Server-Based Computinng: In a Nutshell

Server-based computing (SBC) is one of the most exciting
developments in office technology. But what exactly does
the term mean? Here is a simple explanation.

Server Based Computing vs. Standard Network Computing

With a normal office network, every user has a fairly
powerful computer on which they run software. The server is
used for central file storage and specific tasks such as
file exchange and internet access. With server-based
computing, every user has a much smaller terminal, and all
their day-to-day software is run from the server. Each
terminal is little more than a screen and keyboard,
although it can be an existing PC (an old one at that).

There are Plenty of Benefits :

Financial benefits are clear, because each terminal is
smaller and less expensive than a PC. Thus you will always
save money with every new employee. With Server Based
Computing there are also security benefits: because you
centrally control all the software to which your employees
have access, and so you will have a much lower risk of
viruses or unwanted software. Not least, there will be
Facilities management benefits: because employees can
access their files and software from any terminal, and so
you can easily move staff between desks with no downtime.
Finally, there are obvious maintenance benefits: all the
hard work is done on the server. So system maintenance is
largely done in one place, on one machine.

Server Based computing: Example:

A company has three branches. Previously it had to employ
or contract IT maintenance staff at all three locations
when computers needed fixing. With server-based computing,
IT staff are only needed on one site. Plus, in the rare
event that a terminal collapses at one of the other sites,
staff can continue working just by switching terminals, so
there is no urgent need for a replacement unit.

Home-Working Benefits :

As you would expect, the tried and tested security and
software management tools can be applied to home-working
too; making remote working a true reality- with server
based computing, staff can work from home and truly have
access to the same files and software they have at the
office.

Business Continuity Benefits :

SBC is also an ideal business continuity solution- should
your office become unusable due to flood, fire or other
event, you can be up-and-running elsewhere, or even at
home, in a matter of minutes.

How Different Does Server Based Computing Look?

Server-based computing (SBC) does not mean you have to
sacrifice the software you are familiar with. There is no
need to retrain staff- everything can be set up to look
exactly as it did before. Migration to a server-based
solution is designed to be seamless, invisible to the user,
with all software working as before.

It is possible, of course, to specify an upgrade path,
including an Enhanced Desktop option - which provide
additional functions, there for when you want them. A major
plus is the possibility of a Web Interface, providing you
with your office desktop at home; or wherever else you
would like it. How much better could you present at a
client's office, if the screen looked just like the one at
your desk!

----------------------------------------------------
Jimi St. Pierre writes for several Office IT Equipment
suppliers in the UK, including office server supplier
Officemagic. The Officemagic range of IT products including
desktops, laptops and peripherals can be found at =>
http://www.officemagic.co.uk/

How to Use Focused Marketing Strategy to Stop Marketing Overwhelm

Did you know most solo-professionals hire the Cheshire Cat
as their marketing consultant? And because of it they end
up overwhelmed by too much information and frustrated by
their lack of good results. Let me explain...

Remember Alice in the Wonderland facing a fork in the road
and asking the Cheshire Cat for directions? Do you recall
the cat's answer? "If you don't know where you are going
what does it matter which road you take?" I call this lack
of clarity and not having a master marketing action plan a
"hop and drop" strategy.

What the heck is "hop and drop"?

Have you ever seen a rabbit running away? Those creatures
can't seem to run straight. They change directions with
every hop! But what does it have to do with your business?

See if this sounds familiar:

** Monday you read an article about attracting more
clients with info-products. So off you go, spending
most of the day brainstorming ideas and planning your
first ebook or audio CD.

** Tuesday you remember that submitting articles is a
great way to build visibility. After a few hours of
searching the net you've got a great list of article
submission sites. Now you are ready to write your
first few articles. But it's late in the day so you
set your intentions to start fresh the next morning.

** Wednesday you wake up with a brilliant idea to put
together a new training program. Oh, this is going to
be so great! People will be lining up to sign up.
Maybe you could sell a license to others who could
teach it. Yep! Easy money. You can already taste it.

