may 2007

�SMB Nation 2007 Fall ConferenceSept 29-Oct 1, 2007Microsoft Conference CenterRedmond, WADETAILS INSIDE!

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May 2007 4/30/07 10:52 PM

SMB Partner Community - May 2007

May 2007 5/1/07 11:17 AM

www.smbnation.com

MAY 2007 | Vol. 1 � Issue 10

PUBLISHED BYSMB Nation, Inc.

Bainbridge Island, Washington

Harry Brelsford, PublisherEditorial Staff

EXECUTIVE EDITOR Beatrice MulzerEDITOR Barbara Wallace & Gib Curry

CONTRIBUTING EDITORSRobin Robins, USAJeff Wuorio, USA

LAYOUT Al AlarakhiaCOVER ART DIRECTOR Michael Young

CONTRIBUTING WRITERSMark Mulvany, Ireland

Diego Salato, ItalyNick Pieters, Belgium

Leen Kleijwegt, NetherlandsAndy Wendel, GermanyDean Calvert, Australia

Steven Teiger, IsraelSuresh Ramani, IndiaAndrew Watson, UKStuart Raj, Indonesia

Mikael Nystroem, SwedenShelagh Harrop, South Africa

Dana Epp, CanadaKen Thoreson, USAAnne Stanton, USA

BUSINESS STAFFHarry Brelsford, CEO

Kevin Pearson, PresidentBeatrice Mulzer, Vice PresidentKristal Sagdahl, Office Manager

Lindsay Serbous, Database AnalystJennifer Hall, Event Coordinator

Jackie Oreiro, Distribution

SMB Nation, Inc.PO Box 10179

Bainbridge Island, WA 98110 USA

Telephone: 360-779-1140Fax: 360-779-1140

E-mail: [email protected]

© Copyright 2007 SMB Nation Inc.All Rights Reserved

Please contact us for reprints andreproduction of content.

ISSN 1933-8899

SMBPartnerCommunity

Love, Yoga and other IT-related topics!This month we bring to you a first-hand article on how to share the LOVE!

No, this is not a flashback to the ‘60s, but a refreshing new look brought to you bya New Zealand evangelist. Love and evangelism? Guess you will have to read thearticle on page 8 yourself to find out what it is all about.

The past two months, Harry Brelsford and I have done some extensivetraveling throughout major cities on the European, African and Australiancontinents, to be told in every country “We are dissimilar; we do businessdifferently than any other country.” And we have found that to be true to a certainextent. In some countries, if you offer something up for free, a customer will say,“If it is free, it cannot have value and therefore I am not interested.” In others, acustomer will say, “ Free? I don’t see why it doesn’t hurt to give it a try.” In somecountries you will discuss business over a three-hour lunch and in other countriesyou meet for a 15-minute cup of coffee and get straight to the point, not spendingtime on social pleasantries. The one common link that we found, despite thediversity, is that people will do business with people they like, and consultingthrives on building a solid relationship with your customer – and that rule spansall borders. Find out more on consulting rules from Harry Brelsford on page 4,and see if his advice will work in your country.

Dean Calvert, an Australian Small Business Specialist who has been growinghis business in the last few years (and was finally able to take his first realvacation), shares his hard-gained knowledge on how to hire new staff the rightway, and gives his personal advice and experiences. This month’s Centerpiecefeatures Karl Palachuk’s new book “Relax Focus Succeed,” (for which we got anindependent review from a Specialist in another field), exposes Karl’s alter ego,and offers up authentic “How to balance your personal and professional life,”advice that you may not have considered yet.

Receive an SMB Nation Press Book of Your Choice!We love to hear from you, our dear reader, and decided to give away one SMB

Nation Press book a month (your choice) to one reader who will be selected fromamong those who give all the feedback we receive. You can send us yourcomments at [email protected] – and you may just be the lucky owner of anew SMB Nation book you have had your eyeballs on!

CEO Harry Brelsford Jailed!Many readers have long

suspected that Harry’s wontonlifestyle would catch up to him. Infact it has. He is shown here jailedat the Poulsbo MDA “Lock ‘emUp!” fundraiser. Fortunately,fellow staff members and goodcitizens donated generously to“spring him” from custody. Pleaseparticipate in similar charity eventsin your neighborhood.

EDITORIALBy Beatrice Mulzer, Executive Editor

May 2007 4/30/07 10:52 PM

Your SpaceHello,

I've just successfully passed the Microsoft certification 70-282!

Your book has been a GREAT help during my study time (3 days).I enjoyed reading every single chapter!So it's true your book is really the FAST PATH in gettingthe 70-282.I am the living proof of that!

Many Many Many thanks!Regards,Joaquim (from Paris, France)

Hello Beatrice,Thank you for your presentation at the SMB workshoptoday. I already own the Red Book which helped qualifying for theSBS exam. Also "Service Agreements for SMB Consultants"looks interesting, even if I have to translate the whole lot(contracts) into Dutch. Any chance of a "how-to-use CRM3.0" to be published?

I look at the SMB Nation web-site regularly and I enjoy thePDF version of the magazine. It all feels like a usercommunity, something our profession can certainly use andenjoy.

Ivo Van HoovelsICT Small Business Specialist (from Amsterdam,Netherlands)

Hello Ivo,Sshh, there may just be a book on CRM 4.0 in the works ☺

Harry;I hope this is a simple question with a simple answer.

I have implemented a P2P XP Pro environment in my officewith ten workstations. I am a doctor. I have an electronicmedical records software located on each workstation (the

EMR is called Amazing Charts, built with Virtual Basic inACCESS). The data is stored on the “mothership” serverwith RAID 1.

When I am writing a patient’s notes in a treatment room, amI actively interacting with the mothership, or is it only whenI "write" the chart that I am interacting. I am the onlydoctor and the only one in the office who "writes" and "signsoff" on the chart.

I guess the bigger question I am asking is the limit of 10stations. If I add stations, does the limit of 10 only apply tothose interacting with the mothership?

Thanks for your timeSam M. Horowitz, DPM, FACFAS, C.Ped

Hello Sam, First we would recommend that you check with the developerof the EMR software in regards to when data is actuallywritten to the mothership. To answer your question about the10 workstation limit in a P2P environment, a workstation ona P2P is limited to 10 concurrent connections, which meansthat you can add additional workstations to the network; andyes, the limit only applies to the workstations with themothership. On the other hand, it sounds like you are readyto move into a Small Business Server solution. You can finda Microsoft Small Business Specialist who can consult withyou on this at http://www.microsoft.com/smallbusiness/hub.mspx by entering your zip code in the “Connect withUs” box.

SMB Partner Community - May 2007 www.smbnation.com Page 3

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Rules!

Page 4 www.smbnation.com SMB Partner Community - May 2007

COVER STORY

IntroductionIf a tree falls in the woods, does it make any sound if no

one is around? If an IT professional is unemployed, doesthat make her a consultant? Hopefully not. Hopefully SMBconsultants and Small Business Specialists see consulting asa bona fide career opportunity. While our industry isplagued with card carrying consultants who are nothingmore than job hunters, there are the true journeymen who are in the consulting profession by choice. They knowthat consulting is a “right on” bona fide occupation; that it RULES!

Finder, Minder, GrinderI’m not good at sales. That is the most common utterance

of workshop attendees at our global workshop series.Never mind that these individuals are masters of networkinfrastructure and have enough smarts to manage theengagements. These same individuals are often seeking abigger book of business. They want to become “finders” inaddition to minders (management) and grinders (do thetechnical work).

