Survey

Please note that there is no new survey this month.

Feed back and submissions

Want to submit and article or a joke - the e-mail address is webmaster@am-win.com.au We appreciate your feedback and submissions so send them in and those published will win a link to your website.

Latest version information

No change since last newsletter - V7.618 is now on the web to upgrade users who are currently on version 7.611 or later. This version can be downloaded from our downloads page.

Note:

You must be using version 7.611 or later to use this upgrade. If you are using versions prior to version 7.611 you should contact national support or your local supporting consultant to arrange an update to the latest version.

Marketing on a shoestring

The following article has been written and provided by Bernard Tanner who is the Chief Operating Officer of Commonwealth Bank Local Business Banking, a specialist division dedicated to the needs of small business clients. Bernard has more than 20 years experience in the financial services industry, including roles in financial and management accounting, banking and stock broking.

You could call it a vicious cycle. All too often, business owners respond to stagnating sales by cutting costs, starting with their marketing spend. But less marketing means fewer leads, which means fewer sales, which leads to more cost-cutting… eventually it can end in a death spiral, with your sales revenue and marketing budget chasing each other towards zero.

The truth is that an economic slowdown is not the time to stop marketing. If anything, just the opposite. Right now, effective marketing will help keep sales buoyant and could also allow you to steal market share from your less organised competitors, leaving you in a great position when economic growth picks up again. But that doesn't mean you have to empty the chequebook.

Recent research from Commonwealth Bank and Investment Trends suggests that some of the most effective marketing techniques are also the least expensive. The trick is to thoroughly understand your value proposition and make your marketing as targeted as possible, then test and measure it rigorously so that it's as cost-effective as it can be.

What works and what doesn't

Let's start by looking at what works in practice. In September 2008, Commonwealth Bank and Investment Trends surveyed more than 1200 small business owners around the country and asked them which marketing methods they found most effective. shows what we found.

Business owners say email newsletters, networking and word of mouth are the most effective marketing methods. Remarkably, these three marketing techniques rated most effective by business owners were also three of the least expensive. And yet only 6% of businesses surveyed used networking and email newsletters.

In contrast, around 15% of businesses used local press advertisements, even though most found them only moderately effective.

Clearly, many businesses could be driving their marketing dollar further. So how do you go about it?

Creating a proposition that sells

The first step is to develop a truly compelling unique selling proposition (USP). Your USP is what sets you apart and makes you different from your competitors. It could be your quality products, your outstanding service or your unbeatable convenience. It doesn't have to be complicated, but it does have to be distinctive - and it must be something you can deliver on.

According to Phillip Allan, CEO of Business Advisory Services Inc, a great USP has always been important, but in 2009 it's more vital than ever.

"People will no longer just walk in your door and buy something," he says. "You've got to have a marketing proposition that leaves them no choice but to buy.

"What we're saying to our clients is that you have to look at your customers' needs and differentiate yourself from your competitors."

With your USP in place, everything else follows. In fact, your marketing is really just an expression of your USP, coupled with an offer or immediate call to action. It's the thread that binds everything together, from your logo, to your staff uniforms, to the signage on your delivery trucks and the way you answer the phone.

Plan it, then measure it

Next, plan your marketing strategy. Start by analysing your existing customers. According to the Pareto Principle, 80% of your sales are likely to come from 20% of your clients, so you need to identify the crucial 20%, and then work out what makes them different and go out and find more of them.

Once you've defined your target market, you can set some concrete goals. For example, you might aim to increase leads by 50%, then increase your conversion rate (the number of leads that become sales) by another 20%. Ensure your goals are realistic, specific and measurable, and put a date against each one, so you have something to track against.

Now comes the important part. To make your marketing cost-effective, it's essential that you measure everything you do. That means counting the number of phone calls you make, the number of newsletters or flyers you send out, and the number of ads you place, then counting the leads and sales from each activity.

"Accurate measurements are very important," says Allan. "You want to know how many phone calls your marketing campaign generated for you, how many visits to your business or your web site, and how many you converted into a sale."

The idea is to try a number of different strategies to see what offers the best return on your investment.