So you get busy developing a curriculum for your program,
but mid-day you realize it going to take a bit more effort
than you initially thought...

Thursday and Friday don't look much different as you find
yourself chasing even more really good ideas...

A whole week of perfect "hop and drop" and at the end
you've accomplished… NOTHING! NADA! ZIP!

Each of the tasks you began could have paid off handsomely
if you stayed with it. But you didn't. So all you've got is
a bunch of started projects, a lot frustration, feeling
overwhelmed, and a massive headache!

How to get more done in less time

Fortunately, outlining and following a master strategy
before jumping into action can save you from wasting time
and effort, and eliminate of lot of frustration.

Here are a few tips to get you started:

1) Develop clear objectives.

What exactly do you want to accomplish? Set clear goals,
time-frames, investment of time and many required to
implement your strategy, and the implementation model
you'll follow. Calculate your possible maximum and minimum
return on investment of time, money and effort.

2) Understand the difference between strategy, tactic,
and action steps.

For example, driving new business through networking is a
strategy. Putting together your own networking group or
attending meetings of other groups are tactics. Making a
list of local groups, developing a good Audio Business
Card™, writing a "pleasure meeting you" card or sending out
an article or audio CD afterwards are all action steps.

These are critical steps and skipping just one of them may
send you on a never-ending chase after a white elephant!

For example, one simple exercise I reveal in my Marketing
Action Plan reveals if your existing model can even support
your desired financial results.

Most people never stop to take a look at this and end up
beating their heads against the wall – wondering why they
can't generate better results.

3) Identify your ideal tactics.

There are thousands of things you could be doing right now.
You probably already have more ideas than you can
implement. That's why you often end up overwhelmed.

Make a list of things you could be doing, than select your
top three to five things and IMPLEMENT THEM COMPLETELY -
ONE AT A TIME!

OK, STOP HERE for a moment and re-read this last sentence.

Read it a few times until it sinks in how vital it is to
your success.

** FINISH ONE THING AT A TIME! **

4) Take action. One mediocre and poorly implemented idea
is better than 100 brilliant ideas still locked in
your head! Implementation beats perfection any day of
the week.

Based on your desired results identify specific action
steps that will be most effective in achieving your goals.

Look for activities that will bring the biggest payoff for
the least amount of effort. Start small and focus on quick
implementation and completion!

Set milestones and measure your progress. How will you know
you are getting closer to your goal? How will you know you
are there when you arrive?

In your plan identify ways to measure your progress then
check the reality against your plan at least weekly. If you
are not moving forward as fast as planned – go back and re-
evaluate your tactics and action steps. Then refocus on
taking DIFFERENT action.

So stop this "hop and drop" nonsense. Tell the Cheshire Cat
to "take a hike", and quickly get the results you want
following your own personal marketing action plan.

----------------------------------------------------
The author, Adam Urbanski, teaches service professionals
and business owners how to develop better marketing
strategies to increase sales and profits. His website
offers more how-to articles and free tips to create a
winning marketing action plan at
http://www.themarketingmentors.com

4 Reasons To Accept Credit Cards By Phone

Are you looking to accept credit cards for your business
but not sure what solution is best for you? Accepting
credit cards by phone can be a smart choice for the small
and new business owner. Below are 4 reasons why.

Convenience

Accepting credit cards by phone adds a powerful convenience
factor to your business. If you don't have a formal office
or place of business for your customers to come in and pay,
Dial Pay service is an excellent and essential tool. Or,
maybe you do have a shop or store but would simply like the
ability to close the deal with your customer no matter
where you are. Either way, you will likely see your
profits and customer satisfaction increase. Just think of
the advantages of being able to accept payments by phone,
on a job site, in a restaurant or even while at the grocery
store. And nowadays, it is very important to accept credit
card payment on the go and without delay.