In the minder discussion, some of you can relate to thefollowing terminology from the trades: drop the toolboxand start managing your business. It’s so easy to be focusedon the bits that you forget to manage the business. Truth is,you’re most likely to lose an engagement over customermanagement then the technology in play in yourengagement. With few exceptions.

Grinding is the least of our problems. Take our friendsin the system builder community. These ladies andgentlemen get their buzz from the bits and they scurryaround at amazing speeds. It’s really amazing to witnessthe manual dexterity of a modern day system builder. Butthere is one problem. There are fewer system builderstoday. Not because they have somehow fallen down on thejob. Rather, they haven’t responded to the new ITconsulting reality that you must be the advisor who talksbusiness in addition to bits. So if there is one takeaway from

this article, it would be that you need to redefine grindingto be BOTH the business-speak and the bit-twiddling.

Brelsford’s RulesIn the military, it’s common to joke at the old Veterans

of Foreign Wars (VFW) post that you did your “20” years inthe military. In that vein, I can honestly say I did my “20” inthe small business technology area, with my inscriptiondate being the VisiCalc era (heck – that almost makes it 30years – ouch!). From my time in service as an SMBconsultant, I developed some rules that worked for me. Inmy original SMB Consulting Best Practices book the ruleswere titled Brelsford’s Dozen (I am madly updating thisbook for a late summer release date). Here are a few (ofmany) Brelsford’s Dozens.

Give away 12 business cards per quarter. Any stock brokerknows it’s a numbers game. The more prospects you meetand greet, the more work you’ll ultimately obtain. WhileI’m not suggesting you power call a hard core call list, I dothink committing yourself to giving away 12 cards perquarter (one card per week) is a reasonable goal. It getsyour name out.

CONSULTING

by Harry Brelsford

The “grinder”sandwich – it’s all good and represents your huge work effort.

May 2007 4/30/07 10:52 PM


Receive 12 business cards per quarter. People often askhow SMB Nation built up its CRM system with over 66,000customer names worldwide. The short answer is, “the oldfashioned way.” I never threw a business card in therubbish. Rather, this information was captured in what isnow our database in Microsoft CRM 3.0. I don’t expect youto have so many customer names (O.K. – maybe after 20years). Rather, I do believe you can collect a business cardeach week and enter it into some simplified CRM formatsuch as Business Contact Manager 3.0 (BCM). The power ofthe business cards will grow exponentially – especially asyou keep in touch with these folks.

Bill 1,200 hours per year. Granted, most Small BusinessSpecialists reading this article are working something like2,400 hours per year. That’s great when you’re young ornew but it’s not sustainable. Why do you think sailors workin shifts? They must be available to handle a vessel aroundthe clock to ensure that fresh hands are on duty at any time.You need ample time to procure new customers, take careof the customers you have, and attend educational eventslike multi-day conferences. HINT: Raise your bill rates soyou can work fewer hours and make the same money.

Give a dozen roses to your loved one. Don’t forget yoursupport system. No one makes it to the peak of his careerwithout the love and support of someone or something (a tipof the hat for cat and dog lovers). After reading this, expressyour appreciation to someone special with a dozen roses.

Arlin SorensenArlin Sorensen is a well-respected SMB player who has used solid business behavior to grow his practicefrom one to over 50 employees in six states. He is the business track content director at SMB Nation 2007, and you can learn more about him atwww.smbnation.com. We caught up for an interviewwith Arlin recently.

SMBPC: What is the one Golden Rule in consultingthat you always follow?Arlin: Actually my one rule is to follow the Golden Rulefrom the Bible.“Do unto others as you would have them dounto you,” is a great standard to have for life and how totreat everyone around you. If we learn to think of the otherperson first and put ourselves in their shoes, we do the rightthings. Customer service is not about what I want to do, itis about exceeding the expectations of the customer, and theBible gives us the key to doing that. It is all about takingcare of people.

SMBPC: Give an example of how you implement theGolden Rule.Arlin: One of the biggest ways I try to live this is in how Irespond to people. I try every day, hour by hour, to treatcommunication from others with the same attention as Iwould like them to do with my calls or e-mails. Peopledon’t make contact with each other just to get an answersometime. When they call or e-mail, they typically have aquestion that needs attention. I strive to treat my e-mailcorrespondence just like a phone call – quick response thatgives the other person the information they request. Thathas probably been one of the greatest reasons for ourgrowth with other partners and our vendors. When theysend me an e-mail, I respond. My personal rule is nevermore than 24 hours but normally within 4 hours. That isnot how most people respond. I hear over and over, thankyou for responding so quickly,”and,“I wish everyone wouldtreat me the way you do,” in regards to e-mail response. Ihave those expectations of those I communicate with. It is apolicy at HTS to respond within 24 hours. Treating othersthe way I want to be treated in the area of communicationis critical to living out the Golden Rule for me.

SMBPC: At what trigger point do you call in anotherconsultant or completely pass on a project or client?Arlin: Our company policy is to engage another consultantor company when we are beyond our skill set. We do notpass on projects unless we absolutely cannot find a qualitypartner to meet the needs. We certainly cannot possibly fillall the needs that clients come to us with today.The breadthof the technology field is far too wide and even too deep forus to even think about having all that talent internally. Wehave built our company [by] depending on other partnersto allow us to be the total solution provider for our clients.That is our strategy and design. We find those partners bybeing actively involved in the industry – peer groups,affinity groups, educational and channel seminars, vendorconferences, etc.You have to be where partners are to buildrelationships and find companies you can truly trust andpartner with. We have gone to partners for almost everyarea that our clients may ask us to provide, and we arecontinually looking for others we can offer in our solutionmatrix. There is no reason to walk away from business –partnering makes us “stickier”with our clients and keeps ustotally in control. It is a critical success factor for us.

SMBPC: Please share other wisdom.Arlin: While we are in the technology consulting field, inreality we are in the people business. What we do is allabout building relationships. We have to learn to connect

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www.smbnation.com SMB Partner Community - May 2007

Contra-ConsultingWhen writing this article, I spoke with a technology

industry leader in Atlanta who would prefer not to benamed. He noticed an interesting SMB consulting“contra” trend. We are LOSING SMB CONSULTANTS!What? How can this be when IDC, Gartner, Yankee Groupand the rest espouse the booming small-business sector?Try this on for size.

The strong macro economy has resulted in a recoveringIT sector at the enterprise-level. Many of the people whobecame SMB consultants in the last five years (that’s mostof us, as you’ll recall from our survey data in the October,2006 and February, 2007 issues of this magazine) came fromthe enterprise space (and the big $$$) because they wereunemployed or found redundant. Once their old jobsreappeared at ExxonMobil and the like, they are outta here!

Most of us who are here for the long run are bona fideprofessionals and understand there is a certain amount of“brethren volatility” in this space. But for us old timers –consulting rules!

with and communicate clearly to those we serve. Too oftenwe focus on the technology or problems clients have, butmiss the opportunity to impact those people personally inareas that really matter. At the end of the day, technologycomes and goes. But the people we serve, the life issuesthey face, will be there forever. We need to make sure weare focused on the right things. You don’t get paid hourlyto help people work through their personal issues as abillable event, but if you love people and serve their needsfirst, you will have a client for life. That happens whetheryou are a technical genius or not. People first want you tocare for them and then fix their business problems. Toooften we rush to the technology and miss the people. Wehave a chance to make [an] impact in people’s lives thatmatter if we only take the time to listen. Love is the killerapp – as the title of a great book says. Life is all aboutrelationships – don’t miss that when you serve yourclients. Take time to listen and it will be the foundation fora lifelong relationship. Business happens when you learnto really connect.

