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Still waiting for a response from that website you were browsing last month? Maybe you got a reply, but not soon enough. Just last week I completed a web form on the site of a large CRM vendor who specialises in customer experience. Guess what. Nobody followed up my enquiry! I ended up chasing them via chat (which worked really well). It's okay, these things happen. But not everyone would've given them a second chance. It made me wonder how many other companies are missing out on business because they're sluggish responding to leads?

For many small businesses, especially sole-traders and Limited Liability Partnerships, it may only be necessary to produce and publish a clearly defined Data Protection Policy in order to be compliant.

However, merely declaring a policy will be deemed to be insufficient in the event of an investigation (which is only likely to happen following a data breach / compromise) unless there is hard evidence that adequate precautions were taken to implement the policy, including protecting all data that falls within the scope of GDPR – namely data that identifies a person either directly (full name, address, or photograph) or indirectly (IP address + Facebook handle and / or + characterisation of an individual).

I don't suppose you received any emails this week tempting you to a free trial of an amazing new app, did you? How many apps did you try out? And which ones are you still using?

Are you addicted to subscribing to new apps that you never have a chance to use? Don't feel bad - we all do it! When you first start out in business, you're pulled in all directions, so of course every minute is precious. Any extra app or tool that promises to help you manage your business more easily is enticing.

Most organisations can't do without email, Word, Excel and PowerPoint (or their equivalent), but there are thousands of other software apps you could add to your suite of business applications. Our digital world offers so much choice that even the smallest, simplest business can find it overwhelming.

I've been running my small business for more than ten years. I've tried hundreds of apps because I love productivity tools. But I've continually been refining my list and I now have a shortlist of eight tools I'd recommend to any small business owner just starting out or in their first couple of years of business. The majority are free or include a free version, depending on the features you need. I use all of them daily and they ensure I keep my business running smoothly. 

I love creating content on current CRM topics like user adoption, sales enablement and training for SalesMethods. So I was even more delighted for my client when I learnt that my guest blogging had won the Gold and Silver awards in two categories of the CRM Writers' Awards 2017.