What is FYIndOut?

For Professionals [ + ] [ - ]

• How much will it cost me to use FYIndOut?
  FYIndOut is free for those joining as professionals!
• Why should I use FYIndOut?
  • Save Time and Money.
    Quickly and easily find solutions you’re looking for and get valuable, real-life feedback in order to make business decisions. Use FYIndOut to create short lists of solutions you’re interested in and our “FYIndMe” function to let the solution providers know you’re interested and to contact you at the click of a button.
  • Find quality solutions instead of those with big marketing budgets.
    Search engines give you more results then you can handle and they don’t tell you if the solutions are worth it or not. Those companies that have paid the most for a keyword or ad in a phonebook aren’t necessarily the best choices for your business.
  • Use the power of ratings and reviews just like you do in your personal life.
    Everyone has a site or two that they count on in order to get reviews on products and services in their personal life so why not use the same practice that works so well for your business where the costs are exponentially higher and your project, business, and/or job depend on the effectiveness of the solution. Why would you pay mucho money to an analyst group that “studies the market” for a report of available solutions with their ratings based on “research” instead of using FYIndOut for free for access to real reviews from those that have actually implemented an application or used a service? FYIndOut allows you to search for solutions by ratings.
  • Give your valuable input to solution providers and colleagues.
    When you share your experience and feedback in an open forum, it not only helps your solution provider to improve their offering, but it also allows your peers to learn from your experience or add to the conversation where your voice can be heard. It’s good business karma!
  • Bookmark and organize business applications and services you’re interested in. Save solutions with our FYIndOut button directly to your short list to review later.
• Who uses FYIndOut?
  FYIndOut is a site for working professionals to communicate and find business applications and services. Any professional that values their time and needs to make the most of their budgets should use FYIndOut.

  • Small Business owners looking for applications or services to support and grow their business.
  • IT professionals looking to implement a new application to meet a business need.
  • Business professionals looking for back office software or consulting and temp services.
  • HR professionals looking for hosted solutions or quality hiring firms.
  • Professionals looking to share their experiences with one another on solutions to help each other out.
  • Event staff looking for quality professional speakers.
  • On and on…

Registration [ + ] [ - ]

• Who will see my contact information?
  The only people that will see your contact information are FYIndOut and any solution provider that you ask to contact you via our “FYIndMe” qualified lead service. It will not be openly available to the FYIndOut community. For more information, see our Privacy Policy.
• Why do you ask for my current role and industry and how long I’ve been there?
  We ask this information so that you’re peers have a better understanding of your perspective on your input. It probably means more to an IT professional to read feedback from another IT professional that implemented the software then to read the feedback of a business professional that says “It was easy to implement.” The same holds true for how much value feedback on a solution from someone in a person’s industry has compared to another professional’s feedback from a totally different industry.
• Do I have to promote my company?
  No, you do not have to promote your company when you log into the site as a professional. While most professionals wish to promote themselves and their company, we do realize that some large companies have policies about public statements. PLEASE NOTE: All comments made by individuals are strictly personal comments and not considered to be on behalf of their employer, even when they promote the company.
• Why don’t you list my industry, category, or role?
  While we try to cover all of the bases and keep some of our categories and roles general enough to cover everything without getting over specific to the point of overwhelming everyone, please let us know if you think there’s something we’ve missed. If it makes sense, we’ll add it.

Solution Reviews [ + ] [ - ]

• Why should I submit a review?
  • Well, if you’re an expert on a solution and you want to share your knowledge and build your reputation, that’s a good reason.
  • To help other professionals and business owners that need to make the most of their time and money.
  • You’ve got a great relationship with your solution provider and want to help them grow their business in order to build your partnership.
  • You were sold a bunch of promises with nothing but an invoice to show for it and you want to make sure that others don’t make the same mistake and give the solution provider more business.
• How long will it take me to submit a review?
  In sticking with our mantra of saving time and money for professionals, our review process is fairly short:

  1. You search for the solution and solution provider to see if it’s already in our system
  2. You answer 3-4 questions on your experience with the solution
  3. You rate the solution
  4. You list other Solution Providers you considered
  5. You confirm what you entered before you submit it

  The goal is to provide the community with enough information to create a quality short list (1-4 solutions) and then do the proper due diligence on their own from there.