One great way to measure the effectiveness of a promotion is to include an offer, such as a discount, that requires clients to hand in a voucher or quote a special code if they want to receive it. That way, you'll know exactly which activity generated which lead.

Here are some of the things you'll want to measure:

• The number of leads from each campaign
  
• Your conversion rate - this will help you understand how to generate the highest quality leads
  
• The cost per lead (the cost of the campaign divided by the number of leads)
  
• The cost per sale (the cost of the campaign divided by the number of sales it eventually produces)
  
• The cost per dollar of sales (the cost of the campaign divided by the dollar value of sales) - this is the crucial figure for return on investment; it tells you which marketing activities produce high quality leads from customers with a propensity to buy from you.

Ten high-value, low-cost marketing ideas

So what strategies should you build into your plan? Here are 10 proven, low-cost ideas to consider. While not all of them will suit your business, there's sure to be something on this list that could help you generate more sales in 2009.

1. Email newsletters. The business owners in our survey rated this as their most effective marketing tool. It's generally easier and less expensive to win more sales from your existing clients than to go out and find new ones, and a newsletter is a great way to build a community of interest and make clients feel engaged. The key is to provide genuinely useful information, then build an offer around it.

2. Networking. The cheapest marketing method of all, networking is essential for service-based businesses, especially those who sell to other businesses. But effective networking is an art in itself. Start by writing and memorising an effective 20-second elevator pitch that explains what your business is, who it services and how it benefits your clients. Then use it at every opportunity. Your eventual aim is to secure a meeting where you can gather information about a potential client's needs and explain how you can help.

3. Referral programs. Nothing is more powerful than a personal recommendation and nothing generates recommendations more effectively than a referral program. It can be as simple as giving customers a couple of specially designed cards to pass on to their friends, perhaps with an incentive to do so. Referral partnerships with complementary businesses are also a great idea.

4. Frequent buyer programs. From the coffee shop that gives you every 10th latte free, to the fashion retailer who offers a sneak preview of next season's styles, frequent buyer programs help businesses retain their best customers while encouraging them to buy more.

5. Free trials. Nudie juice famously built a following by hiring bright young people to hand out their product to wilting commuters. A similar approach can work for a huge range of products and services, provided you use it in the right way. For example, let's say you're an IT support business. Imagine how powerful it would be if you could earn an online recommendation from five top bloggers who used a free trial of your service.

6. Public relations. If you don't have the budget for press and TV advertising, there may be a less expensive way to get your name in the media. It costs nothing to send out a press release and, with the right story to tell, you could generate coverage with substantially more credibility than paid advertising!

7. Search engine optimisation (SEO ). For any business with an online presence, SEO should be a very high priority. While it takes time, it doesn't need a huge investment. Start by using a tool like Google Analytics to target the right keywords, then build active content on your site with blogs, forums, photos and video. Genuinely useful content will encourage others to link to your site and give your customers a reason to come back.

8. Online ads. Online advertising is typically much cheaper than traditional advertising, and it comes with the added benefit that it's easy to track and analyse.

9. Invoice mailings. Why not include a product promotion with your next invoice or statement? After all, you've already paid for the stamp…

10. Letterboxing. Sometimes the oldest methods work best. For local businesses, a well-designed flyer dropped in neighbourhood letterboxes can offer a good return on investment, even though the number of leads per thousand flyers may be small. That's because it's so cheap to do.

What Business Are You In, Anyway?

Some food for thought from Jim [American Marketing Guru] Ackerman

By Jim Ackerman - Marketing Wizard's Alliance

Let's start with a question. What business are you in? No, really. This is a vitally serious question.

Ask 100 business owners what business they're in and 97 of them will tell you what they do. That isn't the question. Ask 100 jewelery store owners what business they're in and they'll tell you, "I'm a jeweler," or, "I'm in the jewelry business." Ask 100 plumbers and they'll tell you, "I'm a plumber.

Real estate agents, mechanics, insurance salesmen, manufacturers, printers… it's all the same.

If you own the business, you may think you're a jeweler, a plumber, a real estate agent, or whatever, but you're not.

No, the day you took ownership of the business is the day you became something different. That's the day you became a marketer of jewelry or plumbing services, or property or whatever, and you were no longer a what you thought then, and probably still now think you are.

