BJM Free Press |

COMPUTER INFORMATION SERIES NO. 3 OF 3

Well — you finally took the plunge! You found the best computer for your needs at a price you could afford. Now that you have the thing home, what do you do? The first thing is not to use the system until you read over the manufacturer manuals that come with your computer. Even if you can’t understand them, at least read the information over once. This step is important in your learning process and to understand the particular computer and printer you purchased.

If you purchased a brand new computer, the manufacturer has probably already installed everything on your hard drive so all you have to do is turn the computer on and work through the on-screen learning tutorial to get you up and running quickly. If not — and if you’re still confused after going through the tutorial, simply enroll in a computer class in your area. These classes are not expensive and shouldn’t cost more than $10 for a 1-day class. If you purchased a brand new computer at a computer store in your city or town, most of them will give you a free lesson or two. Or, perhaps you know a friend or relative that already has own of their own and can give you some one-on-one instruction.

Whatever method you choose to learn the basic operations of your computer system is up to you; but do dedicate the first week or so of your life with your new computer friend to learning how it operates. This basic training ground is essential in your growth and the growth of your business.

You Finally Got the Thing Ready to Go — Right?

So now you have learned how to turn the thing on and do a few things. Perhaps you have even advanced to the point of typing your first letter and have printed it out on your printer. Great! You are progressing fine.

But now we’re up to the costly part of owning a computer — purchasing additional software. As previously discussed, software is the programs that you buy in order to make the computer do what you want it to do.

If you want to write a letter, you have to have a word processing software program (e.g., WordPerfect or Microsoft Word.) If you want to keep records of your checking account, you will have to buy a separate software program to do that; and still another separate database software to maintain your mailing list.

Most beginners will ask: “Isn’t there just one big software program I can buy that will do everything?” The answer is NO. This is how software manufacturers stay in business. Besides, a computer is customized to YOU and your particular needs. You may be an artist and want to purchase a software program for drawing pictures on your computer. I, on the other hand, would have no use for a program like this since I can’t draw. Therefore, it would be impossible to have one great big software program that could do everything for everybody and meet every need that everyone would have.

There are some software packages that come as one entire package and claim to have most of the software needed by a generalized majority (small business owners, for instance.) One popular, well-known program is WordPerfect 6.0. Another one is AmiPro. Both of these are excellent packages and if you can afford the $300 or so investment right now — this would be the best recommendation I could give you for your initial software purchase.

However, if you’re like I was and cannot afford to buy the system and spend another $300 on software at the present time you can use alternative solutions. There are a wide variety of medium-priced packages in the under $100 range from such companies like Pro-Media International, (800) 998-2822 and MicroWarehouse, (800) 367-7080 or Windows Exchange, (800) 845-1900 to name a few.

You also might want to consider picking up a copy of Windows Magazine at the newsstand, or order one directly from the publisher at PO Box 5006, Pittsfield MA 01203-9951. Undoubtedly Windows was already installed by the factory when you purchased your system. Windows is an “operating environment” just like DOS is. An “operating environment” simply means the major software that other software programs need for them to operate themselves. DOS means “Disk Operating System” but it also performs maintenance and protection of your system too.

But an even lower-priced alternative is SHAREWARE and the little known FREEWARE. What is it? What are its disadvantages and advantages? To find out, be sure and read a copy of Victoria’s Report No. 170, entitled, Computer Information Series No. 4.

Continue reading Part 1, Part 2, and Part 4 of the series.

WHERE TO PURCHASE YOUR OFFICE SUPPLIES

Whatever you do, DO NOT, purchase your office supplies at your local drug or grocery store. The office supplies sold here are only for people who want to write a letter back home to Mom and Dad, or to send an occasional greeting to a friend. Businesses do not purchase their office supplies from these types of stores because of the extreme difference in price. My mother used to always purchase her business envelopes at the grocery store. She thought the price was very cheap when she only paid $1.29 for 50 envelopes. Her lined writing tablet contained 100 sheets for around $1.29 also.