Michael CocanowerExecutive Editor Beatrice Mulzer recently had a freeflowing conversation with long-time SBSer MichaelCocanower from IT Synergy in Phoenix, AZ. Michaeltruly serves both the “s” and the “m” in SMB andoffered his philosophy:“My rule is ‘If you always do what you’ve always doneyou’ll always get what you’ve always gotten’.”

People sometimes get into a ‘rut’ and forget this rule. It isamazing to me to see people repeating behavior over andover, or becoming complacent with the ‘status quo,’ andthen complaining that things never get any better. Youhave to constantly change and improve in order to makethings better and improve your business (or any other partof your life).

There are numerous great examples of this when it comesto SMBs, and how we apply it. One of the most commonones is related to marketing. Many SMBs don’t do it, andthen complain they aren’t growing or getting enough newbusiness. If they would just do something different (executean organized and well-thought-out marketing plan), thenthey’ll get different results – more business!

In terms of when we call in another consultant – that’seasy. We are very focused, and know what we do well andwhat we don’t. Our practice is all about Microsoftinfrastructure technologies in SMBs. When we comeacross non-Microsoft areas (maybe a client that needssome advanced Cisco configuration) or non-infrastructureareas (such as Microsoft Dynamics), it is an easy decisionfor us to bring in a partner. If the project is ONLY aboutthose technologies we don’t work with, then we pass onthe project. We’d MUCH rather have a customer come tous for EVERYTHING technology-related (regardless ofwhether we do it or not), and then refer things out to ourpartners as needed.

Next stepsConsider attending the Independent ComputerConsultants Association 30th Annual NationalConference in Chicago, IL (June 8-10, 2007). Moreinformation at www.icca.org. I will be expanding on the topics in the article and reciting excerpts from my revised SMB Consulting Best Practices book. See ya there!

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May 2007 4/30/07 10:52 PM


ove is universal! You might say what’s love got to do with this IT stuff, let

alone tools such as Windows Vista and Microsoft Office 2007.Let me explain. I’m a Microsoft evangelist and you’d expect

me to wax lyrical about the new tools we have released to themarket. When we started planning the launch of thesetechnologies we came up with the acronym L.O.V.E., for Live,Office, Vista and Exchange.

As I’ve travelled, doing seminars, events and presentationsto customers, the feeling I‘ve had is that people loved the toolthey were seeing, and they loved the thought of improving theirbottom line. So the theme of LOVE was born.

Here are some ideas that I use to frame my conversationswith customers.

First let’s look beyond technology to the context of howcustomers look at their businesses. What are some of theingredients for success?

• Sound strategy (provides the direction). • Adequate capital and cashflow. • Customers and the ongoing ability to provide them with

superior value proposition (relative to competitive

L offerings).• Motivated and talented people.• Effective planning and operations processes.

Underpinning all of this is information and communicationtools that drive the systems that enable people to be productive,and organizations to be effective.

This latest wave of technology from Microsoft is about morethan Vista and Office 2007. It’s about the businesstransformation that all Microsoft technologies working togethercan enable. I believe that all of us in the IT industry are here tohelp our customers create a smarter business – through creatingsmarter people and smarter processes.

Microsoft provides an integrated set of technologies thatallow each of us to deliver business outcomes that ourcustomers are seeking in order to improve their businesses.

When I talk to business owners and executives, I find thatwhat they are really interested in is not the technology per se butthe business outcomes we can enable.

L

Angel-winged Carlos sharing the LOVE at the Vista Launch.

Love my business. Love my people.

ove me. by Carlos Miguel Martinez

Microsoft Evangelist

May 2007 4/30/07 10:52 PM


How can we help businesses:• Streamline processes.• Connect their supply chain.• Execute and manage projects.• Get people working together effectively in teams within

the business and with external groups, be they suppliers,customers, or other third parties, to achieve results.

• Enable people to work on the road, at home or in theoffice.

• Improve how they can talk, video conference, and connectwith people – inside and outside the business fromintegrated telephony to multi-group presentations over theInternet.

• Improve the personal productivity of their people.• Improve how they manage customers and other important

relationships – communicating, servicing, and selling withtheir customers for more profitable results.

• Manage the financial and other related performancemeasures of the business.

• Deliver and provide actionable information for people tomake timely and informed decisions.

Not to forget the hygiene factors. All of these outcomesmust be delivered in an IT environment that gives security,protection and peace-of-mind to businesses.

And last but not least, businesses want the reassurance thatthe investments they make in IT systems will allow them to addand expand as they grow.

So the way I describe it to customers is that all of thesebusiness outcomes are relevant to all businesses. (Of course, notall elements are of the same importance to each customer.) Theyare all enabled by the integrated platform of Microsofttechnololgies. From the front-end information tools used byyour end users to the back-end systems, you can successfullybuild your business on Microsoft technologies.

So what’s this got to do with Vista and Microsoft Office 2007?

A business can’t get the optimal value from IT unless it hasa clear picture of what it wants to do as a business. Secondly,management must map a clear roadmap for what it will do withits IT, tools, processes and people to deliver the outcomes.

Many times, I see people spending time trying to optimisetheir IT purchasing when they haven’t yet worked out theirbusiness plan and the IT plan. (See Innovations & Value figure,page 10.)

Compile a list of the enabling technologies that will deliverthe business outcomes you want (see Innovations & Value figurebelow). Include such ingredients as:

• Windows Server 2003 (or Small Business Server)• SQL Server 2005• Exchage Server 2007• Windows SharePoint Services V3• Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007• InfoPath 2007• OneNote 2007• Groove 2007• Microsoft Dynamics CRM• Project Server• Microsoft LiveMeeting• Live Communications Server 2005• Microsoft Dynamics GP• SQl 2005 Reporting services• Windows Vista• Windows Mobile• ForeFront security technologies• Rights Management• Office 2007• ISA 2006• System Center Operations Manager• Systems Center Configuration Manager

You may or may not need all of these components. Thepoint is you’ve got to have a plan for IT that aligns to what thebusiness wants to achieve so that every step not only deliversbusiness value today but takes the business forward in thedesired direction.

The sequence of steps to take is depends on the needs ofeach customer. However, a common mistake is that businesses(small and large) don’t maintain a consistent and freshinfrastructure. Not only does this raise the cost of ownership butit acts as a barrier to company incorporating new advances andinnovations in technology. A business whose PC network has avariety of flavours of Windows operating systems and MicrosoftOffice Suites may look to implement Windows RightsManagement and Microsoft Dynamics CRM. However, they hita stumbling block because they have to make a significant set ofchanges to their infrastructure. So it the changes are perceived asbeing too hard and the business doesn’t move forward.

This is what I call the business outcome stake. I use it to havea discussion with business owners about what is important for

them and what they want IT to enable in their businesses.

This is the stack view of the integrated set of Microsofttechnologies that deliver the business outcomes for a

smarter business.

May 2007 4/30/07 10:52 PM


So – what’s this got to do with Windows Vista and Microsoft Office 2007?

The desktop platform is a critical part of any business. Itcontains the tools end users use to perform their work, and itworks hand-in-glove with back-end systems such as SharePointand Microsoft Dynamics CRM.

