CRM Software for tracking bids.

[bonner1040]

So I have been doing as much sidework as possible lately and have been getting a few calls every week from some ads I have up which is nice. I am pretty disorganized and keeping track of Sally from somewhere and Fred from across town was starting to not work so well and I wasnt really following up on the bids I made etc. Familiar story I am sure.

I did a search for a CRM (customer relationship management) that was free and I could use on my phone...
http://www.futuresimple.com/
They offer a service called BASE, it has a it nice interface, Android and Iphone apps and its free. The way they get you is once you grow and need to track more than 50 open deals at a time you pay a monthly. I am a far way off from 50 active jobs so it should be free for the considerable future.

I was able to set up sales stages, incoming, bid, scheduled, paid. Which seems like good place to start.

Another cool feature is they host a capture form for you, I made a generic sample
http://woodntree.futuresimple.com
But I can use these in my Craigslist adds which already generate calls.

Also it creates a contact list for you, which is synced with my phone, so I can look up numbers there separate from my personal phonebook. All of the features of creating deals, changing the status, and everything else also seem pretty easy to use with the phone as well.

Anyway, just thought I would share, and see if you guys have anything you use and like. It seems like a good tool and hell it is free so thats not bad either. Hopefully it helps me keep more organized.

nick.

 

[FJR]

Microsoft excel is a powerhouse. It will do everything you want and then some!

 

[bonner1040]

Yeah, Im a big fan of excel but I like the graphic interface offered by the CRMS, plus the sync from desktop to phone is appealing.

I use excel to track pretty much everything else in my life. Looking at spreadsheets on my phone is just too much though.

I agree on the 'and them some' though Excel is used for some of the most advanced accounting functions in the world.

 

[emr]

I use quickbooks online essentials and that has an app for smart phones. The app keeps track of all the customers, estimates, invoices, etc. The app is pretty weak actually. It is extremely valuable to me to have all of the customer contact info available to me at any time of the day. We schedule our jobs on Google Calendar which is nice because we have my schedule synced to my partners, synced to my homes schedule. This way everyone knows who is available and where everyone is. QB Online costs almost $30 a month. Maybe play around with Google Calendar and see if that can help you. Most calendar apps will sync up with Google Calendar.

 

[squisher]

I use a pad of paper.


Seriously.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Spiral bound notebooks do it for me.

 

[squisher]

I use a calendar for my scheduling though. To keep things organized. A notebook and a calendar and not much falls though the cracks. I did use quickbooks for my books, but I've just switched to Simply Accounting.

 

[sotc]

I quit using a note pad because if someone wanted to schedule a bid in 2 weeks they would be several pages back by that date and long forgotten. Google calendar rocks, I can schedule bids in one color, jobs in another, reminders to call in another etc. My secretary can put something on the calendar and not tell me and it will automatically show up on my phone and tablet. Works sweet, nothing gets forgotten, were all on the same page

 

[sotc]

Like this

 

[squisher]

That's cool but that's why I use a calendar too. The notepad and calendar travel almost everywhere with me. If someone wants to schedule something in two weeks well it goes on the calendar and it doesn't get missed. I don't want a phone that's smarter than me. I don't text or any of that jazz.

 

[canadianclimber]

I'm a pad and paper guy + day timer for scheduling stuff later down the road. I do use the gmail calender which is easy to use. Until I get out of the dark ages and get a smart phone I like to keep it simple. Got a few different excel sheets to track marketing and clients that want work year after year.