Tools We Use:

Mailing Lists / Shopping Carts

Tools We Use:

Printing

Tools We Use:

Marketing

I came across Web Marketing Magic after reading a great little book on Marketing Seminars by Fred Gleeck. See www.fredgleeck.com.

The web site, WebMarketingMagic.com, is the home of Fred's great auto-responder / mailing list / newsletter / shopping cart programs. LOVE it!

The shopping cart can easily handle distribution of downloadable merchandise. In fact, when we distribute PowerPoint slides, we actually give out a web link and people request the slides. We snag their email address, automatically add it to the mailing list, and send an email with the PPT download.

The auto-responders can be set up to deliver a series of messages after someone joins the list. For example, one day later, 30 days later, 60 days later, etc.

I don't know what the current incentives are, but there's always an offer going on. I use and love this product.

Click Here to try the World's Smartest Shopping Cart system.

At a minimum, we all need business cards. We use VistaPrint (www.vistaprint.com) for all of our business cards -- for three companies!

For Relax Focus Succeed we use VistaPrint for post cards with motivational sayings. For KPEnterprises, we use VistaPrint for post cards inspired by Robin Robins. And for Great Little Book we use VistaPrint for flyers and book advertising cards.

In the past we have purchased rubber stamps, letterhead, and labels from VistaPrint.

We like them because we can upload our graphics and preview the output immediately. We have never been disappointed in an order.

Once you begin ordering a few items, you'll get discount codes by email, but only if you let them send you email.

The link below will give you a discount right away.

Visit VistaPrint

The Technology Marketing Toolkit from Robin Robins is the ultimate marketing tool.

I first ran into Robin at SMB Nation. I was impressed with her ability to sell. So I bought.

When I opened my "toolkit" I was extremely pleased. Even though the price was high,  I felt that I got a lot more than I paid for.

Then the monthly mailings started showing up and I got even more!

In addition to the baisc T.M. Toolkit I have purchased Robin's Silver membership and subscribed to her Managed Services master mind group.

Every single product I've purchased from Robin has paid for itself. Warning: you have to do some work here! But if you do what Robin says, you will make more money than you spend.

Robin provides much more than marketing advice. Her monthly calls are filled with great advice on running any business--but especially an SMB Consulting business!

Go to www.technologymarketingtoolkit.com and tell them Karl sent you!

Tools We Use:

Cafe Press -- T-Shirts and More

If you haven't stumbled onto Cafe Press, you simply must give it a try. Visit http://www.cafepress.com.

You can design t-shirts, mugs, and a lot more. And best of all: you're not out of pocket for these items! When people order an item, it is printed "on demand."

Your customer gets the merchandise and you get a couple of bucks.

You can have several "stores." Just upload the graphics and you're on your way!

Hot Seminar!

Audio CD:

Network Documentation for Profit (and Fun)

Karl Palachuk's seminar Network Documentation for Profit (and Fun) was sold out in September 2005.

More than sold out: The room held 100, we had 115 registered, and people were hanging out in the doorway!

If you missed it, you'll want to order this CD right now!

This CD is not just the "book on tape." This program outlines a culture of documentation that can make your business more profitable.

We discuss 14 Sure-Fire Ways to make money via documentation.

To order now, go to the order page at SMB Nation.

Hot book!

We've been very surprised and pleased with the popularity of The Network Documentation Workbook.

This is not a big book, but it's packed with useful information that can transform your business in very short order.

The The Network Documentation Workbook is based on a series of forms that we use in our business to keep track of all the vital information at a client's site.

There are configuration pages for the network, DHCP, IP address allocation, shared resources, machine specifications -- everything you need to manage a network successfully.

For more information, visit GreatLittleBook.com. This book is sold through SMB Nation and can be purchased at their order page.

Tools We Use:

Servers Alive

Tools We Use:

Kaseya

Tools We Use:

ConnectWise

AWESOME Server Monitoring Tool!

We've used Servers Alive for so long, we don't remember when we started.

