CRM and Lead Management, a must-have tool

Posted on : 05-09-2009 | By : admin | In : Business Process, Online Tools

When a company grows everything has changes, everything becomes more complex, as operating processes and rules grow both in number and complexity. If a company is to succeed, its systems must accompany this growth process and accommodate new and improved ways of handling information. Management systems must be to be taken care of . Otherwise the company can suffer from difficulties in the future because of poor information management which lead to inefficiencies or worse, lost opportunities.

This is specially true in the insurance world, where insurance lead management is a vital piece of information that must be available and up-to-date in every department, so that opportunities are. Sales department has major role in turning these leads into actual income for the company. There will not be any income if there is no order. On the other hand,  expenses tend to grow if there’s no real order in the information so the company is put in a situation where income is low and expenses grow because of inefficiencies.

In order to avoid the trouble in the future the company needs a good and solid crm and lead management software such as AIMcrm, a CRM software that integrates all the necessary tools (Customer Relationship Management, Sales Lead Management, Sales Force Automation, Campaign Management, Lead Aggregation and Reselling) for an efficient management of the company’s information. The system must be automatic and able to work faster in order to achieve high efficiency.

This insurance crm system can be customized to suit its own needs and make it a unique, tuned crm and lead management system that works hand-in-hand with every person in the company. AIMcrm is also web-enabled with high-end features such as Internet lead aggregation, direct POSTing of lead data. In short, this package is a must-have tool to any company, not just those in the insurance market, a tool that will make every company’s dream true: Work less, sell more!

Tags: campaign management, CRM, customer relationship management, information, Internet, sales force automation, Software, tools, US

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Acquiring New Customers

Posted on : 31-08-2009 | By : admin | In : Internet, business


It is so sad to see a customer walk-out of the door empty handed. A potential sale goes up in smoke so does the potential for acquiring a new customer. Nowadays a lot of small businesses turn to plenty of channels to acquire new customers. However some of them are expensive that it acquiring new customers cuts down your business profit. Acquiring new customers does not have to be tedious and expensive.

For start-up businesses every sale counts. As a newbie in the industry you have to make sure that you maximize every customer you acquire, every sale that you make.


The first step to acquiring new customers which will eventually increase sales is to calculate your actual conversion rate. Since you are running an online business, web analytics software should do the trick for you.

The optimal conversion rate of course will vary from business to business depending on the product being sold. However, knowing the ratio is the key because many businesses overestimate this figure. Seeing the actual numbers is a signal for entrepreneurs to focus more on acquiring new customers hence sales are improved.


Once conversion quotient is determined, you are on your way to improving it. These strategies will help you close more sales and of course assist you in acquiring new customers.

1. Stress your USP (Unique Selling Proposition). Making your business unique, separating it from others is an effective way acquiring new customers. You have got to deliver you message loud and clear.

2. Figure out the bottleneck in your sales process. If you are set on acquiring new customer you also need to analyze the steps required to convince prospects to buy from you and pinpoint the weak spot. Say for example you are in the wedding dress business. To help you acquire new customers you need to show photos of your work, propose a design for your client, price the item etc. Look closely at the pictures you provide are these pictures clear enough? Are these pictures detailed enough for your customers? Figure out the flaws and for sure acquiring new customers will not be far behind.

3. Rewrite the sales pitch. One of the biggest roadblocks to acquiring new customers can be traced to sending the wrong message. Take the home security firm whose opening line will be, “We heard there have been series of break-ins in your neighborhood and we would like to assist you in keeping your house secured.”This approach was a major turn-off so it has to be changed. With the revised opening the firm acquired new customers and hence increased their sales.

As you can see acquiring new customers for your start-up business need not be expensive. It is more of a controllable facet that some entrepreneurs fail to look into. Do not make the same mistake and start acquiring customers for your business and in doing so you also increase the sales of your business.

Tags: blogs, business, conversion rate, Google, Internet, small business, Software, US

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Thieves Favor Debit Cards

Posted on : 27-08-2009 | By : admin | In : Credit Cards

WASHINGTON – The recent indictment of Albert Gonzales, who stole 130 million credit and debit card numbers in one of the worst cases of identity theft in U.S. history, has brought to light the insecurity of debit cards, the Washington Times reports.

Debit cards, which are used more than any other type of plastic payment, are not as secure and can expose users to more losses than credit cards. For thieves, debit cards represent cash.

Some financial experts advise keeping an eye on debit card accounts or asking the bank to issue a separate ATM card. Under federal law, credit card holders are only liable for up to $50 if the card is stolen; debit card holders can be held liable for up to $500 — or for all the funds if not reported within 60 days.

“If you lose your credit card and you report it, it’s the credit-card company’s problem,” said Jay Foley, executive director of the Identity Theft Resource Center. “If you lose your debit card and you report it in the same period of time, the transactions that occur from the time the card was lost and the time you reported it are still going to land on your doorstep.”

Credit card issuers generally use software to help uncover fraud, such as monitoring unusual activity and freezing the account until the credit card holder can be contacted to okay the charges. But the debit card companies do not employ such techniques. Visa and MasterCard offer zero-liability guarantees for credit and debit in most cases. These companies also say that Internet purchases using a debit card is as safe as using a credit card.

Susan Grant, director of consumer protection for the Consumer Federation of America, is calling for more security and legal rights for debit card fraud victims. “When unauthorized debits are made, consumers are in a much more troublesome situation … because the money’s been quickly withdrawn from their account,” she said. “With an unauthorized credit-card charge, you haven’t paid it yet.”