The late, great business leader Peter Drucker said in effect, "The only two legitimate functions of business are marketing and innovation. The rest are expense."

When you own the business, your primary function is to "bring in the business."

Other people can be found to do virtually everything else; buying and managing inventory, managing employee schedules, training, accounting, you name it.

But if you fail in the function of bringing in the business, you have no business. Dare you abdicate this responsibility?

Unfortunately, most business owners never realize these important truths and that accounts for their lack of prosperity.

For example, one jeweller has been in business for three generations and yet is generating less than a million dollars a year in gross revenues. Another opened just three years ago and is already enjoying a multi-million dollar business. How can this be? Some would chalk it up to luck, location, up-front capital, etc. But the truth is, the difference is probably marketing.

The owner who focuses on marketing will be the one who makes the most money, even if his skills, inventory, and location are inferior. This is the businessman who realizes his primary function is to bring in the business.

There are only three ways to grow your enterprise… Get more customers Increase your average sale Get your existing customers to come back and buy more often.

A couple years ago, jeweler, Bill Warren, realized his role was to market. He adopted these three goals. By steadily working on the marketing of his business, he was able to go from a typical May of $40,000.00 to a May of over $61,000.00. That's more than a 50% increase, in just one month. What did Bill do? He installed a formal up-selling/add-on selling system in his business that increased his average ticket dramatically, and served his clients at a higher level.

He also took advantage of a unique PR opportunity resulting from his gemologist and certified appraiser training, which had the phone ringing off the hook. As a result, 88 new customers came his way in May. And Bill is operating out of a small town.

Kent Whipple owns Whipple Services in Salt Lake City.

He has built a multi-million dollar plumbing, heating and air conditioning business in near-record time. But he can't tell you the last time he turned a wrench, drove a truck, made up an employee work schedule or did the payroll.

Kent has delegated all of those responsibilities. He has people who can do that.

He focuses on two things…

1) providing the vision for his company

2) marketing.

There are a lot of plumbers and heating guys in the Salt Lake City market who have been around a lot longer than Kent, who aren't doing a quarter of the business he is.

But Kent understands that he's not a plumber, he is a marketer of plumbing, heating and air conditioning services. And because of that understanding, not only has Kent built a thriving enterprise, but he has the time to enjoy himself, taking several extended trips every year, confidently knowing the business will continue to churn along in his absence.

But if he saw himself as a plumber, he would never have been able to build such a business or enjoy such a lifestyle. He'd be too busy with the wrench.

Odds are you have spent considerable time and money to become the professional that you are. You have time in the field; you may have paid for substantial training; you unquestionably have countless hours invested in learning your craft. You may have taken business courses, even gotten a degree.

What have you done to become the marketer that you need to be? Have you invested the same kind of time developing and honing the skills you need to run the "engine" that truly drives your business?

I suggest you start with a simple commitment of 30 minutes a day. Set aside at least a half hour a day to work on the marketing systems of your business. (Remember, that is to work on developing and implementing marketing systems, not operating them.)

If you don't have an up-sell/add-on selling system in place, that would be your most lucrative place to start. Determine what the pieces of the puzzle are for such a system, then decide how many 30-minute sessions it will take to develop all of those pieces. If it will take 10 sessions, you will have your new system ready to put in place in 10 working days.

After you've done your first project, select another - perhaps a formal referral system - and begin working on that the same way. Put in your 30 minutes and stop at the end. The key is to remain true to the commitment. Set an appointment with yourself and honour it. Unless the building is literally burning down, do not let anything - even clients - interfere with this effort.

Finally, if you're not skilled as a marketer, it might be a good idea to get some help. This does not mean simply abdicating your marketing responsibilities. It may include some delegation. It certainly includes getting some training, and gathering some resources. Consultants, ad agencies, trainers, books and audio programs… these are all resources. But remember that resources are there to help you accomplish your responsibilities to bring in the business, not take over that job for you.

Ultimately the responsibility can only rest with you, the owner. This is some of the most powerful and useful advice on marketing I have ever given to you. Fail to heed it at your own peril. Follow it and you will quickly, easily, add tens of thousands - maybe even hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue to your enterprise.