However, I can drive right down the street to Staples Office Supply and purchase 500 envelopes for $4.00 — 10 TIMES the quantity for only $2.71 more. In addition, I can buy 500 sheets of 8 1/2×11 laser paper for $2.99. So not only am I getting TWICE more the size of paper (her writing tablet was approximately a 6×9 area) but I also got 5 TIMES the amount of paper — and all this was only $1.70 more! What a difference! So don’t be fooled on supposedly cheap pricing of office supplies.

If you live in a small area that does not have any office supply stores, you need to contact: Quill Corporation, PO Box 94080, Palatine IL 60094-4080 and request their latest catalog. Since I have been in business-related situations all my life I have had to learn how to cut corners all the time — I have found Quill to have the best mail order prices around. Not only is everything reasonably priced — they don’t have a sale and raise prices on everything else like some other company’s do. This tactic that some company’s use is blatant abuse and demonstrates bold faced greed!

What Do I Buy?

Most every small business will need the following “staple” supplies to start with:

• paper (typing paper or paper for your computer printer)
• ink pens
• tape and tape dispenser
• stapler and staples
• paper clips and dispenser
• 1 or 2, 3-ring binders
• 3-hole punch
• envelopes (business size #10)
• 8 1/2×11 paper trays or wire baskets for organizing the “to do” and “to do later” pile manila file folders and labels
• hanging files to fit in your file cabinet (I started out using a banker’s cardboard storage box so the hanging files would fit; since I didn’t have the money to afford a metal file cabinet)
• ruler
• scissors
• staple puller
• rubber bands
• glue stick or other paper glue
• highlighter markers
• scrap note paper or post-it note pad (get in a habit of writing everything down so you can follow-up effectively)
• roladex or address book

This should be enough to set-up any basic office. Your filing system is the most important thing to your business right now. If you start it out right you can keep up with it. Neglecting to set it up correctly in the beginning will start a pattern that is very hard to break later on — and can eventually destroy your business. Let’s take a couple minutes to discuss some basic accounting procedures so you can set your files up correctly from the very beginning.

The Next Step

As soon get your beginning office supplies, before you do any business by mail you need to get a letterhead and envelope. People will not take you seriously until you do. One simple and easy way to get these two items is to type your name, address and phone number at the top of a piece of white paper. Either print it out on the laser printer of your computer or have a competent typesetter like Muchmore Marketing, PO Box 50027, Reno NV 89513 do it for you. (The cost is around $5.)

You then purchase some nice letterhead stationary at your office supply store and copy your letterhead onto the paper. Letterhead stationary is not expensive either and the best grade only runs about $7 for 250 sheets. It’s money well spent.

To obtain your business envelope, check with mail order printers. Prices normally are $24 per 1,000.

BEGINNERS TAKE NOTICE!

I’m not usually one that complains. In fact, I am normally the type of person that bends over backwards to help everyone — even if it means lost profits. So, being the understanding and caring sole that I am, you will normally never hear me complain.

However, I have personally been experiencing a re-occurring problem and feel that other mail order dealers are probably experiencing it too, hence the reason for this report. I hope a lot of people read and understand our problem and will try and correct it in the future. We’d all save a little on postage and help each other in the process.

What is this problem? It’s having a customer order something without including any information as to what they are ordering. Would you send Sears $20 and expect them to know you were ordering an alarm clock you saw in their catalog? Would you send your electric company a check for $15 and expect them to know what account you were making a payment on? Of course you wouldn’t — so how are mail order businesses supposed to know what you’re ordering or requesting?

And a note like “Send me info” is NOT sufficient enough. Remember the rule of “who,” “what,” “when,” and “where” we learned in grade school English? “Send me info” still doesn’t tell a business what you are ordering. Most mail order businesses carry a large number of different products. If they send you information on everything they sell, not only would it cost a lot more in postage and require a 9×12 envelope — but you’ll get a lot of different information on products you may not be interested in. In fact, the business may not include the information you originally requested because they had no idea what you were ordering and couldn’t afford to send you everything they have.

