New Blog site

Yes I have finaly made the change, all blogs are now one.

Check out www.thetommygun.com for more on email marketing, sales and all that!!

Thanks

Tom

The best CRM ever!

Though out my career I regularly get asked what CRM tool I use and which I prefer, over the years I have used many from Sales force to Sugar and lots of custom products, however the most successful I have found to date is my own design, its open source and available to all, not only that it is completely scalable.

The system is Table Top CRM - the best way to keep track of your clients for any successful sale professional! To increase the capacity simply add more desks!

See pics for more:

Keen to learn more drop me an email red@mailprimer.com or visit the Table Top CRM site click here...

On a more serious note when I do find a good CRM I’ll let you know! Sales force is not too bad, great for reporting but way to many clicks to get the data in! Just get a bit of stick from Andrew and Andrew on my style.

Thanks

Tom

Charity Vote NZ

Telecom New Zealand has offered to donate $250,000 each to the four charities that receive the most votes. If you have a Telecom internet account with xtra:

http://www.charityvote.co.nz/

Get in and vote for your charity of choice we are!!

Calcium on the TV

An interview on ASB Business (TVNZ) with Calcium's own Tom Reidy and Raymond from the great team at Victoria University

ASB Business interview with Justine Turner form TVNZ

The Unsolicited Electronic Messages Act 2007 comes into effect on 5 September

The Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) has established an Anti-Spam Unit to investigate complaints about spam from the public and act against New Zealand ‘spammers’.

Ensure that your organisation meets the requirements of the new Act by attending one of the Anti-Spam seminars being held across the country in August and September.

If you would like to attend please fill out this registration form and email to josie.keating@dia.govt.nz fax to 04 495 7224 or send to

Anti-Spam Unit,
Department of Internal Affairs,
PO Box 805,
Wellington.

Anti-Spam law countdown

New Zealand businesses should be preparing themselves for the ‘Unsolicited Electronic Messages Act 2007’, which takes effect on 5 September.

The UEM Act defines spam as ‘unsolicited, commercial, electronic messages’, and sets out the rules for sending commercial electronic messages legitimately.

The Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) has established an Anti-Spam Unit to investigate complaints about spam from the public and act against spammers in New Zealand who are deliberately flouting the law.

Anti-Spam Unit manager, Joe Stewart, says that 99 percent of spam originates from overseas so it is important to note that the UEM Act will not stop spam.

“What it does enable us to do is to prevent New Zealand becoming a ‘spammer haven’ by allowing us to fight New Zealand-sourced spam. The Act also allows us to enter into international agreements to share information and pursue cross-border complaints.

“The legislation is just part of a range of undertakings to combat spam. We will also be actively involved in promoting spam education and awareness, encouraging industry liaison and monitoring emerging technologies,” says Joe.

The penalties for breaching the UEM Act range from formal warnings to infringement notices and court actions (with a maximum fine of $500,000 for an organisation or $200,000 for an individual). A ‘spammer’ could also be ordered to pay the victims compensation up to the amount of loss suffered and/or damages up to the amount of profit that was made as a result of sending the spam.


What do you need to do?

When sending a commercial electronic message you must: have the consent of the recipient, clearly identify the sender and the sender’s contact details, and include a free unsubscribe facility.

There are three types of consent outlined in the Act – express, inferred and deemed. Express consent is a direct indication that the recipient wishes to receive messages and encompasses situations such as ticking a box on a website or a phone/face-to-face conversation.

Inferred consent is when the recipient hasn’t directly instructed you to send them a message, but there is a reasonable expectation that messages will be sent. For example, the recipient provided their email address when purchasing goods and services in the general expectation that there will be a follow-up communication.

Deemed consent covers situations when someone has conspicuously published their work related electronic address or mobile number (i.e. on a website, brochure or magazine). However any message sent must still be relevant to the recipient’s business.

This means that existing client address lists and databases will need to be checked to ensure each client has consented to receiving electronic messages. Under the Act if enforcement action is taken the onus is on the sender of a message to prove consent, whether it be express, inferred or deemed.

For those who would like to know more about the requirements of the UEM Act, the Anti-Spam Unit is hosting a series of practical seminars nationwide in August and September. The dates for these and the registration form are available at www.antispam.govt.nz

More detailed information, including examples, is also provided in the ‘Unsolicited Electronic Messages Act 2007 Guide for businesses’. The guide is available at www.antispam.govt.nz on the ‘Business info’ page.

However it is important to note that the guide provides general advice only. If the answer to your query is unclear you should seek legal advice, or contact the Anti-Spam Unit at info@antispam.govt.nz

Save a tree continued...

Save a tree makes an appearance on Scoop:

Here....
And here...

Thanks for the support guys!!

Viral marketing at its best!

The below link is a great example of Viral marketing through email!
The idea behind the campaign is to promote email as an alternative to paper base marketing, but also to encourage people to think before they print an email. Click the link and refer some people as the more referred the more donated to a good cause!!




The campaign has been created by Tom and the team at Calcium

www.saveatree.co.nz

Rayguns for sale!

Another great piece of work from Andrew, Lee and Nigel at Touch/Cast/Next

Great stuff!!

The business leaders of the future

Wellington’s business leaders of the future are graduating from high-growth business incubator Creative HQ next week (Tuesday June 26).

Globally-renowned animation company Karactaz, destinational fashion store deNada, and international on-line casting website StarNow.com have all met the challenging growth targets set by NZ Trade & Enterprise.

They will join companies including Optimal Usability, Virtual Katy, Spikefin, Calcium Communications and SilverStripe as Creative HQ alumni.

A total of 11 high-growth companies have graduated from Creative HQ, and there are currently spaces available for new residents.

The international success of StarNow.com gained local recognition when they were named finalists in the Cyber Gold category at this year’s Wellington Region Gold Awards for business.

Karactaz was founded by Dylan Coburn in 2002 to sell creative services, especially animation products and technology.

DeNada is the first fashion company to graduate from a New Zealand incubator.

Co-run by Nada Matthews and Stewart Island-based Jo Learmonth, deNada launched a new concept in fashion and retail with the opening of their Featherston Street store.

The collection of street-styled and urban garments in sizes 8-16 is extended to include off-the-shelf garments in curvy and tall, catering for different body shapes.

Jewellery, accessories, good coffee and a boutique selection of low-fi and café style music are available to listen to and buy.

Well done guys and I look forward to seeing your names more in future...