Why not to use your ISP or GMail for E-marketing

One of the first questions I get when setting up a CRM system - either ACT! or ZoHo CRM is "how do I mail merge?".  Below are some reasons why you should not use the email merge directly from SageACT or ZohoCRM, and the alternative you should use.  Whatever you use, PLEASE do not think you can use your ISP or GMail to send mass emails. 

What Does Mobile Access for My CRM Really Mean?

The term "cloud" is a hot button currently - everyone wants their data on/in the cloud, but they don't really know what that means or entails.  I often get phone calls that start with "I want ACT! on my phone", or "we'd like to move our CRM to the cloud".  Really, what people want is mobile access.  

ACT to ZoHo Conversion - What Gets Converted

I've spent quite a bit of time this year doing ACT to ZoHo CRM conversions.  i.e. People with an existing database in ACT! that they want "moved" - migrated is a better term - to ZoHo. What I'd like to do is provide a short synopsis of what exactly gets converted/migrated, and what to expect in the new system.

When to Upgrade

I have found that people upgrade for one or two reasons - because there are new features or requirements that their current system does not have, or their current systems does not integrate with newer software.

So, how do you know if you should be upgrading?