Outlook 2007 Business Contact Manager For Dummies

by Karen Fredricks and Lon Orenstein

Outlook 2007 Business Contact Manager For Dummies®

Published by
Wiley Publishing, Inc.
111 River St.
Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774
www.wiley.com

Copyright © 2007 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published simultaneously in Canada

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 646-8600. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Legal Department, Wiley Publishing, Inc., 10475 Crosspoint Blvd., Indianapolis, IN 46256, (317) 572-3447, fax (317) 572-4355, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.

Trademarks: Wiley, the Wiley Publishing logo, For Dummies, the Dummies Man logo, A Reference for the Rest of Us!, The Dummies Way, Dummies Daily, The Fun and Easy Way, Dummies.com, and related trade dress are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United States and other countries, and may not be used without written permission. Outlook is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Wiley Publishing, Inc., is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.

LIMIT OF LIABILITY/DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY: THE PUBLISHER AND THE AUTHOR MAKE NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE CONTENTS OF THIS WORK AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION WARRANTIES OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. NO WARRANTY MAY BE CREATED OR EXTENDED BY SALES OR PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS. THE ADVICE AND STRATEGIES CONTAINED HEREIN MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR EVERY SITUATION. THIS WORK IS SOLD WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT THE PUBLISHER IS NOT ENGAGED IN RENDERING LEGAL, ACCOUNTING, OR OTHER PROFESSIONAL SERVICES. IF PROFESSIONAL ASSISTANCE IS REQUIRED, THE SERVICES OF A COMPETENT PROFESSIONAL PERSON SHOULD BE SOUGHT. NEITHER THE PUBLISHER NOR THE AUTHOR SHALL BE LIABLE FOR DAMAGES ARISING HEREFROM. THE FACT THAT AN ORGANIZATION OR WEBSITE IS REFERRED TO IN THIS WORK AS A CITATION AND/OR A POTENTIAL SOURCE OF FURTHER INFORMATION DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE AUTHOR OR THE PUBLISHER ENDORSES THE INFORMATION THE ORGANIZATION OR WEBSITE MAY PROVIDE OR RECOMMENDATIONS IT MAY MAKE. FURTHER, READERS SHOULD BE AWARE THAT INTERNET WEBSITES LISTED IN THIS WORK MAY HAVE CHANGED OR DISAPPEARED BETWEEN WHEN THIS WORK WAS WRITTEN AND WHEN IT IS READ.

For general information on our other products and services, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at 800-762-2974, outside the U.S. at 317-572-3993, or fax 317-572-4002.

For technical support, please visit www.wiley.com/techsupport.

Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2006939498

ISBN: 978-0-470-10789-8

Manufactured in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

About the Authors

Karen S. Fredricks began her life rather non-technically growing up in Kenya. She attended high school in Beirut, Lebanon, where she developed her sense of humor while dodging bombs. After traveling all over the world, Karen ended up at the University of Florida and has been an ardent Gator fan ever since. In addition to undergraduate studies in English and Accounting, Karen has a master’s degree in Psycholinguistics. Beginning her career teaching high school English and theatre, Karen switched to working with the PC during its inception in the early ’80s and has worked as a full-time computer consultant and trainer ever since.

Karen is an ACT! Certified Consultant, an ACT! Premier Trainer, a Microsoft Office User Specialist, and a QuickBooks Pro Certified Advisor. She is the author of four For Dummies books on ACT! In addition, she has co-authored Outlook 2007 All-in-One Desk Reference For Dummies and is completing work on Microsoft Office Live For Dummies. A true fan of the For Dummies series, she helped organize The Authors Unconference, the first ever gathering of For Dummies authors.

Karen resides in Boca Raton, Florida. Her company, Tech Benders, specializes in contact management software and provides computer consulting, support, and training services. She is also a regular guest on several syndicated computer radio talk shows. In her spare time, Karen loves to spend time with family and friends, play tennis, work out, road bike, and write schlocky poetry.

