Hardly a week goes by at my First Direct office that I don’t have an inquiry from single user of an older version of GoldMine who is faced with the dilemma of whether to drop GoldMine or upgrade to the new Premium Edition.
Since I get this situation so often, I decided to write this little article to speak to the problem and my point of view about what those people, maybe you, should do. But before I offer my view, allow me to go into a little more description of the dilemma:
Their old version of GoldMine is not compatible with new operating systems and MS Office products. It’s no longer supported by the manufacturer, FrontRange Solutions. They’ve been using it for years and years, often 5+, and have a ton of data that they value. Even though they have their peeves, they are comfortable using GoldMine and don’t want to give up all the features they like. And, they dread the thought of starting over and having to learning a new system, let alone the time, hassle, and expense of converting their data, which is often a lost cause. Plus, they worry they won’t like the other solution, and miss GoldMine’s great features. So, while they don’t want to start from scratch for all these reasons, and they’d like to solve the whole problem by upgrading to GoldMine Premium, the cost seems prohibitively high. I find that many users faced with this situation resent that it is so costly and begrudge FrontRange for not maintaining their version and presenting them with this dilemma.
Sound about right? If so, here’s what I would say in no specific priority order.
1. Appreciate that you’ve been able to get such a long life and value out of an application you purchased so many years ago! Factor that savings, and your low original entry cost, into your decision on what to pay for the upgrade.
2. Put a value on NOT having to start from scratch from these standpoints:
- No data to export & import or worry about because the upgrade will carry all your existing data, fields, activities, etc. over
- A lot less learning curve. You can hit the ground running and get back to work with less down time.
- All the great features you know and like, plus a ton of new improvements. This also means less risk that you won’t like your “new” CRM.
3. You’ll probably use your GoldMine for another bunch of years, just like you did with your old one, so spread the cost out conceptually.
4. You’ll get a year of free updates and manufacturer’s technical support with the upgrade. And, while you may not renew that on the anniversary, at least you have that option.
5. Consider expanding the usage of GoldMine from just yourself to a work group, with 3 or more total users. Not only do the “economies of scale” kick in, the true and highest value of GoldMine is using it with others in your office! (I realize this does not apply to everyone.)
If after considering all these points you still don’t want to invest in your upgrade, then maybe it is time to start over! I can’t tell you whether the grass will or will not be greener on the other side.
