(Angl.) ACT! vs GoldMine: What You Need To Know To Choose The Best One

For some reason, one of the most asked questions of me is “which is better: ACT! or GoldMine?”

Sometimes, they ask about Maximizer or SalesLogix, but ACT! and GoldMine are currently the two main ones I get asked about for software comparisons.

I remember when I was a Consultant, selling CRM software, I used to wait for the head-to-head product comparisons from the CRM manufacturer. Why? Because it’s what my prospects kept asking for! And I wasn’t alone…this kind of product matrix or comparison chart was probably the most asked for marketing document from the Reseller community.

But they weren’t head-to-head comparisons at all. It wasn’t competitive intelligence. After a while I came to understand that these charts were thinly veiled marketing hype posing as “competitive intelligence” and were very biased and, in my opinion, deviously skewed. (A careful reading will reveal that the features or functions have been worded in such a way as to give one CRM package a better rating or score).

Now when I’m asked which CRM package is best, I tell people “You’re asking the wrong question!”.

For those of you who don’t want to listen to my explanation about what the right approach is, don’t worry. Further down, I have included some specific areas you should examine when evaluating such programs as ACT!, GoldMine and Maximizer. It’s not a comprehensive list, but should provide a really good start. (In the Insider CRM Success Toolkit, I give over 50 pages of detailed notes on comparing feature sets).

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