Then, to top it off — some of these people that wrote to the mail order business requesting information will get upset and file a complaint against them because they never sent the proper information. This is a big problem we see getting bigger and bigger and I hope this report will do a small part in clearing it up.

Okay — let’s be realistic. If you are guilty of inflicting pain on dealers by not letting us know what you are ordering or requesting information on — don’t worry. We don’t hate you and want you to hang your head down and slink away in shame. On the contrary — we want your business and we want to keep you happy as a steady customer. The next time you order something, read your note or letter ONE time before putting it in the envelope and sealing it shut. Ask yourself if you have provided the business with enough information to process your order. That’s all there is to it!

A correct form of writing a business letter should go something like this:

Dear (Name),

We noticed your ad in (name of publication) and would like more information on (product or service). Your attention to this matter would be greatly appreciated.” If you don’t want to take the time to write this much, you could just cut out the ad you saw and tape onto your letterhead or a note paper. Enclose the proper stamps, money or SASE for a reply and you’re ready to fold in an envelope and mail.

And by all means — place your RETURN ADDRESS on the outside of the envelope. Believe it or not, I personally receive 100’s of orders per year without a return address with a few dollars stuck inside an envelope. I have no clue “what” is being ordered and even less of a clue as to “where” to send it.

As mail order dealers, we sometimes believe that we are totally alone in this business. Since most of us work by ourselves, isolated from most of the working 9-to-5 world — the dreaded “lonelinosis” sets in. But remember — just because we don’t see our mail order dealers and distributors face to face, they are here. This statement may sound a little too elementary, but sometimes we overlook the obvious. Mail order is full of fine, upstanding and caring mail order dealers. Every one of us are breathing, thinking human beings. We fall in love, have personal problems, have bad days, have slow months, have busy weeks and have lives to lead. A majority of us have children and all of us have family and friends that occupy our time.

We should all support each other and make as many friends as we can. Although the world seems like it is self-oriented half the time, the only person that can begin a change is the one in the mirror. Think of others and try and be more understanding. I think I speak for all dealers in saying that we all WANT to fill your orders and process them as quickly as possible. All we ask if that you let us know WHAT you are ordering or WHERE you saw our ad so we can send you the correct information you need the first time around.

BOOKKEEPING TECHNIQUES FOR “MORONS”

Please don’t think I am calling you a “moron” to hurt your feelings in any way. I was a moron when I first started setting up my files. I hated accounting in school and am the type that would much rather add 2+2 on a calculator than in my head — but you have to do it. You have to force yourself to do it NOW — right at the beginning! Many a business has collapsed simply because they lacked organization in their basic accounting business practices. Don’t be one of them!

As a small mail order business you don’t have to really do much in the beginning. Here is how to set up your files from ground zero:

1. Take out a hanging file folder and a label of any kind. (Hanging folders and labels for them can be purchased at K-Mart, Wal-Mart and any office supply store.)
2. Type or hand print “Receipts” on the label and place it on the hanging folder.
3. Now, place 5 MANILA file folders inside the hanging file folder (which you labeled “Receipts”) and label each of the manila file folders with the following headings: 

•  
  •  Advertising
  • Postage
  • Office Supplies
  • Utilities and Rent for the Office
  • Miscellaneous

You now have one large hanging file folder with 5 separate manila file folders inside it. Carefully place your hanging file folder in your metal file cabinet or cardboard banker’s box. (A banker’s box can be purchased at any office supply store also and normally cost around $4.)

Now, wasn’t that easy? Some of you reading this will think that I am attempting to insult your intelligence. This is NOT my intention. This report is broken down in a simple, step-by-step way so everybody can understand it — regardless of their previous knowledge and experience. Remember, some people have never worked in an office their entire life. What seems simple and accepted to some of us, may be something another person would never have known.

