How Mansa Systems Crossed $2M Leveraging Salesforce AppExchange

In 2006, the concept of cloud computing was just beginning to gain ground. Siva Devaki saw the Cloud as a means to achieve his longtime dream of building a full-service IT company. He decided to leave his secure career working for large companies such as Oracle and VeriSign. Drawing upon his past experience with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) applications, Siva launched his venture that same year.

Initially, Siva focused his work on the Cloud computing niche. In this high growth market, Siva noted that Salesforce CRM was already quite strong, but lacked the same focus in other related areas. Here, Siva took advantage of AppExchange, a Salesforce-run marketplace of business applications.

Through AppExchange, partners can create specific apps to enhance Salesforce for businesses. Users can shop for available apps, search partners to develop a custom solution or list an app of their own. Siva quickly began work with Salesforce to build apps for enterprise and small and medium sized enterprise (SME) customers.

Today, San Francisco-based Mansa Systems is a provider of Cloud, mobile and social enterprise solutions. Mansa focuses on the creation of apps to fulfill the specific needs of both customers and developers. By leveraging partner solutions like Watchdox, SendGrid, Slideshare, Citrix, and Amazon AWS, each app is guaranteed to meet a certain proven user need.

In recent months, Mansa Systems has become an official Salesforce ISV partner. The company continues to work with Salesforce in the enterprise app space, creating, updating and launching through the Force.com platform. They have successfully launched several new apps at affordable price points.

Among the company’s releases are two apps built to deal with Salesforce’s data limitations. The Cloud Drop app expands file storage space and file size limits for teams, as well as enables folder hierarchies to better manage storage. Cloud Drop also provides service at the considerably lower price of 10 cents per GB, compared to $5 with Salesforce. MassMailer eliminates Salesforce email limitations for bulk and transactional emails. The app offers white label emailing for consistent branding.

Mansa offers additional apps to manage business data with Salesforce. Webinar2Lead saves time by automatically syncing all GoToWebinar data in order to align marketing efforts with sales for only $14.99 per month. Similarly, Slide2Lead offers auto sync for SlideShare leads, campaigns, documents and statistics, eliminating manual imports and exports.

A final recent release called 37 Seconds increases success with inbound leads by calling new leads as they are received. Calls can be made from any location and routed to a mobile or office line and are automatically recorded for ease tracking. This increased speed of response is a proven means to achieving sales, for only $4.99 a month.

Each app is priced according to its own specific attributes, using a set bracket for number of users or charging a percentage of the partner’s original price. As a general formula, service costs are either project-based or calculated according to time and materials spent - both varying from project to project.

In addition to their relationship with Salesforce, Mansa targets mid-size companies in the financial services and public sectors. Their current verticals include education, non-profits and health care and life sciences. Additional leads are generated via company apps in AppExchange and cross-selling current services.

Mansa provides the high-level services of a large IT firm as well as off-the-shelf apps as solutions. This dual specialization sets Mansa apart from competitors such as Appiro, Bluewolf and Astadia. Mansa continues to develop a personalized business by constructing integration templates or connectors for specific areas, which will provide new leads to specialized customers and projects. Through a global delivery framework, Mansa expands customer options by providing expertise on a worldwide scale.

Mansa already lists prominent enterprise-level names Paypal/eBay, Logitech and Topcon among their customers. Wholly self-funded, the company has already passed the $2 million revenue mark by marketing primarily to Salesforce customers through the AppExchange.

How Mansa Systems Crossed $2M Leveraging Salesforce AppExchange

In 2006, the concept of cloud computing was just beginning to gain ground. Siva Devaki saw the Cloud as a means to achieve his longtime dream of building a full-service IT company. He decided to leave his secure career working for large companies such as Oracle and VeriSign. Drawing upon his past experience with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) applications, Siva launched his venture that same year.

Initially, Siva focused his work on the Cloud computing niche. In this high growth market, Siva noted that Salesforce CRM was already quite strong, but lacked the same focus in other related areas. Here, Siva took advantage of AppExchange, a Salesforce-run marketplace of business applications.

Through AppExchange, partners can create specific apps to enhance Salesforce for businesses. Users can shop for available apps, search partners to develop a custom solution or list an app of their own. Siva quickly began work with Salesforce to build apps for enterprise and small and medium sized enterprise (SME) customers.

Today, San Francisco-based Mansa Systems is a provider of Cloud, mobile and social enterprise solutions. Mansa focuses on the creation of apps to fulfill the specific needs of both customers and developers. By leveraging partner solutions like Watchdox, SendGrid, Slideshare, Citrix, and Amazon AWS, each app is guaranteed to meet a certain proven user need.

In recent months, Mansa Systems has become an official Salesforce ISV partner. The company continues to work with Salesforce in the enterprise app space, creating, updating and launching through the Force.com platform. They have successfully launched several new apps at affordable price points.

Among the company’s releases are two apps built to deal with Salesforce’s data limitations. The Cloud Drop app expands file storage space and file size limits for teams, as well as enables folder hierarchies to better manage storage. Cloud Drop also provides service at the considerably lower price of 10 cents per GB, compared to $5 with Salesforce. MassMailer eliminates Salesforce email limitations for bulk and transactional emails. The app offers white label emailing for consistent branding.

Mansa offers additional apps to manage business data with Salesforce. Webinar2Lead saves time by automatically syncing all GoToWebinar data in order to align marketing efforts with sales for only $14.99 per month. Similarly, Slide2Lead offers auto sync for SlideShare leads, campaigns, documents and statistics, eliminating manual imports and exports.

A final recent release called 37 Seconds increases success with inbound leads by calling new leads as they are received. Calls can be made from any location and routed to a mobile or office line and are automatically recorded for ease tracking. This increased speed of response is a proven means to achieving sales, for only $4.99 a month.

Each app is priced according to its own specific attributes, using a set bracket for number of users or charging a percentage of the partner’s original price. As a general formula, service costs are either project-based or calculated according to time and materials spent - both varying from project to project.

In addition to their relationship with Salesforce, Mansa targets mid-size companies in the financial services and public sectors. Their current verticals include education, non-profits and health care and life sciences. Additional leads are generated via company apps in AppExchange and cross-selling current services.

Mansa provides the high-level services of a large IT firm as well as off-the-shelf apps as solutions. This dual specialization sets Mansa apart from competitors such as Appiro, Bluewolf and Astadia. Mansa continues to develop a personalized business by constructing integration templates or connectors for specific areas, which will provide new leads to specialized customers and projects. Through a global delivery framework, Mansa expands customer options by providing expertise on a worldwide scale.

Mansa already lists prominent enterprise-level names Paypal/eBay, Logitech and Topcon among their customers. Wholly self-funded, the company has already passed the $2 million revenue mark by marketing primarily to Salesforce customers through the AppExchange.

Hangout Magix: New Tool Lets You Add Branding to Google Hangouts

A new tool is available to give users options when it comes to Google Hangout graphics. Hangout Magix was unveiled on May 4 by entrepreneurs Alex Kozak and Bertrand Diouly.

The app is intended to work alongside Hangout Toolbox, a Google+ extension that is available on the left sidebar of Google Hangouts.

“Hangout Toolbox already lets you add some graphic elements to your presentations, but it’s very basic,” said Kozak. “Hangout Magix gives you more options.”