With Vista and Office 2007 now on the market, businessesneed a proactive strategy as to when, how and why they willadopt these technologies. They are now part of the landscapethat customers need to think about.

I look at Microsoft technologies in two dimensions: 1)helping improve personal productivity, and 2) increasingorganizational effectiveness.

Increasing Personal Productivity: What People Love.

I couldn’t possibly list everything that Vista and Office 2007do, but I’ll share some of the elements excite people aboutimproving personal productivity.

Find It - VistaFind it Now: People love the search technologies in Vista.

Whether it’s an e-mail I sent to Harry seven months ago (andwho knows where it is?) or a document I drafted sometime earlylast year about customer management. Whatever it is, whereverit is in my PC, Vista will find it, quick.

There’s an IDC study that shows that the average workercan spend an average of 60 minutes a day searching forinformation.

Ask your customers to think about how long they spendlooking for information. Can they always find what they arelooking for? Ask them about the last time they went scouringtheir PC looking for a document and couldn’t remember wherethey put it. How long is the time between when they seek toget a piece of information and when they actually get it?Whether it’s 60 minutes a day (5 hours a week) or 1.5 hours perperson per week spent looking for information, it will be clearthat Vista can provide significant personal productivityimprovements. How much would it be worth to yourcustomers’ business and their people to be able to save thattime? Vista Search – people love it.

Visualing Information - VistaWith Windows XP, you navigate through file systems as if

they are contained in a sealed envelope. You can’t see at a quickglance what the file is. People end up opening and closing filesto inspect their contents and see whether it’s what they arelooking for. This takes time.

Vista not only lets you find files but lets you see the files.People can do a search, get a result list and then see INSIDE thefiles right there on the screen, without having to open and

close the files. The same happens with running programs. You can see

what is running so that you can easily switch to the rightprogram.

The search and visualization technologies in Vista let peoplebe much more productive in getting work done – saving all thattime people once wasted looking for information.

E-mail Controlling Your Life.No More – Outlook 2007.

In the last 10 years, IDC studies have shown, the volume ofe-mail for the average worker has increased ten-fold and itshows no signs of stopping. E-mail overload is a significantcause of stress for many people. Those messages just keepcoming and coming!!

Outlook in Microsoft Office 2007 gives people whole new ways to better manage their time, tasks, commitments ande-mail.

It starts with the ability to quickly find any e-mail (and Imean any e-mail) on my PC. Because I have completeconfidence that I can find e-mails, I no longer spend time filinge-mails into folders. I now just organize my e-mails into what Icall “big buckets.” I have folders for each month and I just putall my e-mails into these folders.

The other key area is around managing e-mails as tasks.When I get an e-mail, I decide whether it’s for information only,interesting reading, a reference notification or something that Ihave to take some action with.

If an e-mail and requires my action, I right-click on it andflag it as a task for a given date. Then I move all e-mails into thefolder for that month.

Outside the office, I run a Mobile phone powered byWindows Mobile, which synchronises all my contacts, calendar,e-mails and tasks. If I need to add a task whilst out on the road,I enter it into my Windows Mobile and it synchronises back tomy Outlook.

Notes to Actions - OneNote 2007.I say to business owners with a bit of tongue and cheek that

before you can love anyone else you’ve got to love yourself. Soif you spend a lot of time in meetings, love yourself and getyourself a Tablet PC.

Customers can handwrite notes in OneNote, e-mail thenotes to people, right-click on a note and turn it into a taskwhich appears in the other person’s Outlook tasks to do. Simplymagic. People love this.

Streamline Processes - InfoPathMany businesses all over the world still rely on paper

forms. InfoPath is an electronic forms technology that allowsbusinesses to really streamline processes. This is a hiddentreasure that has huge benefits for how organizations can worksmarter, cheaper, more accurately, and faster. People getInfoPath when they see it.

I’m only getting started.Vista and Office 2007 deliver immediate benefits for a

business and its people. Deploying these technologies alsoallows businesses to leverage additional technologies such asSharePoint and Dynamics CRM and become even moresuccessful.

This is truly an exciting era where we can bringtechnologies and solutions to help our customers transformtheir businesses.

Be energised to talk to your customers about their business

Innovations & Value:The innovations andvalue of WindowsVista and MicrosoftOffice 2007 can beseen in both thesedimensions.

May 2007 4/30/07 10:52 PM

Carlos’ role is to help customers understandhow Microsoft technologies can empowerpeople to be more productive andorganizations to be more effective. Carloshas worked in accounting, operations,manufacturing, IT, marketing and businessdevelopment in industries includingaviation, financial services, consumergoods, telecommunications and IT. He has aBachelor of Science in Computer Science, a

Bachelor of Commerce in Finance, and a Master of Commerce inMarketing.You can reach Carlos at [email protected]


and where they want to go. Be confident to show them therelevance of these new technologies in creating a smarterbusiness.

In my travels meeting customers I’ve enjoyed listening tothem and demonstrating technologies that they love, theirpeople will love, and will love their bottom line.

It’s time to spread the love. �

Carlos performing at the Vista Launch in his alter-ego.

May 2007 4/30/07 10:52 PM

Position Your

Sales Organization for the Next 18 Months

by Ken Thoresen

uring the best and worst of times, the companies thattypically stand out are those that appreciate theimportance of execution and measurement. Core

competencies or Best Practices seem to be the best description forthese focus points. During the past 20 years, we have seen thesuccessful companies have the highest regard for the basics andthis ensures the entire company is focused on the following pointsof excellence.

• Management Decisions• People and Culture• Activity Levels• Customer Results• Company Results

In the world of business, management has analyzed financialstatements, analyzed manufacturing processes, re-engineeredsystems and reviewed marketing effectiveness. CEOs havestrengthened balance sheets with better asset management,reduced inventory and cost levels with Just-In-Timemethodology, and increased direct mail and advertisingeffectiveness with testing and reporting methods. In today’seconomic environment, the focus has shifted to the last bastion ofcorporate analysis—the sales organization.

Now the boardroomis scrutinizing strategicsales management,sales productivity, theanalysis of pipeline orforecasting accuracy,dollar values, cost ofsales (COS), marketshare, sales process,life time values, and

salesperson effectiveness. All organizations – whether revenuesare stalled or growing – are now under pressure to create a sales distribution organization that generates consistent,profitable results.

In response to this emphasis on strategic sales management,we have developed The Acumen Philosophy, a list of traits andvalues that characterize successful companies:

• Business development effectiveness is essential• Business strategies come first• The best practices are consistent from industry to industry• Sales is a corporate priority

D • Structured process is key to success• Teamwork prevails• Training and recruitment are critically important• Compensation is linked to corporate objectives• Corporate image and branding is important • Corporate culture is deep and consistent

If companies adopt these values but are not functioning orexecuting effectively, they usually lack a strategic and tacticalsales plan. The plan must include: 1) an amalgamation of theorganization’s goals; 2) the salesperson’s goals, 3) a coordinationof marketing and sales tactics and 4) a common set ofmeasurement factors that ensures that all parties are focused onthe right activities for generating success.

We believe that if a company focuses on aligning the soul ofthe individual with the corporation’s goals, success will follow.This psychological balance with the corporate focus bringstogether the essential elements for a sales team to execute at highlevels. This type of management structure aids everyone and,therefore, is accepted readily by the sales team.

