Posts Tagged ‘Business’

Microsoft Great Plains Subcontracting – Overview for Microsoft Business Solutions Partner


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Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains is very popular ERP/MRP applications in the USA, Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Middle East, South Africa, Latin America. Considering high number of new Microsoft Great Plains partners and the desire to subcontract occasional customization, integration and reporting projects, we would like to advise you on Microsoft Great Plains subcontracting guidelines, based on our experience in dealing with Great Plains VARs

Candidates for subcontracting:

o Great Plains Dexterity customizations – Dexterity was and still is the IDE and programming language of Great Plains, especially workstation thick interface. However since Microsoft bought Great Plains Software and formed Microsoft Great Plains Business Solutions, later renamed into Microsoft Business Solutions – Dexterity became the candidate to be replaced by C# or VB.Net. The plans are the plans, but the realities of Microsoft Great Plains customization signals that Dexterity will stay another 5-7 years as IDE. However I agree with the strategy that if you are new GP reseller you don’t want to hire Dexterity programmer

o SQL Integration. We see more and more requests for Great Plains integrations with web eCommerce applications, industry specific databases: Freight Forwarding, Distribution, Logistics, Beverages, Jewelry, Furniture, Consignment. Healthcare, etc. The dilemma for the programmer is – should I know all the details of Great Plains table structure model and document workflow – or probably purchase the set of SQL stored procs to help me.

o Integration Manager with VBA/Continuum. These are traditional custom pieces. Integration Manager doesn’t allow you to switch companies during the integration, and so have the work done over night without operator’s involvement

o eConnect – this relatively new SDK from MBS, created primarily for eCommerce developer, has certain restrictions, especially with transferring Sales Order to Invoices and transactions posting. These are the restrictions of Great Plains architecture and to resolve the issue you need set of custom stored procedures

VAR should have some GP customization experience/skills:

o Great Plains Security model. Great Plains allows you to grant access to so-called alternate and modified alternate Microsoft Great Plains forms and reports – this is where you enable our customization to take over standard logic. Please, invest reasonable resources into GP basics, before you get in touch with nation-wide subcontractor

o Central REPORTS.DIC – this is critical to serve mid-size and large clients. Usually you create your custom Sales Order Processing (SOP) invoice form from one of the GP workstations and then place your reports on the server. If you use IT subcontractors – these folks should be trained on installing new Great Plains workstations (or you should insist on working via terminal server/Citrix)

o Remote Support. The best scenario is VPN with remote desktop access (Windows XP Pro or Windows 2000 Pro). VPN will allow SQL Enterprise manager connect over the secured VPN connection. Less desired scenario would be Websession or PCAnywhere.

Good luck with implementation, customization and integration and if you have issues or concerns – we are here to help! If you want us to do the job – give us a call 866-528-0577 or 630-961-5918! help@albaspectrum.com

Andrew is Great Plains specialist in Alba Spectrum Technologies ( http://www.albaspectrum.com ) – Microsoft Great Plains, Navision, Microsoft CRM Partner, serving clients in California, Minnesota, Illinois, Washington, Florida, Arizona, New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Canada, UK, Australia, Brazil, Germany, Russia

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Postcard Marketing: A Classic Method for Generating Business

Postcard marketing is a form of advertising that utilizes a small space for a big impact. These advertising postcards can be distributed through mailings sent directly to a list of customers or addresses to which the company wishes to market. Postcards are also stocked at high customer traffic areas such as nightclubs, bars, or restaurants. Postcard marketing has been around for over a hundred years in different forms. The present day manifestation performs the same function it did from the beginning, but with drastically different technology and, thus, drastically different prices.

The first marketing postcards were published in 1870′s Great Britain. These postcards were black and white, or sometimes a single color. Multi-colored postcards appeared in 1889, but the costs of production kept many businesses from using this form of advertising, even black and white postcards, to its full potential. Overtime though, the technology used to create postcard and the paper used in manufacturing became cheaper. Since that time, postcard production has become an inexpensive and efficient form of marketing.

Besides the low price of manufacturing and mailing postcards, there are marketing advantages to advertisement postcards. The small size of the postcards means a small price for reaching a large market. The benefits of this size means it is easier for the customer to carry and to pass along to friends, as opposed to mailed letters. The message of the advertisement is immediate. The customer does not have to open an envelope; the information is right at their fingertips. The message a business is attempting to get across must be eye-catching, concise, and intriguing. Non-mailed postcards must be designed to make the potential customer want to pick them up and save them or show them to a friend. Many of the best advertisement postcards can be kept as a kind of work of art, or interesting showpiece. The advertisement should be informative, but this medium is conducive to the less-is-more style of marketing in which the customer must go to a website or call a phone number in order to find out more. Having the customer interact with the postcard creates intrigue. Having them fill out information or check off a box is an interaction with engages the customer, and creates an interaction with a company. Finally, this format is inviting to customers. People associate postcards with friendly, personal communication.

