2010 May Edition

MESSAGE FROM DORIS: How to make rain in a dry spell

Where is the rain, God? Not the torrential record breaking March 2010, but the rain man for business, the GUY that makes those dollars easier to reap for the blue-collar companies. Yes, those small businesses that you keep hearing about are struggling and could use some rain. In a time where there’s so much squabbling over health premiums and complex tax credits, it seems like revenue is the odd man out.

We keep a rainmaker stick in our offices. It’s about 2 feet long by 2 inches around and hollow. It’s brown and painted with tropical themes and contains what are likely small dried beans. When turned end to end it sounds like falling rain. I found it at the local transfer station (i.e. someone else’s trash) and it’s a symbol. When a day is not going well, I give it a tipping (really!).

Rainmakers are not just sticks, they can be people; that unique person in your organization that seems to attract the work. That person has a magnetism and dance to close sales, almost effortlessly. Some characteristics of this person can be free-spirited and their character single-minded; the most sociable of people and a loner in methodology at times. Some organizations find this person not the best team player internally and can bumble managing the human resource aspect of this type of achiever. Wiktionary defines a rainmaker as “an employee of a company who creates a large amount of unexpected business, consistently brings in money at critical times, or brings in markedly more money than his or her co-workers, thereby “floating their salaries.”

My point is you want this person in your organization because they are one rare bird and the seeming “lucky strikes” often are not luck, but a true repeating pattern. If there is a dry spell those type of people tend to repeat success again and again throughout their careers. Clients and Buyers love and trust their sales contact; colleagues can resent and misunderstand them.

My two cents: a rainmaker naturally knows the steps and practices to render business. Great sales people are disciplined naturals and education is simply complimentary. In your organization you need to learn to fuel the rainmaker with the tools that compliments success. For instance, easy to use supportive CRM systems provide multiple levels of advertising to generate leads: web, mail, seminar, meetings and phone calls. Also, avoid turning the rainmaker into an administrator, a trend that is almost frightening from two perspectives, as rainmakers tend to administrate anyone but themselves poorly and it turns the focus off the sales process.

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Employee Recognition: Welcome to Jenna Casey; By Cathy Chubbuck

We would like to welcome our newest employee, Jenna Casey, who joins our staff as the Marketing Coordinator. Jenna comes to us from a different background, as she recently graduated from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Boston. She possesses strengths in art and graphic design that we hope will lend a new and bright look to the DMC image. Jenna currently serves as the graphic design team leader for Design Museum Boston and is the Chapter administrator for the Boston Graphic Artists Guild. She is also a member of the Alumni Leadership Council at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design.

Jenna has already been of great assistance, designing new landing pages for our upgraded website. She has also updated the look of our monthly newsletter, as you can see by the look of this issue! Jenna will be helping Doris to coordinate the User Group Meetings which we sponsor and she will also work on various new projects during the summer.

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Developing a Successful Web Presence By Jenna Casey

How do you reach your target audience of customers? It’s a big question with a variety of answers. Marketing to the right demographic has been made easier through the use of new technologies, especially the internet. However, because of the relative ease and low cost of web-based marketing efforts, there’s one problem: many businesses are taking advantage of it! Now there is a multitude of competitors vying for those same customers you are. What’s a small business to do?

We decided to tackle this initiative head on by investing in Google AdWords. With the help of a few professionals at Tailwind Strategies, we chose some keywords that would help us reach more potential clients that are specifically looking for our services. Now when you search for say, “accounting firm Boston Deltek,” we won’t just be lost amongst other websites and links. There we are, on the right hand side of the page!

Used correctly, social networking sites are another effective marketing tool. I personally use Facebook and Yelp all the time. Yelp has been a life saver; it has helped me in finding what restaurants or businesses best fit my needs, and ultimately what ones to avoid! Customer reviews are the biggest thing I look for. After all, I want to invest in something I’m going to like and enjoy. On the flip side, customer reviews can be invaluable for a business. It’s a direct, honest approach about what you’re doing right, wrong, and what can be improved. People can be tough on businesses when what they’re writing is somewhat anonymous. But sometimes a bad review is more educational than a good one, and like they say, there’s no such thing as bad press!