Creating the Right Management Structure First, focus on creating individual salesperson business plans

that define and bring together the goals of the salesperson withthe goals of the corporation, and coordinates activity withplanned marketing programs. These plans should integrateterritory plans and/or specific named account plans for a specifictime period.

An effective planning tool asks the salesperson to identify:• Personal Objectives or Goals• Personal and Professional Developmental Goals• Income Goals• Activity Goals (from above)• Territory Analysis• Forecasted Revenues by Account• Total Forecasted Revenues for the Period• Quota Attainment Goals• Monthly Marketing Plans for 6 Months• Specific Account Strategies and Planned Tactics

The use of a sales management-planning tool dramaticallybrings the Sales Manager’s focus from the past to the future. Whilemost SFA (Sales Force Automation) /CRM (Customer RelationshipManagement) or manual sales-management systems can enhancethe effectiveness of a sales organization, they generally measure


May 2007 4/30/07 10:52 PM


past activities and current sales funnel values. While thisinformation is a must for all sales teams, these systems fall short byproviding a rear view mirror methodology to managing. The SalesManager is simply reacting to what has happened.

A new trend in SFA/CRM is sales management software, ithas become more critical than SFA. SFA has experienced a 66%implementation failure rate. One factor is the Sales Manager andtheir salespeople generally have no forward looking plan or focusas to why or what they should be achieving in their territory oraccounts. With effective Sales Management software planningtools, salespeople can build predictable revenues and generatestrategic and tactical goals to increase their professionalism.

A properly designed sales-management planning toolchanges all of this. With a sales-planning tool, the sales managercan now monitor expected performance, coach, mentor, andprovide a viewpoint of past performance and measure resultsagainst the salesperson’s desired objectives. In addition, aforward-looking individual salesperson marketing plan helps thesalesperson and sales manager look at planned activities far

enough ahead toensure that consistentactivities are in placeto build pipelinevalues that willprovide enoughprospect opportunityto exceed individualquotas or personalgoals.

Like any new organizational change, the rollout must becarefully planned:

1) Each business planning tool must be carefully explained toall the salespeople.

2) Each salesperson must submit a draft to his or her managerfor review and edit prior to the group meeting.

3) Each salesperson attends a group meeting with allmembers of the team (if physically possible) along withkey members of the management team (CFO, VPs ofMarketing and Production).

4) Each salesperson presents his or her business plan and account plans to his or her peer group andmanagement team.

We recommend that these meetings be serious events,including company management. Plus the meeting mustincorporate some aspect of fun. The power of these personalizedsalesperson business and account plans is actually realized inphase two, when plan is measured against actual performance.This is when salespeople get it! They recognize what it takes to

achieve their personal and professional goals, and they see howcreating better planning impacts performance.

These tools are excellent for new salespeople taking overexisting territories and aid the sales manager in providingbetter forecasting to corporate management.

The next requirement for effective sales managementplanning is continued measurement. The company mustdetermine the common successful factors for your sales team.Determine at least four key indicators to measure ongoing salessuccess for all salespeople who have common responsibilities.These may include, by salesperson: 1) monthly forecasted revenueratio to actual monthly revenue achieved; 2) number ofproposals/quotes per month; 3) number of new accounts added tothe pipeline each month; and 4) number of company visits permonth. For new people, one indicator could be the time it takes tobecome productive. Is it 90 days, 60 days or 30 days? If it takes thesalesperson longer to achieve productive revenue than you expect,you may need to consider retraining or releasing that person.

Increasing the level of activity or increasing the quantity ofprospects does not necessarily mean increasing sales, so ratiosserve as important measurements. The sales leader must developclosing ratios for each salesperson, that is, how many prospects ittakes to attain the monthly quota or your company’s revenueexpectations. Analyze these ratios, by salesperson. Then roll theminto a combined sales team ratio.

Each sales manager must know the specific ratio of therevenue forecast to the percentage of actual revenue achieved.Graph this forecast-to-actual performance ratio monthly for eachsalesperson and for the entire team.

Find your four indicators, set the standards and track them.Graphing them and letting the team see everyone’s trends willshow what it takes to be successful. These graphs are greatcoaching tools.

Utilizing proper sales management planning tools,measuring actual performance against goals, and bringing thesalesperson intimately into the review and planning process willcreate the culture, commitment, and focus that world-class salesteams have. �

Ken Thoreson is the Managing Partner ofthe Acumen Management Group, Ltd, theleading North American-based SalesManagement consulting organizationfocused on improving the salesmanagement functions within growing andtransitional organizations. For moreinformation about creating a balanced salesmanagement process, call (423)-884-6328,

e-mail [email protected] or visit www.acumenmgmt.com.

To learn more about Microsoft's Customer RelationshipManagement software go tohttp://www.microsoft.com/smallbusiness/products/dynamics-customer-relationship management/default.aspx

An important lesson for a sales leader to learn is thatdeclines in indicators foretell potential revenue downturns.If these trends are caught early, the sales manager can takeactions to reverse the potential downturn.

May 2007 4/30/07 10:52 PM

Customer Focus by Jeff Wuorio


rom our earliest working days to the day we retire, all ofus inevitably run into the boss from H-E double hockeysticks—ones that are intrusive, insecure and occasionally

downright mean.If we're lucky, though, we spend much--if not most--of our

working careers with bosses from the other end of thespectrum. These are the folks who, in varied ways, make worka pleasure, foster creativity and dedication, and ultimatelybuild the sort of workplace where everyone belongs.

But let's take that a step further. We all know wonderfulbosses, but what precisely makes a good employer?Moreover, can those skills and attributes be learned or are theysomething magically intrinsic to a select few?

The answers to those questions are admittedly varied, asone person's view of a top-notch employer will differ fromsomebody else's. However, there are a number of traits,attitudes and abilities that are common to all good bosses.

Here are seven ways you can make yourself into the sort ofboss that employees are likely to rave about rather than rant.

1. Yes, you can learn to be a better boss. Granted, somewonderful bosses seem to have floated down directly fromheaven, but the fact remains that much of what goes into beingan effective leader is learned behavior. Of course, there alwayshave been and will be bosses who seem to have a flawlesstouch in leading and motivating. But for every natural, thereare just as many top-flight bosses who got that way byattending management classes and seminars, reading bookson effective leadership and, just as important, understandingthat a good employer naturally attracts first-rate employees.

2. Define what your business' mission is. Of course, you runyour business to turn a profit. But businesses that really thrivetake that goal even further and establish a genuine mission.How that takes shape depends both on the business and on theoverriding focus the boss wants to set. For instance, you maywish to stay open a bit later on certain days to service businessowners who otherwise wouldn't have time to contact you.Making customer education a central element of your businessmission can also move you beyond the simple goal of making abuck. Not only can a clear mission serve to motivate employees,it can also infuse a sense of importance into their jobs.

3. Take in the entire team, not just a few. No matter the size ofyour business or the makeup of the individual members, it'sessential that everyone feel like an equal and involved part of theteam. A good employer is certain to treat each employee fairly,not only in terms of salary and other forms of compensation, but

also in how that employee is involved in the daily function of thebusiness. Be proactive in this area--encourage feedback,innovation and creativity so employees feel genuinely engaged.If someone seems to be holding back, try to draw them out sothey feel more connected with the group.

4. The whippings will continue until morale improves. Manyof us have had bosses whose "motivational skills" may haverivaled Stalin's. Put another way, many bosses somehow decidethat fear and intimidation are the most powerful motivatorsaround. Don't be one of them. Rather than fostering a sense offear should a mistake occur, let your people know thatoccasional snafus are a part of learning how to do their jobsbetter. Building up employees rather than beating them downcan only foster enthusiasm and loyalty.

