BCM as a Contact Manager

[Arnold N.]

I am trying to learn how to use BCM as a Contact Manager through a sales
cycle. I initially get my leads from a mailing list, call the prospects on
it and make appointments.

Then, some appointments have to be rescheduled, some keep the appointment
but want me to follow up at a later time, some buy on the appointment and
some are not interested once I make the presentation and are dropped. I'm
sure this is exactly what BCM was designed to do but I am really struggling
with it.

Can anyone suggest where I can go to learn more about BCM? Thanks.

 

[Tim P via OfficeKB.com]

Arnold,

BCM is currently very rudimentary in its design and not very intuitive or
friendly for adapting to various sales cycles. The Opportunity record is
probably the most in need area of improvement in order to allow for better
customization, etc. Ironically, there is not a lot of published sales
specific guidance available for BCM. It is helpful for one to be already
familiar with sales methodology in general so that you can apply it to BCM as
best as possible. I have been openly critical of what has seemed to me to be
a wide gulf of disconnect between the way BCM is designed and the basic real
world usage needs of the apparent intended users.

To its credit, the appeal and promise of BCM is that by being Outlook centric,
you can remain within a familiar user environment that is part of the Office
System. BCM is a great potential tool that is usable for some but needs more
work in my opinion so that it can be more easily usable by so many more as an
effective sales tool.

-THP

 

[Tim P via OfficeKB.com]

An additional comment:

Check out Patricia Cardoza's Special Edition book titled "Using Outlook 2003"
from QUE publishing. At the end of chapter 36 (on page 896) there is a
section called "Improving you Outlook" where she outlines a Box Salesman's
use of BCM from her own company. This all is dated and relates to BCM
version 1 but provides some useful insight for use of BCM in sales.

There is a real vacuum to be filled with more of this kind of stuff.

-THP

 

[Luther]

This may help:
http://office.microsoft.com/training/training.aspx?AssetID=RC010897461033

 

[Arnold N.]

Thanks for your replies. BCM apparently is still in the early stages. I wish
MS would visit small companies so they could learn about how a small
business with just a few salespeople could use this. Oh well, at least now I
know why I've been struggling with it...

 

[Tim P via OfficeKB.com]

Arnold,

To follow is an impatient comment that some here may regard as needlessly
negative. BCM has been stuck in this "early stage" for almost 3 years now
since v1 was released. It is unknown exactly how long it will be until the
next version 3 release but many believe late summer '06 is a likely target
concurrent with the next Office 12 release. I hope that this next release
will move BCM into the "later stages" rather than underwhelming users with a
few tweaks, etc. Time will tell for those who are able and/or willing to
wait.

-THP

 

[Arnold N.]

Tim:

I have now taken the time to carefully go through all the practice files in
BCM and my impression is that it, like a very small child, is a mess and
needs serious attention paid to it by it's parents lest it be removed to the
state welfare agency!

(Databases crash every few seconds and this add-in (step-child) is like a
Chinese puzzle to navigate).