The tool requires minimal design skills or experience, according to Kozak. Anyone can use the tool for free directly on hangoutmagix.com. Users can change around the design elements that appear on the screen during Hangouts, including text, backgrounds, colors, and logos. The design elements can be made to appear on the lower third of the screen, the sidebar, or even toward the top.

By simply clicking on the text part of the demo screen and typing a new title and subtitle, users can change the text to include their name, job title, social media accounts, a call to action, or whatever they choose.

Then they can choose from a predetermined group of background styles and colors to appear behind the text.

They can also add a logo to appear to the right of their text by choosing from a selection of popular logos or uploading a custom company logo. Once all the elements have been customized, users can download the file and then use Hangout Toolbox to add the design to their Hangouts.

Once Hangout Toolbox is open, users need to turn on the custom overlay option on the right side of the screen. Then upload the file created with Hangout Magix. Users can upload graphics to use with both Google Hangouts and Hangouts On Air.

Kozak is a self-proclaimed “Google Hangouts fan.” He said that the idea for Hangout Magix came to him just a few months ago out of a desire to have more options to customize his own Hangouts. Diouly had been involved in creating some similar graphics tools, so the two were able to form a partnership and quickly launch the new tool.

Hangout Magix is still a work in progress, according to Kozak, as the creators are looking to gain feedback from users.

Who Needs a Web Designer? These DIY Services Put You in Charge

At one time, building a website was as simple as slapping a logo and some information into FrontPage. But today’s websites are far more complex, integrating with social media, allowing for online purchasing, and even incorporating graphics and sliders for visual appeal.

All of this can have small business owners feeling as though they have to pay thousands to a professional web designer to have a competitive site. But do-it-yourself services give business owners the chance to set their site up the way they want it to look. Updates are immediate and business owners save money-everyone wins.

But with so many DIY services, small business owners are challenged to pick the one that’s right for them. To help determine which site helps your own individual needs, here are a few recommendations from small business owners in a variety of industries.

Casey Armstrong, online marketer: Squarespace blows everybody out of the water. They are the best DIY website-building software. They offer an easy-to use platform to create custom websites with many professional templates, plus they include hosting. It is a no-brainer for small businesses to get their site up and running in days versus weeks or months. Also, they offer the capabilities for complete customization if/when you are ready for that.

Steven Hausman, professional speaker: I am a professional speaker and created my website using RVSiteBuilder, which is provided free of charge by my web hosting company. In my opinion, it does a good job and enables anyone from the novice to advanced level to put together a website without a lot of trouble. One advantage is that it can be accomplished either using WYSIWYG or by going directly into the HTML if you want to do something fancy.

Ruben Ugarte, IT training business co-founder: I have two go-to tools when I’m looking to build a new website. If I’m looking for something that will be simple to set up and simple to maintain, then my go-to choice is Wix.com. If I’m looking for something that is a little more flexible but harder to maintain, then I go for a self-hosted
installation of WordPress. They are both great tools, but they have very different technical requirements and uses.

Diane Hamilton, managing partner, app development: We had wanted to rebuild our company website for a couple of years, however we kept putting it off. We knew it was going to require a lot of time and effort if we did it ourselves and cost more than we were willing to pay if we contracted out. That was until we found a website theme on mysitemyway.com and realized how easy it was to implement and support a website using WordPress and our new theme. With these tools, we were able to get the bulk of our new website done in just about a week and were so confident with it, we launched it in March along with a major release of our most popular app.

Sean Gibson, rotary club PR consultant: I created and continue to manage the Franklin Rotary Club’s website. We recently were awarded the best rotary website award for our district! I use SiteDart.net and their DIY web presence builder. The builder is intuitive, but I took their class on how to use the software and that really kick-started my progress in getting the Rotary Club website up and running. Once you learn the basics of the web presence builder, changing and adding content is as easy as drag-and-drop.

When it comes to DIY web design, businesses have numerous options. WordPress templates are available both through the WordPress site and through WordPress template providers. Drag-and-drop services may be easier for those business owners who want to be more in control of how everything looks. But for some small businesses, the best option may be a hybrid between DIY and hiring a development team: hiring a designer to customize a template of your choosing to fit your own particular needs.

Whatever you choose, be sure your website is set up to allow you to easily update content, like your blog and news section. If yours is an e-commerce site, also be sure you’re comfortable uploading new products and changing prices. A regularly-updated site keeps customers coming back and helps improve search engine visibility. The right DIY service will give you the ability to update your site as often as you’d like without requiring extensive technical know-how to create.

10 Awesome Email Management Tools

What’s your favorite email management tool and why?

The following answers are provided by the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC), an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, the YEC recently launched #StartupLab, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses via live video chats, an expert content library and email lessons.

1. Constant Contact

I use Constant Contact to manage my email lists and communications. The tool makes sending smart, custom-designed emails easy. All of the bells-and-whistles features make you look like a big company, even when it’s just you. The best thing is that, if you aren’t going to send any communications for a while, you can store your list for a small fee.

- Alexandra Levit, Inspiration at Work

2. Boomerang

If you use Gmail for your email needs, go get Boomerang  ASAP! It lets you remove emails from your inbox that don’t need immediate attention or that you’re waiting to follow up on. It then brings them back whenever you choose. It can also send emails automatically at a preferred time. Trust me; get it now.

- Shahzil (Shaz) Amin, Blue Track Media, LLC

3. Infusionsoft

Infusionsoft  is more than just email management. It allows you to collect prospects’ email addresses and follow up with them automatically and send broadcast emails, but it’s so much more than that. It has smart-tracking and tagging features that you can use to segment your list and target your offers.

- Nathalie Lussier, The Website Checkup Tool

4. Bananatag

Bananatag is a must-have email management tool for any business owner. This service effortlessly tracks your sent emails so you can see what happens to them after they are sent. The system then notifies you of both email opens and link clicks inside your email. The interface is very user-friendly and displays all your email metrics in an easy-to-follow dashboard.

- Anthony Saladino, Kitchen Cabinet Kings

5. MailChimp’s Group Feature

We use MailChimp “Groups” to send subscribers content they want. We’ve used MailChimp’s tools to collect more data about our subscribers so we know what they like to receive. This has allowed us to steer away from blanketing users with mass emails. Instead, MailChimp makes us smarter as marketers because we can pinpoint our target audiences using their technology.

- Brett Farmiloe, Markitors

6. Mailbox

I’ve really enjoyed using Mailbox on my iPhone. The app is super slick and is based on a practical philosophy. The app encourages you to take action on your email (archive, delete, snooze, list) and will actually get you to inbox zero. It’s a great feeling.

- John Meyer, Lemon.ly

7. Klaviyo

I’m a huge fan of Klaviyo. It allows you to segment your customers in any possible way (people who bought or haven’t bought products, people who always open your emails, etc.) and send messages to those people. By sending the right content to the right people, it increases engagement, sales and our ability to connect directly with our customers in a relevant way.

- Kit Hickey, Ministry of Supply

8. Taskforce

Taskforce lets the user transform all of his or her emails into tasks. It comes with an automatic filtering feature as well. Even if an email comes from someone not using Taskforce, you can still assign it to one of your tasks. It’s a great tool for managing and prioritizing your work-related emails, and it cuts down on the time spent digging through your inbox.

