You now have name and phone number of a prime valuable customer ready to buy who WANTS to hear from you.

>From customers viewpoint, this is simple, responsive and satisfying. From sellers position it is one of most powerful ecommerce tools to be announced on web this year! This idea and powerful software behind that simple button were announced at a press event titled "Showstoppers" during Spring 2001 InternetWorld conference and show in City of Angels (Los Angeles) March 15th.

This tool receives my vote as a better ecommerce solution than any seen at huge eCRM (Customer Relationship Management) show held concurrently with I-World show at LA convention center this month. The powerful tracking and reporting functions that come as part of package with this incredibly simple little button could turn around fortunes of major e-tailers like many of those we've seen sink in economic downturn.

Priced at a very low per-call rate starting at about $1.50 per customer contact, you can have calls routed anywhere from your cell phone to your home office and be assured of making sale to that customer that very likely would have walked (or clicked) right out of your e-store without that personal contact from a caring customer representative. Most so-called CRM solutions are simply automated-database-tracking-purchase- recording-preference-listing-sub-routine-predictive-expensive- file-them-here-contact-them-then-follow-up-with-them-next types of robotic de-personalizers.

CallButton offers reporting and tracking tools available in those complex CRM solutions with two major differences. Your customer gets their questions answered and you make sale! It's installed on your page with a short line of HTML code and you don't invest tens of thousands of dollars required of major corporations for their robotic de-personalizer software.

You make sale, your customer is satisfied. Now comes bonus. The upsell while customer is on phone with you. This prospect has requested your contact, has an interest in more of what you sell and has qualified themselves for your services. If you don't upsell them now, you might consider doing something else with your time.

I've signed up for service and can't imagine how I got along without it. It's priced for small business and handily solves a difficult issue for both business owners and their customers.

http://callbutton.com/

SCRIPTS

If you're at all good at programming with CGI, there are limitless scripts you can download for free or low cost. If you're all thumbs you could hire someone to configure script for you. One of best online programmers I know of is David Black. He's fast, reliable and his prices are fair. You can contact him at mailto:DavidBlack@thewavecave.com

1) CGI EXTREMES: http://www.cgiextremes.com/Scripts/Shopping_Carts/

You'll find a variety of CGI shopping scripts here ranging from free up to 300.00 in price. They'll work on a variety of platforms. Each one is rated on a scale of 1 to 10 for guidance in selection.

2) CGI Resource Index: http://cgi-resources.com

To find goodies here you'll need to drill down to appropriate category. Click on programs and scripts, then Perl, then shopping carts.

3) PERLSHOP: http://www.arpanet.com/PerlShop/perlshop.html

This CGI script is for sites hosted on a Unix system. It is free to use with their logo on pages.

4) PAY PAL SHOPPING CART http://www.cstafford.com/ppalstore.shtml

Check out this free CGI Shopping cart script that passes all of your credit card sales over to PayPal for easy processing.

SOFTWARE

1) SALES CART: http://www.salescart.com/

Specifically for FrontPage users. Cost is 179.00. Easy to set up using their step by step wizard.

2) PDG SHOPPING CART http://www.pdgsoft.com/cart.htm

Completely customizable to fit your needs. Integrates easily with FrontPage software or Dreamweaver. You can also use this cart to set up your own associate program. Works on Unix, NT servers and others. It is a little pricey at 750.00, but worth it for features you get.

3) Your E-Ware: http://www.youreware.com/home/

Fast and easy to use, with a low price that gives this software an edge. It will hold up to 2,500 products in up to 20 product categories. Works on Win 95.98 and Mac. Download free demo and take it for a spin. Final cost is under 100.00

There you have some of various options to choose from when setting up your online storefront. Before jumping into e-commerce waters, make sure you weigh your options and choose one that best fits your needs and your budget.