5. Don't just lead -- instruct. Great sports coaches are inevitablyframed as great teachers—people who not merely motivate butare gifted at instruction. Take a lesson for your business. Ratherthan merely offering directives, take the time to work with youremployees so they genuinely learn skills and habits that makethem better at their jobs. If you think it appropriate, invest inspecial training and other programs that further solidify you asa teacher—not merely an authority figure.

6. Don't forget that employees have careers, not merely jobs.The people who work for you are looking to you to help themnavigate and advance their careers. One way to do that isthrough training and other activities that build job skills andother marketable traits. In addition, get to know what sort ofcareer your employees hope to have. From there, do anythingyou can to help them along that path, from carefully thought-outpromotions to special project work that can bolster anemployee's resume.

7. Acknowledge snafus. This may be a tough nut for some,but it's important to be able to admit to mistakes—even ifyou're the boss. In fact, it may be particularly important foryou to fess up when necessary. For one thing, it establishescredibility and responsibility—rather than cooking up anexcuse, you're ready to admit culpability. On top of that, it alsoencourages that very same trait among your employees. Andthat can only foster a workplace characterized by trust andhonesty. �

Jeff Wuorio is a business author and columnist. He can be reachedat [email protected]

FWhat Makes a Good Boss?

May 2007 4/30/07 10:52 PM

May 2007 4/30/07 10:52 PM


ou’ve decided you need to employ someone. Thisemployee may be your first or simply your next; butregardless of the size of your business there are

certain steps you need to follow to ensure the process has agood chance of success. This article will run you through aprocess I have found to be successful over the last fewyears. I hope it will help you too.

So where do you start? First, ask yourself why youneed an additional body. What has prompted this need?Are you simply going through a busy period or hasbusiness grown such that you have a sustainedrequirement for additional labor moving forward? Are youchanging business direction or tackling a new opportunity?

Consult your organizational chart and identifyprecisely what position(s) you need to fill. What? You don’thave an organization chart? Even if you’re currently a soleoperator you should have one – a chart that shows thedifferent functional areas of the business (the “hats” youwear) and the key responsibilities and results for whichthese positions are accountable. You may be filling atechnical consultant position, a sales position or anadministrative position. Whatever it is, make sure it fits inwith your overall business growth strategy.

Once you know what position is going to be filled (oreven multiple positions – remember that a person canoccupy more than one job role), think through specificallywhat the successful candidate will be responsible for. Whatis the end result this position needs to produce? This formsa results statement for the position - the “this is why youexist here” statement by which the employee can be guidedand measured.

For example, a sales position results statement mightbe, “To acquire and retain long–term, quality clients for thecompany by converting leads and cold contacts into profit-generating clients as per company sales processes.”

A technical consultant results statement might be, “Tomaintain long-term quality clients by providingprofessional technical services to clients as per companyclient management and support processes.”

Combining the organizational chart and the resultsstatement is the beginning of the position agreementdocument. This document describes the place this positionoccupies in the business (to whom the position reports toand who reports to the position), the results to beproduced, position-specific responsibilities, position-

specific standards, and general company standards. This isNOT a job description – it’s a document that outlines whatis expected of the person filling the position and the resultshe or she needs to produce, together with general companystandards (including working hours, dress code, smokingrules, etc. – things that can often be listed in one or twolines each). It is this document that the person will besigning as part of the employment accptance process.

Now you need to give some consideration to the typeof person best suited to fill the position. You know yourbusiness better than anyone, so use this knowledge, as wellas your knowledge of the position you wish to fill, to definethe personality, work ethic, skills, experience and overallpresentation of the ideal candidate. You need to know whatyou’re looking for before you start to look, otherwise youwon’t know when you’ve found it! Much like the followingsection from the book, Alice in Wonderland:

Alice asked “Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?”

“That depends a good deal on where you want to getto,”said the Cat.

“I don't much care where--”said Alice.

“Then it doesn't matter which way you go,”said the Cat.

You need to know where you are going so you’ll knowyou’re where you want to be when you get there!

This is now the time to write the job description. Thisidentifies the responsibilities of the position itself and tendsto be a bit more technical in nature. This document lists the“what” for the position – what it does and the products andtechnologies to be used.

Sometimes the job description and position agreementmay be combined into a single document. It really

Y

by Dean Calvert101 Series

For pointers on how to write an effective jobdescription, visit the US Small BusinessAdministration site athttp://www.sba.gov/smallbusinessplanner/manage/manageemployees/SERV_JOBDESC.html

Hiring 101

May 2007 4/30/07 10:52 PM


depends on the business, your background andexperience and the influence of those around you as tohow you set these up. I tend to keep them separate as thejob description itself tends to change more often than theposition agreement as technologies change and businessgrows. The key expectations of a position, however, willtend to stay rather static.

Now begins the actual process of seeking candidates.There are a variety of ways to find potential candidatesincluding advertizing online, in your local newspaper,asking around or consulting a recruitment agency.(Personally, I prefer to both ask around and advertiseonline). You’re going to be selling the company to potentialcandidates, so take some time to write a good positionadvertisement that mentions the company, the work to beperformed (refer to the job description) and the results theposition will produce (refer to the position agreement). Thistells people who they might be working for, what they willbe doing and what will be expected of them.

Be as specific as you can in the space you haveavailable to get your message across. You should havesome minimum standards for the position being filled andthese should be incorporated into your ad so you’re ideallyonly going to be looking through applications of peoplequalified to fill the position (in their eyes anyway!). Forexample, if you want someone who can hit the groundrunning building servers, then you’ll probably want towrite, “A minimum two years’ experience working withWindows Server operating systems is essential.” Or for anaccounts person you may write, “A minimum 12 months’demonstrable experience with QuickBooks accountingsoftware is required.”

One key trick I use when writing job ads is to list inbullet-point form the requirements of the position. Thenwhen the applications come in, I check to see if they havespecifically addressed those requirements. Not addressingthem may indicate a possible lack of attention to detail. Thesame applies to spelling and grammatical mistakes. Ifsomeone can’t take the time to ensure his or her applicationis spell-checked and grammatically correct, this may not bethe sort of person you wish to represent your company.

When a job ad is placed, you’re likely to receive a rushof applications for the position, especially for online ads.You need to be a bit ruthless at this point, quickly readingthrough the applications and sorting them into three piles –yes, no and maybe. Those in the “yes” pile should look asclosely aligned with your idea of the right candidate aspossible. It’s a good idea to start booking interviews withthose in the “yes” pile as soon as you can so that you keepyour momentum with filling the position. Also, if theseapplicants look good to you, they may look good to anotherpotential new employer too. Don’t miss the boat! Only

move to the “maybe” pile if the “yes” pickings are slim –but be even more ruthless with this list as it can bepotentially very bad for your business to have the wrongpeople on board.

At interview time I have the candidates complete asingle page form that asks them some basic questions suchas qualifications, why they’re looking for a change in job,what they liked about the position advertised, where theysee themselves in the future, etc. Whilst most of thesequestions are also asked during the interview, this formdoes give them ample opportunity to demonstrate theirhandwriting to me and also their ability to answer simplequestions in written form. Whilst this may sound a littlepedantic, I’ve learned that these can be very importantindicators of what a person is like. Messy handwriting canmean they have a “don’t care” attitude, are not concernedabout trying their best, have difficulty concentrating on atask or any number of other things. Remember – thisperson may be writing notes to your clients too. Do youwant your clients to struggle to read these notes?