- Andrew Schrage, Money Crashers Personal Finance

9. Unroll.me

I’m not a fan of receiving newsletters, so I’m a big Unroll.me user. Unroll.me lets you easily unsubscribe from newsletters you may have receive. if you want to continue receiving them, it lets you combine multiple newsletters into one single email.

- Ben Lang, EpicLaunch

10. Streak

Beyond its role as a de facto to-do list, email is most valuable to me as a tool to manage my business connections. Streak does an awesome job of organizing my emails into specific “pipelines” for sales, fundraising, PR, etc. I love the ability to share specific pipelines with teammates.

- Neil Thanedar, LabDoor

New School or Tried and True: Are We Making Too Much of a Big Deal About Social vs. Traditional CRM?

New School or Tried and True: Are We Making Too Much of a Big Deal About Social vs. Traditional CRM?
 

Contributed by Lena L. West, Founder of InfluenceExpansion.com

Is social CRM just traditional CRM turned on its ear? Or is the small business community simply fascinated with yet another buzz term?

But, alas, I’m getting ahead of myself.

For the uninitiated, CRM, is shorthand for Customer Relationship Management and Wikipedia defines CRM as “a model for managing a company’s interactions with current and future customers. It involves using technology to organize, automate, and synchronize sales, marketing, customer service, and technical support.”

Simply put, CRM is a way to keep up with existing and potential clients in order to provide a seamless client-care experience and when clients have a consistent experience - a task that is not easy for busy small business owners - they stick around longer and make referrals to other ideal clients.

Clients and customers are critical to any company; in fact, without them, you don’t have a business at all. So it only makes sense that small business owners would want to deliver consistent, quality communication and interactions with their valued client base.

The challenge in today’s business environment is most communication and interaction takes place via social networks, and unless a business owner has superpowers, it’s hard to keep up with all the streams of communications coming at you on a daily basis - which is why the most popular CRM systems now come bundled with social channel “hooks” or tie-ins.

The evolution of CRM systems to include social media connections has raised a bit of a debate within the small business and CRM communities; should business owners seek out a CRM tool that’s heavy on social functionality or should they stick with a tried and true CRM system?

Loretta Jones, VP of Marketing at Insightly, a leading web-based CRM application, thinks the small business community is over-processing the social vs. traditional debate, “I do think it’s yet another catch phrase because these days 90% of CRM applications have social. So when I see [the phrase] ‘social CRM’, I’m wondering what’s the difference between social CRM and a CRM system with social hooks? And, so far, out of all the things I read on the Internet, no one has a good answer for that question.”

Jones is super clear about what she thinks, but, I’ll let you decide for yourself. Here are some of the chief points of differentiation between traditional and social CRM, what do you think?

1. Communication vs. Process - Historically, businesses have used CRM applications to implement and adhere to certain processes whether it’s how to manage leads or projects, CRM has, for a long time, been driven by tasks. One of the foundational rules of marketing and sales is you can’t make a client buy anything, the best thing you can do is be top-of-mind when they decide they’re in the market for what you’re selling. And, social conversations provide a great way of staying top-of-mind so it only stands to reason that more and more, today’s CRM apps are mining the social sphere and helping small businesses to develop a process around putting themselves in and around their client’s conversations online.
2. Individuals vs. Communities - For many companies, CRM apps function as a way to store and quickly access contact information and data about individuals. Social CRM will put your brand at the center of a community and allow you to identify and track the social conversations of the usual set of stakeholders while also tracking and engaging the “unwritten” gatekeepers as well as entire communities of influencers. This allows you to connect with people where they “hang out” online and thus have a better chance of getting on their radar.
3. Actions vs. Content - And, of course, traditional CRM systems provide a means to keep up with any number of actions you’ve taken in relates to a client: sent email, details of phone conversations, potential deals in the pipeline, etc. With the added layer of social CRM you can catalog actions, especially your company’s responses and replies to frequent questions and requests. Your business can then turn those responses and replies into helpful social media content such as a “Did You Know?” series of updates for your Facebook Business Page or as a starter question for a hosted Twitter chat.

The increased attention social CRM is getting is definitely warranted - the additional data, conversation entry points and content generating and participation capabilities are all gold to a small business looking to grow. But, in a way, I agree with Jones, above; instead of using our energy to split hairs about social versus traditional, let’s take that energy and direct it toward taking advantage of and leveraging the additional opportunities social CRM offers.

Lena L. West is the Founder of InfluenceExpansion.com, home of the Influence Expansion Academy, the only social media learning academy created SPECIFICALLY for women entrepreneurs. Membership starts at just $5/mo. Really!

Rise Of The Productivity Warrior: Boosting Your Business With Mobile Apps (Infographic)

Mobile apps are increasingly being used to boost productivity and automate businesses, according to a recent survey by FileMaker. Many businesses are building custom solutions.

“The next wave of business mobility, fueled by iPad and iPhone-equipped ‘productivity warriors,’ is delivering real ROI by automating processes in the building and on the company campus,” said Ryan Rosenberg, Vice President of Marketing and Services for FileMaker. Many businesses are replacing paper-based processes with mobile processes.

FileMaker makes database software that allows users to build custom databases, produce reports, keep track of inventory and more. Other database software solutions include Microsoft Access and Oracle.

FileMaker’s survey and research into their customers revealed that there are many ways businesses are connecting workers to their servers, but the most common method (59% of the time) is a direct connection over local wireless network, which allows for iPhones and iPads to be integrated into the workflow.

The survey found organizations also are creating solutions that connect workers to servers when out of the office. Popular methods include remote connections via the Internet (35%) and connections via a VPN (21%).

More than half (51%) of the mobility case studies involved replacing paper-based processes. For instace, Boston University’s Center for English Language and Orientation Programs (CELOP), one of the leading intensive English as a Second Language (ESL) schools with 1,700 students per year, replaced its cumbersome, paper-based admissions processes - which occur 10 or more times a year - with a new, automated document management system on the FileMaker platform. The system includes a custom solution running on iPads and desktops. The new system has replaced photocopiers with iPads, slashed up-front document collection time by more than 50%, and reduced wait times for students.

Organizations are also “mobilizing” many traditional business tasks, not just “mobile” tasks. We recently reported on three businesses who used Filemaker to build apps that helped grow their businesses. The top 10 tasks automated with FileMaker are: 1) contact and customer management; 2) inventory; 3) invoicing/quotes/orders/estimates; 4) field data collection and field surveys; 5) project management; 6) general data tracking and logging; 7) timesheets; 8) reports and analysis; 9) work tickets and scheduling; and 10) medical records.

This survey is just one company’s data on their particular customers, but it’s clear that iPhones, iPads and similar devices are here to stay and will be affecting the way we all do business more and more with each passing year. Check out our list of must-have travel apps for business owners.

Let us know in the comments how you use mobile devices and apps in your business!

NYC Event: Get Prospective Customers To Say ‘WOW’ and Close More Sales!

What you offer is amazing, but too often prospective customers just don’t“get it”! They don’t buy or they aren’t willing to pay what you know your product or service is worth. If you suffer from this problem, then you won’t want to miss our upcoming NYC Event, ‘Get Prospective Customers To Say ‘WOW’ and Close More Sales!‘ In this seminar, we’ll show you how to overcome this problem so your customers ‘get it’ and you begin to close more sales!