A Call to Action

Another advantage to having a dialpay account is that it
allows you as the business owner to finalize the
transaction. In other words, your customer may verbally
commit to you on the sale or service you are providing but
unless you can finalize that agreement with payment, you
may risk losing the customer to other day to day
distractions or worse yet, to another competitor. Having
a merchant account that can work on any phone, including a
cell phone gives you this powerful advantage and again will
only increase your profitability as a business.

Cost Effective

Keeping costs down is vital for any small or new business.
Your standard merchant account requires you to have a
credit card machine which can cost you hundreds of dollars,
not so great for the little guy or the new business owner
who would rather be spending his money on advertising or
more important things. Another "high cost" associated with
merchant accounts that do not accept cards by phone are the
extra fees. Many times these accounts have $25.00 to
$35.00 monthly minimums as well as annual fees. Oh yah,
did I mention a whopping $250.00 to $450.00 account
cancellation fee if you close your account within the first
2 years? Fees, fees, fees. On the other hand, if you
accept credit cards by phone, you usually only pay one
rate, a low monthly statement fee and a minimal application
fee.

Fewer Headaches

Because there is no equipment needed to set up or use a pay
by phone merchant account, you don't have to worry about
technical equipment issues such as malfunctioning terminals
or programming errors that inevitably happen with merchants
that have credit card machines. If you ever had to deal
with such a problem you understand the significance and
value of having a simple credit card processing by phone
solution.

Whether your business is Limousine Service, Plumbing,
Contracting, Consulting, Crafts, Selling at flea markets or
even if you are an attorney, accepting credit cards by
telephone can be a smart choice in growing and maintaining
a healthy business.

----------------------------------------------------
Philip Ritchie is a National Sales Director for a major
credit card processor. He specializes in setting up
businesses to accept credit cards by phone. To learn more
about this unique service visit http://www.chargeonphone.com

How to Move Through Your Prospects' Biggest Blocks

I've found that there are three big blocks that most often
come up when anyone is looking at using a professional's
service or getting ready to buy a product:

Money, Time, Timing

This is with the understanding that everything else is a
match. They have a need and you can serve that need. They
feel connected to you. You have established trust, you both
feel excited, and the energy of possibilities is clearly in
the air between you.

Then one of the major blocks pops up.

What now? How can you help?

Let's start with first understanding the energy behind the
blocks. By doing this, we are able to come from a place of
empathy, rather than sympathy. It is a disaster move, as a
service provider, for you to join them in their blocks.
That might sound something like, "I know exactly what you
mean Ms. Prospect, and t here are a lot of things that I
really want, but can't have either. I hate it, too." This
is a HUGE disservice to them and you.

So what we are really looking at here is fear (of the
unknown, success, change, doing something positive for
themselves...the fear takes different forms for different
folks, but fear is fear). Even if they really don't have
the money, have absolutely no time, and are in some way not
ready or able, they are making excuses to mask the fear.

We make excuses because we can't see the difference between
an outer reality and our inner belief regarding that
reality. For most of us, we have a hard time separating the
two; we make them the same.

It might sound something like this:

I don't have the money now. = I don't believe I can raise
the money.

I don't have the time now. = I can't see how to make the
time.

I'm not ready now. = I'll never really be ready.

Back in the summer of 1999, I was studying in Ashland,
Oregon and one weekend we found this beautiful lake to swim
in and saw that across the lake people were jumping cliffs.
Now, this is something I use to do a lot when I was in high
school. So I swam across, climbed to the top, got to the
edge and froze. I could not jump off that cliff. Every time
I looked over the edge I thought, "This is a fifteen foot
cliff; what if I miss and slam into the rocks, I could
break my leg, I could die..."

Then, as I stood there, this boy, maybe he was eleven, came
up next to me, and asked, "Are you going to jump?" I
started to come up with all these excuses, but sighed and
just told him I was really scared. "It's just air and then
water. Just jump."

As I watched him sail over the edge and then bob up to the
surface just seconds later, amazingly to me, I jumped. It
was exhilarating! (And, obviously, I survived.)

This, my friend, is exactly how a prospect feels when
considering working with you. They see a financial
investment, an obligation of time and a challenge. They're
preparing to face a cliff to be jumped off.