AM-Win Support Solutions

The customer order module and the associated Bucket Feature

The customer order module and the associated Bucket Feature were both released as new modules in version 7.6 as a result of customer requests.

Both were designed for the Spare Parts industry and for those customers who carry a large range of stock of any type.

The customer order module offers the ability to create customer specific orders for parts and allow full back order tracking of stock. The full suite includes packing slip, delivery note, courier dispatch label and invoicing.

The Bucket can be used for job invoicing or with customer orders. The Bucket is a container that can be filled with stock items required to be ordered. This saves jotting things down into a diary or scratch pad, white board etc. Stock items can be tagged to be ordered at a future point whilst continuing working on something else.

The bucket collates all these pending order requests into one easy screen where you can review the pending orders and make any adjustments required. Items can simply be tagged from any number of suppliers and the bucket can create orders for all the stock codes and the related preferred supplier.

Both of these new add on modules are available to suit version 7.6 onwards and are a must for those who carry stock and place daily or weekly stock replacement or customer orders.

For more information or to purchase these modules please contact you favourite AM-Win Consultant.

Many clients are already owners of both the Customer order module and the bucket.

The following two support documents provide information about using the modules. For those who are considering adding even more functionality to their AM-Win software by adding these modules the documents will also provide an excellent opportunity to evaluate their functionality.

How to use the Customer Order Module

The Customer Orders Module is a module designed for the Spare Parts industry to create customer specific orders for parts and allow full back order tracking of stock. The full suite includes packing slip, delivery note, courier dispatch label and invoicing.

To open up the Customer orders Module left click on the Yellow Invoice Button or the 2nd Icon on the top toolbar. This will open up the Customer Orders Screen.

Screen Buttons and Functions

Document Type Field. This is found at the top left hand corner of the screen with a dropdown arrow option. If you click on the dropdown arrow you then have the choice to create an ORDER or to create an ESTIMATE

Import Button. This button allows you to import a CSV file from a folder on your computer into this customer order.

Client Alt-C. Button. This button will allow you to edit or view your customer details on the fly without having to change the details through the Customer Masterfiles screen.

Bill To Button - Alt B. This button will allow you to select another Bill To customer for this sales invoice.

Price Rates Button. This button allows a quick reference for you to check the price rates applicable to this customer if needed.

Location Button. This button allows you to select the location where this sales invoice will be allocated to.

Make/Model Button. This button allows you to select the job item details from the make and model list.

Desc Button. This button allows you to change the description on this sales invoice or estimate.

Cust Order # Field. You can enter into this field a customer reference order number applicable to this sales invoice.

History Button - Ctrl H. This button allows you to have direct access to the Customer Sales History screen.

Send SMS. This button allows you to send an SMS to your customer or nominated contact in relation to this sales invoice.

Create PO Button. This button will allow you to create a purchase order based on the part information you have entered into your sales order

Ord Date Field. This is the date you created the order.

Inv Date Field. This is the date you invoiced and completed your sales order.

S/Person Button. You can select the salesperson or user who created this sales invoice.

Delivery To Button. This button allows you to select another address for delivery if this address is different to the billing address.

Pick Slip Button. This button prints out a pick slip for the sales order.

Pro-forma Button. This button prints out a pro-forma invoice for the sales order.

Courier Button. Use this button to select your courier if you are going to ship the items to the customer.

Date Button. Use this date button to choose the date for the items to be picked up.

Cartons Field. This indicates the number of cartons that are being shipped.

Weight Field. Insert the weight of the package being shipped. If the weights are stored in the stock masterfile, they will be automatically accumulated.

Volume Field. Insert the volume of the package being shipped. If the volumes are stored in the stock masterfile, they will be automatically accumulated.

Time Field. Indicate the time, which the package will be ready for pickup.

Consign No. Field. Insert the consignment reference number obtained from the courier company when booking the item in for shipping.

GST Exempt Option. Tick this box if you wish to place items on the sales invoice, which will be GST exempt.

Disc - shows the amount of discount the customer will receive on this sales invoice.

Sub Total Inc GST. Click this to amend the GST Inc sub total as required. Any difference to the calculated sub total is spread amongst the items.

