Existing Software:
Microsoft Outlook
Microsoft Excel

The first step in the process was to understand Gayle’s unique administrative/management needs.

After her needs analysis we arrived at three distinct system requirements:

1. Contractor tracking: She needs to track who is working on which project, and how many projects each person is working on. Since the teams are project-based it is common for Gayle to manage several different teams at once. In addition to current projects, she also wanted to keep a history of which teams worked on completed projects.

2. Easy proposal creation: Opening an Excel template, entering information from scratch, and saving a new file every time she created a proposal took a great deal of time and added to the number of documents she was storing for each project. Plus, this system did not allow her to see total sales, so she had to enter the information in a master spreadsheet that would add it all together. Double data entry was wasting her time.

3. Email organization: Dragging email messages to specific folders was a lesser issue than the actual number of folders she had set up. The subfolder hierarchy was Clients folder, Client Name folder, Project folder, Team Member folder. This resulted in some contractors having 10 or more folders which easily created confusion.

The First Solution:
QuickBooks Pro 2010

We created a list of services that included the contractor who will be participating in the project. For example, if I were one of Gayle’s contractors there may be a service in the list called “Press release creation – Ellen” with my associated fee to Gayle listed as her “cost”. If there are other contractors that she uses for the same service then she adds them, with their name and cost.

When Gayle creates the proposal she simply has to choose from the list of services which service relates to the project and then the one that is associated to the person she wants on the team. The rest of the proposal includes any description she wants to enter, the number of hours, the total cost, and the total price. The printed version that is sent to the prospect only shows what she wants it to show – the description and the total cost. However, when she views the proposal she can see each member of the team. She can also run reports by item or service allowing her to see financial and project information related to each team member.

Once Gayle completed the list of services she was able to create a proposal in a fraction of the time it used to take,  improving her turnaround time to the prospect too!

QuickBooks took care of her first two issues, but we have one more to go! Make sure to read my next post that explains how we organized her emails!

Until then…

Efficiently yours,

Ellen DePasquale – The Software Revitalist™

However, I also want to work efficiently, so I like being able to double-click on an icon that leads me to where I want to be. My newest desktop icon is the log in screen of this blog. With a double-click I launch my web browser and am prompted to enter my user name and password. This totally bypasses my designated “Home” page, since the shortcut icon holds a specific Internet address (URL).

Here is how to make an icon on your desktop that will bring you directly to the website of your choice.

1. Right-click on an empty spot on your desktop. That will pop-up a menu.

2. Highlight New, which opens another menu, then click on Shortcut.

3. In the new window that opens you will be asked to “type the location of the item“. If you know the full URL, such as http://www.linkedin.com, then you can type it in. You can also copy the URL from window you have open, and then paste it into the shortcut window.

4. Click Next. Now you can name the shortcut that will be associated with the icon. To continue with my example, I would name it “Linked In” (without the quotes).

5. Click Finish.

Now you have a new icon. Double-click on it and you are ready to log in, or search, or whatever you want to do at the website you chose.

This is the same procedure for creating a shortcut icon for any program on your computer. Instead of entering a URL you could select the Browse button and then search your computer for a specific application file, usually ending in .exe.

Having a few Internet icons on my desktop is easier for me than opening the web browser and then going through my list of favorites, which is just WAY too long! But that’s another story.

Try a few shortcut icons and let me know how they work out for you.

Efficiently yours,

Ellen DePasquale – The Software Revitalist™

Software:
Peachtree Premium Accounting 2010

Typical of many small business owners, they do most of the work themselves including sales, marketing, purchasing, negotiating, pricing, and bookkeeping. As a result, there is a lot of information in their heads. Once the business starts to grow it becomes not only difficult to maintain all that information, but it can also be detrimental to the growth of the business. Things WILL be forgotten, and when employees hit the scene, having to wait to talk to the owner to get answers can result in lost sales.

Laurie, however, is in a great frame of mind because she KNOWS she needs to get organized and utilize more of the features in Peachtree. She is filling in the proverbial “cracks” before they appear. Using the software to support her business achieves two things;

1. she can focus more of her energies on business development and

2. all the important information is being tracked so she can retrieve it at any time.

The first step in the process is to start at the END.