So the automatic-human-fear-reaction is to make an excuse.

And, again, the worst move you can make is to join them.
"Yes, this cliff is really high. You're right; it's
impossible to jump. I understand how hard it is, so let me
call you back in a few months and see if you're ready to
jump then."

I can tell you, they will never be ready. (I know if that's
what I'd heard, I would still be standing on that cliff, or
worse, I would have turned around and gone back the way I
came.)

Again, assuming your offer is right for the m and they will
truly benefit from working with you, then you are NOT
serving their best interests if you "just let it slide."
Telling yourself that you are serving them by letting them
slide is your own excuse.

The energy of commitment is very strong. Let your prospect
know that when you make a commitment the Universe begins to
line up for you. Things may start slower than planned, but
when you truly commit, it happens. Let them know that,
together, you will take care of their concerns (money,
time, doubts).

My sense is you'll hear, "Let's do it!"

Can I tell you it will ALWAYS go this way? No, but what I
can tell you is that if YOU make the commitment to take a
stand for the truth about the difference your service will
make for your clients (and don't back down when they give
you excuses), you will have a client who puts themselves
completely in your process and together you will produce
magnificent results.

Go ahead. Take a stand. You can do it.

Call-to-Action:

When clients are afraid to move forward, they will make
excuses. They will give excuses that keep them from facing
the challenge.

As a professional, you need to call forth the magnificence
of your client, not join them in their fear.

Take a stand for them.

Take a stand for you.

----------------------------------------------------
Heather Dominick, Solo-Entrepreneur Expert, has over 10
years of teaching and coaching experience. Heather's
primary focus is in coaching entrepreneurs to identify
sources for increasing business profit and making
successful business changes. To sign up to receive your
free business building e-course go here now
http://www.energyrichcoach.com

Is It Time To Update Your Resume?

The motto "Be prepared," isn't just great advice for Boy
Scouts; it's also great career advice. You never know when
the perfect career opportunity will present itself. If a
recruiter called you today with your dream job, are you
prepared to send out an up-to-date resume right away?

There are four critical times to update your resume:

* At least once a year

* Any time your career focus changes

* When you anticipate layoffs with your company

* When you begin to feel dissatisfied with your current
position

1. Update your resume every year.

This is where many people fall short. When that recruiter
calls with the perfect job, you may suddenly find your
resume is years out of date, and you'll have to scramble to
catch up.

Keep your resume current by including your best
accomplishments each year. Don't count on your memory to
recall everything you achieved in years past! You are
likely to overlook critical achievements and contributions.
If you need assistance, a resume coach may be able to help
you through the process with some targeted questions on
your most recent jobs.

2. Update your resume when your career focus changes.

If you want to change your career path, then you also need
to change your resume. There are several ways to shift the
focus away from your current job and toward your new career.

By focusing on the skills that will be useful in your new
career, you can position yourself as a stronger candidate
for the job. Highlight those transferable skills in your
new resume, bringing them front and center.

In addition to highlighting your transferable skills, shift
your list of accomplishments to support those skills.
Accomplishment statements give credibility to transferable
skills and prove your ability to cross industry or
occupational lines. Well-crafted accomplishments make a
big difference in whether you win the interview or are
passed over.

Finally, be sure you understand your audience. As you
shift career focus, it is critical to understand the hiring
motives of your target market. Use your resume as an
effective selling tool by correctly anticipating the
recruiter's "wish list" for great job candidates.

3. Update your resume when you anticipate layoffs within
your company.

A harsh reality of today's economy is the need for
corporate downsizing. Layoffs and losses are becoming more
and more common. But you can prepare for any worst-case
scenario by keeping your resume up-to-date.

Don't make the mistake of being overly optimistic. It's
safer to assume that you are on the "out" list. Most
people who get caught unexpectedly in a layoff thought they
were indispensable to their employers. You might be
important or well-liked, but remember that the bottom line
always has a louder voice than you do. Get your resume
ready as soon as you see any indications that downsizing is
on the way.