Okay, let’s go back to where we were. You now have one master file completed and we’re ready to make another just like it. This time we’ll name the hanging file folder “Income” and label 3 manila folders inside it with the following headings:

1. Completed and Shipped Orders
2. Inquiries and Correspondence
3. Open Orders Still Pending

See how easy? From now on, you simply make another folder as the need arrives and you’re files will always be easy to maintain. (Once you get this concept down pat — you can easily think about getting a computer. A computer organizes its information in the SAME manner. Believe me — this same system works! You’ll be amazed at how many mistakes it will help you prevent.)

Yes — bookkeeping is a very simple process. All you have to do is keep the system going. For instance, every order that I process, I completely finish before moving on to the next order. Example:

1. Mail is received and opened. As each piece is opened it is placed into individual piles. Orders with pre-payment are placed in one pile, information and daily correspondence in another, and so forth.
2. Each order that has been pre-paid for is processed first — with each one being processed individually to completion. (That means it is in an envelope, a label typed out and the completed order is ready to be mailed at the post office.)
3. During the process, the “date,” “amount of check or payment” and “product ordered” is recorded on the outside of the envelope — making sure the customer’s full name, address and telephone number (if available) is on the envelope too.
4. Just before closing up the office for the evening, the envelopes are then keyed into the database on our computer (you can substitute a computer for the hanging files in the beginning.) We record all the information that was written on the envelopes during the processing of the order. (Don’t think you will remember “what” the order was. That thinking will open you up to make human errors.)

As your business grows, your understanding and abilities will grow also. At that time you can grow into a more sophisticated means of keeping the books.

In the meantime — keep good records. They are the lifeblood of any business and can eventually make or break you. You’ll thank yourself in the long run.

Anyone who doesn’t use coupons when they go grocery shopping is missing out on an easy way to save money. Many stores double coupons, so a 35 cent coupon will actually save 70 cents. On an average shopping trip, people purchase 16 items, so if you were able to save 70 cents each on only half of your purchases that would be $5.60. Multiply that times 52 weeks, and you have over $290! That’s money that you can use for other things, or to save. The only problem is, it seems like the only coupons in your newspaper are the ones for products you don’t buy. There are a few good ways, though, to get all the grocery coupons you can use, on the products you actually buy.First, and easiest, buy groups of coupons at a discount from a coupon service. The biggest and best is called Coupon Connection of America. First, you purchase a booklet of 10 certificates, each worth $15 in coupons, for around $25. You then pick the exact items and brands that you want coupons for from their list of over 1,200 national name brand products. Send in a certificate to the company with your selection list, and they send a total of $15 worth of coupons for the products you selected. If you buy a certificate booklet for $25, you’ll get $150 worth of coupons you can use, for a $125 total profit! If your store doubles coupons, you’ll save $275 ($300 - $25 price of booklet)! CCA has agents across the country. Call them at (800) 989-1819 for the name of the closest one.

Another way to get coupons is to subscribe to a coupon saver’s newsletter. The best one is Refundle Bundle.  It contains lists of coupons and rebates available from manufacturers, as well as a classified area, where you can find people who want to trade coupons they don’t need for ones you don’t need. This can be a great way to get the ones you want. You can find the current subscription price, as well as other coupon newsletters, by looking through the “household” sections in the periodical reference books at your local library.

Finally, you can start your own local coupon club. Advertise in the weekly PennySaver papers in your surrounding area for people interested in saving money. It shouldn’t be hard to find a place to meet. If you have the space, meet at your house or basement. Often, public libraries will have meeting places for clubs and organizations for free or very low cost. At your first club meeting, you can get suggestions from the people attending as to how the club should work. Form a “board of directors” from the people who have the best suggestions. If you have to pay for a meeting place, charge low yearly dues that will cover the expense, as well as any mailing or newsletter expenses. Get a subscription to some of the best coupon saver newsletters in the club’s name, and share the information with other members (but don’t photocopy them and pass them around, that’s illegal). Give members subscription info if they are interested. The bulk of the meeting can be used for coupon trading sessions. Try to discourage coupon or rebate selling, as that can be a touchy subject for a lot of people. Equal value trading can be extremely successful for getting the coupons you want.

Try these suggestions, and you’ll find yourself saving a LOT of money every time you go to the grocery store!