Have You Made the Connection?

When you purchase software, you will find that tech support can be one of the most valuable features included in the software. Online forums are the newest and fastest way to get questions answered for almost any software. When a user posts a question on a forum, that question remains there for other users to read at any time, day or night. Since entrepreneurs often work odd hours, visiting a forum is the perfect solution for a small business. One of the biggest benefits to online forums is finding answers to questions you didn't even know to ask. You can connect with your peers in the industry to find tons of helpful information that will apply to your business.

If you own Minutes Matter's QuickBooks & Quoting, we have already registered you in our private QuickBooks forum. Or, you can open your Internet browser to http://www.minutesmatter.com/ Click on "Education & Support", and then select "QuickBooks Forum". You will need your username and password to log in. If this is your first visit to the forum, your username will be your first and last name with a space. Your password is the first three letters of your company name and the date of your receipt (no spaces.) If you encounter any difficulty in logging in simply send an email (info@minutesmatter.com) or call (800-343-0616) the office and we will be happy to help you log in to the forum.

Once you have logged in you will see the screen below:



All online forums are divided into sub-forums. The sub-forums are where you can post a question or simply read posts from other users and their responses. A great place to start is the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) section. There's a wealth of information there so come on in and let us help you with all of your QuickBooks questions.

For Studio users, there is another forum called "The Lounge" which is open to the public. You can read posts on this forum without registering, however, if you would like to post a question or download a file you will be required to register.

At Minutes Matter, we find that people who take advantage of our online forums receive the maximum benefits of our software. We often ask people, "Would you rather take two hours to complete a task or 30 minutes?" The answer is obvious, everyone wants to perform tasks the fastest and the most efficient way possible. The only way it is possible for a software user to use a software efficiently is to take advantage of the available tech support options.

Minutes Matter has two fabulous forums one "The Community" for QuickBooks & Quoting and "The Lounge" for Studio. If you haven't visited our forums, take time now to get involved on a regular basis, we are always coming up with something new and exciting!

Demonstrating Studio 3.0 ~ Everyone Loved it!!

Here is a photo of our booth in Atlanta during the Vision 09 International Window Coverings Expo. Our booth was hoping most of the time. This was the one time Jay Helser from Helser Brothers could take time to shoot a photo for us. Thanks Jay. Check out their website for great some great hardware selections.

Can you tell I take my demonstrating very seriously?

Vision 09 International Window Coverings Expo ~ Atlanta, GA

The Vision 09 International Window Coverings Expo in Atlanta was a great place to be last week. Everyone that attended seminars, visited the exhibit hall and the Construction Zone was thrilled with the new things they learned. This conference will be in Atlanta again next year.

It took me a couple of days to recoup from the event. I was involved in conducting five seminars which included, IDG Certification for Studio, QuickBooks Road Map, Gain More Clients with Technology, Design in Five and Fabrication Techniques with Studio and of course, meet and greet people in our booth.

The IDG Certification for Studio class was a huge success. This class was a five hour computer lab class where everyone in the class worked on the same project. I have to say I am thrilled to see our industry is getting better and better with their computer skills. Our next IDG & IDQ classes are scheduled on July 24th & July 25th in Nashville, TN.

Bright and early Thursday morning, Vickie Ayres and I conducted a four hour QuickBooks Road Map class on Thursday morning. Team teaching is so much fun, if one instructor forgets to mention a point the other instructor steps right in; Vickie nor I are shy. We demonstrated how a QuickBooks user would handle an entire job from start to finish the Minutes Matter way and if you know us you know we only take you down the Super Fast Highway.

Thursday evening I conducted a social networking class "Gain More Clients with Technology." I covered Blogs, Twitter & Facebook in this one hour seminar. Shannon Flaherty with Window Fashion Vision gave me the auditorium to conduct the class so we could handle a lot of people, all I can say is WOW. I want that arrangement every time I conduct a seminar. The screen was huge and the seats were cushy; I was afraid my audience would go to sleep on me. I will post another blog with more highlights on this seminar. While I was doing the seminar, there were several attendees tweeting about the presentation ~ too cool!

On Friday, I presented two short 20 minute demonstrations. First, was our famous "Design in Five" concept. This unique concept teaches Studio users how to present two design concepts on a laptop in front of a client in five minutes. When people learn how to use this technique their sales always increase. In the second demonstration, I tag teamed with Pam Damour in a short 20 minute demo on how many of the top treatment designs in Studio can be fabricated using her templates. Pam was in charge of cordinating all the speakers in the Construction Zone. There were continous 20 minute presentations during the three days the exhibit hall was open and best of all they were FREE!!

WOW Award ~ Most Innovative Firm of the Year

Casey and I were so excited to hear we were voted "Most Innovative Firm of the Year." We received a call from Grace McNamara, President & CEO of Window Fashion Vision magazine, as we were beginning our first day of exhibiting at High Point Furniture Market in High Point, NC. What a great way to start the day!

We were presented the award on Wednesday May 13th during the WOW Award Ceremony in Atlanta, GA at the Vision 09/IWCE show. The ceremony includes winners from the Design & Workroom competition and the Industry Award winners. We were one of the six Industry Award winners. During my talk, I mentioned we would have loved to have won each of the awards. Each award was a honor to win. I also mentioned that Casey and I have a fantastic team that are all dedicated which help to make Minutes Matter truly the "Most Innovative Firm of the Year." Some of our team includes Vickie Ayres (the Countess of QuickBooks), Laureen Ameye (our most talented graphic artist), Merlyn Corcoran (Studio's Wizard), Anna Davis (Studio's tech support specialist), Lee McElwee (our Customer Care Specialist.)