Karen loves to hear from her readers. Feel free to send her your comments about the book to dummies@techbenders.com or visit her Web site www.techbenders.com to learn more about the products listed in this book.

Lon Orenstein has been in the computer business since 1981, the birth date of the PC. Certified by Microsoft as both an Independent Software Solutions and Mobility Partner, Lon has been working with Microsoft since 1990. Having been a beta user of ACT! in 1986 and its first Certified Consultant, Lon is a dynamic and experienced consultant of sales force automation and customer relationship management strategies. He combines a businessperson’s understanding of how to re-engineer your sales processes with a highly technical knowledge of the computer as the tool with which to do it. Creating elegant software solutions for business problems is what gets Lon energized every day. His company, pinpointtools (www.pinpointtools.com), produces software that enhances Business Contact Manager.

Dedications

Karen Fredericks: This book is dedicated to all of you who take the time out of your busy schedules to learn new things by buying a For Dummies book!

Lon Orenstein: If they needed a model for a great human being, Bonnie Miller would be the choice. I’m lucky enough to be her husband and dedicate this book to her. Patient, kind, supportive, loving, integrity, fun, wonderful, Nonnie — she’s been the best partner for 25+ years! I love you and thank you for your support.

Authors’ Acknowledgments

Karen Fredricks: This is my fifth book for Wiley Publishing and as usual they have made writing this book a pleasure! My acquisitions editor, Greg Croy, is a joy to work with. This is the second book I’ve done with my project editor, Rebecca Senninger; I know when to stick with a good thing! Heidi Unger, my copy editor, had the unenviable task of making me look good; Heidi, your edits were always right on! Technical editor Damir Bersinic’s sharp eye helped to spot all the changes between the beta and final versions of BCM.

Andy Cummings, Kathy Nebenhaus, and Diane Steele are no Dummies — but they are the brains behind the For Dummies series. They have truly helped to put a For Dummies book in a heck of a lot of households!

Rich Tennant is the coolest cartoonist ever. I am astounded by the thought, research, and time that he devotes to each one of his cartoons. I’m not sure which is funnier — his cartoons — or his stories about creating his cartoons!

My various tennis buddies (Kalle, Nancy, Susan, Sue, Joanne, Jo, Jennifer, Denise, and Linda) keep me sane; they make me focus on a round yellow ball instead of a square yellow book! An ace goes out to John Steinmann, my fabulous coach, who is an unofficial Dummy because he is able to teach with a great sense of humor.

I love my daughters, Andrea and Alyssa. Andi is a great tour guide and travel partner; of course, she gets extra points for being a Gator. Even though Alyssa is a Seminole she’s still a lot of fun to “go on a date with”; I am definitely looking at margaritas in a whole new light! My mom, Frances Conn, brought me into this world (which is a good thing), exposed me to unique cultures, and has hopefully passed along her longevity gene to me.

And quickly, — to Gary, you give me love, support, humor and red licorice. See ya later, bye!

Lon Orenstein: As I approach 60, it’s amazing to look back and see all the twists and turns I made to get to where I am now. While trying to acknowledge the people who helped me make those turns and passages, I am afraid I’ll leave out some — so here’s a collective “thank you” to all my relatives, friends, teachers, mentors, bosses, co-workers, customers, employees, and enemies who helped make me into what I am today.

Special thanks go to my parents, Babette and Jacques, my brother Jon, my grandparents Nan & Pops Millstone, my wife Bonnie, my children Janine and Tad, Barry Frank, Chuck Massie, Hallie Mae Shaw, Andy McCollum, Phyllis Hager, Paul & Nannette Holland, Gary Richman, David Ives, Delores Bentley, Joel Presser, and Tiff Hawks for their love, friendship, and support throughout my life.

Pat Sullivan and Mike Muhney founded ACT! software and I found them to be good friends and role models for how to build software with a soul. Thank you for doing it right!

