Is your AMS or CRM company offering to provide you a fully integrated CMS as part of the package once you sign up with them? In theory this sounds great, but please don’t fall for the Golden Handcuffs!

Web Design and Development is not their main speciality; their software is. It’s advantageous to have organizations on the software companies CMS because it makes it that much harder to leave the software company because all their eggs are in one basket.

How many times has your boss/board come to you with a new web initiative which has required you to search for outside partners to help execute? You should be able to build functionality into your website with relative ease. Most software CMS systems have very strict parameters and don’t allow much customization. Thus organizations can’t easily reach their goals without creating a web of outside vendors.

If it sounds too good to be true, it likely is. If you’re a shoemaker, stick to making shoes. If you’re a software company, don’t get into the website business! Truly innovative software companies are recognizing the need for interconnectivity and are working at better integration with WordPress and other open source CMS systems. Don’t get trapped in the Golden Handcuffs! Keep software separate from your CMS, but focus on seamless integration.