Customer Relationship Manager(CRM) Question:

Yes, I have three that anyone can use. First, consider your future needs. Look down the road and ask "How many contacts will I have in five years?" "How many salespeople will I have?" "How many of my people will need real-time access to this information at home or on their phones and PDAs?" "How much would it cost me to replace these contacts?"

Second, take the opportunity to clean up your data now. Moving to a CRM solution is an opportunity to start with a clean version of accurate data. De-duplicate and otherwise scrub the data to minimize the possibility of needing to import twice. For example, the flexibility of Excel and Outlook BCM allow placing incorrectly formatted information in their fields. This data will not import well without some good planning.

Third, be sure to communicate throughout the process and get early buy-in. The biggest focus of Saleforce.com with its customers is adoption. Members of your team are influencers in their departments. Leverage their expertise and influence by building a team to help you make decisions about the solution. Even if you disagree, listening, acknowledging, and respecting will build loyalty and acceptance within the process.