The following tip shows how to filter date ranges with a start and stop date range in CRM out of the box filtering tools.

I was golfing with a client in the typical business scramble and the twosome we were playing against was having a little trouble. They started to try  and change their respective swings in mid round. My client said something very profound, "if they didn't bring it with them they won't find it here!"

We ended up winning the round. I thought about how true my client's statement was, preparation is everthing in business, sales and life.

I had just finished reading Lou Holtz's book, Wins, Losses and Lessons, his autobiography and the theme of preparation wins the day was  repeatedly underscored.

Closing a sales deal starts with hard preparation and practice. In order for preparation and practice to be effective there needs to be a  consistent process to follow.

As a result just like Lou Holtz preparing for everyy game like it was for the "national championship", as sales professionals...

While working with a client at their sale's meeting a sales professional said he was getting frustrated because the prospect would not return his email and voice mails, and wondered if he should stop trying.

The sales professional met the prospect at a trade show and he had agreed to subsequent contacts.The account was appealing  and targeted by management  and was considered a very desirable client.

During the discussion by his fellow sales professionals ideas were offered as potential solutions:

Call the receptionist seeking help looking for a more effective way to contact the person. Stop by the prospects office and inquire about the best way to contact him, sighting your efforts to date. Send a registered letter to the person asking for a meeting to follow up on the trade show introduction. Send a registered letter with a memory stick...

Time and time again we walk into clients and hear moaning and groaning from end users that the system is too complex, or it takes up too much time, and I get frustrated and then just don't put my stuff into the system. As CRM solutions and technology have advanced many of these hurdles have and are being overcome.

Today's technology allows you to customized and change the out of the box CRM versions to work with your process flow; however, over the past 15 years we have seen many of the sales professionals 'winers'  that are typically of an older generation or those who have not been formally been trained on use of computers or have never had the accountability or responsibility to have to use one.

One of our very successful customers, who is in his upper 60's still jokes that cell phones are still not going to catch on. However, he has recognized that he must adapt his organization and give his sales team the tools they need in order to make quick decisions as well as allowing himself to see the macro...