I have a pattern of varying between mad scientist mode, then popping up and showing the world, hoping for approval (which come in as "sales").

Here's what's up. I've been on a rampage of code, late nights, and some amazing results.

First, www.SwiftCRM.com is ready for invite-only beta. The formal public beta launch is in July, but it's already an amazing way to drive more sales. For any mortgage brokers who remember LenderMate, this is basically Lendermate 4.0 except not as mortgage-specific...but with all the best features.

Many people are in the "what the heck is CRM? Why should I  care? Is it another software to learn?" category.

So, her's the lowdown: SwiftCRM will

• Automate all those things you know you should do, but don't always get time to do. i.e. send handwritten notes to people you meet, send thank-you gifts to closed deals, incubate long-term tire-kicker leads, stay in touch with referral sources so they think of you first instead of Suzy Q with her 5,000 bus bench ads down the street, even though that referral source knows you're more technically competent...but Suzy Q manages to stay in front of people, so she stays busy even though you and the entire bowling team can't stand her.
  
• Track every lead like a bloodhound. Ok, so you write leads on slips of paper..? iPhone? ACT?. Usually that's fine, other than a few that slip behind the desk, and then you find them a month later, wondering if they ever bought a house. Track a lead from sunrise to sunset, from "i'm a dreamer" to "moved in, and now referring you more clients". Unlike ACT, SwiftCRM can actually take action, sending letters via SendOutCards or Postful.com, sending email, and track everything.
• Show you where you're wasting money AND where you should spend more! Not spending any money on marketing or advertising? Well, this will quickly show you where the results come from, your cost-per-lead, and more. If you're a referral-only marketer this will help you do your daily tasks, weekly calls, pop-by's, etc.
• Store all your transaction docs...in the most relevant space. Sure, i know you have outlook, and may have a system. This is just a faster, better, online-only "hosted CRM" you can access from that carribbean cruise, your home, your phone, your office... it's always online, always syched, and since it's online, it's easy to share a transaction including the docs with your TC, your manager, your virtual assistant in India. Later, we'll integrate www.iSignature.com electronic signature, but that won't be til July or Aug.
• Turn "waste my time" semi-junk leads into gold. Ok, mind you, in this distilling process most won't convert...you'll need 100 of these junk leads to compress down to a few closed paid deals, while the other 98 circle the ethosphere waiting for a lottery ticket and/or a divorce, and/or The House Fairy to grant them that amazing 5 bed house for a studio apartment price. How? Setup a series of timed marketing messages via email, snail-mail, and phone call reminders.
• Turn your slaphazard practice into a smoothly automated machine with the precision of a swiss watch. Ok, so I'm sorry..your practice is hopefully not slaphazard. Most businesses could be more organized.
• For brokers, you'll see who's doing what, project cash flow, project expenses, and have real-time data on how the entire business is doing, and what can be done better. You can't improve what you can't track..and this will show you the numbers. In snazzy graph format even!