The Shortlist

Independent reviews of email marketing software

We're pleased to announce the launch of our Email Marketing Software Review Pack, a comprehensive 33 page report that looks at 19 leading web-based email marketing solutions in detail. Conducted by an independent reviewer in accordance with Software Shortlist's proprietary review methodology, these reviews give you the fresh and independent perspective you need to make an informed decision. 

Here's what you'll find in the review pack:

• Overall star ratings for each product
• Written reviews, including what we liked and didn't like
• Ratings on 10 key factors e.g. 'ease of use' 
• Pricing information
• Vendor contact details
• Feature matrix (i.e. who has which features)

Each product has a full page devoted to it, in a consistent format for easy comparison. At the front you'll find a convenient summary of all ratings, plus the highly popular feature matrix that reveals which of 39 key features are included in each product. 

Products reviewed included: AWeber, Benchmark, Campaign Monitor, Campaigner, Constant Contact, Email Brain, Ennect Mail, GetResponse, GraphicMail, iContact, inwise, JangoMail, MailChimp, newzapp, Savicom, SimplyCast, Streamsend, Vertical Response, and Vision 6.

It is available to buy and download from our website. Find out more here. 

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*Special Offer* - Save $50 on email marketing reviews

To say thank you to our loyal newsletter subscribers, we're pleased to offer an exclusive discount on our new Email Marketing Software Review Pack. Get the review pack for only US$99+ GST, a saving of $50 or 33% off the regular RRP of US$149+GST.  

Below is a special link valid for the next week only (i.e. until Wednesday 24th March 2010).            

CLICK HERE TO REDEEM THE SPECIAL OFFER

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5 Goals of a Project Manager

by Jason Westland

These goals are generic to all industries and all types of projects. Regardless of your level of experience in project management, set these 5 goals for every project you manage.

Goal 1: To finish on time
This is the oldest but trickiest goal in the book. It’s the most difficult because the requirements often change during the project and the schedule was probably optimistic in the first place. To succeed, you need to manage your scope very carefully. Implement a change control process so that any changes to the scope are properly managed. Always keep your plan up to date, recording actual vs. planned progress. Identify any deviations from plan and fix them quickly.

Goal 2: To finish under budget
To make sure that your project costs don’t spiral, you need to set a project budget at the start to compare against. Include in this budget, all of the types of project costs that will accrue, whether they are to do with people, equipment, suppliers or materials. Then work out how much each task in your plan is going to cost to complete and track any deviations from this plan. Make sure that if you over-spend on some tasks, that you under-spend on others. In this way, you can control your spend and deliver under budget.

Goal 3: To meet the requirements
The goal here is to meet the requirements that were set for the project at the start. Whether the requirements were to install a new IT system, build a bridge or implement new processes, your project needs to produce solutions which meet these requirements 100%. The trick here is to make sure that you have a detailed enough set of requirements at the beginning. If they are ambiguous in any way, then what was initially seen as a small piece of work could become huge, taking up valuable time and resources to complete.

Goal 4: To keep customers happy
You could finish your project on time, under budget and have met 100% of the requirements—but still have unhappy customers. This is usually because their expectations have changed since the project started and have not been properly managed. To ensure that your project sponsor, customer and other stakeholders are happy at the end of your project, you need to manage their expectations carefully. Make sure you always keep them properly informed of progress. “Keep it real” by giving them a crystal clear view of progress to date. Let them voice their concerns or ideas regularly. Tell them upfront when you can’t deliver on time, or when a change needs to be made. Openness and honesty are always the best tools for setting customer expectations.

Goal 5: To ensure a happy team
If you can do all of this with a happy team, then you’ll be more than willing to do it all again for the next project. And that’s how your staff will feel also. Staff satisfaction is critical to your project’s success. So keep your team happy by rewarding and recognizing them for their successes. Assign them work that complements their strengths and conduct team building exercises to boost morale. With a happy motivated team, you can achieve anything!

And there you have it. The 5 goals you need to set yourself for every project.

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Jason Westland has 15 years experience in the project management industry. From his experience, he has created software to help speed up the management process. If you would like to find out more about Jason's online project management software visit ProjectManager.com.

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Do your clients ask you about software?

Are you a consulting or advisory firm (eg accounting, bookkeeping or software consultancy)? Do you provide services that help companies to improve their operations? Do your customers ever ask you for independent software advice? If so, we should talk!

Software Shortlist is developing a Certified Consultant program that includes:

• Training in our software selection methodology 
• Access to exclusive tools and resources
• Profile page on Software Shortlist
• Discounts / commissions on review packs & other products

Plus, certification enables you to extend your services to existing clients, improve their satisfaction levels, and attract new SMB customers. 

To find out more, see our Certified Consultant information page. 

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Tell us how to improve.

We've got big plans to make life easier for small businesses when they choose software. But we need your help!

How would you improve Software Shortlist? Explain your feedback and provide a practical suggestion for how we can do better. Some questions to consider include: What do you think of the new search interface? What might be stopping you registering to see your search results? What concerns or doubts are in your head as you go through an online assessment?

We're listening ... so don't hold back!

Send your comments and suggestions to info@softwareshortlist.com. The best submissions (as judged by us) received by the end of March will win a prize (and our sincere gratitude)

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In case you missed them...

...here are some recent posts from the Software Shortlist blog. Feel free to comment and get involved in the discussion - the more, the merrier!

• Do your customers ever ask you for software recommendations?
• Fresh interface + more software comparisons
• Price does not equal quality for email marketing software
• What's your experience with email marketing software?

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