May 30, 2013 - 9 am to 11am

Regus Office Suites
1745 Broadway, NY, NY

Presented by Infusionsoft and Evan Horowitz Advising

    

Using marketing techniques taught at Harvard Business School, Evan will show you how to dramatically increase the number of people who buy. He’ll show you a way to talk about your product or service that makes prospective customers say “WOW!” 

Ramon will show you how to use the 7 steps of Lifecycle Marketing to capture leads, nurture prospects and turn customers into loyal, lifelong customers.

From this content-packed session, you’ll gain:

• A whole new way to close more sales, designed for “non-sales” people who want to be authentic and extremely effective.
• A step-by-step process to enhance your communications, so instead of saying “OK cool,” they say “WOW! Tell me more!”
• Evan’s “Communications Workbook,” so you can apply these secrets to YOUR business during our interactive training.
• A process that allows you to capture leads, nurture prospects and turn those into lifelong customers.
• A Lifecycle Marketing workbook and marketing plan for your business.

 Register today so you don’t miss out on this great event!

Best Practices for Social Media Promotions: Get More Followers, Engagement, and Sales

Social media promotions are one surefire way to get your followers up on Twitter or boost those likes on Facebook. You can boost engagement and get your brand out there. If you’re offering something good (Apple products like iPads are a very popular social media giveaway), you can see huge numbers of people getting involved.

But it has to be done right to get you the engagement you want. Anyone who wants an iPad will “like” or retweet something for the chance to win, but many won’t bother to find out anything about your business, if it’s that easy to get involved in your social promotion. The key is to make participants really think about what you do. How?

Well, first, you want to give away something of value, but something that’s connected to your business in a real way. So if you provide a software solution, perhaps the winner gets one free year of your software. This ensures that the people who are entering and following and liking are actually potential customers. And how about every entrant has to tell you in a tweet why they need what you’re giving away? If it’s productivity software, maybe they’ll say, “I need your software because I want to double my work output.” And/or make it fun. Have everyone write a haiku about your business, or have them take a picture of the weirdest thing in their office/on their desk.

Finally, know the law. Here’s a look at the legalities of social promotions.

There are some great ways to do social promotions and get valuable data out of it. For instance, Splurgy and Grosocial allow you to create and automate social media campaigns. The lighter weight Splurgy is free to use, while the powerful Grosocial costs between $30 and $60 a month. Check out our closer look at Grosocial here.

Let us know in the comments how you do social promotions and what your experience with them has been!

3 Good Reasons for Small Businesses to Implement Accounting Software

For those who missed this news, April’2013 was declared by President Barrack Obama as the National Financial Capability month, encouraging individuals and businesses alike to improve their understanding of all aspects of financial management that impact them.

In an extremely well timed survey Sage Software, a leading provider of software solutions for businesses, has recently concluded a survey among more than 700 small American businesses, 54% of which were users of its accounting software.  The March 2013 survey throws up some interesting comparisons between businesses that were using the Sage account software and those which were not using any accounting software.

Concern on financial management knowledge

While both users and non-users expressed confidence in being able to manage financial aspects of their business, more businesses that had not implemented any accounting software felt that they needed greater knowledge in managing accounts receivable, accounts payable as well as invoicing. On the other hand, accounting software users felt they needed more knowledge on other aspects of their business such as payroll and inventory management.

Higher time spent on accounting tasks

The starkest difference in the responses between the two groups was when they were asked to evaluate the time spent on accounting activities.  Majority of businesses that were non-users expressed the need to spend lower time managing all aspects of their accounting which included payroll, inventory management, invoicing and accounts receivables and payables. In contrast, only a small percentage of users of accounting software felt that they needed to reduce time spent managing their accounting activities. Clearly, users are able to focus on other aspects of their business, while non-users seem to be left handling core accounting issues.

Higher time spent on taxes

This is the other major category of difference between the two groups. Non-users were found to be spending much more time trying to do their taxes compared to the group which were users.  As per Connie Certusi, executive vice president and general manager at Sage Small Business Solutions, “The tax system over the past 13 years has seen an astonishing 4,400 legislative changes”.  The growing complexity of the tax system also translated to concerns on compliance, with 29% of non-users expressing concern about income tax compliance of their business versus only 17 % of Sage users.

Clearly, by implementing an accounting software businesses save productive time which, can be used to manage other aspects of business.  Computerized accounting also reduces the risk businesses face due to changing taxation rules since most of these are incorporated in the program upgrades issued by companies such as Sage ( it has just released the Sage 50 Accounting 2014 product line).

At Smallbiztechnology.com we have often reviewed topics, such as cloud based accounting apps, tax deductibles for business and  prepaid cards for managing expenses, that can help growing businesses be better equipped to manage financial aspects of their company. If you would like more information on any particular aspect of financial management of your business then do let us know and we will dig out the most relevant information.

WordPress vs. Joomla: Which Is The Best System For Your Business

Planning on creating a site for your business? Considering the up-front cost of hiring developers to make a site for you, content management system (CMS) platforms have risen to the rescue to fill the gap. Two of the most well-known free CMS products available are WordPress and Joomla.

Both of them provide very powerful features that small businesses can use, but only one of them is appropriate for you. Today, let’s put these two content management systems head-to-head and determine which one remains the victor for your particular situation! It’s WordPress vs. Joomla!

WordPress

We’ll first have a look at WordPress and see what it has in store for small businesses:

Pros:

• It’s very robust and secure. WordPress is highly competitive and has risen above all other blogging platforms.
• While it’s primarily for blogging, it can prove a valuable platform for professionals and entrepreneurs who want to showcase the services they provide. Retrofitting WordPress is almost as easy as installing a theme. There are plenty of small business themes available. For professionals, I recommend using the Shell Lite theme, which I use for my own services.
• As hinted from my previous statement, it’s a blogging software right out of the box, meaning that you can add content from the get-go without having to worry very much about tweaking the software. If you’re hoping to make sales out of content, use this as your blogging platform. It can be very Google-friendly as long as you don’t choose very bulky themes.
• WordPress has a strong e-commerce platform through a plugin. Making a site that sells stuff is very simple and doesn’t require a lot of elbow grease.

Cons:

• Sites made through WordPress are straightforward and simple. This can also be a downside. Making a complex site with lots of features that give your small business a competitive edge is very difficult through WordPress and sometimes could prove impossible. The one-click installation feature is convenient, but lots of the plugins have to rely on a very strict application programming interface (API) that doesn’t necessarily give them ample elbow room.

Joomla

You’ve had a look at what WordPress is all about. Now, let’s put Joomla to a fair test against this contender:

Pros:

• Extensions vary from very simple features to game-changing functionality. There are so many extensions for e-commerce sites that it may be difficult to know where to begin!
• Out of the box, Joomla provides an extensive array of features and the perfect layout for a business looking to sell things online. To have a look at how rich some sites using Joomla can be, have a look at the GSAS at Harvard or ITWire. But that’s probably not enough for you. You want to see a real e-commerce site in action. There’s Pierro-Astro and TrolleyStore. Both demonstrate how powerful Joomla can be for a small business. They are using the VirtueMart extension, in case you were wondering.