I tell all my clients that they need to think about what they want to achieve when we are done. It is vital to understand their goals so we can build the appropriate foundation. (In database terms – we need to know what information is required on the reports to insure the right fields are being created/used.)

Laurie had some thinking to do. I needed to know:

Exactly what information needed to be on the reports?
How she wanted to see the information presented?
How detailed she needed the details to be?
How many ways did she want to “slice and dice” the data in order to paint the clearest picture of her growth so she could accurately forecast?

Her answers resulted in us having to do some modifications to her chart of accounts (financial categories) and a total revamp of her inventory items. In order to track her cost of sales, including the candy ingredients and packaging, she needed to enter all the pieces as separate items and then create the finished product as an “assembly”. This process would allow her to track inventory levels for all these items, enabling her to more accurately purchase the ingredients and limit overage and waste. This is especially important in the food industry where items have expiration dates.

Once she has completed these changes, the next step will be to use the processing in Peachtree to track the information.  Stay tuned…..

Efficiently yours,

Ellen DePasquale – The Software Revitalist™

RESOURCE:
Managing Inventory for Profitability an article I wrote for Inc.com.

Forget resolutions, they are too broad – “lose weight” or “make more money”.

I make New Years SOLUTIONS that are empowering and allow me to plan for success.

Here’s one of mine:

I am going to increase my marketing reach by writing more content for social media, article sites, blogs, and print.

Here’s one for you:

I am going to improve my business relationships by managing the information about my contacts in a CRM system. Then I can run reports that categorize and group contacts by industry and interests in order to make better referrals and offer more targeted information.

See how this works? It is not just a statement, it is a plan, and that is the key. It is almost impossible to take any meaningful action without a plan. And, it is also important to include the right tools so that you can more easily execute the plan.

In my case it is writing content that can be re-purposed, and re-posted in multiple locations. My plan includes a list of topics that address my target audience, and a list of locations where I can find them. The software I use is also important, to make things easy.

To copy and paste from a Word document into a form on a website has caused LOTS of ugly results, including rouge HTML code in the text. So, any content I write that will be posted directly onto a website, such as a blog, I write in either an HTML editing software or in WordPress, which adds appropriate HTML code. I only use Word if the final document is going to be a .pdf file or if I am going to print it for distribution.

For my CRM example, you want the right software to capture the information you are obtaining from your contacts. In most cases, this will require the need for custom fields and the ability to at least modify the reports and report filters. All true CRM software offer both of those things, and much more such as flexibility in managing your calendar, attaching emails to contact records, creating sales opportunities, and monitoring customer service.

Planning for success in 2010 is the only way you are going to have a chance of achieving it.

Please let me know what New Years Solutions you have, and what software you need to support it!

Happy New Year!

Ellen DePasquale – The Software Revitalist™

The good news is that changing cells in Excel from all caps to normal upper and lower case text is a simple formula. Here’s how it works:

1. Insert a column next to the column of text you want to change. We’ll say the column in all caps is column A. Inserting a column to the left of column A will move all the data in column A to column B, and column A is now blank.

2. Enter the formula in column A on the first row that holds data, which we’ll say is row 1. So, in cell A1 you enter the following:

=PROPER(B1)

3. The result of the formula is the all caps text in B1 is now in normal upper and lower case text in A1. Then copy the formula all the way to the bottom of the data. Now you have two columns with the same information. However, column A is a formula, so if you delete column B, the formula no longer works. Here is the quick fix.

4. Select column A, all of it, by simply clicking on the letter A at the top of the column. Click Edit, Copy – or in Excel07, it is Home, Copy.

5. Leave column A highlighted and click Edit, Paste Special, then select Paste Values, OK – or in Excel07, it is Home, the word Paste to open the pull-down menu, and then Paste Values. Now all the formulas are simply text.

6. Press the ESC key to remove the selection around column A. Now you can delete column B. Select column B by clicking on the letter B at the top of the column, then Edit, Delete – or in Excel07, Home, Delete.

Example of the results of these steps:

ELLEN in cell A1 – then insert a column
ELLEN in cell B1 – column A is blank
=PROPER(B1) in cell A1 – the cell will show the text Ellen
copy formula down the column
copy column A and paste values into column A
delete column B
Ellen still in cell A1

As with many step-by-step written instructions, it looks like more work than it really is. Most of these steps are simple clicks that take only a second.

