a handful of what he called SIP (SaaS Integration Platform ) stacks pop up from big players. A SIP stack would provide a SaaS platform where developers could write mini-applications that would run within the vendor’s SaaS infrastructure and could extend existing functionality. Developers would be able to develop sweet little bolt-ons and not have to worry about hosting...
More About: Guys , Perspective , Litt

Death By a Thousand Duck Bites
2007-04-22 06:57:00
…props to Kelly for the title (I never heard the phrase before) Towards the end of the conference, one of the moderators mentioned that he noticed a recurring theme — that SaaS vendors are moving up-market as more and more enterprises adopt SaaS. As a company that services “true” small businesses, we lend a keen ear. Let’s assume for a moment that big players really are moving up-market. For a company that provides solutions to true small businesses, this appears to validate our market analysis that larger SaaS crm vendors (SalesForce, RightNow) have out-priced the true small businesses (relative to the feature-set they get), and the lower-end (Act!, Goldmine) don’t provide the functionality required to really automate small business. As I sat in awe of SalesForce’s beautifully branded PowerPoint presentation and the nice numbers they were flashing, a few questions came to mind: 1. Can we sustain competitive growth given the fact that our sales/support overhead is s...
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Small Businesses Only Need QuickBooks & Excel?!
2007-02-26 23:44:00
Yesterday, Kelly (our VP of Client Loyalty) sent me a link to an article where some “expert” was talking about the differences between Salesforce.com and NetSuite. He said something to the effect that NetSuite’s comprehensive solution might be more than what small businesses need. His rationale was, and I quote, “Small businesses only need Quickbooks and Excel to operate efficiently.” What?! Are you serious? If you think about it, that statement says a lot about the state of small businesses. This “expert” thinks all you need to run a successful small business is Excel and Quickbooks. And what’s sad is this: most small businesses have been lulled into submission, blindly tolerating the notion that Excel and Quickbooks (and maybe Act or Goldmine) are all they need. How pathetic! No wonder so many small businesses are running in a state of near chaos. How can you segment your prospects and customers effectively with Excel and Quic...
More About: Small Businesses , Businesses

Peak Performers
2007-02-23 17:36:00
Baltimore… Lee Milteer and I joked during breakfast one morning that each of us vaguely remember having stayed at the Baltimore airport Marriott. Funny how business travel is so numb - no real opportunity to venture out beyond the confines of the hotel doors. Every now and then, you catch a glimpse of the city or surrounding area from your hotel window or the cab as it takes you back to the airport. Where Baltimore lacked in scenery and balmy weather, was made up one hundred fold by the coaching, learning, and “rightening” of the head during my first Peak Perform er s meeting with Bill Glazer and Lee Milteer. Another 70-80 member were present and the vast majority would agree with me. -Lee Milteer, Me, & Bill Glazer There’s just something about mastermind groups that guarantees success. It’s a virtual buffet of ideas, networking opportunities, deals, discussions, and opportunities to reflect on what/how you’re doing. I met a few doze...

Infusion Sponsors USS Gridley
2007-02-13 18:27:00
Just got back from Miami for the commissioning ceremony and reception for the USS Gridley, the Navy’s newest Destroyer (it’s an IMPRESSIVE ship!): Having lived in San Diego, I have an affinity for our Navy & military, so when our good friend and client, George Vallejo contacted me to discuss sponsoring the commissioning events, I jumped at the opportunity. George is a long-time client using our mortgage CRM software and has done amazing things with his business. His brother-in-law, Steve Shinego, is the commander of this new ship and involved George in the fundraising efforts for their public debut in Miami. George used Infusion CRM to manage the fundraising, follow-up, contacting & involving prior Gridley ship mates, planning activities, marketing, and more. The event was a HUGE success and I’m proud to have participated in such a patriotic weekend! George even arranged for a private tour of the ship!: After the tour, my wife and I atten...
More About: Sponsors

Dreaming with Michael Gerber
2007-02-08 22:28:00
Had the amazing experience of going to “The Dreaming Room” in beautiful Sonoma, CA last weekend. Our founder, Scott Martineau, and our VP of Development, Marc Chesley, and I made a great trip out of it. Personally, I learned new things about myself, my own dreams, and my dreams for Infusion. It was an intimate event with Michael Gerb er speaking, sharing, dreaming. Without anesthesia, he cuts open your chest, cracks your rib cage apart, & tears out the sleeping entreprenuer & dreamer within. Seriously! The event had such impact, that I couldn’t return to work for a couple of days until I got all my thoughts down on paper. I met a LOT of wonderful entreprenuers & dreamers at the event. We were also able to forge the start of what I expect to be a great relationship with Michael Gerber & his organization. Most of all, the event helped me clarify what we do here at Infusion Software. It’s best told through a story - a true story, whic...

Action Links
2007-01-03 19:34:00
Recently, we released a new feature called “Trackable Link Action Sequences”. I call them “Action Links ” and they have revolutionized our sales & marketing. We have success stories & ideas pouring in from customers on how they are using this crazy new feature. In a nutshell, the feature allows you to insert a link within an e-mail & when the prospect or customer clicks on the e-mail, a series of back-end processes fire off automatically. What does that mean? Well, prospects & customers that are already on your list no longer have to re-register for events because you already have their info… the action link simply auto-registers them, sends them the event info, etc. For sales, since you have their credit card on file already, they never have to fill out a sales form again… just click the link & the charge happens & the product or service gets automatically fulfilled. I recently tested this on our own teleseminar even...