Can any one recommend a CRM program specifically for magazines?

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Permalink Reply by David Newcorn on February 15, 2010 at 10:24am

Hi Heather, we've used AdSystems (datafest.com) for years, it's pretty good, but the sales people find it's not sales-oriented enough, so we ended up using BigContacts.com as a Web-based CRM with basic customer contact info, and we still use AdSystems for all the publishing-specific stuff (schedules, insertion orders, contracts, etc.).

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Permalink Reply by Heather Vreeland on February 15, 2010 at 6:32pm

Hey David, Thanks for the info! I'm researching both opps now!

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Permalink Reply by Henry Louis on March 1, 2010 at 12:06pm

Hi Heather, you can look at SugarCRM with customization to match your work-flow and day-to-day operation. Community Edition is free and a good way to evaluate. Plus there are a dozen companies out there to customize it for you. Though initial implementation seems a challenge, the RoI over a 3 year time-line are assured.

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Permalink Reply by Jennifer Szunko on March 2, 2010 at 12:47pm

Hi Heather, I am in the same boat! We use WiredContact for ACT but it is a general CRM and isn't always relevant to the publishing business. I recently looked into Magazine Manager and that looks like it does it all! The price tag seems steep but it could almost replace staff it does so much! Let me know if you uncover anything exciting!

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Permalink Reply by Rebecca Bredholt on March 2, 2010 at 1:19pm

When I worked at Create Magazine, I think our sales team used BlueSky.....

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Permalink Reply by Jim Pappadeas on March 8, 2010 at 3:31pm

Heather,

Magazine Manager is a great browser based product. It does a whole lot more than CRM as well.

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Permalink Reply by Bob Hanna on March 9, 2010 at 9:45am

Heather... We use Salesforce.com but have modified it with the MediaTrak add-in, an enhancement that specifically customizes it for a media selling organization. While MediaTrak itself is free, you will probably want to use the services of an "integrator" to fully adapt the tool to your specific needs. The other good thing about it is that once customized, you can use Salesforce across your entire suite of media properties including print, web and email.

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