Different organisations have different needs. The right tool depends on numerous factors, including:

• What information you want to track
• Complexity of your sales process
• (In the case of Google Apps) Importance of the Gmail web interface in your workflow

That said…

Basic CRM

At one end of the spectrum you’ve got the simple CRM tools that integrate nicely with Gmail. For example, I use Capsule CRM because:

• It syncs (one-way) with Google Contacts – which means Capsule is the source of truth, and Google Contacts (and by extension smartphone contacts) are automatically updated.
• It has a nice Gmail gadget (which appears at the bottom of messages) that enables you to quickly add new contacts/tasks/deals, etc.
• I am an individual consultant with a simple sales process.

The Google Apps Marketplace lists hundreds of CRMs that integrate with Google Apps to greater or lesser extents, but I haven’t “used them in anger.”

Full blown Salesforce automation

The global CRM poster-child is Salesforce.com, and for good reason. I used it for 6 years in a previous organisation and it’s VERY powerful. It’s extremely customisable, and provides excellent analytics and reporting.

However:

• It has poor native integration with Google Contacts/Gmail.
• It’s relatively expensive.
• It’s a lot harder for new users to get up and running.

Goldilocks

Zoho CRM is the best middle ground solution I’ve used:

• It has a smaller learning curve than Salesforce.com.
• It syncs with Google Contacts (although I haven’t tested the sync).
• It has a Gmail gadget. (However, when I tested it, for any messages I replied to, the gadget showed me as the relevant Zoho CRM contact – whereas it should have shown the person I was responding too. That was very annoying.)
• It has far more powerful sales operations management and reporting than all the basic tools.

Conclusion

If this is your first time implementing and using a CRM, start with a simple platform. (It’s much easier to move to something more powerful, than the opposite.) More importantly, bear in mind that the system itself is merely a tool – it can only support your culture and business processes; it can’t fix them. And finally, as with any system, the way to really learn what’s best for you is to start trialling it. Good luck!

The May 2012 Boxless newsletter is out now.

Check it out to find out everything you need to know about Google Drive, and whether it’s right for your business.

And that starts with a quality website.

Ten years ago, building and maintaining a professional website was time-consuming and expensive. Today’s technology enables you to do it well yourself.

I want to show you how. In a full day of hands-on training you will learn how to update and manage your own site. Find out more about my WordPress Workshop for Smart Businesspeople.

The next workshop is Sunday 25 March.

Book before 4 March and save $100.

[Picture: herzogbr]

The thing is, Google Apps for Business (the enterprise version of Gmail and Google’s other products) has been around for almost as long as Gmail itself.

And it has always handled any type of email address, such as [yourname]@[yourbusiness.com].

What makes Gmail for Business a ‘modern’ system?

In the late 90s, Microsoft Exchange (Server) and Outlook became the default business email system. That was when data resided on company servers and was typically accessed by staff using software on their work computer.

But over the last few years, business systems have been moving online. Data and applications are now being stored in the ‘cloud’, and accessed via multiple devices such as computers, mobile phones, and tablets.

It’s all part of the so-called post-PC era - which Gmail, along with the rest of the Google Apps suite, was built for.

It just works. Whether you’re using your Dell notebook, your Android phone or your iPad.

Microsoft’s products? Not so much.

And, as this Google Trends chart of 21 February 2012 indicates, the popularity of Google Apps is increasing.

Google Apps searches have been steadily increasing since the product launched in 2006. Meanwhile, searches for Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft Exchange have both been steadily declining.

What’s so remarkable about Google Apps for Business?

My clients are initially attracted by the email system – Gmail for Business. I’ve previously explained why.

But then the more they use Google Apps, the more they grow to love other aspects, such as:

• the ability to share calendars within (and even outside) their organisation
• the way staff can collaborate on documents, spreadsheets and presentations without relying on email
• the thousands of other business applications that seamlessly integrate with Google Apps.

In a cloud-based, always-connected world, Gmail for Business is a natural fit.

And if you need more evidence, why not ask one of the four million businesses already using it?

• If not, read my reasons for recommending WordPress – particularly for non-technical people.
• If yes, I want to take the WordPress discussion a step further…

Two types of WordPress

It is important to understand that WordPress is effectively available in two ‘flavours’:

(And, if you also use a BlackBerry, there are a couple of options for accessing those tasks on your mobile device.)

The slides

Here is a copy of the slides from the presentation.

The live demonstration

Much of the presentation involved building a live demonstration site (see Slide 12) using WordPress.com. Below are the steps I went through to build the site.

If so, you should check out WordCamp Gold Coast 2011. It’s a two-day conference on the weekend of 5 and 6 November focused on all things WordPress.

I’ll be doing a presentation for newcomers called How to Build Your First Website Using WordPress.

I look forward to seeing you there.