Debit card transactions surpassed credit card usage in 2008. “Consumers are shifting from credit to debit, and that’s fairly pronounced given the credit restrictions and other actions the credit-card-issuing companies have introduced,” said Thomas Goldsmith, spokesman for the Electronic Transactions Association.

Tags: blogs, consumers, credit cards, debit cards, Google, hd, Internet, money, Software, US, visa

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Products to Sell Online

Posted on : 24-08-2009 | By : admin | In : Internet, business


The internet is considered as one huge market place and it has attracted a lot of businesses with its potential for big time revenues. In the past I have told you about the success story of Hewlett-Packard and where it all began. A lot of small businesses were inspired to gain their own share of action so they came and everyone is just so eager to sell everything from houses to handcrafted tapestries.

If you are an aspiring entrepreneur, you read other people’s success stories and you feel like, “I CAN DO THAT TOO!” However, what you will sell online is the thing that should be dwelled on.

Keep in mind that not all products can be sold online. Some products may be better suited for online sales than others; some products simply are not built to be sold online. According to a study done by Ernst and Young the most popular online item purchased were computer related products at 40 per cent, books at 20 per cent, travel at 16 per cent, recorded music at 6 per cent, subscriptions at 6 per cent, gifts with 5 per cent and investments with 4 per cent.

The types of products/services that sell best online take advantage of the internet’s convenience. We all know that convenience is one of the reasons why a lot people opt to shop online. The choice of products/services determines the success of your online store. Keep an open mind about the suitability if products for online sales, and to increase your chances of success it is imperative that you choose a product/service that exhibit the following characteristics:

1. High value.

Sometimes the unknown creates a stir among consumers, and this has been proven time and again. Consumers are highly attracted to products that are unusual. Say for example you plan on selling toothbrushes on the internet; do you really think people will buy it? I mean sure it is convenient for them however if you are going to charge shipping then it will cost more compared to buying it from some store. Some online entrepreneurs stick to selling special cheeses, rare cigars, Persian Carpets, etc.

2. Information products.

Like what I have said time and again, the internet is a great source of information and it is also used for entertainment, communication and research. Since people use it for such, selling information products, softwares, books, magazine subscriptions etc. are the most popular products that sell online nowadays.

3. Services.

Some people think that selling or offering services online is not possible, but think again. Hotel reservations, air travel and investments have successfully transitioned their business online. If you travel frequently then you must know how convenient it is to book a flight online and also reserve a hotel room. Everything can be done at your convenience.

Whatever product or service you decide to sell online always remember that a successful online business is the one that is able to provide convenience combined with excellent service and outstanding reliability of delivery.

Tags: blogs, business, Computer, consumers, Google, information, Internet, investments, research, small business, Software, US

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Start A Business Debt-free

Posted on : 16-08-2009 | By : admin | In : Internet, business

The original Hewlett-Packard headquarters

Starting a business be off line or online is no easy feat, most especially in a very unstable economy. As of the moment the unemployment rate in the United States has reached 9.7 per cent, and foreclosures are at an all time high. In short starting and profiting from an online business is quite hopeless and impossible.

However, for the optimist an opportunity is always available even in a situation such as this. There are still advantages if you decide to start your online business during a recession, and yes it can be done without being too-deep in debt. Okay you may not believe me, so let me cite the best example for you guys. Hewlett Packard, or simply referred to as HP started during the Great Depression. Would you ever guess that HP started in a garage? Yes it indeed started in a garage near Palo Alto wherein the founders William Hewlett and David Packard raised $538 as their starting capital. Now look at HP, it is the first company to exceed the $100 billion in revenue and it is at present operating in various countries worldwide.

Starting a business when the economy is okay is already risky, what more if it’s unstable then it is more so right? The high risk of failing should be considered so make sure to keep the start-up costs as low as possible. Businesses that start and survive during a recession are in the best position to take advantage of the inevitable economic upturn. Of course it is not going to be down the entire time, there would come a time that the economy will improve. If you are one of those people who would rather postpone launching until the economy recovers then by the time you do, you are already behind. Here are some things you can do to keep the start-up low:

  1. Keep your day job. If you still have a job today you are lucky because you can actually start an online business while working fulltime for someone else. The steady income that you receive from you regular job should be sufficient enough to prevent yourself from borrowing money. The income you get should also be able to pay for your living expenses and hence you can start business without much risk.
  2. Use your own space. The beauty of an online business is that you do not have to invest money on office space. You can actually make do with what you currently have: your home. It all requires a dependable internet connection and an up to date computer with the necessary software.
  3. No need to hire employees. Another advantage of an online business is that you really do not need employees. Unlike with a brick and mortar business wherein you designate tasks, in an online business you can do it all on your own it just takes the right time management.
  4. No advertising involved. Yes, you do not have to waste precious money on advertising your online business. There are numerous ways wherein you can tell people about your company. You can actually start by informing your friends, family and co-workers about the products / service that you offer online. Marketing online is not only expensive it also has a global reach.

If you decide to start your online business whether it is product or service that you offer, you need something that will set you at par with other companies. In short you need to have your own signature when it comes to selling online. Your long-term success is defined by your ability to make your company unique and far better than your competitors; by adhering to these things you will fill a void in the marketplace.

Tags: blogs, business, Computer, Google, Internet, Marketing, money, Software, Space, US

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