The interview process is your chance to ask thequestions that will tell you if this person deserves to workfor you and your company. I try to ask questions that areopen-ended and get them to do the talking while you dothe listening. Don’t just limit your questions to “workrelated” issues. I like to ask about the movies and TV showsthey watch, books they read, music they listen to, and agood one is to ask for them to describe their ideal holiday.

Why a holiday? It can tell you a lot about the sort ofperson they are. For example someone who answers thatthey’d like to lie on a beach somewhere and soak up thesun may not be as driven as someone who would like to gotrekking through mountains or travel the world. Thismeans they could be less likely to push themselves throughan all-night server rebuild if it came up but may remaincalm in the event of a server meltdown. (Obviouslyanswers to other questions need to be taken into account, soI'm being a bit general here for the sake of brevity.)

Your questions should be geared to provide you withenough information to tell you whether or not you wouldwant to have this person working for your company,representing your company to your clients, workingalongside you and others in your business.

When you have completed the interview(s) you shouldperform telephone reference checks for the candidates in

For pointers on the interview process, visithttp://www.sba.gov/smallbusinessplanner/manage/manageemployees/SERV_INTPROCESS.html

May 2007 4/30/07 10:52 PM


whom you are still interested. The reference checks are tofind out how the candidates performed in their previousjobs. Depending on where you are located and theapplicable privacy laws, there may be limits to thequestions you can ask and the answers you can be given.With experience, you will learn what questions you can askand how to ask those questions you’re not supposed to inorder to get the information you really want and need.Check with your local chamber of commerce to find outmore about the relevant privacy laws.

Depending on how the first interviews and telephonereference checks went, you may wish to conduct secondinterviews. I’ve used a second interview technique forsome years that has proven to be quite effective for mybusiness. (However, when I’ve mentioned it to others theyhave tended to exclaim “you can’t do that!!”) I call it the“interview in the round,” where the potential candidatesfrom the final short list are invited to come in and meetthe rest of the team they may be working with. Thenthere’s a non-scripted interview conducted with allpresent. It’s called “interview in the round” because moreoften than not, the candidate sits in a chair with theexisting staff members in a semi-circle around him or her(OK so it’s not quite round). Questions can be asked byeither “side.”

Basically this is an opportunity for all present to see, in

what limited time we have for this, whether they couldwork together. It’s been a great way to keep existing staffmembers included in the process and has helped me whenit came to making final decisions between candidates. Afterthe interview, we all discuss the interview and whether wefeel the candidate would be a good match for the company.(It also means that when the successful candidate starts,everyone has already met.)

Once the successful candidate has been selected I makea phone call to offer the position and send a letter of offer.This includes a copy of the position agreement and jobdescription. Not only does this set the expectations rightfrom the beginning but also shows the person that you takethis position, and your business, seriously.

With the job offer accepted you’ve completed the hiringprocess and are ready for induction and staff management(but these are topics for another time). �

Dean Calvert is Managing Director and Principal Consultantfor Calvert Technologies (www.calvert.net.au), a MicrosoftCertified Partner and the first Small Business Specialist inAdelaide, Australia (the wine capital of the world). Dean alsofacilitates the Adelaide SBS user/partner group and has spokenat various events throughout Australia & the US (includingSMB Nation!). Dean can be reached at [email protected]

May 2007 4/30/07 10:52 PM

May 2007 4/30/07 10:52 PM

Centerpiece

t’s 7:00 a.m. Sunday morning. Do you know where yournamaste is? Do you constantly think about your SMBconsultancy in off hours, often in a jumbled-up attention

deficit disorder fashion? You are not alone. Based on hispersonal experiences and how he overcame chronic healthconditions, Sacramento-based Small Business SpecialistKarl Palachuk has written a book that allows you to ascendto a higher level of thinking beyond your business and starttaking better care of yourself.

“I went through a period of having severe healthproblems and I was forced to learn to get more done in lesstime. It was essential that Irun my business betweenthe hours of 9:00 a.m. and4:00 p.m. during that era toallow sufficient off-hours

recovery time. Thissituation led me to developtechniques to focus myselfand get more done in lesstime,” Palachuk shared forthis interview. “The result is an ability today to relax, getfocused on one thing at a time and be more successful.”

So how does he do it and what can Karl’s new book,Relax Focus Succeed (Great Little Book Publishing) do foryou? Boiled down to the most basic elixir, it would be twosteps. First, take the time to think about the day ahead viameditation, prayer and quiet time. Second, write down twoor three things that you need to accomplish that day. Butit’s really much more than that. “It’s not that there is aspecific set of exercises. It’s slowing down and puttingeverything in perspective.” Palachuk added. “With my

approach, I’ve found the ideas just flow in. I need to spendmore time with my wife, kids and finally write that book!”

Meanwhile, back at the office. “So much work is busywork and doesn’t contribute to any of your goals. The key isto have energy for other things,” Palachuk said. So, does thismean a new career direction for Karl and new professionalpaths? Already known for his Small Business Specialist- basedconsultancy and his strongly-selling network documentationsbook, Karl has led several Relax Focus Succeed workshops inthe Sacramento area. “Plus I’ve been writing a newsletter onthis topic for three years. I’d like to test the waters in this

workshop area. This is myalter ego and I want todevelop this side of [my]personality. I’d like to helpothers develop more

holistically as well,”Palachuk shared. “But fearnot, I have a few moretechnology books in me!”

So what’s the net-net onthis namaste networker? “Since I started living the RelaxFocus Succeed lifestyle a few years ago, my health hasreturned, my business is running great, I have a greatmarriage and a happy teenage daughter!” Enough said. �

I

ALTER EGO = Relax, Focus and Succeed

On a personal note: Publisher Harry Brelsfordbalances his life practicing a form of yoga known asHatha Yoga, while editor Beatrice Mulzer is a Bikramyoga addict. 'Nuff said!


by Harry Brelsford

May 2007 4/30/07 10:52 PM

I was inspired when Harry Brelsford told me the premiseof Karl Palachuk's latest book, Relax Focus Succeed. In thefitness industry I often deal with clients suffering fromhealthy bank accounts, but bankrupt minds, bodies andspirits. Karl's book addresses all three aspects of a person andbeautifully sets forth a practicalplan that inspires readers tochange their lives by firstchanging themselves -- to workfrom the inside out.

As Palachuk states in hisIntroduction and Overview,workaholism is a sign of the times,and not necessarily a positive one.As a yoga instructor, I’ve workedwith workaholics from thebusiness sector, as well as stay-at-home moms, communityvolunteers and church leaders.Relax Focus Succeed doesn’tdevalue hard work. In fact,Palachuk reinforces throughoutthe text that it is essential topersonal and professionalfulfillment. He teaches that ourefforts must be redirected towardself-knowledge first, so that wecan direct our energy intoproductive channels that relatedirectly to our goals. In fitnessclasses, we teach that it isn’t thenumber of repetitions we perform with a set of hand weights,it’s the quality with which we perform them. Sometimesmore is more, but oftentimes less is more.