Cons:

• This is not the ideal product for a blog. It’s rather difficult to set up a blog and maintain it. The indexing system is not as ideal as WordPress, and there are many other caveats to using this for a blog in general.
• Some security issues in the past have given Joomla a poor reputation, but it’s managed to mitigate most of these issues and even provide a guide for a properly secure setup.
• In general, Joomla is not for the faint of heart. The learning curve is long, it’s hard to set up, and the whole process can be a bit painstaking even for an individual with previous experience setting up WordPress.
• If you’re stuck somewhere, don’t expect a lot of support. The community is a bit slow to respond and the same can be said for the developers at Joomla.

The Prognosis

If you’re looking for a solid piece of software, you can choose either one. However, only one of them is going to be suitable for your business. In a nutshell, use WordPress if you need something simple, fast, and content-smart. On the other hand, if you want to focus strictly on e-commerce, Joomla can really spruce up the look of your business!

3 Good Reasons for Small Businesses to Implement Accounting Software

For those who missed this news, April’2013 was declared by President Barrack Obama as the National Financial Capability month, encouraging individuals and businesses alike to improve their understanding of all aspects of financial management that impact them.

In an extremely well timed survey Sage Software, a leading provider of software solutions for businesses, has recently concluded a survey among more than 700 small American businesses, 54% of which were users of its accounting software.  The March 2013 survey throws up some interesting comparisons between businesses that were using the Sage account software and those which were not using any accounting software.

Concern on financial management knowledge

While both users and non-users expressed confidence in being able to manage financial aspects of their business, more businesses that had not implemented any accounting software felt that they needed greater knowledge in managing accounts receivable, accounts payable as well as invoicing. On the other hand, accounting software users felt they needed more knowledge on other aspects of their business such as payroll and inventory management.

Higher time spent on accounting tasks

The starkest difference in the responses between the two groups was when they were asked to evaluate the time spent on accounting activities.  Majority of businesses that were non-users expressed the need to spend lower time managing all aspects of their accounting which included payroll, inventory management, invoicing and accounts receivables and payables. In contrast, only a small percentage of users of accounting software felt that they needed to reduce time spent managing their accounting activities. Clearly, users are able to focus on other aspects of their business, while non-users seem to be left handling core accounting issues.

Higher time spent on taxes

This is the other major category of difference between the two groups. Non-users were found to be spending much more time trying to do their taxes compared to the group which were users.  As per Connie Certusi, executive vice president and general manager at Sage Small Business Solutions, “The tax system over the past 13 years has seen an astonishing 4,400 legislative changes”.  The growing complexity of the tax system also translated to concerns on compliance, with 29% of non-users expressing concern about income tax compliance of their business versus only 17 % of Sage users.

Clearly, by implementing an accounting software businesses save productive time which, can be used to manage other aspects of business.  Computerized accounting also reduces the risk businesses face due to changing taxation rules since most of these are incorporated in the program upgrades issued by companies such as Sage ( it has just released the Sage 50 Accounting 2014 product line).

At Smallbiztechnology.com we have often reviewed topics, such as cloud based accounting apps, tax deductibles for business and  prepaid cards for managing expenses, that can help growing businesses be better equipped to manage financial aspects of their company. If you would like more information on any particular aspect of financial management of your business then do let us know and we will dig out the most relevant information.

Self-Employment Do and Don’ts: Create the Right Balance

When you are planning to start your new business and become self-employed, you need to know about the things you need to do. But that is not all. You also need to know about the things you need NOT do.

Customers - Too Few or Too Many?

It is true that the chances of failure of a new business increase when it cannot generate sales. However, it is also equally true that the chances of failure also increase when you target everyone as a potential customer.

Suppose you work as a self-employed Web designer. If you try to convince everyone you know to create a website, it would take up much more time than the core business task, the creation of website designs. Moreover, it would be a waste of effort when you try to convince someone who has no idea about how a website works. It is not necessary to give an affirmative response to a business proposal if it would only be a headache right from the start.

The right thing to do is do your research about your target customers and build a plan to attract the right ones. If you do not know your customers, you have a slim chance of success with your new venture.

Funds - Too Much or Too Little?

Do you need to invest in the latest software? Do you need to buy a high-end desk for your new home office? Do you need to get help from an accounts expert? Your business and your budget determine the right answer to these questions.

If you have a Web-based business, you may need to invest in the latest software. However, if it is too much for your budget and you can do without it for the present, you can get it after your business starts to generate cash flow.

High-end furniture is, in most cases, a splurge for a newly self-employed individual. It may impress the people who come to visit you, but in the long run, it is of no use for your core business. Opt for functional furniture instead.

It is always a good idea to outsource certain tasks to specialized service providers. This would save you time and effort. Do not outsource any tasks related to your core business area, as it may have a negative impression on customers.

Belief - Too Optimistic or Too Pessimistic?

It is a bad idea to lie to anyone, a business associate or a customer or anyone else, when you begin your new business. However, this does not mean that no one would lie to you. A common mistake that a new entrepreneur makes is to rely on contracts. They think that just because it is in a written format, it is inviolable. A contract is important; however, it is seldom the last word on how a business relationship will work.

You need to focus on the relationship behind the contract. If the relationship works out, chances are the deal will work out too. If the relationship heads into trouble, no contract may be able to save the deal.

Every self-employed individual needs to understand that lies do not make the task easy. Do not display the show of a big company, with a number of employees, when you are actually on your own because it can backfire.

Attitude - Too Formal or Too Casual?

Too formal and you can be dubbed a fake; too casual and no one may ever take you seriously. The right thing to do is have a balanced attitude. Most importantly, do not lose your individuality just because you are now the self-employed owner of a business.

People lose patience with long, monotonous business proposals. Large corporations and their head honchos may take the formal approach because it suits them. A new-age, self-employed entrepreneur needs no such pretensions.

If you think that this means you can have a client meeting in your pajamas, you are obviously a little too casual. It is still a good idea to be a bit formal, at least in your attire, for client meetings, especially if they are with the large corporations.

Do not let the common perceptions dictate your attitude or your attire when you start your new business. You need not behave in a particular manner just because others do. Focus on your instincts. They will guide you in the right direction.

Purpose - Too Value-focused or Too Profit-based?

What is the goal of your business? This is the first question you need to answer before you give up your job and become self-employed. It is important to learn how to create the right balance between value creation and profit making.

If your business does not create value, for yourself and for your customers, it has no chance of success in the long run. You need to zero in on how your product or service can add to the value of yourself and your customers.

For example, your Web design business will create value for Web-based businesses to attract more customers and generate more profits for them. However, that is not all. You need to ensure profits for your business too. You may not be able to make profits immediately with a new business. However, you may be able to create value with it. Your next step would be to take apart the business concept and enhance it in ways that may contribute to profits.

It takes time, but with the right balance of key elements - you will succeed.

Self-Employment Do and Don’ts: Create the Right Balance

When you are planning to start your new business and become self-employed, you need to know about the things you need to do. But that is not all. You also need to know about the things you need NOT do.

Customers - Too Few or Too Many?

It is true that the chances of failure of a new business increase when it cannot generate sales. However, it is also equally true that the chances of failure also increase when you target everyone as a potential customer.