Does your business implement social networking to interact with current customers or create new ones? With the amount of people on these networks, it would be a lost opportunity to not use them. However, they should still be handled with caution and care; it’s easy to overload people with information and sending irrelevant news can be frustrating. If I’m checking out the Twitter stream of @boloco, then I expect delicious news about burritos, not an update on the latest LOST episode. (Boloco, by the way, does a great job on their Twitter. I was just using them as an example, and could definitely go for a burrito right now. But I digress.)

There are a lot of different ways to reach people in today’s digital world. Some of the technology will be around for years to come, but most of it won’t. Fads come and go. Who knows the fate of Myspace and Twitter? (Remember Friendster? Yeah, I don’t.)

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Looking to the Future: Web-Based Software Applications;

Web applications are the future of accounting software. The ability to access data or record time on a whim is very convenient, which is why Axium Ajera has been gradually adding more and more features to their web-based version of Ajera. Currently, this version allows you to access Time and Expenses, the Project Command Center, Setup menu options, and numerous reports from the Project, Employee, Vendor, Client, Financial, Bank Register, Payroll, and Setup menus. These reports are being converted into Microsoft SQL Reports, providing a great new look, several new features, and much faster load times over its competitor Crystal Reports. An https:// encryption is used by Ajera to access through a web-browser, providing a combination of SSL and TSL encryption (protocols often used for payment and other sensitive transactions), as well as server side security features, so you can rest assured that your data is safe and secure. Alternatively, if you’re looking for an already developed fully-featured web-based product, Deltek Vision would be another great choice. It is based on Microsoft’s .Net Framework, a common framework used for applications meant to be run over the internet, and all features of the software can be run from any computer in the world. In fact, the software that runs on your computer at work will be the same at home, and best of all, accessing both Axium Ajera and Deltek Vision from another computer can be easily achieved in less than an hour with a DSL or Cable internet connection. Get ready to ditch your VPN software because web-based applications are where we are all headed, and not just in accounting.

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Try Something New by John K. Pidgeon

Old habits die hard, especially in accounting and bookkeeping. One of the most difficult aspects of accounting software training is convincing users to modify or completely let go of processes. Often, these processes are outside of the software, such as spreadsheets and yes, green ledger paper! In all fairness to these users, it is difficult putting trust in an accounting software when that software can crash or be corrupted in some other way. To prevent this, it is common to take regular backups and also to ensure these backups can be restored. In addition to upgrading an existing software, switching entirely to new software is often a painful roadblock for many users. Not all software is alike; not all software conversions are simple, and many don’t have a 1-1 relationship. That is, the new software will have many of the same features (with slight variations), but will also have entirely new features that require time to master. A common fear of employees is that they will not be able to get their job done in the new software. This common fear is usually alleviated with plenty of testing prior to the start date of the new software. Patience is required for both student and trainer during this testing and trial period. In conclusion, new features (and variations on the old) should be embraced, mastered, and not feared.

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See what you missed!: DMC User Group: Financial Statement & Corporate Budgeting on Deltek Vision 6.1 Wednesday, June 09, 2010, 11:30am

Didn’t get a chance to attend our DMC User Group Webinar this month? See what you missed at our rebroadcasting event! We’ll be playing the recorded session online with a live question and answers opportunity at the end with the President of DMC Systems, Doris Cahill.

Topic: Financial Statement & Corporate Budgeting on Deltek Vision 6.1.
Presentation By: Doris Cahill of DMC Systems Group, Ltd.
Format: Webinar
Date: Wednesday, June 09, 2010
Time: 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM
Cost: Free, spaces are limited
Contact/Reservations: Jenna Casey, Marketing Coordinator
e. jenna@dmcsystems.com
t. 617.383.6090 X107

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