Casey and I were even more honored to find out that our customers and readers from Window Fashion Vision magazine had voted for us. The Industry Awards are voted on differently than the Design & Workroom competition awards. The Industry Awards are voted on from everyone in the industry. The Design & Workroom competition awards are voted on by a panel of judges. I congratulate all the winners. Each of us worked very hard to earn our award.

If you are wondering where I am in the photograph, I am seated in the front row in the center and proudly holding our award. If you are wondering where Casey is, she had to miss this very special night since it was Maddie's birthday (Maddie is now eight years old.) In fact, Owen and Casey were scheduled to arrive at the conference Thursday night, after celebrating Maddie's birthday, but Morgan, the four year old, swallowed a nickel. They were driving to Atlanta and had to turn around and head back to meet Lee, my youngest son, at the emergency room. We are still waiting for the nickel to pass.

New Learning CDs

Along with the launching of Minutes Matter Studio 3.0, we are recording Learning CDs so that you can make the most out of your learning experience! Merlyn Corcoran, our Minutes Matter University Instructor, has shared her her design insight in the first of four Learning CDs releasing this year. (We will also be releasing Learning CDs for our QuickBooks lovers!) Look for more to come!!!!

Sign It with Flair

These days everything is about the "feeling" you get when working with a company. This weekend I shopped at Ann Taylor Loft. When I was checking out, the clerk folded my clothes neatly, wrapped them in tissue paper, and then sealed the tissue paper with a custom label. While I have come to expect this service from this store, I still love coming home to unwrap my bundle of joy. There are so many easy ways to give your customers the same feeling; one simple way is using a custom signature make your note a little more personal. I'll show you the two easiest ways to create your custom signature.

Use A Font:
In the past, we have discussed websites where you can download artistic fonts for free. The easiest way to create a custom signature is to type your name in a handwritten font. Once you find the perfect font, export the font as a jpg, then simply import the signature into your document or email.

(Fonts Used Above: PhontPhreak's Font - Scriptina Font - Jellyka Font)

Use A Scanner:
Another easy way to create a custom signature is by using a scanner. Simply write your name on a white piece of paper using black ink, then transfer your signature to the computer by simply scanning the image.

Tips:

1. Graphic software programs such as Studio are easy ways to create digital font signatures.
2. Pick a font that matches your personality. For example, men may want to choose a font with a more masculine feel such as PhontPhreak's Handwriting.
3. Remember, since the background will not be transparent, I don't recommend adding your signature to a document with a colored background. When the document has a colored background, a large white block will encompass the signature. Of course, the white block around the image takes away from the personalized feel you are trying to create.
4. Sometimes you can use a photo editing software to remove the white block. However, I have not found this to be an easy task. Since the signature has very thin lines, it is difficult to remove the background without removing lines in the signature.
5. Make sure your signature is scaled to the appropriate size. If the jpg imports large, be sure to resize the image in the same proportion as the other text in the document.
6. Create a file folder named "Signatures" under My Documents to make it easier to locate your signature whenever needed.
7. IMPORTANT: You must insert a .jpg signature when emailing. When you use a unique font, it's possible the person receiving the email will not have that font installed. Therefore, the signature will not appear correctly for the recipient. However, anyone can view a .jpg so the signature will look great!

Perfecting Your Image

As far back as I can remember I have always been fascinated with successful people. I made it my mission to find out what it was about them that allowed them to achieve their goals while others tried and failed. Later in life, as I developed my business and entered into new and challenging areas of my career, I made a conscious effort to surround myself with suppliers, manufacturers, and colleagues who were considered outstanding leaders in their professions. By watching them closely and paying attention to how they presented themselves and how they ran their businesses I was able to make significant improvements to my own image and business. What I had not anticipated was that, because of the associations I had formed along the years with these professionals, I had achieved a certain credibility of my own within the industry and with people and potential clients I had never met. The mere fact that I was associated with leaders in my industry imparted to myself, and my business, a certain cache and reputation that would have been very difficult to build on my own. By choosing my suppliers, manufacturers, contractors and associations carefully I was able to capitalize on their reputation and success. When I made the decision to affiliate myself and my book, The Design Directory of Window Treatments, with a digital design software provider I took a close look at both companies that provided this service. It was clear that Minutes Matter Studio was the only choice for me. The quality and character of the people that you allow into your life and business speak volumes about you as a person and a professional. Just as you can be accused of "guilt by association" with shady or untrustworthy individuals you can build "success by association" with upstanding, reliable, industry professionals. Any person or company who is perceived as having an association with your business will leave a lasting impression with your clients. It is important to your success to manage those perceptions by discussing what your expectations are of your suppliers and contractors. For example, I provide my independent installers with booties which they wear over their shoes when entering a client's home. They lay down a clean white drop cloth in their assembly area and lay another drop cloth beneath ladders or scaffolding. They are aware that they should not take smoke breaks or eat on the job. They know that I expect them to behave in a professional manner when they are working for me because I have had a detailed conversation with them to lay out my rules. Your associates cannot meet your expectations unless you have clearly communicated to them what those expectations are! Conduct an analysis of your associations at the end of every year to see who is affecting your business in a positive way and who may be detracting from it negatively and take quick action to make the necessary adjustments to maintain the image you want to present to your clients. Building beneficial relationships is an ongoing process that takes planning and hard work, but the payoff is well worth the effort.

Get out there and build some positive associations today!

Jackie Von Tobel

The Designers Source for Inspiration and Education