As a total neophyte to CRM/SRM, and after spending tons of time trying to research the jargon, experimenting with SugarOS, and consulting with someone who HAS CRM experience, I'm still befuddled with this application. I can't even BEGIN to use it in any way that makes sense to me, nor does the "manual" provide me with any help I can understand (it's written for people who know software programming &/or CRM applications).

I tried importing a database of leads. I was in the "Leads" section. I reasoned that this should create a list of leads!

It didn't. My list became "Accounts."

Maybe I'm crazy, but I should be able to buy a list (from D&B, for example), import it into a section that calls itself "Leads," and begin to contact the company and any names associated with that company, adding "Contacts," until I identify an honest-to-God PROSPECT (which I assume is called an "Opportunity" by SugarCRM).

I can't get the system to work that way.

Am I from the wrong planet, am I missing how to do this, or is SugarCRM just not designed to work in this simple, obvious way?

(If I had revenues to justify paying for support, I'd also be able to afford any number of other CRM applications. I'd just like to find ONE that I understand and can start with, growing into a robust system that will allow me to add many users. I'd like to understand a system without going back to school, something as simple and intuitive as I've been used to with Macs!)

regards,
ric