My business contacts at Microsoft were invaluable in the writing: Jeff Keyes, Guy Gilbert, Samir Manjure, Bret Dangelmaier, Balaji Balasubramanyan, and Tom Abshire. Thanks very much, gentlemen!

A great thanks to all the For Dummies folks at Wiley Publishing who helped get my book produced, especially Greg Croy, Mary Bednarek, Leah Cameron, and Rebecca Senninger. I’m now a For Dummies author, thanks to your guidance!

An extra special thanks goes to my grandson, Max Werner, for reminding me every day that my purpose in life is to be a great old man and for being so understanding when I couldn’t play because I was writing this book.

Publisher’s Acknowledgments

We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments through our online registration form located at www.dummies.com/register/.

Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following:

Acquisitions, Editorial, and Media Development

Project Editor: Rebecca Senninger

Acquisitions Editor: Greg Croy

Copy Editor: Heidi Unger

Technical Editor: Damir Bersinic

Editorial Manager: Leah Cameron

Media Development Manager: Laura VanWinkle

Editorial Assistant: Amanda Foxworth

Sr. Editorial Assistant: Cherie Case

Cartoons: Rich Tennant (www.the5thwave.com)

Composition Services

Project Coordinator: Heather Kolter

Layout and Graphics: Claudia Bell, Jonelle Burns, Heather Ryan

Proofreaders: Aptara, Jessica Kramer

Indexer: Aptara

Anniversary Logo Design: Richard J. Pacifico

Publishing and Editorial for Technology Dummies

Richard Swadley, Vice President and Executive Group Publisher

Andy Cummings, Vice President and Publisher

Mary Bednarek, Executive Acquisitions Director

Mary C. Corder, Editorial Director

Publishing for Consumer Dummies

Diane Graves Steele, Vice President and Publisher

Joyce Pepple, Acquisitions Director

Composition Services

Gerry Fahey, Vice President of Production Services

Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services

Contents

Title

Introduction

About This Book

Conventions Used in This Book

What You Should Read

What You Don’t Have to Read

Foolish Assumptions

How This Book Is Organized

Icons Used in This Book

Where to Go from Here

Part I : Getting to Know Your Business Contact Manager

Chapter 1: What Is Outlook Business Contact Manager?

And Then There Was BCM

Finding Out Exactly What BCM Does

Taking a Sneak Peek at BCM

Who Should Be Using BCM

Getting Started with a Few Concepts

Chapter 2: Finding Your Way Around Business Contact Manager

Taking a Look at BCM

Knowing the Toolbars and Menus

Customizing BCM’s Look to Suit Your Needs

Finding Your Contacts and Accounts

Chapter 3: Getting Down to Business Contact Manager

Creating a New BCM Database

Opening a Database

Viewing Your Current Database

Deleting a Database

Importing Contacts into BCM

Exporting Data from Business Contact Manager

Part II : Putting BCM to Work

Chapter 4: Getting to Know Your Business Contacts

Working with Business Contacts

Entering a Business Contact from Scratch

Adding a Business Contact from an E-Mail

Adding a Business Contact from an Account Record

Making Changes to a Business Contact

Resolving Duplicates

Exploring the Business Contact Window

Chapter 5: Setting Up Your Business Accounts

Getting the 411 on Accounts

Entering the Account

Creating an Account from an Existing Business Contact

Doing Your Account Housekeeping

Adding More Details in the Account Window

Chapter 6: Color Your World with Categories

Understanding the Power of Categories

Creating and Defining Categories

Assigning and Unassigning Items to Categories

Chapter 7: Creating Customized BCM Fields

Planning Your Custom Fields

Adding a New Field to Your Database

Recycling Your New Fields

Working with Drop-Down Lists

Customizing Your Dashboards

Part III : Organizing Your Day

Chapter 8: Managing Your Calendar

Scheduling an Appointment with Existing Records

Linking an Outlook Appointment to a Record

Making Changes to Your Appointments

Chapter 9: Multitasking with the Task List

Creating Tasks

Managing Your Tasks

Assigning a Task to a Co-Worker

Using Tasks Day to Day

Chapter 10: Creating Business Histories

Keeping Track of Your Histories

Automating the E-Mail Connection

Keeping Track of Files Using Communication History

Viewing, Searching, and Managing Your Histories

Part IV : Show Me the Money!