Don't mistake company loyalty for a fear of change. Often
employees would rather take their chances with a potential
layoff than make proactive steps toward finding a new job.
Once they're laid off, it's already too late. Remember, as
a candidate, you are always more marketable while still
employed. Avoid this trap and start your job search early
with self-marketing tools (resume and cover letter) that
are up-to-date and top quality.

4. Update your resume when you are dissatisfied with your
current position.

Job dissatisfaction leads to feelings of frustration,
worthlessness, and often hopelessness. But there is no
reason to stay in a job you hate. Being prepared with an
updated resume can help you feel better in your current
job. When you have a really terrible day at work, you can
respond to job opportunities that same evening with
confidence in your up-to-the-minute resume. Taking
proactive steps toward a new career will give you back your
optimism and self worth.

If it's time for you to update your resume, first decide
whether your resume requires a simple update or a complete
rewrite. If you have been using the same resume format
throughout your career, it's possible that you have
outgrown the old look. What your resume promoted ten years
ago may not be appropriate or significant for your career
choices today. And if you've simply been "tacking on" to
your old resume, it may start to resemble a house with too
many additions, with little sense or direction.

A professional resume critique can help you decide exactly
what you need to move forward. A well-written resume can
make an incredible difference in:

* The length of time it takes to make your career move

* The quality of your next position

* The income potential of your next position

Your resume is your best sales tool in finding a new job,
and it deserves the investment of your time and commitment.
With a little extra effort now, you'll be prepared for
anything that comes your way-and be well on the path to
your next great job.

----------------------------------------------------
Deborah Walker, Career and Resume Coach, provides job
seekers up-to-the-minute advice on all phases of resume and
job-search effectiveness. Find more career-expert tips and
see sample resumes at:
http://www.AlphaAdvantage.com

Ten Tips for the Interview Follow Up

Not getting a follow-up call when promised is a very common
occurrence. Candidates are sometimes sure that they aced
the interview and are perfect for the position, in fact
they are anticipating a call and an offer. But instead they
get "nothing." No offer; no call. They never hear from the
company. This is not only frustrating, but reflects poorly
on the company. In fact it is rude. What can you do about
this situation? Here are some tips on how to handle the
follow up that may save you from some anxiety.

1. Try to find out about the decision-process before you
leave the interview. Ask when you could expect to hear
back. Take that date and then add a few days before you
start to worry.

2. Always send a follow up addressing any concerns you may
have picked up or any thoughts you had about the position
since the interview. Think of this as one more chance to
put yourself in front of them.

3. After you have waited for a reasonable period beyond the
date they stated, call and inquire as to the status of the
position and whether you are still in the running.

4. As a general rule, don't call on Mondays - bad day to
market anything. 5. If you leave a message inquiring about
the status of the job, and no one calls you back after a
couple of attempts - move on and forget about it. Don't
call back more than a couple of times. There is a fine line
between being persistent and being a pest. 6. If you are
told you are no longer under consideration, try asking for
feedback (most of the time they won't give you any, but
still worth a try). Ask if there is any additional
information that you can supply that will convince them
that you are the right person for the job.

7. Don't rely on one job interview. No matter what was said
in the interview – continue your search. There have been
too many bad examples of those who thought they were a
shoe-in - only to get a reject letter.

8. Don't take it personally! There are about a thousand
reasons that could have affected your chances.

9. Accept the fact that not all companies are right for
you. Just like blind dates - they are checking you out and
you are checking them out. Sometimes it's chemistry – and
sometimes it wasn't right for you – for whatever reason.

10.Try not to get discouraged by the rejects. It's a
numbers game and your turn will come if you hang in there.

----------------------------------------------------
Carole Martin, America's #1 Interview Coach, is a
celebrated author, trainer, and mentor. Carole can give you
interviewing tips like no one else can. Get a copy of her
FREE 9-part "Interview Success Tips" report by visiting
Carole on the web at The Interview Coach
http://www.interviewcoach.com