Category: 1 - MRSware CRM + Sales + Commissions

Bulk Update Companies' Categories from the Customers Listing

9/22/2016

Users can set up companies' categories from the Customers table. (Steps 1 - 5)

You can take this one step further and set up contacts' categories from the results of the companies' category. (Steps 6 - 10)

One of the more common usages for this two step process is for setting up contacts to sync with mobile devices using MRSware Sync*.

Here's how:

1. Click on Customers in the Shortcuts panel or on the Shortcuts toolbar
2. Right-click on a name in the Sales Rep Column and select Filter -> By Selection

Be Prepared, Be Professional, Be Productive

2/16/2016

In July of 2008 I wrote a blog - "Jack Berman's Call Organizer" - about the way I used to prepare for sales calls when I was a manufacturers representative. In the blog I talk about how and why I did this and how successful it was for me.

What I forgot to mention is the time it took to do the preparation. Jack told us (1991, CPMR 101 students) it should take about 15 minutes per call. It often took me much longer to prepare for a call. Here are the steps I took initially:

* went over each manufacturer's reports for sales numbers TY vs LY
* went over each manufacturer's reports (if available) to see what SKU's they were buying
* tried to remember what we talked about the last time we met or talked
* wrote down what I wanted to accomplish during the meeting

Over time the steps changed slightly:

4 Ways to Filter your Lists, by Example

10/2/2015

There are several handy ways to filter the listings in MRSware to show just the information you are interested in at the moment.

Here is a little summary of the options in the form of a usage example for each:

Closed Opportunities, Expenses and Revenue from Project Printout

8/26/2015

The Project Printout report -- a report that is run for an individual Project, summarizing that entry and its linked items -- can optionally include some totals from those linked items. Total costs vs. revenue, and the deal close rate give valuable insight to the profitability of a project.

Drag-and-Drop to Success: Create Journals or Appointments from Emails

2/10/2015

When a new email arrives:

If it is to schedule an appointment, click on the email and drag it to the Calendar icon in the Shortcuts panel or on the Shortcuts button bar. This will create a new Appointment in the system, with the advantage that the text of the email is already copied into the Notes section of the new appointment, the sender is already linked to it, and the Subject is the subject of the email.

From here the User can easily fill in the day and time, check availability, save the appointment, and even send out an iCal to other attendees.

How to Print a List of Categories

12/9/2014

A User recently asked me, "how do I print a list of our Companies/Contacts' categories?" They wanted to review the list in order to edit and add to the categories.

It's always a good idea to review and update categories, labels, types, and process steps. Some of the reasons for updating categories could be:

cleaning up duplicate categories such as - sales meeting and sales training, or sales call and presentation, or ride-with or work-with, or many other categories that could mean the same thing to different reps
adding a prefix to a long list of categories in order to make it easier to find specific entries - BG:: Embassy Group; BG:: NISSCO; BG::SSS; BG::WIT & Co. If you listed the buying groups without a prefix they would be listed alphabetically throughout your list, but with a prefix they are all together and much easier to find in your categories list

The first step is to look at your current categories to review them. There are two options if you want to print out a list. Option 1 from the MRSware desktop client and Option 2 from MRSweb CRM 2 web client.

Tracking Your Accounts through Phases using Types: Give Your Team a Hint

11/24/2014

Types are the broadest definition of your contacts, each contact or company having a single Type that defines them as they flow through the processes in your CRM system. Typically this will look something like "Unqualified Lead" as they come in from a trade show or conference, progressing to a "Qualified Lead" state and then either "Lost Lead" or "Prospect". As the relationship with that company continues, hopefully they continue to a stage of "Customer". They might even continue through that stage to a Type of "Former Customer".

Video - Show Hidden Companies, Contacts, Customers

11/18/2014

Ranking Customers and Prospects in MRSware

10/15/2014

Question: Can I rank my customers and prospects A, B, or C in MRSware?

Answer: Yes, by setting up and assigning categories to the customers and prospects.

Here's how:

1. Create the categories A, B, C in Companies/Contacts.
Setting up Categories

2. Assign categories A, B, C to Customers and Prospects.
There are a couple of different methods of assigning categories.

Reassigning or Changing Categories

10/10/2014

There may be times when you want to reassign a company's or contact's categories. They may have changed buying groups or may have changed buying levels from a manufacturer - e.g. Bronze to Silver - or they may now be a "A" prospect instead of a "C" prospect because of a new line you just picked up.

Whatever the reason you need to update the categories for multiple companies. In MRSware you can easily change a company's or contact's category either individually or in bulk.