Postcard marketing has some drawbacks as well. The small size means less visibility and less room in which to get information across. The public nature of the postcard means that privacy and security are a concern for certain business types. Also, many postcard marketing campaigns are centered around a time sensitive sale or promotion, and the business has no guarantee that the postcard will arrive on time. If a postcard is not designed as eye catching or enticing, hard work could easily just be disregarded or thrown away as junk mail. It can be difficult to maintain up to date and error free databases. Money can be wasted on changes of address or just plain wrong information.

Most of these drawbacks are not unique to postcard marketing, but are seen as the malaise of direct mail marketing as a whole. Postcards are a viable alternative to direct mailed letters. Postcard marketing has been used as a tried and true method of advertisement for almost 150 years. It’s a classic utilization of a little space and a little money for a large effect. When considered as a supplemental marketing tool alongside other traditional or non traditional advertising plans, postcard marketing is an interesting and effective method of generating new business and bringing back repeat customers.

Using postcards in your marketing efforts will surely give you an edge over your competitors. Luke Jaten has established a program to create effective direct mail efforts.

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Small Business Marketing Budget Plan


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In order to create a high-impact plan you need to optimize your budget. Yes, expensive one-time marketing techniques such as glossy brochures or radio blitz’s sounds like a great idea; however, they are extremely expensive and will drain your marketing budget. You will be better off using low-budget marketing strategies to get your message out to consumers on a regular basis.

There are various reasons why small businesses should utilize low-budget marketing techniques:

-Expensive ad exposure does not necessarily translate to increased sales and revenue. For every dollar that you spend on marketing you should see an increase in your sales as a result of the marketing strategy implemented.

-Your target audience – niche specific to your small business and the products that you sell – will need to see advertisements for your product at least seven times before they build enough trust in your company to influence a buying decision. In order to market to your customers at least seven times, a one-time high-impact plan will not allow for this, therefore, necessitating the use of low-budget strategies.

-Use multiple marketing channels in order to increase your small business’ marketing impact. Post banner ads online, advertisements in the newspaper and magazines, use social media such as facebook, twitter, YouTube and blogging. The more you can stretch your marketing dollars and expose your potential customers to your small business and your products, the more revenue you will generate.

A few quick suggestions:

-Piggyback on another company’s marketing campaign. This can save your company time and capital.

-Target the right market. Find customers who are easy to identify and affordable to market to. Go for small niche markets.

-Make your small business newsworthy. Have something unique about your company that will make it newsworthy and incite people to talk about your company creating a buzz around your small business.

-Joint ventures are extremely powerful, form one. This will help you market your business. Joint ventures will lower costs allowing your business enter new markets and create new distribution opportunities.

-Maximize your referrals from current customers to potential customers. Testimonials and referrals from current customers speaks much louder than any fancy ad campaign.

Creativity will ultimately allow your marketing strategies to pay off for your company. You don’t have to have the largest budget in order for your small business to be successful.

Bryce Kellog is a serial entrepreneur that has found success in several different business arenas. She attributes her knowledge of proper marketing to her success. Her secret resource for staying up to date with all the latest Internet Marketing Training and Internet Marketing Strategy needed is a group called Next Level Profits. Ensure your success in whatever business venture you choose by learning how to drive awareness to your business. Visit Next Level Profits at their home site for loads of great marketing information and free trainings. http://www.NLprofits.com

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Internet Marketing Business – Building the Foundation


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Internet marketing business can be a fun way to earn extra income online. To start with it is imperative that you build on a solid foundation. If it really takes off, you have already established the basic foundation and it is already in place. The early stages of any planning can be quite daunting as you do not know where the next step will lead. You can have information overload coming from all angles. If I had the solution readily available to solve these problems, I would undoubtedly make a small fortune. A rough outline of what you wish to accomplish from your venture, is the best place to start.

My advice is to follow the K.I.S.S. method. This means keeping it simple stupid. You have to approach it with a focused mindset. Be patient when things go wrong because they always will and continue to have that burning desire and a belief in yourself. As the old saying goes; nothing in the world will take the place of persistence. You will be building your online business by yourself from home full time or part time. This will undoubtedly put you in the inevitable position of you being the wearer of many hats. Ultimately you will succeed, stay motivated and persist with your goal don’t allow anything to stop you. Don’t give up, let persistence be your strength.

The substance of your internet marketing business, requires you to be able to supply great written content on any particular topic or service that you wish to offer. Don’t fret if you think that you are not up to speed in this department. These are the skills that you will be capable of learning and improving upon, as you develop. Now let’s just stay at the build the foundation part here for a moment. Firstly lets write out a business plan to kick things off. We can then proceed onto establishing a proper record keeping system ie; Folders and files that are easily accessible by you on your computer. A knowledge of spreadsheets can be an advantage.

A book keeping software package to keep track of all expenditure and costs is essential, this doesn’t have to cost much and is easily available online. You will have to part with some cash though the amount will be minimal compared to starting lots of other businesses.