Chapter 11: Sharing Your Data

Understanding How BCM Shares Data

Sharing the Database Across a Network

Connecting Each User’s PC to the Database

Removing Access to a Shared Database

Chapter 12: Working with Opportunities

Taking Advantage of Opportunities

Adding Products to Your Opportunity

You Can Quote Me on That

Keeping an Eye on Your Opportunities

Chapter 13: Accounting We Will Go

Setting Up Your Network

Sharing the Accounting Database

Disconnecting BCM from Accounting

Flowing Data from BCM into Accounting

Using Data from Accounting in BCM

Part V : Communicating with the Outside World

Chapter 14: Merging BCM with Word

Setting Up Your Document

Selecting Contacts from BCM

Placing Merge Codes in the Document

Completing the Merge (And Preview)

Making Merged Documents Look Special

Chapter 15: Creating and Tracking Marketing Campaigns

Creating a New Marketing Campaign

Chapter 16: Taking the Show on the Road

Creating an Offline Database

Putting Your Business in Your Pocket

Connecting to Your Office Instead of Taking BCM with You

Part VI : Digging In a Bit Deeper

Chapter 17: Seek and Ye Shall Find Your Data

Filtering Your Data

Working with Search Folders

Using Filters Every Day

Chapter 18: Measuring Your Progress with BCM Reports

Knowing the Basic BCM Reports

Running a BCM Report

Giving Your Reports a Complete Facelift

Performing a Minor Report Makeover

Changing Report Information

Chapter 19: Managing Your Projects and Teams

Creating the Business Project

Working with Project Tasks

Managing the Project

Chapter 20: Maintaining Your Database

Managing Your BCM Database

Backing Up Your BCM Database

Deleting a BCM database

Moving a Database from One PC to Another

Part VII : The Part of Tens

Chapter 21: Ten Cool Things You Can Do In Business Contact Manager

Keep All Your Contact Information in One Place

Customize Your Information

Integrate with Other Office Products

Use Your Existing Data

Create an Opportunity Pipeline

Keep Checking the Dashboard

Run Reports on Your Progress

Market Your Heart Out

Keep Track of Your Projects

Share Your Information with Other Users

Chapter 22: Ten Cool Ways to Get Information into BCM

Incorporate Microsoft Office Live

Improve Your Data Entry Outlook

Import Data from Your Existing Software

Track Your Spreadsheets

Link to Your PDA

Synchronize with Your Laptop

Grab Some Tidbits from Your E-Mail

Send Out E-Marketing Swiftly

Start Scanning

Write with the Logitech Pen

Introduction

O utlook is the bestselling personal information manager that’s included as part of the Microsoft Office suite of products. There are 400 million users of Office worldwide and a high percentage of those folks also use Outlook. In 2003, Microsoft added the Business Contact Manager (BCM) piece to Outlook. For many users, BCM represents their first foray into the area of contact relationship management (CRM). CRM software is a little more complex to understand than other types of software in this respect: With a word processor, each document that you create is totally separate; if you make a mistake, you need only to delete your current document and start fresh. CRM, however, builds its way into a final product; if you don’t give a bit of thought as to what goal you wish to achieve, you can end up with a muddled mess.

We are huge proponents of CRM, and not ashamed to admit it. We use CRM software at work. We use it on the road. We use it at home. We’ve even inspired our friends to use CRM — or at least those that are looking to make more money in less time. We’re excited about the product and know that by the time you figure out how to unleash the full power of BCM, you’ll be excited, too.

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!