Man Option. Use this tick box and type the amount of the freight manually into the Freight field below.

Order Value Excl Field. This is the value of the order excluding GST. This can be different to the Total by the difference in the items not being supplied. Some items may not be able to be supplied at the time of entry and can be placed on back order.

Order Value Incl Field. This is the GST inclusive order value of the sales order.

Stock Detail area

If the quantity that the customer has ordered cannot be supplied, we can allow the residual quantity to be placed on 'back order' for supply at a future date.

With the right click option on the stock line, the part can also be sent to the stock bucket for ordering. All without opening another screen.

Function Keys

F2 Button - Allows you to insert text as per the standard invoice screens.

F3 Button - allows you to add parts through the PLR window. Prices can be modified, delivery quantities can be modified and stock placed on back order etc.

F5 Button - Add Revenue items to the sales order.

F9 Button - Creates a New Customer Order. By default, you are presented with the cash sales account. You can select a different customer by pressing the 'Cust' button.

F10 Button allows you to Revise an existing order. You can select existing orders you already in the system and revise or complete at any time Additional stock may be added, including revenue items

F11 Save Button - Select Save, if you wish to save the Parts invoice into the customer orders in progress file, which can then be revised, changed and finalised later. Packing slips and pro-forma tax invoices can also be printed if required.

F12 Invoice Button - Select Invoice, if you wish to finalise the invoice and print etc.

Note: The Payments window appears only if the customer is a cash customer.

A Delivery Docket (with number) window appears if the delivery address is different to the postal address. Select the number of copies you require or use the default. You may cancel out of this screen if it is not required.

A Print Invoice (with number) window appears. Left click to tick the Details to be included or not to be included in the printed invoice as well as the number of copies you require. You may also email the invoice from here if required.

Select Go and the report will appear in a report preview window (if not optioned off) ready for you to print to the printer.

If a printed invoice is required, print the invoice by left clicking in the printer icon.

Carton packing labels can also be printed. The number of labels to be printed are based on the number of cartons entered into the customer order screen. They can be printed to A4 laser sheets (4 to a page) or single label dedicated printers

Setting up Couriers

Under the customer orders on the customer menu, you will find 'Courier Master File'

Here you can setup all the courier delivery options that you provide. Each courier type can be assigned its own name, method, fixed rate, free weight, additional rate and general ledger code options

Printing Carton / packing label

Under the customer orders on the customer menu, you will find 'Consignment Labels"

You can print the carton label for the invoice delivery at any time.

Enter the From Invoice to Until Invoice details and press OK.

Alternatively, you may select the customer, the label quantity, the courier and enter the consignment note number manually.

How to use The Bucket

For the want of another word we now have the BUCKET feature!!

What is the Bucket?

The Bucket is a container that can be filled with stock items required to be ordered. This saves jotting things down into a diary or scratch pad, white board etc. Stock items can be tagged to be ordered at a future point whilst continuing working on something else.

The bucket collates all these pending order requests into one easy screen where you can review what needs to be ordered and make any adjustments etc. Items can simply be tagged from any number of suppliers and the bucket can create orders for all the stock codes and the related preferred supplier.

How can I add to the Bucket?

You can add to the bucket from the stock masterfiles screen, customer orders screen and Job Invoicing screen.

To be able to use the Bucket from the Customer Orders and Job Invoicing screens, the preface is that the job or customer order needs to have been saved first. This confirms that it is a valid requirement and that there are orders and job numbers for the allocations.

How to Add items to the Bucket from the Stock Masterfiles

Access the Stock Masterfiles through the Blue Drawer Icon on the top toolbar in AmWin. The Stock Masterfile screen will appear. Scroll through the stock items to find the item you wish to add to the Bucket and right click on that part. You will get three options. To Add to the Bucket, to Print Barcode Labels and to Print Stats.

If you select and click on the 'Add to Bucket' option, the Add to Bucket confirmation screen pops up, allowing you to set the purchase quantity you require. You can also allocate these parts to a job by clicking on the Allocated To Button. Then to click on the OK Button to save.

The Print Barcode Option allows you to print a barcode quickly and easily for that stock item.

The Print Stats option will show you a stats screen for stock general movement.