Other skills required will be copywriting. There are lots of good books on copy-writing, these can be found on line plus websites with some free information for you. Copywriting covers how compelling ads need to be written. Pulling winning sales letters about what you offer, emails that you will be sending out also follow up email messages to your subscribers.

Develop your internet marketing business with a firm foundation and persist in building great customer relationships along the way. This is your key to having a successful ongoing online business.

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The Importance Of Marketing Your Business


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Are you starting a business, or are you already an entrepreneur? If so, it will not take you long to realize the importance of marketing your business. From the very beginning of the concept of starting your company, you are considering what the name of your business will be… what will appeal and reveal to consumers the essence of your business? You have already discovered that you can provide a service or a product that consumers will buy; this means that you already have your marketing “thinking cap” on. So, from the very moment a concept of selling to the public is born, you are already thinking in terms of marketing.

Marketing your business from the beginning will usually start with corporate identity in the form of a logo, then you will have some business cards designed and printed, this will then lead to brochures, leaflets, posters, a website and other advertising tools. And, you will ask yourself, “why is marketing important?”. The fact is that if you have formed a company, it is vital to the success of your company to market your products or services, to allow consumers to be aware of your business.

Marketing‘s first important task for your business is to let people know what you are offering them. They already know how to contact you, with business cards, now you need to let them know what they can purchase. Continued marketing tactics also allows clients to keep interested in specials, promotions and new products and services. Marketing effectively to your target market will, essentially set your business apart from other competitor companies. Your marketing tactics will let people know that your business is a specialized service or product, and with continued marketing and advertising, your consumers will know where your specialties lie.

Marketing in any format will help the public and quality consumers to buy your products or services. There is not much point in starting a company, and then finding you have no customers. Your business will not survive without effective marketing in one form or another. Leading the public to your company will create a demand for your product or services. Effective marketing will also assist you with lead-on ideas for future specialized services or products.

Successful marketing tactics are “windows of opportunity”, where you can get more clients, consumers and customers using advertising. Marketing will increase your exposure to potential clients and consumers, allowing you to grow your business and increase profits.

Dylan wrote this article for the online marketers at Circle Leaflet Printing Services (Business Cards) Circle Leaflet Printing is a printing and copier company that offers business cards.

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Microsoft Small Business Accounting – Will it Meet Your Needs? Find Out Today


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The Microsoft small business accounting application is a great business tool for SME’s; this program is relatively new and could take a bit of time before being capable of contending with longtime accounting software tools like Sage and QuickBooks.

The majority of business would rather use the steadfast and trustworthy Microsoft office accounting software program as opposed to using the small business accounting for financial management.

Microsoft small business accounting software programs are generally suggested for small business owners who need accurate assimilation with Microsoft Office application program suites like Microsoft Outlook Express Business Contact Manager or Microsoft Office Excel. Stronger accounting programs like Peachtree or QuickBooks might be needed for minor businesses that conduct in-house payroll processing.

The following are some of Microsoft‘s attributes in their small accounting software package.

- Purchase Order Creation & Invoices

- The documentation of purchases, receipts, deposits and bills of payment. – Financial statement generation, as well as reports.

Additionally, Microsoft small business accounting combines in good form with Microsoft Office Suite 2003 in the subsequent ways:

This makes possible the production of customized invoice templates for Microsoft Word. It enables Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Access to accept received reports.

Microsoft Excel is permitted to conduct payroll processing and data ingress to small businesses accounting on Microsoft.

It also enables the management of billable time spent utilizing the Microsoft Outlook business contact director.

Another feature provided by Microsoft smallbusiness accounting are the succeeding aspects that business managers should find to be quite resourceful.

You will be able to introduce inventory statistics from accounting software programs like QuickBooks, although, this is exclusively limited to the QuickBooks application versions from 2002 to 2004.

Microsoft small businesses accounting provides a highly sensitive and accessible format that is similar to Microsoft Outlook; thus, if this program has your interest, you will remain at home with business accounting.

The navigation function for accounting is utilized by the Microsoft small business’s task flow chart. The QuickBooks version of the task flow chart bears a close resemblance to it.

There is only one edition of the small business accounting, as opposed to QuickBooks, which comprises of many versions that make it difficult for upgrading.

Microsoft small business accounting combines with the Microsoft Office Outlook business contact manager quite easily and this proves to be quite resourceful with following billable time.

Microsoft Office’s application suite works quite efficiently with it, and it comprises of programs like Word, Excel and Access. What this implies is that a person could quite effortlessly produce templates and reports with Microsoft Word and Excel.

For more information regarding Microsoft small business accounting [http://www.accountingsoftwareprograms.net/is-the-microsoft-small-business-accounting-software-worth-it], John Boyed suggests that you visit his associate Allen King’s site at AccountingSoftwarePrograms.net, Allen King is a technology writer and a software reviewer who has written extensively on the topic of Small accounting software [http://www.accountingsoftwareprograms.net/] and applications.

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