Suppose you work as a self-employed Web designer. If you try to convince everyone you know to create a website, it would take up much more time than the core business task, the creation of website designs. Moreover, it would be a waste of effort when you try to convince someone who has no idea about how a website works. It is not necessary to give an affirmative response to a business proposal if it would only be a headache right from the start.

The right thing to do is do your research about your target customers and build a plan to attract the right ones. If you do not know your customers, you have a slim chance of success with your new venture.

Funds - Too Much or Too Little?

Do you need to invest in the latest software? Do you need to buy a high-end desk for your new home office? Do you need to get help from an accounts expert? Your business and your budget determine the right answer to these questions.

If you have a Web-based business, you may need to invest in the latest software. However, if it is too much for your budget and you can do without it for the present, you can get it after your business starts to generate cash flow.

High-end furniture is, in most cases, a splurge for a newly self-employed individual. It may impress the people who come to visit you, but in the long run, it is of no use for your core business. Opt for functional furniture instead.

It is always a good idea to outsource certain tasks to specialized service providers. This would save you time and effort. Do not outsource any tasks related to your core business area, as it may have a negative impression on customers.

Belief - Too Optimistic or Too Pessimistic?

It is a bad idea to lie to anyone, a business associate or a customer or anyone else, when you begin your new business. However, this does not mean that no one would lie to you. A common mistake that a new entrepreneur makes is to rely on contracts. They think that just because it is in a written format, it is inviolable. A contract is important; however, it is seldom the last word on how a business relationship will work.

You need to focus on the relationship behind the contract. If the relationship works out, chances are the deal will work out too. If the relationship heads into trouble, no contract may be able to save the deal.

Every self-employed individual needs to understand that lies do not make the task easy. Do not display the show of a big company, with a number of employees, when you are actually on your own because it can backfire.

Attitude - Too Formal or Too Casual?

Too formal and you can be dubbed a fake; too casual and no one may ever take you seriously. The right thing to do is have a balanced attitude. Most importantly, do not lose your individuality just because you are now the self-employed owner of a business.

People lose patience with long, monotonous business proposals. Large corporations and their head honchos may take the formal approach because it suits them. A new-age, self-employed entrepreneur needs no such pretensions.

If you think that this means you can have a client meeting in your pajamas, you are obviously a little too casual. It is still a good idea to be a bit formal, at least in your attire, for client meetings, especially if they are with the large corporations.

Do not let the common perceptions dictate your attitude or your attire when you start your new business. You need not behave in a particular manner just because others do. Focus on your instincts. They will guide you in the right direction.

Purpose - Too Value-focused or Too Profit-based?

What is the goal of your business? This is the first question you need to answer before you give up your job and become self-employed. It is important to learn how to create the right balance between value creation and profit making.

If your business does not create value, for yourself and for your customers, it has no chance of success in the long run. You need to zero in on how your product or service can add to the value of yourself and your customers.

For example, your Web design business will create value for Web-based businesses to attract more customers and generate more profits for them. However, that is not all. You need to ensure profits for your business too. You may not be able to make profits immediately with a new business. However, you may be able to create value with it. Your next step would be to take apart the business concept and enhance it in ways that may contribute to profits.

It takes time, but with the right balance of key elements - you will succeed.

Main Streets May Soon Be Without a Bank

Is the main street bank becoming a thing of the past? Over the last three years, banks have been steadily closing branches around the country. Many small communities are finding themselves without a bank branch for the first time since the Great Depression. U.S. banks and thrifts shut 2,267 branches in 2012, according to SNL Financial, a Charlottesville, Va., research firm.

According to a recent Celent study, branch closing is long overdue. “Branch growth over the last 40 years has dramatically exceeded US population growth. In 1970, there were approximately 107 branches per million individuals. By 2011, that had grown to 270 branches per million.” Banks cite the immediate reason for closures as a need to cut costs and a general consumer shift towards online and mobile banking.

While bank adoption of online technology is indeed essential, the move seems a bit premature given the fact that the online infrastructure needed to support full service remote banking is not yet in place. For instance, almost every major bank in the country still requires business owners to apply for business loans in person. Online applications are not accepted. Without a community bank branch, small business owners around the country will be forced to seek alternative means of financing.

There is also evidence to suggest that many of the communities that were targeted by predatory mortgage lenders are the same communities losing local branches. Those under-served communities tend to be low-income communities with a high percentage of unbanked (no checking or savings account) and underbanked (has an account but relies on alternative means of financing like check cashing) residents. A recent CFED study cited Miami, Florida as the city with the largest population of unbanked residents. Texas had the most unbanked counties on the list, and Bronx County in New York came in second on the top ten list with 20.8% of its residents unbanked.

Government regulations have also forced many small community banks to close over the last three years. The Dodd-Frank Act was designed to regulate the banking and lending industries and decrease the likelihood of another financial catastrophe. Unfortunately, an unintended consequence is soaring costs for community banks struggling to comply with the new regulations. Many of those banks are located in smaller communities. The FDIC released a report last month that stated that no new community bank charters have been granted since 2011 due, in part, to Dodd-Frank.

While there are online financial resources available to those residents who seek them out, the loss of local bank branches is already impacting the small business community. In order to make banking accessible to all, the industry as a whole must continue to invest time and resources into improving online technology, automation, and community education.

Main Street Photo via Shutterstock

Main Streets May Soon Be Without a Bank

Is the main street bank becoming a thing of the past? Over the last three years, banks have been steadily closing branches around the country. Many small communities are finding themselves without a bank branch for the first time since the Great Depression. U.S. banks and thrifts shut 2,267 branches in 2012, according to SNL Financial, a Charlottesville, Va., research firm.

According to a recent Celent study, branch closing is long overdue. “Branch growth over the last 40 years has dramatically exceeded US population growth. In 1970, there were approximately 107 branches per million individuals. By 2011, that had grown to 270 branches per million.” Banks cite the immediate reason for closures as a need to cut costs and a general consumer shift towards online and mobile banking.

While bank adoption of online technology is indeed essential, the move seems a bit premature given the fact that the online infrastructure needed to support full service remote banking is not yet in place. For instance, almost every major bank in the country still requires business owners to apply for business loans in person. Online applications are not accepted. Without a community bank branch, small business owners around the country will be forced to seek alternative means of financing.

There is also evidence to suggest that many of the communities that were targeted by predatory mortgage lenders are the same communities losing local branches. Those under-served communities tend to be low-income communities with a high percentage of unbanked (no checking or savings account) and underbanked (has an account but relies on alternative means of financing like check cashing) residents. A recent CFED study cited Miami, Florida as the city with the largest population of unbanked residents. Texas had the most unbanked counties on the list, and Bronx County in New York came in second on the top ten list with 20.8% of its residents unbanked.

Government regulations have also forced many small community banks to close over the last three years. The Dodd-Frank Act was designed to regulate the banking and lending industries and decrease the likelihood of another financial catastrophe. Unfortunately, an unintended consequence is soaring costs for community banks struggling to comply with the new regulations. Many of those banks are located in smaller communities. The FDIC released a report last month that stated that no new community bank charters have been granted since 2011 due, in part, to Dodd-Frank.

While there are online financial resources available to those residents who seek them out, the loss of local bank branches is already impacting the small business community. In order to make banking accessible to all, the industry as a whole must continue to invest time and resources into improving online technology, automation, and community education.