How to Add items to the Bucket from the Customer Orders Screen

You can access the Customer Orders screen through the Yellow Invoice Icon on the top toolbar in AmWin. The Customer Orders screen will appear. Bring up a revised customer order or create a new customer order and save.

Then from a saved customer order, you can simply right click on the stock code you wish to add to the bucket and you will get two choices. You can either select Stock Masterfile or Order Part. If you select 'Order Part' from the menu, the bucket window details will appear with the preferred supplier, the customer order quantity and allocation quantity details. You may choose to simply press OK here or you can amend the proposed purchase quantities if you require more than the allocated quantity.

If you select Stock Masterfiles, this brings up the Stock Masterfiles, then you are able to add items to the bucket through this screen as detailed above.

The procedure is the same when tagging items for the bucket from the Job Invoicing screen.

The Bucket Screen

To access the Bucket Screen go to Suppliers Menu, select Bucket option. The Bucket screen appears.

The top part of the screen allows for filtering of the list selection. You can drill down on a specific supplier, date range, stock code etc. The 'Reset Search' button clears all filters and loads all stock records not ordered.

The Keys Insert, Change, Delete at the bottom of the screen allow you to modify the highlighted stock line. Whilst the 'Tag Toggle' (ALT-M) button allows you to tag on or off the highlighted stock line for ordering. Right clicking on the stock line also shows insert change and delete options.

To Change an Item (or double click). If you click on the change button or double click on the stock item, the 'Change Item' screen appears.

From this screen, you can review the details of the stock item, change the order quantity, review the stock levels, Min/Max levels, back order quantities and sales / purchase statistics.

To Print

The print button prints a report listing of the selected criteria shown on screen for easy review.

To Generate Purchase Orders

This Generate Purchase Orders Button function will create purchase orders for all stock lines against their preferred suppliers. A reference of "AUTO ORDER" is noted on the purchase order. These purchase orders are automatically printed or emailed (if flagged on the supplier masterfile).

Once all tagged stock lines are processed the screen is refreshed to reflect same.

Auto Order to Fill The Bucket

If you wish to Auto order to fill the bucket click on the Auto Order - Fill Bucket Button and select the Supplier, enter any Group, sub group, Price Group details and then select from the 'Method Type'. You can choose from maintain level, Min/Max, Both - Maintain priority, Sales between dates or Fill jobs/orders. Once you have made your selection, press the Process Button to run.

The results will be added to the bucket window for tagging, review and processing.

Customer File, Stock File, Supplier File Buttons

The Customer File Button takes you to the customer masterfiles screen and highlights the customer whose details show in the Customer Details field.

The Stock File Button takes you to the Stock Masterfiles screen.

The Supplier File Button takes you to the Supplier Masterfiles screen and highlights the supplier whose details show in the Supplier Details field.

Windows and Office Tips

Windows

Add an item to your send to menu

The Send To Menu

The [Send To] menu seems to be one of those features that isn't very well known. Many is the time I've watched a user go through any number of steps to get a file or folder sent from Point A to Point B when the quickest and simplest way would be Send To, available via a right click of the mouse while pointing to the file or folder.

It's worth pointing out right here at the beginning that Send To is not a substitute for the move command. The item is copied to the new location, not moved. The item used to initiate the Send To command remains in its original location without modification.

Right click on a file and click Send To and you'll see the default locations that ship in Windows XP. By default, Send To comes with the following commands available:

Compressed (zipped) Folder
Desktop (create shortcut)
Mail Recipient
My Documents
CD Drive

According to Microsoft, the Send To menu may include disk drives, printers, fax printers, Windows-based programs, compressed folders, the desktop, mail recipients, and the My Documents folder.

Those choices cover a lot of territory. The simplest advice is, if you have a location that's not listed add it to the Send To menu.

This isn't a bad assortment of locations, but by adding other locations you use on a regular basis it can be made far more useful.

Adding new locations is a simple process that I'll explain below. However, before you go through the first process to add more Send To commands, read the tip at the end of this article to save yourself a lot of time.

Adding Locations to the Send To Menu

There are different ways to add locations to Send To, but in all cases what you are really doing is adding shortcuts. Use whatever The easiest method is via Windows Explorer as explained below.