• Can I edit or delete my review?
  Yes. You have the ability to go in and edit or delete a review you have created at any time.

• I was offered an incentive for a review or referral. What should I do?
  If someone has offered you an incentive for a review, you should tell us about it. If a Solution Provider needs to offer you an incentive to speak well for them, they must not be too confident in their solution and chances are others will come out with true and accurate reviews. It’s not in a professional’s best interest to rate or refer based on an incentive and chances are it will hurt your reputation as well.

• Can Solution Providers post reviews for their own applications or services?
  No, we don't permit this.

• Can a Solution Provider pay a company to post reviews for them?
  No, we don't permit this. Reviews must come from actual professionals with first-hand experience of the business application or service and be original and unique.

• Reporting a review that appears to be fraudulent or doesn't meet FYIndOut guidelines

  If you are concerned with the authenticity of a particular review or comment, contact us. We'll look into it right away. Tell us the date, solution reviewed, and any other information that may help us with the particulars of your situation. We have filters and other tools to help us catch reviews that do not meet our posting criteria, but we always appreciate the help from our users as well.

  If you feel that a published review does not meet our user review guidelines, please feel free to contact us. We'll look into it. If we find it violates our guidelines, we'll remove it.

Information from the Solution Providers [ + ] [ - ]

• Why do some solutions have additional information like specifications, referrals, and marketing material but others don’t?
  Solution providers also have the ability to use FYIndOut. Those that subscribe to FYIndOut have the ability to add more information as well as communicate directly with professionals on reviews and comments. If you’re solution provider isn’t using FYIndOut, you may want to invite them.
• What additional information can I see from a Solution Provider subscribed to FYIndOut?
  Solution providers that use FYIndOut have the ability to add information such as:

  • Solution overviews
  • Awards
  • White papers
  • Case Studies
  • Presentations
  • Videos
  • Links to demos and free trials
  • Referrals for their solutions
  • Specifications (for software only)
  • Offer tips for using their solution as well as reply to user questions and posts
• If I review a solution or click on a solution provider’s information, are you going to send them my information to contact me?
  Absolutely not. We know that there are sites out there that will send your contact information to solution providers the second you scroll over their name or white papers. This not only aggravates you, but it also aggravates the solution providers as they are spending time and money chasing false leads. The only time we send a solution provider your contact information is when you use the FYIndMe qualified lead service on your Short Lists.
• How do I get my business partners/solution providers to use FYIndOut?
  You can invite your business partner/solution providers to start using FYIndOut by going to our “Invite Your Solution Provider” page and filling out the short form. An email will be sent to them providing information on FYIndOut and your comment.

Short Lists [ + ] [ - ]

• What is a short list?
  After you’ve done your preliminary research, short lists allows you to create and save a list of the final solutions (normally 2-6) you are interested in and wish to contact and learn more about.
• Can I have multiple short lists?
  Yes. You can create multiple short lists and name each one differently so you can easily identify them.
• How can I add business services or applications to my short list?
  When you find a business service or application you like, you can add it in two different ways:

  1. Add it to your short list directly from FYIndOut
  2. Savvy solution providers will also have a FYIndOut button next to their solutions on their web sites so when you see something of value to you, you can instantly add it to your short list directly from their site.
• What is FYIndMe?
  FYIndMe is the FYIndOut way to reach out to the selected solution providers on your short list and have them contact you. When you use this free service, all of the selected solution providers that use FYIndOut will be sent your contact information and the list of solutions you’re interested in. This is considered to be a qualified lead or Request For Information (RFI). There’s no need for you to go to all of their sites and try to find the right people to contact or fill out multiple Contact Us forms.
• If one of the solution providers I’m interested in doesn’t use FYIndOut, will they be notified?
  No. Unfortunately, not everyone uses FYIndOut…yet. If there’s a solution provider out there that you would like to start using FYIndOut in order to make everyone’s life easier, go to our “Invite A Solution Provider” page and give us their contact information. We’ll contact them right away and try to get them onboard.

