As a business owner, I rely on internet banking to work every day (and every night).  It sure beats the way that many businesses used to work – collecting daily statements from the bank each morning.

So, when internet banking goes bad (and only on your computer .. not one of those lovely ‘service is not available’ messages from the bank), where do you turn? Assuming your problem is not that you have the Pop-Up Blocker turned on and your banking site wants to pop up the login window.

If you�ve ever heard the term �CRM� thrown around, be warned ��Customer Relationship Management�is about a whole lot more than just installing some software.

On a small business scale where you are both �cook and bottle washer�, or you may have one staff member who is focussed on sales, Microsoft�s Business Contact Manager may be an easy way to get started.

Integrated into Outlook, it let�s you load contacts and opportunities, assign which stage of the sales process they are at, and link any email communication to their BCM record.� Then you can see some nice little graphs re how many opportunites (and what dollar value) you�have in your sales funnel at each stage.

In talking to customers about managed services, we�re finding they are sometimes procrastinating in making a decision � we�re not getting a no but we�re not getting a yes yet either.� Proactive support and maintenance doesn�t seem to have enough urgency on it for people to make a decision quickly.� So, we thought we�d put our thinking caps on to see what kind of incentives we could offer for people to sign up, as a promotion we could then market.

Another tale from the trenches .. that being my own personal experience on my PC!� Windows Live Messenger refusing to sign in, giving an 8100030d error.� Most suggestions include regsrv32 commands to reregister dll files, resetting modems etc, nothing which worked on Vista for me.� Until I remembered that Tony had recently upgraded my software to AVG Anti-Malware SBS Edition version 8.0.87.� So, diabled the Resident Shield � no go.� Went into the Web Shield and unticked the Instant Messaging, MSN Protection � still no go.� Disabled the Web Shield entirely and what do you know �. hello, messenger, you have returned!� Yuck � I�m now off to report this to AVG.

I�ve picked up a great book called �Stop bitching, start pitching� by Marty Kellard & Ian Elliot.� It�s forced me to really stop and think about how we pitch our managed service product, B.E.S.T.� They claim it�s not enough to have the best solution and the best sales message for it.� Instead you really have to do your homework and analyse the wants & needs (written and unwritten) of your customer and the key decision makers and influencers, then ensure that you are addressing those.� Especially for new business, a customer needs to be able to picture you working with them to solve their business problems, and taking it much further than just replacing the current IT guy that they are unhappy with.

Day 2 of the New Zealand Computer Troubleshooters conference was full of very talented kiwis highlighting open source, retail shops/service centres, and job management systems.� James Caldwell didn�t have to try very hard to�remind us�why we love AVG (especially when they sponsored the Friday night mini-golf/spit roast dinner/drinks/prizes & more drinks).

But the topic that�really made me think was Storage Management, presented by Jeff Maslen.� With credentials including HP, IBM and Ingram Micro, it�s great to see someone of that calibre at our conference.� He was such an engaging speaker, that a lot of people walked out of the room saying �I don�t know what he was talking about, but I want one�.� With Jeff warning that the days of direct attached storage (e.g. hard disks inside servers) are numbered, he advised us to get onboard with technologies such as iSCSI SANs etc, even in the SMB market.� Now, I�ve always understood the reasons for SANS, Blade servers etc in the corporate world (where data volumes are huge and floor/rack/data centre space is limited AND expensive � but for SMBs?� And when we talk SMB, we talk less than 30 PCs � more likely less than 10 PCs.� Jeff�has enough experience�and knowledge for me not to dismiss his ideas completely, but instead make me interested enough to find out more and see just how�SMB owners can be sold on the value of $10,000+ storage solutions.� Not to mention the fact that I know his name from somewhere�and it�s driving me crazy trying to figure out from where!

There�s a new phrase slowly rumbling through the computer support industry in Australia � managed services.� It�s being helped along by companies like Kaseya, who are trying to convince every one-man-band computer guy that they can earn truckloads by using the Kaseya product.� Problem is, your technology tool of choice is only one small piece of the puzzle to make you a successful managed service provider (MSP).� So, we now have another �book & webinar� spawning industry, trying to each people the secrets of being an MSP, structuring contracts, pitching to customers etc etc.

Learnt something new this week � Outlook Express does not have an inbuilt spell checker and relies on a word processing program to be installed to use this feature.� And Open Office won�t cut it.

If you do have a word processor installed but spell check isn�t working in OE, check out Kelly�s Korner for tips to replace a dll file or fix registry entries:��http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_oe.htm#xp_spell_checker

-SCuff

Thanks Glen for the ‘dig in the ribs’ about this blog, which has been a little quite over the last few weeks.  So, what’s my excuse?  Taking over the Regional Director role for Computer Troubleshooters in the state of Queensland, Australia!  What have I let myself in for?

So far it’s been a fast learning curve, with some excellent training from VIC RD extraordinaire, Quentin Ogle, and sitting in on a new franchisee training, meeting with prospects and organising our first workshop.  Oh, and we even managed some self-promotion (in more ways than one) in the local paper .. ignore the hideous photo in which we look like we are on drugs.