Adding Send To Locations via Windows Explorer

Click [Start] [All Programs] [Windows Explorer].
Navigate to the drive where Windows XP is installed.
Expand the Documents and Settings folder.
Expand the folder of the User whose Send To menu will be modified.
Expand the Send To folder.

(If the Send To folder isn't visible, click [Tools] [Folder Options] [View] tab and check [Show Hidden Files and Folders])

Right click any item you want to add, drag and drop it with the right mouse button onto the Send To folder and click [Create Shortcut Here].

Once you've set up all the shortcuts you want, you can copy them from the Send To folder and paste them into a different users Send To folder. It saves a lot of time.

Earlier in this article I mentioned that you might want to read this section before you added a lot of Send To shortcuts.

Create a new send to item called send to using the method described above. That's right, a shortcut to Send To. Now, whenever you run across an item that would be convenient to have on the Send To menu, it's a simple matter to right click and get it on its way to the Send To folder.

MS Outlook- E-Mail

Saving multiple attachments in one go

If you get an e-mail with more than one file attached, you don't want to spend the time saving each attachment individually - especially if someone has sent you 20 odd pictures. Fortunately, Outlook offers an easy way to save all attachments to a directory at once.

if you haven't used this function before you may need to click the drop down arrow in the file menu to reveal the save attachments from the menu function..

MS Word

Page numbering with words

If your document is more than a couple of pages long, adding page numbers is a nice finishing touch. If you want, you can even have those page numbers be spelled out using words for instance, "seven" instead of "7" and "fifteen" instead of "15." by applying the technique described in this tip. (This tip works with Microsoft Word 97, Word 2000, Word 2002, Word 2003, and Word 2007.)

When you use the various Word tools for adding page numbers to a document, those page numbers are inserting using fields. One of the great things about fields is that you can modify what they produce by using switches. Try these steps:

Insert your page numbers as you normally would.

Select the field that makes up the page number.

Press Shift+F9 to display the field code instead of the field results.

After the field code (which is more than likely the PAGE code), enter the following: \* CardText

If you want the spelled-out word to use an initial capital letter (as in "Seven"), then add the following to the field code: \* Caps

Press F9 to update the field code and display its results.

Select all - an alternative for mouse users

We all know that Ctrl + A in MS Word selects the entire document—works great, and for everyone who likes to keep their hands on the keyboard, it's a necessary tool.

But what about people who are more "mouse oriented"?

So, is there some easy way for these people to accomplish the selection of everything without Ctrl + A (or the all too messy dragging of the highlight through the document)? And we could never forget the ever-popular click at the beginning, hold the Shift key and click at the end.)

There is a one-key / one-click solution to the situation. You can select it all and never take your hand off the mouse.

Next time you want it all move your mouse pointer into the left margin, hold down the Ctrl key then click.

Note:

Please note that we do not provide support for our Word and Excel tips as they are provided by a third party. If you need further information why not try using Google - Cut and paste the heading of our tip into Google's search box. You'll be amazed at the information available.

Microsoft Excel Tips

Display negative percentages in red

Excel includes quite a few different formats you can use for the information in a worksheet. One format that isn't as easy to set up is for negative percentages. This tip explains a simple method to format those percentages so they appear red, just like you want. (This tip works with Microsoft Excel 97, Excel 2000, Excel 2002, Excel 2003, and Excel 2007.)

Select the cell (or cells) that may contain negative percentages.

Display the Format Cells dialog box. (In Excel 2007 display the Home tab of the ribbon and click the small icon at the lower-right corner of the Number group. In older versions of Excel choose Cells from the Format menu.)

If the Number tab is not displayed, select it.

In the Category list, choose Custom. The dialog box changes so you can enter a custom format.

5.In the Type box, enter the following: 0.00%;[Red]-0.00%

6.Click OK.

The format you specify in step 5 displays positive percentages with two decimal places and displays negative percentages in red with two decimal places. (You can modify the number of decimal places in the format, if necessary.)

Copying to very large ranges

Using the mouse to select a large cell range can be frustratingly slow. If you want to make copying to a large range of cells a snap, you'll love the techniques in this tip. (This tip works with Microsoft Excel 97, Excel 2000, Excel 2002, Excel 2003, and Excel 2007.)

