Minutesmatter & Minutesmatter
Solutions,
Inc.
March/April 2004 - Vol. 2 No. 3 & 4
I'm Swamped!
Well maybe not always, however, your clients should think so. Clients want to hire a someone who is competent, a person with confidence, in control and looking to the future with regard to their business. Your client might not be willing to spend "Big Dollars" with you if you don't put on a bit of an air. Even when you don't have one job on the books, your client should feel a sense of urgency to sign that contract.
Over 16 years ago, I had a conversation with a very successful business woman in our community. She asked how my business was doing. I responded "Business could be better . . . " and before I could finish she said "Stop, why would you say that?". I was flabbergasted and speechless. She went on to explain that she had always left the impression with clients and peers that her business was vibrant and flourishing. She even went so far as to say "If you pass on doom and gloom or passé to others it hurts our whole economy, especially in our business; our clients for the most part can live without our products and services." I instantly could see why she reprimanded me, all clients want to do business with a successful company; successful equals busy. All sales are based on how our clients perceive us. What impression do you leave with your clients?
I have always remembered the chat with my friend and to this day I embrace that philosophy. Just like the motto "Dress for Success" we should also Talk to Succeed. I know that my business grew after that conversation because I walked into my client's homes and offices with more confidence. I always put my phrase "Act Better Then You Feel" into practice in my business and personal life. I have always benefited from listening to other business owners and have incorporated what I have learned into my business.
Q
u i c k B o o k s T i p . . .
Purchase
Order Lists
To locate open Purchase Orders the best place to look is in QuickBooks Purchase Orders List. This is a great quick reference for viewing active PO's. QuickBooks stores all active Purchase Orders in this list. From time to time it is necessary to clean up this list, since all PO's stay active until a bill is received against them or they are closed. A PO can be closed by clicking on the Closed box located at the bottom of the PO. We issue PO's for everything we order office supplies, fabrics, hardware, all memo's of fabric and trim, etc. This creates documentation for all products we order.
Important Tip: When issuing a PO be sure to type a side mark in the Memo field located at the bottom of the PO window. Adding a side mark will enable you to distinguish different PO's when you receive a bill against them.
Organizing Elements Seminar - I will be hosting an all day Organizing Elements seminar for the Triangle WCAA Chapter of North Carolina. The seminar will cover QuickBooks, Microsoft Outlook, Organization in the Office & Workroom and a bonus demonstration from 4:00 - 4:30 of Minutes Matter Studio.
For a brochure and more information concerning this all day seminar contact Ronica VanGelder @ rlvangelder@earthlink.net
NEW for 2004! We have just completed our new Minutes Matter 2004 QuickBooks System. The manual has been totally rewritten, it is printed in full color and includes numerous screen shots of the QuickBooks program; a picture is worth a thousand words! The Chart of Accounts and Item Codes are now on CD. In fact, this is so new it is not published on our website. Please call to place your order.
The new price is $69. Current Minutes Matter QuickBooks users may purchase this new book & receive a $25 discount.
Below is a screen shot for a customized invoice illustrating boxes to check to enable an invoice to print Sales Taxes & Payments and where to enter a long contract line that will print on invoices.
A S i t e T o
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Find a Source for Everything
For an extensive list of resources relating to our industry check out Sources on our Minutes Matter website. Below is a sample listing for fabric companies in our Sources directory.
Sketch it and they will buy!
Teresa Grysikiewicz with Interior Attire believes sketching this design to scale sold this job. She hand sketched the design to scale and the client was SOLD! Teresa has since downloaded Studio for FREE. Teresa knows the importance of illustrating a custom window treatment. Below you can see an actual photograph of the finished design and all the details of this beautiful custom window treatment. Oh and by the way, this one window treatment sold for over $2,400. Most people can recoup the money they spent on Studio with one sale.
Special Note: For all who have downloaded Studio FREE: we are including the ability to import custom fabrics into Studio. We have added another tab in the Fill dialog box called Fabrics where you will be able to import your fabrics and name them. We anticipate demonstrating this feature in Baltimore next week.
Studio 2.0 will include the fabric function, as well as the ability to make images transparent. However, we have decided to postpone this release until the fall of 2004. We have several other neat functions we want to include in this second program release. We made this decision based on our clients’ best interest; you the user will not have to invest in two different program releases. We have very high standards for our program and have chosen not to release Studio 2.0 until it meets more of your needs.
We know many of you might be wondering about cost, rest assured if you purchase Studio now and upgrade in the fall, you will pay less than the people purchasing for the first time in the fall. Best of all, with the help of Studio, you can be closing many jobs now!
Studio is also expanding to include Bedding and Furniture images. These will be available as separate image upgrades in the near future. We love hearing your feedback & encourage you to tell us what images or features you would like added.
Now for those of you that haven't tried Studio click on the Studio image below or go to our website and download the 30-day trial! Since it is FREE what have you got to lose?
