Power of 3 Consulting Blog

Sometimes, software has issues. No, really. We here at Po3 recently uncovered a little issue with the ACT! 2010 install that is pretty significant, so we wanted to give everyone a head’s up:

If you’re installing or planning to install ACT! 2010 on Windows XP, make sure you have SP3 (Service Pack 3) installed.  Without SP3 we have seen the dreaded blue screen of death. There is an issue with Microsoft SQL Server 2005 SP3 which is resolved with Windows XP SP3.  Get the whole scoop in the following ACT! Knowledge Base article #25441: Blue Stop Error and System Crash When Installing ACT! by Sage 2010 Read all the way to the bottom where it says NOTE: because the stuff at the top all references a VMware environment, and neither time we saw this issue was it in a VMware environment.

The ACT! 2010 System Requirements have also now been updated on the ACT! website to require Windows XP SP3.

Now, we have only seen that on 2 machines, but for our money, that’s two machines too many. If you have XP and are not on SP3 and have installed ACT! 2010 without issue, then great. You are one of the majority of folks where the unique confluence of all things Microsoft did not result in fear and loathing. There are many folks who would argue that anytime you install new software, it’s best to make sure that you have the latest updates and patches from Microsoft.

If you have questions on your ACT! install or want some expert help, just shoot us an e-mail.

Because this isn’t really a fun blog post, I thought I would toss in this, in case you haven’t seen it…  Stephanie Spangler who is a marketing genius at Sage (and in general a really hip and cool chick) had a hand in creating this little 90 second video and I think it’s a great recap of why ACT! is such a great tool.

The fine folks at Sage Software have cranked up the ‘ole marketing machine for their latest release of ACT! – ACT! 2010 – we refer to this version as Twenty-Ten. If you are currently a registered ACT! user, you have probably received an e-mail on Twenty-Ten with a tempting discount to upgrade NOW. So, should you upgrade? Well, that depends…

First, on the discounts, if you are ordering more than 1 license, contact us. We are a Platinum VAR (value-added reseller) for Sage, and as such we get the highest level of discounts on the software, most of which we typically pass on to our Consulting & Training customers. Right, shameless plug aside - now for the question of the day, to be or not to be? Nooooo, to Upgrade or Not to Upgrade. There are definitely some cool new features of Twenty-Ten that we at Po3 really like and think will deliver significant value for our customers. There are also some new “features” as listed by Sage that we look at and say “Nice, but not sure it’s worth the $$$ to upgrade.”

Since the recession is over you probably have a bunch of spare cash to toss at a software upgrade, right? No? Hmmmm. Chances are you were fiscally conservative with expenses before the economic calamity of the last year, and are continuing to watch the dollars and cents.

That doesn’t mean we think you should NOT upgrade, for some of our customers upgrading is the best path forward. For others, upgrading doesn’t really make sense right now.

One approach would be to look at the list of new features and determine the value to your organization. That’s a classic mistake made by many companies when looking at software. Instead, you should review your sales goals and/or business model and determine how the use of the new feature in ACT! might help you meet those goals or improve your business processes. Starting with the business requirements is a core tenet here at Po3. By starting with your goals and requirements, you will be able to easily determine if upgrading will provide any significant assistance or contribution to achieving those goals.

For example, let’s say that you want to have a sales manager step into the sales process earlier in the sales cycle if certain conditions exist. And you know that there are several key pieces of information that will provide you signifcantly better forecasting data, which will in turn allow your sales managers to step into a sale earlier in the cycle to assist in closing the deal. Visibility to that data, and the ability to act on that data earlier in the sales cycle will likely mean a higher close percentage on your sales opportunities. The new sales opportunity customization options in Twenty-Ten will definitely help you achieve that goal, which in turn will mean more revenue. In that scenario, upgrading is a no-brainer.

So, should you upgrade? I dunno, should you? (Isn’t it just like a consultant to answer a question with a question?!) The net-net is that if you have taken the time to review your specific sales goals and business requirements, and then looked at how the new functionality in ACT! 2010 can help you with those goals and requirements, then  you are in a position to make a solid upgrade decision.

Stacy Roach
ACT! Certified Consultant & Trainer
Swiftpage Gold Drip Marketing Certified Consultant
stacy@po3inc.com
866.362.4263