Give it a try and let me know how it works for you.

Ellen DePasquale – The Software Revitalist™

1. It can be a long journey.
The yellow-brick road was not short, and it had many twists and turns. The same it true for the road to building a successful business. First you need a goal as big as the emerald city, and a plan, or path, to get there. You also need to stay focused. No matter how many distractions came her way, Dorothy never lost sight of her goal to get home. Although she stopped along the way, she always kept going. If you don’t have a documented business plan then it is time to write one. There are several good business plan software programs, or you can get started in Word. You plan may get modified along the way, but with a clear goal and determination, it is your path to success!

2. Enlist support.
As entrepreneurs we are forced to wear many hats, but you have to decide when many become TOO MANY. You just can’t do everything, believe me, I’ve tried. As Dorothy gained help she also gained strength and momentum. Get help with the things that are best left to someone else like bookkeeping or marketing. Your computer can be a big help in these areas. Accounting software makes creating invoices and balancing your checkbook easier than doing it any other way, and social media is a great way to kick-up your marketing.

3. Work with a mentor/coach.
The wizard offered information and guidance that was not found anywhere else. It is very powerful to have a conversation with someone who has been in your shoes. Not only can you ask questions that are specific to your situation, but in a long-term commitment, you will have someone who will keep you accountable, which is vital for growth. By utilizing technology you are not limited to someone local. Online webinars and teleseminars offer convenient scheduling and he ability to participate in long-distance coaching groups.

4. It takes more than just determination.
As determined as Dorothy was, it took many skills to get past the obstacles and back to Kansas. So in addition to perseverance, an entrepreneur needs courage, a brain, and a heart. Too many times I have heard, “It’s not personal, it’s business.” I don’t think that is 100% true. A heartless businessperson will eventually lose business. A successful entrepreneur has to have the whole package! Well, now “You’ve cut me to the quick!” I have no software advice for this one!

5. Look in your own backyard!
Dorothy’s ultimate lesson was that she went looking for something that she “never really lost in the first place.” The same is true for entrepreneurs. Before you head out to your next networking event take a look at the opportunities that are at your fingertips, literally. Search through all your contact databases – email address book, CRM, accounting software – and think carefully about each contact. You have a wealth of information in your own computer that can be harvested to jump-start 2010 with a pipeline full of potential!

Ellen DePasquale – The Software Revitalist™

Resources:
BizPlan Software: Business Plan Pro
Accounting: Intuit, Peachtree by Sage, FreshBooks
Social media: What Is Social Media, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn
Coaches: Aspire Higher, ActionCOACH, Prime Strategies
CRM: Sage CRM Solutions, ZoHoCRM

Disclaimer: I personally know or have worked with every company and software on this list.

As much as your computers help you be more efficient, did you know that, on average, we are frustrated 43% of the time we spend on our computers. This percentage includes the time we waste trying to solve the problem and recovering any lost work.

How can you reduce the amount of time being lost to computer frustration? Improve your skills. Learning new skills instills confidence and knowledge that results in fewer issues and lowers the level of frustration when problems do arise. Just learning one or two new software features can shave time and help you better understand what the software can really do.

Here’s my challenge – take one day this week and spend 10 minutes thinking about what you “wish” your software could do. (Some of us already have a “wish list”!) Then take another 10 minutes to find out how the software can do it.  Ask someone in your office, use the Help in the software, or even go online and pose your question in Google. I will bet that in just 20 minutes (10 thinking, 10 learning) your can grant your own wish!

This is just the beginning. A little knowledge can go a long way.

There is no mystery to software. It does what it is told to do. So tell it – and stop wasting your time!

Ellen DePasquale – The Software Revitalist™

Resources:
The Importance of Software Training: Save Money While Improving Morale

social – “pertaining to, devoted to, or characterized by friendly companionship or relations”

media – “the means of communication”

Great, what does that mean?

Basically, it means that social media is people coming together to communicate.