Main Street Photo via Shutterstock

Marble Security introduces secure mobile defence technology

Marble Security has announced the launch of an enterprise mobile security service.

Available for iOS, Android, Mac OS X and Windows phones, the company said that its Mobile Perimeter Defense technology can secure all devices via a secure environment.

According to the company, the isolated client allows the user to access a secure browser that connects to Marble's own virtual private network. Using secure virtual network services, risk-based access control and policy-based remediation, it claimed that it integrates real-time security intelligence that learns and adapts to sophisticated new threats.

Marble Security founder and CTO David Jevans said: “Mobile device management (MDM) falls short of securing mobile endpoints, and is expensive and hard to manage. Our mobile security approach goes beyond MDM to proactively protect a mobile worker's endpoints against cyber attacks even if they are infected with malware, something MDM solutions do not do.” 

Research by Marble Security found that small-to-medium enterprises are either unaware of or defenceless against the threats posed to their networks by mobile devices.

Its survey of 180 IT professionals found that 68 per cent were unaware of advanced persistent threats, 58 per cent were unaware of malicious and privacy-leaking apps and 57 per cent did not know of rooted devices or DNS poisoning.

Jevans said: “You can't defend against threats you don't understand. Hackers know mobile devices are the weak point and that is where they are attacking. The reality is that MDM alone is not a mobile security solution.

“Until now protecting against all of the critical threats required buying and managing multiple solutions, which is complex, heavy to manage and expensive. That is why we introduced the Marble mobile security service. It rolls up a completely integrated solution that is effective against the eight critical threats while remaining lightweight, light touch and affordable.”

Websense to be acquired by private equity firm for $1 billion

Websense is to be acquired by private equity firm Vista Equity Partners for around $1 billion.

At a fee of $24.75 per share, the deal will make Websense a privately owned business. It is expected that it's current senior management team will remain in place and its headquarters will be based in San Diego.

John Carrington, chairman of the Websense board of directors, said that after detailed discussions with several potential acquirers, the board of directors was pleased to approve this agreement.

“Vista shares a similar vision for the company, including a dedication to developing and delivering best-in-class cyber security to our customers,” said John McCormack, Websense CEO.

“Vista brings an operational discipline that will enable us to continue to invest in the business and technology innovation.”

Robert F. Smith, CEO and founder of Vista Equity Partners, said: “We are long-term investors in enterprise software and data companies that are committed to being leaders in their markets.

“We are impressed with Websense's market-leading product suite and the compelling value proposition it offers to its customers. We look forward to working with the company to enable it to reach its full potential.”

How a Small Business Can Use Big Data

Big data is big news in today’s digitized world. With the explosion of Internet usage and social media networks, there’s a massive cloud of data being generated about people all over the world, and it’s growing at an exponential rate.

Until recently, big data has been a mining center for big business to learn more about customer behaviors, desires, trends and browsing or buying patterns. It takes a sophisticated system and considerable computing power to sort through all that information and pull something useful out of it.

However, technology has advanced in powerâ€"and come down in price. Now, even small businesses can tap into the power of big data to improve the customer experience and boost bottom lines.

Analytics: The Key to Using Big Data

The term “big data” covers a lot of ground. Data is collected from every action that’s performed on an Internet-connected networkâ€"sending an email or tweet, posting to Facebook or a blog, commenting or rating, updating a profile, shopping online, using a cell phone or tablet, even swiping a credit card at a physical store. Every action generates a digital footprint that’s stored somewhere in the ether.

That’s a lot of data. To obtain useful information from this vast ocean, you’ll need some serious analytical power that can find the relevant bits and display them in a format you can understand. Fortunately, that power is both affordable and accessible through various platforms from free programs like Google Analytics to inexpensive business tools like customer relationship management (CRM) software.

What Can Your Small Business Do With Big Data?

If you’re looking to tap into the vast, rich landscape of big data, there are a number of avenues to explore.

Sort Through Your Social Media

You’re already connected to many of your customers through your business social media networks,aren’t you? Well, the data collection doesn’t have to stop there. Tools like Social Mention, Twilert, and Kurrently let you set up alerts and notifications whenever a subject is mentioned online like your business itself, the products or services you offer or any relevant keyword.

Once you start tracking these mentions, you can tailor your responses and conversations to build buzz, generate more interest and improve customer satisfaction and engagement.

Collect Customized Data With CRM

There are many inexpensive (even free) CRM systems that offer fully featured platforms to track interactions with customers and prospects. Programs such as Insightly, Zolo, and Nimble not only provide an inside line to big data, but also help you sort through it and pinpoint the most helpful information.

These platforms also include social media functionality, so you can streamline your big data collection from multiple sources.

Monitor and Mine Customer Calls

Whether you’re working with a few office lines, a VoIP system with mobile capabilities, or a third-party call center, customer service calls can be an important source of data. Be sure you’re collecting your call logs and analyzing the information.

Customer call data can help you:

• Discover the demographics of your callers.
• Identify the most common problems that result in a phone call.
• Analyze inbound calling trends.
• Optimize customer service through strategic call routing.

Many web-based VoIP systems include analytics and automated call logs, and they’re also an inexpensive solution for business voice needs.

How can your small business take advantage of big data?

Data Photo via Shutterstock

How a Small Business Can Use Big Data

Big data is big news in today’s digitized world. With the explosion of Internet usage and social media networks, there’s a massive cloud of data being generated about people all over the world, and it’s growing at an exponential rate.

Until recently, big data has been a mining center for big business to learn more about customer behaviors, desires, trends and browsing or buying patterns. It takes a sophisticated system and considerable computing power to sort through all that information and pull something useful out of it.

However, technology has advanced in powerâ€"and come down in price. Now, even small businesses can tap into the power of big data to improve the customer experience and boost bottom lines.

Analytics: The Key to Using Big Data

The term “big data” covers a lot of ground. Data is collected from every action that’s performed on an Internet-connected networkâ€"sending an email or tweet, posting to Facebook or a blog, commenting or rating, updating a profile, shopping online, using a cell phone or tablet, even swiping a credit card at a physical store. Every action generates a digital footprint that’s stored somewhere in the ether.

That’s a lot of data. To obtain useful information from this vast ocean, you’ll need some serious analytical power that can find the relevant bits and display them in a format you can understand. Fortunately, that power is both affordable and accessible through various platforms from free programs like Google Analytics to inexpensive business tools like customer relationship management (CRM) software.

What Can Your Small Business Do With Big Data?

If you’re looking to tap into the vast, rich landscape of big data, there are a number of avenues to explore.

Sort Through Your Social Media

You’re already connected to many of your customers through your business social media networks,aren’t you? Well, the data collection doesn’t have to stop there. Tools like Social Mention, Twilert, and Kurrently let you set up alerts and notifications whenever a subject is mentioned online like your business itself, the products or services you offer or any relevant keyword.

Once you start tracking these mentions, you can tailor your responses and conversations to build buzz, generate more interest and improve customer satisfaction and engagement.

Collect Customized Data With CRM

There are many inexpensive (even free) CRM systems that offer fully featured platforms to track interactions with customers and prospects. Programs such as Insightly, Zolo, and Nimble not only provide an inside line to big data, but also help you sort through it and pinpoint the most helpful information.

These platforms also include social media functionality, so you can streamline your big data collection from multiple sources.