For Solution Providers [ + ] [ - ]

• Why should I use FYIndOut?
  • Increase your brand awareness and amplify your word of mouth.
  • 1. Whether you’re a new company trying to get your name out in the market or a business unit in a large company, using FYIndOut allows you to reach out to the B2B market base you’re looking for by posting your applications or services.
  • Compete based on quality and not your marketing budget.
  • When you list on FYIndOut, you have the ability to let the quality of your service speak for itself. FYIndOut was designed to let professionals find and promote quality business applications and services. There is no bidding for keywords. Listing your solutions is free so let your quality and interaction with prospects make the difference in getting the sale.
  • Receive qualified leads and the information you need to win deals with prospective buyers.
  • If a FYIndOut user reaches out to solution providers via our FYIndMe qualified lead service, you will be provided with a qualified lead or Request For Information (RFI) that contains the following information; annual revenue, number of employees, the solution they’re interested in, the member’s contact information, level of interest, the business issue they’re trying to solve, and the other solution providers they’ve reached out to.
  • Stand out from the crowd.
  • You don’t want reviews of your solutions by current or former customers to be the only information prospective customers see. When you use FYIndOut, you have the ability to list the following for your solution;
  • Solution overview including the description and URL
  • Referrals – get your customer referrals out front where people can see them
  • Awards
  • White papers
  • Case Studies
  • Presentations
  • Videos
  • Links to demos and free trials
  • Solution Specifications (for software/technical solutions only)
  • Receive feedback from your customer base as well as those that didn’t choose your solution to find out what you can do to improve your offering.
  • Communicate directly with prospects and customers in an open forum.
  • In today’s marketing world, actively communicating and participating in social forums are key. Don’t just read comments, be a part of a discussion that will improve your offering and your brand.
• Who uses FYIndOut?
  FYIndOut is a site for working professionals to communicate and find business applications and services. Any professional that values their time and needs to make the most of their budgets should use FYIndOut.

  • Small and Mid-size Business (SMBs) owners looking for solutions or services to support and grow their business.
  • IT professionals looking to implement a new application to meet a business need.
  • Business professionals looking for back office software or consulting and temp services.
  • HR professionals looking for hosted solutions or quality hiring firms.
  • Professionals looking to share their experiences with one another on solutions to help each other out.
  • Entrepreneurs looking for educational and networking events.
  • Event staff looking for quality professional speakers.
  • On and on….

Registration Questions [ + ] [ - ]

• How much does it cost?
  Currently, you have full functionality via our Basic plan. The only thing you pay for is when you decide to accept a lead. If you choose not to accept the lead, you don’t pay. It’s that simple. To learn more, see our Benefits, Pricing, and Sign Up page.
• How many plans are there?
  Currently, we only have the Basic plan which allows you full functionality for free. To learn more, see our Benefits, Pricing, and Sign Up page.
• What does each plan include?
  To see what each plan offers, go to our Benefits, Pricing, and Sign Up page.
• What if I don’t want the lead?
  We understand that some leads are better then others. That’s why you’ll have the ability to review a lead before you accept it. You’ll be able to see all of the information for the FYIndMe qualified lead except for the user’s company, contact information, and other solution providers contacted. If you choose to accept the lead, all information will be made available to you.
• Are there any long term contracts?
  No. Our service is offered month to month with no long term contracts.
• Can I upgrade or cancel my plan at any time?
  Yes. Whenever you wish, you can upgrade your plan or cancel your account.
• What forms of payment do you accept?
  We accept credit card payments by Visa, Mastercard, and American Express.
• Can I be invoiced? Will you accept a P.O.?
  At this time we only accept payments online so we will not be able to accept a P.O., invoice you, or take an order over the phone.
• Do you charge per user?
  No. You can add as many users as you want under your Organization ID with your monthly subscription.
• Do you charge per solution?
  No. You can add as many business applications and services as you want under your Organization ID with your monthly subscription.
• Why can’t I use my general (Yahoo!, Gmail, Hotmail, etc) email address?
  All solution providers are required to use their business email address to register. This helps to minimize fraudulent representation.
• How long will it be before I receive my assigned an ID so my organization can start using the service?
  While in most cases, you should receive your login credentials same day, you will receive an email in no more then two business days after registering.
• What happens if I cancel my account?
  We hope you don’t want to cancel your account. But in the unfortunate circumstance that your company decides to stop using FYIndOut, all of your solution content, referrals, and collateral will stop being displayed. You will not receive notice when a user has listed you on their Short List and sends out a FYIndMe qualified lead. All reviews on your solutions will remain.
• If I’m in a large company, how do I know that somebody else hasn’t already registered my company?
  One of the things we look for when reviewing company registrations is to see if a company has already been registered. When that happens, we will send an email to the current contact on record for the company as well as the new registrant to inform them of the situation and let them handle it from there.