Think…coffee clutch
Think…knitting circle
Think…gossip
Think…caveman

Yep, caveman. That is where social media started. Communicating news, opinions, facts, and information through stories, person to person. They formed groups we refer to as clans and eventually leaders emerged who drew crowds when he spoke.

Now fast forward to the year 2009. Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook are our clans. They have multiple leaders within them who draw crowds we refer to as “connections”, “friends”, “fans” and “followers”. At any given time, a single leader can address hundreds or thousands of people – anywhere in the world.

The major difference between cavemen social media and 2009 social media is the ‘medium’.

medium – “a middle state or condition…one of the means or channels of general communication”

Internet cables reach much further than the sound waves produced by human vocal cords.

So with all the hype around social media, and all the new experts who have popped up to create a new industry for themselves, the truth is, we have gone right back to basics. Right back to square one – before the invention of the wheel! We are “talking” to each other again.

Using the Internet as your medium, social media is a way to broadcast your “voice” to as many listeners who are interested in listening no matter what you have to say.

What do you have to say?

Ellen DePasquale – The Software Revitalist™

Resources:
http://dictionary.com

Sound silly? Sure, but it can be the difference between being frustrated and uncomfortable with your software and getting to know it better. Just learning one or two features can increase your productivity by getting things done faster.

Let’s take a look at two menu features that often go overlooked.

“Tools” – what are tools? They are supposed to be things that help you. A jack for when you have a flat tire. A spatula for when you need to flip a pancake. A feature of the software that helps you accomplish a task. 99% of the time, clicking on “tools” invokes a pull-down menu. It simply lists all the “tools”. One of them may be exactly what you are looking for.

“Options” – what are options? They are supposed to be choices. You have options in almost every moment of your life. Salad or soup? Soda or wine? Walk or drive? Blue pants or black pants? Stay or go? Click or don’t click? The options found in most software (ironically, typically found in the “tools” list) also invokes a menu or launches a window with more options. These options help the software work the way YOU want it to by changing your settings.

Granted, there may be some settings that you should not change, but for the most part, tools and options help customize or personalize your software. They even make it easier to complete daily tasks.

Be more open to seeing what’s in the Tools or Options menus. A friendlier approach to your software could make your software more accommodating.

Ellen DePasquale – The Software Revitalist™

Great, what is “customer relationship management”?

CRM is any way that you reach, touch, communicate, sell, or lose a customer. The purpose of CRM software is two-fold; to assist marketing, sales, and customer service representatives with detailed customer information enabling then to have targeted communications and to assist management with understanding what is and is not working in the company’s processes and procedures.

In its basic form, CRM software houses all the information you have about your customers. The standard stuff includes company, contact, address, phone, email, website, title, industry, # of employees, and other information that identifies the company and contact.

Okay, now the fun begins. Attached to the company and contact records is a wealth of information. Let’s start with communications.

All the emails, phone calls, faxes, and letters associated with the company and contact are connected to their record and usually available with a single mouse click. BENEFITS? Here are a few…

1. Instantly viewing notes from past conversations as soon as you receive the incoming phone call.

2. Reviewing past communications prior to making the outgoing phone call or office visit.

3. Categorizing the customer to enable more targeted marketing.

CRM is not done yet. Next, internal information including marketing campaigns, customer service problems and solutions, and sales initiatives are also associated with the company and contact. By viewing this additional information you can gauge the ROI on your efforts. HOW? Here are a few ways…

1. Did the customer buy as a result of your efforts?

2. How many contacts were involved in the campaign, and how many bought?

3. Do you have a recurring problem that is coming into customer service?

Lastly we have processes and workflow for all departments – sales, marketing, and customer service -  to make sure the customer is being handled “correctly”, according to your company’s procedures and policies. WHY? One reason…

1. To prevent things from falling through the cracks!

Now – and I believe this is the true value of CRM – slice and dice all this information any way you can imagine to produce reports, searches, sorts, and dashboards. The end result is an accurate and detailed picture of how you are managing the relationships with your customers.

Regardless of the size of your business, or how many customers and contacts you have, it is imperative that you build strong relationships. CRM pulls all the pieces of information together and shows you the truth about your customers, and the truth about how you deal with them. This is WHY YOU NEED IT.

Ellen DePasquale – The Software Revitalist™