TIP 3036

TOPIC: Microsoft Word Mail Merge Form Letter Templates for LeadCommander 5.5 and Above

LeadCommander includes a powerful External Word Processor function that allows you to mail merge LeadCommander data with an external program. While you can use LeadCommander data with many other programs, the links contained within this topic allow you to download and save Microsoft Word Mail Merge Form Letter Templates for LeadCommander. This topic assumes that you have a basic understanding of LeadCommander and Microsoft Word.

Form Letter Templates
These templates are "live" documents. While these documents can be used as the basis for your form letters, we recommend that once downloaded, you make copies of these originals for your actual form letters. Leaving these templates intact enables you to refer back to "clean" templates for future letters and documents should you ever need to do so. Of course, you should modify these templates to meet your own particular needs.

Note that these templates will assume that you have LeadCommander installed in C:\LEADCMDR. If LeadCommander is not installed in C:\LEADCMDR, you will need to modify these templates when opening them for the first time. When opening the files, Word will automatically look for your MERGE.TXT file in C:\LEADCMDR. If Word doesn't find a data source there, it will prompt you to locate one. Locate and select the MERGE.TXT file in your LeadCommander folder. (Users of Word 97/7.0 or higher may need to check the "Select Method" box in the Open Data Source window and choose the *.TXT converter when attaching the data source file. Refer to the applicable Help topic in the LeadCommander User's Guide for details.)

Note that if you have LeadCommander 5.5 or older, and you have not previously performed a Merge from within LeadCommander, you will not have a MERGE.TXT file. Without changing or saving the Word template, switch to your LeadCommander program, choose Import/Export from the LeadCommander Opening Menu, then select Merge Export. Switch back to Word and locate and select the MERGE.TXT file.

Once you've attached a data source to the Word Merge template file, save the Word file to "lock in" the path to your LeadCommander data source. Refer to the LeadCommander User's Guide, or your Word documentation or Help file for more information.

Download Instructions
To download the Form Letter Templates, right-click on the links, then save the files into your LeadCommander folder (so you can find them easily). Note that you can always move them later.

This form letter template uses a formal salutation for the primary contact at the mailing address.

LC97_1.DOC - for Word 7.0 (Word97)
LCv6_1.DOC - for Word 6.0

Note that either document works with later versions of Word.

This form letter template uses a personal salutation for the primary contact at the mailing address.

Note that either document works with later versions of Word.

Using the Templates
Configure LeadCommander's External Word Processor Function for use with Microsoft Word. (Refer to the LeadCommander User's Guide, if necessary. Then, in LeadCommander simply find a contact or group of contacts to write to as an example. Open one of the templates in Word, then perform a mail merge.

Modifying the Templates
Use the Merge toolbar in Word to insert different fields. Delete fields you don't want in your form letters. Refer to your Word documentation or Help file for more information.

Tip: If you want to create and save multiple mail-merge templates such as multiple form letters, modify a template to your liking. Insert a letter body, letterhead, pictures, and whatever else you want. Then and save the template to a new name. When you want to make another form letter, simply modify the template with any changes you want for the second template, then save that template to another name. You can make as many form letters you want based on an existing template. If you use your imagination you can make labels, postcard, flyer templates and more.