Listing Solutions [ + ] [ - ]

• What can I do when I list my solution(s) on FYIndOut?
  Listing your solution(s) on FYIndOut allows you to do the following:

  • Promote your B2B applications and services
  • Amplify your word of mouth
  • Share your referrals, white papers, case studies, content
  • Interact directly with customers and prospects
  • Most importantly, it allows you to receive qualified leads for via our FYIndMe Alerts
  • To see more of what you can do check out our Benefits, Pricing, and Sign Up page.
• What happens if I stop listing my solutions?
  In the unfortunate circumstance that your company decides to stop using FYIndOut, all of your solution content and referrals will stop being displayed and you will not receive notice when a user has listed you on their Short List and sends out an RFI via our FYIndMe Alerts. All reviews on your solutions will remain.
• What is a FYIndMe Alert?
  It’s a qualified lead and Request For Information (RFI). A FYIndMe Alert is the FYIndOut way for prospective buyers to reach out to the selected solution providers on their Short List and invite you to contact them. You will receive an email notifying you that a user would like you to contact them regarding one of your solutions along with their annual revenue, number of employees, level of interest, and the business issue they’re trying to resolve. If you choose to accept the lead, you will receive the user’s company, contact information, and a listing of the other solution providers on their Short List and the respective solutions. This not only equips you to understand the buyer’s situation beforehand but also lets you know who you’re up against and how best to position your solution.
• What does your Add To My Short List widget do?
  Our “Add To My Short List” widget allows savvy companies like yours to easily cut and paste our widget code onto your site so that when a prospect is interested in your business application or service, they can immediately save it to their short list on FYIndOut without leaving your site! Just as you use buttons to save and share your blog posts, now you can do the same with your application or service. And in the end, isn’t that the goal?

Solution Reviews[ + ] [ - ]

• If we suspect that a review is not written by a real reviewer, what do we do?
  If you are concerned with the authenticity of a particular review, contact us. We'll research it and we will let you know the outcome of our investigation. Tell us the date, the solution reviewed, username or real name listed, and any other information that may help us with the particulars of your situation. We value your help and appreciate it when you alert us to a potentially fraudulent situation.
• Can Solution Providers post reviews for their own applications or services?
  No, we don't permit this.
• Can a Solution Provider pay a company to post reviews for them?
  No, we don't permit this. Reviews must come from actual professionals with first-hand experience of the business application or service and be original and unique.
• Reporting a review that appears to be fraudulent or doesn't meet FYIndOut guidelines

  If you are concerned with the authenticity of a particular review or comment, contact us. We'll look into it right away. Tell us the date, solution reviewed, and any other information that may help us with the particulars of your situation. We have filters and other tools to help us catch reviews that do not meet our posting criteria, but we always appreciate the help from our users as well.

  If you feel that a published review does not meet our user review guidelines, please feel free to contact us. We'll look into it. If we find it violates our guidelines, we'll remove it.