Servers Alive will check HTML, ping, SMTP, SQL database, Oracle database, SNMP, DNS Protocol, NT Service, FTP, IMAP, POP3, Telnet, and MORE.

Oh.

Did I mention that it's FREE if you monitor ten or fewer servers? After that, it's just $199 !!!

Even though we use Kaseya, we still use Servers Alive from a different server. Among other things, it keeps us informed if the Kaseya server goes offline (tee hee).

Go to:

www.woodstone.nu/salive

Kaseya is one of our current tools for delivering Managed Services. This includes

• Patch Management

• Computer Audit

• Remote Desktop Management

• LAN and Computer Monitoring

• Software Deployment

Go to:

www.kaseya.com

and tell them Karl sent you.

Few tools actually pay for themselves. ConnectWise pays for itself. Period.

CW is a technology consulting-specific CRM system. In addition to keeping track of all service requests, we use it to manage employee time, project organization, and a lot more.

We run our business on ConnectWise.

Really.

The most visible and useful piece, of course, is the service request management. Clients can enter their own SRs, check on the status of a job, and even search through old job notes.

Go to:

www.connectwise.com

and tell them Karl sent you.

Tools We Use:

Mailing List Management

Tools We Use:

Credit Card Processing

Tools We Use:

Own Web Now

Easy Mail Plus

We do a fair number of direct mail compaigns.

Nobody needs yet another database, but Easy Mail Plus is a wonderful, very reasonably priced tool for managing our "Big" lists as well as our little, monthly newsletter list.

In addition to simply storing addresses, it does all the sorting and prints labels or envelopes.

You can download a full-featured trial copy at:

www.easymailplus.com

Credit card processing is a little complicated, but not bad once you put out a little effort.

You'll need a merchant account (at a bank). But actually "running" credit cards is done through a service such as Authorize.net.

We pay 2.45% on transactions for Visa and Mastercard. We can run all transactions through a web interface or upload a batch file.

We link our shopping cart right to the Authorize.net gateway.

And, of course we can do automated recurring billing. Check out www.authorize.net.

Web, Email, Hosted SBS

We use OWN for hosted services. Why?

Well, to be quite honest, we just want to make money. While we have a small network operations center -- with conditioned power, air conditioning, and even a backup generator -- but it's tiny compared to the facilities at OWN.

In addition, OWN offers excellent prices. So we can resell at a competitive rate.

Best Practice: Only make these services available via credit card, charged on the first of the month.

For more information, visit www.exchangedefender.com.

Tools We Use:

Zenith Infotech

Tools We Use:

VOIP

Tools We Use:

Caricature King

Our favorite Managed Service tool! For one low monthly fee, we get great . . .

• Patch Management

• Computer Auditing

• LAN and Computer Monitoring

• Software Deployment

• And awesome Troubleshooting!

Go to:

http://www.zenithinfotech.com

and tell them Karl sent you.

We really like Packet 8. Each line is $50/month for unlimited long distance within U.S. We like this system so much, we use and resell it.

Your phone can go anywhere with you. So you can take it home, or on vacation. When someone dials your extension, or transfers a call to you, it just works.

Virtual PBX is flexible and power. Easy to use.

Go to www.packet8.net or call us!

From time to time we've found it useful to create out own graphics.

One reasonably priced option is to have a caricature created for us.

Check out Caricature King. Prices are in the range of $25 to $50 per graphic.

At the $50 range you get a draft to review.

Go to www.caricatureking.com and tell them Karl sent you.

Sales Resources

Coming Soon: Radio FAQ^TM

Radio FAQ^TM is a great new way of making sales. The theory is very straight forward: we soften up the client with information about the benefits of a product and you make an easy sale. Actually, it's not a "sale" at all. The client is so fired up about the product, they make a "buy." They come to you and say give it to me now.

Stay tuned. For more information, see www.greatlittlebook.com/RadioFAQ.htm. You may also wish to fill out the form to be notified when this is available.