Monitor and Mine Customer Calls

Whether you’re working with a few office lines, a VoIP system with mobile capabilities, or a third-party call center, customer service calls can be an important source of data. Be sure you’re collecting your call logs and analyzing the information.

Customer call data can help you:

• Discover the demographics of your callers.
• Identify the most common problems that result in a phone call.
• Analyze inbound calling trends.
• Optimize customer service through strategic call routing.

Many web-based VoIP systems include analytics and automated call logs, and they’re also an inexpensive solution for business voice needs.

How can your small business take advantage of big data?

Data Photo via Shutterstock

WordPress vs. Joomla: Which Is The Best System For Your Business

Planning on creating a site for your business? Considering the up-front cost of hiring developers to make a site for you, content management system (CMS) platforms have risen to the rescue to fill the gap. Two of the most well-known free CMS products available are WordPress and Joomla.

Both of them provide very powerful features that small businesses can use, but only one of them is appropriate for you. Today, let’s put these two content management systems head-to-head and determine which one remains the victor for your particular situation! It’s WordPress vs. Joomla!

WordPress

We’ll first have a look at WordPress and see what it has in store for small businesses:

Pros:

• It’s very robust and secure. WordPress is highly competitive and has risen above all other blogging platforms.
• While it’s primarily for blogging, it can prove a valuable platform for professionals and entrepreneurs who want to showcase the services they provide. Retrofitting WordPress is almost as easy as installing a theme. There are plenty of small business themes available. For professionals, I recommend using the Shell Lite theme, which I use for my own services.
• As hinted from my previous statement, it’s a blogging software right out of the box, meaning that you can add content from the get-go without having to worry very much about tweaking the software. If you’re hoping to make sales out of content, use this as your blogging platform. It can be very Google-friendly as long as you don’t choose very bulky themes.
• WordPress has a strong e-commerce platform through a plugin. Making a site that sells stuff is very simple and doesn’t require a lot of elbow grease.

Cons:

• Sites made through WordPress are straightforward and simple. This can also be a downside. Making a complex site with lots of features that give your small business a competitive edge is very difficult through WordPress and sometimes could prove impossible. The one-click installation feature is convenient, but lots of the plugins have to rely on a very strict application programming interface (API) that doesn’t necessarily give them ample elbow room.

Joomla

You’ve had a look at what WordPress is all about. Now, let’s put Joomla to a fair test against this contender:

Pros:

• Extensions vary from very simple features to game-changing functionality. There are so many extensions for e-commerce sites that it may be difficult to know where to begin!
• Out of the box, Joomla provides an extensive array of features and the perfect layout for a business looking to sell things online. To have a look at how rich some sites using Joomla can be, have a look at the GSAS at Harvard or ITWire. But that’s probably not enough for you. You want to see a real e-commerce site in action. There’s Pierro-Astro and TrolleyStore. Both demonstrate how powerful Joomla can be for a small business. They are using the VirtueMart extension, in case you were wondering.

Cons:

• This is not the ideal product for a blog. It’s rather difficult to set up a blog and maintain it. The indexing system is not as ideal as WordPress, and there are many other caveats to using this for a blog in general.
• Some security issues in the past have given Joomla a poor reputation, but it’s managed to mitigate most of these issues and even provide a guide for a properly secure setup.
• In general, Joomla is not for the faint of heart. The learning curve is long, it’s hard to set up, and the whole process can be a bit painstaking even for an individual with previous experience setting up WordPress.
• If you’re stuck somewhere, don’t expect a lot of support. The community is a bit slow to respond and the same can be said for the developers at Joomla.

The Prognosis

If you’re looking for a solid piece of software, you can choose either one. However, only one of them is going to be suitable for your business. In a nutshell, use WordPress if you need something simple, fast, and content-smart. On the other hand, if you want to focus strictly on e-commerce, Joomla can really spruce up the look of your business!

10 Awesome Email Management Tools

What’s your favorite email management tool and why?

The following answers are provided by the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC), an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, the YEC recently launched #StartupLab, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses via live video chats, an expert content library and email lessons.

1. Constant Contact

I use Constant Contact to manage my email lists and communications. The tool makes sending smart, custom-designed emails easy. All of the bells-and-whistles features make you look like a big company, even when it’s just you. The best thing is that, if you aren’t going to send any communications for a while, you can store your list for a small fee.

- Alexandra Levit, Inspiration at Work

2. Boomerang

If you use Gmail for your email needs, go get Boomerang  ASAP! It lets you remove emails from your inbox that don’t need immediate attention or that you’re waiting to follow up on. It then brings them back whenever you choose. It can also send emails automatically at a preferred time. Trust me; get it now.

- Shahzil (Shaz) Amin, Blue Track Media, LLC

3. Infusionsoft

Infusionsoft  is more than just email management. It allows you to collect prospects’ email addresses and follow up with them automatically and send broadcast emails, but it’s so much more than that. It has smart-tracking and tagging features that you can use to segment your list and target your offers.

- Nathalie Lussier, The Website Checkup Tool

4. Bananatag

Bananatag is a must-have email management tool for any business owner. This service effortlessly tracks your sent emails so you can see what happens to them after they are sent. The system then notifies you of both email opens and link clicks inside your email. The interface is very user-friendly and displays all your email metrics in an easy-to-follow dashboard.

- Anthony Saladino, Kitchen Cabinet Kings

5. MailChimp’s Group Feature

We use MailChimp “Groups” to send subscribers content they want. We’ve used MailChimp’s tools to collect more data about our subscribers so we know what they like to receive. This has allowed us to steer away from blanketing users with mass emails. Instead, MailChimp makes us smarter as marketers because we can pinpoint our target audiences using their technology.

- Brett Farmiloe, Markitors

6. Mailbox

I’ve really enjoyed using Mailbox on my iPhone. The app is super slick and is based on a practical philosophy. The app encourages you to take action on your email (archive, delete, snooze, list) and will actually get you to inbox zero. It’s a great feeling.

- John Meyer, Lemon.ly

7. Klaviyo

I’m a huge fan of Klaviyo. It allows you to segment your customers in any possible way (people who bought or haven’t bought products, people who always open your emails, etc.) and send messages to those people. By sending the right content to the right people, it increases engagement, sales and our ability to connect directly with our customers in a relevant way.

- Kit Hickey, Ministry of Supply

8. Taskforce

Taskforce lets the user transform all of his or her emails into tasks. It comes with an automatic filtering feature as well. Even if an email comes from someone not using Taskforce, you can still assign it to one of your tasks. It’s a great tool for managing and prioritizing your work-related emails, and it cuts down on the time spent digging through your inbox.

- Andrew Schrage, Money Crashers Personal Finance

9. Unroll.me

I’m not a fan of receiving newsletters, so I’m a big Unroll.me user. Unroll.me lets you easily unsubscribe from newsletters you may have receive. if you want to continue receiving them, it lets you combine multiple newsletters into one single email.

- Ben Lang, EpicLaunch

10. Streak

Beyond its role as a de facto to-do list, email is most valuable to me as a tool to manage my business connections. Streak does an awesome job of organizing my emails into specific “pipelines” for sales, fundraising, PR, etc. I love the ability to share specific pipelines with teammates.

- Neil Thanedar, LabDoor