Let's say that you have a value in cell A3 and you want to copy it to a large range, such as C3:C99999. (This range is obviously applicable only in Excel 2007. If you are using an older version you might want to copy to the range C3:C55000.) The easiest way to do the copy is to follow these steps:

Select cell A3.

Press Ctrl+C to copy its contents to the Clipboard.

Click once in the Name box, above column A. (Before you click, the Name box contains "A3," which is the cell you just copied.)

Type C3:C99999 or, if you prefer, C3:C55000 and press Enter. The range is selected

Press Ctrl+V to paste

A similar approach to selecting large ranges could also be used with the Go To box, in this manner:

Select cell A3

Press Ctrl+C to copy its contents to the Clipboard.

Press F5 to display the Go To dialog box.

In the Reference box type C3:C99999 or, if you prefer, C3:C55000.

Click OK. The range is selected.

Press Ctrl+V. to paste

Note:

Please note that we do not provide support for our Word and Excel tips as they are provided by a third party. If you need further information why not try using Google - Cut and paste the heading of our tip into Google's search box. You'll be amazed at the information available.

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Jokes

Where did you go?

An Irishman walks into a bar in Texas.

He says, "I hear you Texans are a bunch of hard drinkers. I'll give $500 dollars to anybody in here who can drink 10 beers back-to-back."

The room is quiet. One man leaves. No one takes the Irishman up on his offer.

Thirty minutes later the man who left returns. He taps the Irishman on the shoulder. "Does your offer still stand?" he asks.

The Irishman says yes and asks the bartender to line up 10 beers on the bar. Immediately the Texan begins.

He doesn't stop until he has drunk all ten beers back-to-back.

The others in the bar cheer as the Irishman sits in amazement. He gives the Texan the $500 and says, "If you don't mind me asking, where did you go for that half hour?"

The Texan replies, "Yeah well - I had to be sure - before I took your bet, I wanted to go to another bar down the street to be sure I could do it."

The New Job

Shaun walks into a bar and says, "Bartender, one round for everyone, on me!"

The bartender says, "Well, seems you're in a really good mood tonight."

Shaun says, "Oh, you can bet on it! I just got hired by the city to go around and remove all the money from parking meters. I start on Monday!"

The bartender congratulates him and proceeds to pour the round.

Monday night comes around and Shaun comes back into the bar and says Bartender, TWO rounds for everyone, on me!"

The bartender says, "Well now! If you're so happy just over having this new job, I can just imagine how happy you'll be when you get your paycheck!"

Billy Bob looks at the bartender with a wondrous look on his face, pulls out a handful of dollar coins from his pocket, and says

"You mean they'll PAY me too?"

A kiss a metre

Walking up to a department store's fabric counter, the pretty girl asked, "I would like to buy this material for a new dress. How much does it cost?"

"Only one kiss per metre," replied the smiling male clerk. "That's fine," replied the girl. "I'll take ten yards."

With expectation and anticipation written all over his face, the clerk quickly measured out & wrapped the cloth, then teasingly held it out.

The girl snapped up the package and pointed to a little old man who was standing beside her. "Grandpa will pay the bill," she smiled.

Make it a scotch

The bartender asks the guy sitting at the bar, "What'll you have?"

The guy answers, "A scotch, please."

The bartender hands him the drink, and says, "That'll be five dollars," to which the guy replies, "What are you talking about? I don't owe you anything for this."

A lawyer, sitting nearby and overhearing the conversation, then says to the bartender, "You know, he's got you there. In the original offer, which constitutes a binding contract upon acceptance, there was no stipulation of remuneration."

The bartender was not impressed, but says to the guy, "Okay, you beat me for a drink. But don't ever let me catch you in here again."

The next day, same guy walks into the bar. Bartender says, "What the heck are you doing in here? I can't believe you've got the audacity to come back!"

The guy says, "What are you talking about? I've never been in this place in my life!"

The bartender replies, "I'm very sorry, but this is uncanny. You must have a double."

To which the guy replies, "Thank you. Make it a scotch.".

Until next month

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