Slowing down in order to become more productive isn’tan easy sell, but Palachuk doesn’t intend it to be. Heacknowledges that those who put in more hours often receivemore glory, yet he convincingly illustrates for us thatrecognition has its price. The book is filled with conciseexamples that illustrate how our misdirected energy candamage our personal relationships as well as our physicaland emotional health. Perhaps the most convincing isPalachuk’s own story. While his testimony begins with ahealth crisis (rheumatoid arthritis), and ends with a lifereconfigured around family, introspection and self-understanding, we witness that despite chronic pain, thesetechniques are necessary and life-changing when practicedwith discipline and authenticity.

Why is authenticity important? Palachuk credits self-knowledge as the primary key to his current personal andprofessional success. He writes, “Knowing your true self willhelp you work more effectively to reach your true goals. It

will lead you down the road to success. It will bring acalmness that will improve your attitude and yourrelationships with others.”

In yoga we teach self-understanding as the say torespond to life rather than react. Most yoga schools offer

meditation, breathwork andphysical movement throughpostures to help achieve exactlythis. Palachuk, too, offers manysimilar disciplines. However hedoes so in a way that makes themaccessible to all audiences.

“True Relaxation,” as theauthor defines it, is simply “takingtime to let your body and mindslow down and stop ‘working’.”Suggestions include a long, quietwalk, prayer, or reading a bookthat “doesn’t require you tothink.” In his chapter “Meditationand Quiet Time,” he explains thatmeditation in particular is actually“very Christian,” based on thetradition of contemplation and thepractice of Jesus himself.Ultimately, it’s not about eventalking to God as it is aboutlistening, and its benefits includethe ultimate realization that, asindividuals, we are not the centerof the universe.

Relax Focus Succeed, then, is not just about each of usachieving a more fulfilling life for ourselves, it’s aboutserving others as well. He clarifies that we have to do thework at home first before we can offer our best to the world.Palachuk offers a formula for “success” and goals for how toachieve it, but his plan also differs from others in that the pathof personal growth he lays before us is its own reward. Just asone workout can make a difference to your health and well-being, one day of slowing down and looking within canincrease your productivity and quality of life.

I look forward to sharing this book with my clients andintroducing them to a role model who knows first hand thechallenges inherent in balancing career and family, withoutlosing ourselves in the process. Nothing is more critical to thehealth of our society.

Katie PearsonMaster Trainer,YogaFit Training Systems Worldwide, Inc.ACE-certified Personal Trainer and Group-Exercise InstructorE-RYT Yoga AlliancePublished author (MA English)


May 2007 4/30/07 10:52 PM

h, the home of Santa Claus! Finland, also known asthe land of the thousand lakes (in fact there are187,888 lakes), boasts of highly educated people.

The Finnish literacy rates are among the highest - if not thehighest - in the world. No wonder that Riika, who joinedMicrosoft just six month ago, put on an excellent SMBNation workshop at the Helsinki University of Technology.As the Small Business Marketing Manager, Riika isinvolved in all the marketing activities that surround SmallBusiness customers and Microsoft Partners, especiallySmall Business Specialists. “The economy is much differentin other countries; we have many businesses with only afew employees, and many are just one or two persons.Even though these are small companies, they usually workas contractors to larger companies,” says Riika. “A verylarge percentage of the companies are located in thesouthern part of Finland.” Riika’s office is in Espoo, (a cityclose to Helsinki) which is located on the southern tip ofFinland. The country itself spans a length of 1,157 km (719miles) from north to south and a width of 542 km (336miles) east to west.

One of the things that occupies Riika’s time at themoment is playing Lara Croft, Tomb Raider on the Xbox360 she bought a few weeks ago, and she really loves it. “IfI can choose to watch a movie or play a game, I will choose

to play the game.” She also used to play Red Alert manyyears ago through internet networks with people fromother countries. Now with her two boys, she really enjoysplaying games with them, so there is family play time, andthen there is Mom’s private play time too.

Biggest challenge: “I think the biggest thing was coming towork for Microsoft. I used to work in the textile industryfor about ten years prior to this. I had a very good positionin marketing and PR there, but I decided I needed a changeof wallpaper. Still, when I meet people I used to work with,

A

Microsoft Insiderby Beatrice Mulzer

Meet Riika Finni

Title: Small Business Marketing Manager

Location: Espoo, Finland

Responsibilities: Marketing activities and campaignsin the Small Business segment

Education: Art teacher

Age: 38

Currently reading: The Devil Wears Prada

What Do You Do In Your Free Time? I spend a lot oftime with my children (age of 11 and 13). I also like toread, take photographs and play videogames.

What Motivates You? I love problem-solving and allkinds of challenges motivate me. If I don’t see anyaround, I create one. ☺

Life Philosopy? Positive thinking will let you doeverything better than negative thinking will.

Riika got acquainted with being on two wheels at a young age

Sons Henry and Waltteri


May 2007 4/30/07 10:52 PM

people ask me how I could have done this change.” (Note:Once you have finished an apprenticeship in a specificprofession in Europe you are most likely to remain in thatindustry for your entire career.) “When I first started atMicrosoft, somehow I felt like I came to another countrywhere they speak a language that I don’t understand. Thatwas a huge challenge including having to learn all aboutthe products, and it was a huge learning curve.”Nevertheless, Riika jumped in with both feet and managedto get up to speed in no time at all. “I think the next bigchallenge I am looking for before too long is learning to ridea motorcycle; I really look forward to that. I have alreadypicked a bike, a Triumph Bonneville.”

Lessons learned: “One big lesson I have learned was trynot to handle everything. Because if you try to handleeverything, you will not be able to handle anything well,”says Riika, and then she adds, “And I also learned that youhave to really focus on the things that are most important,in your family and personal life, but also at work.”

Next Steps: Putting her creativity and artistic stroke towork, Riika will be developing campaigns for SmallBusiness Specialists that will launch in the next fiscal year.“Naturally we are trying to have more people receive theSmall Business Specialist designation. We want to starthaving more meetings for partners where they can gettogether and network with each other, and basically createa program where Partners enjoy getting involved. In the ITbusiness there seems to be a tendency to go behind thecomputer, e-mails and text messages, and people forget …the face-to-face contact,” says Riika. Then she describeswhat Microsoft is doing to generate demand on thecustomer side, “We are also marketing to the endcustomers in Finland to let them know about the SmallBusiness Specialists.”

Conclusion: Getting Microsoft Partners involved in theprogram while simultaneously going out and generatingdemand with small business customers makes sense tome. All this aligns with Riika’s creativity and herpositive attitude. The motto is: “If I can’t find a positiveway to work out a task, I will find the second positiveway!” Well, with this attitude there can only be a win-winon the horizon! �

Mom is taking her boys to compete in a bicycle race

A shot from a raindeer race in Lapland

The Triumph that Riika is about to get!

SPA-IncentiveThe Microsoft Partners who participated at the Helsinkiworkshop were offered a chance to receive a one-dayspa treatment with their spouse if they passed the 70-282exam by the middle of June. That included your typicalspa-spoils, including pool and massage treatments.What an incentive!


May 2007 4/30/07 10:52 PM


t’s a well-known business axiom that companies thatstop listening to their customers go out of business. Bothyou and I are subject to this law. In the magazine

business, we hear from readers constantly in the form ofarticle suggestions and letters to the editors. In the $122USD billion events market, there has traditionally been a“build it” and they will come business model where wehear from our customers in a post-event survey. Too late todo much for the past but a good feedback loop for thefuture. But we can do better.

I recently received an e-mail from long-time readerHarlan Lax. He introduced me to the “unconference”concept (which you can read more about athttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unconference). Essentially,participants create the content agenda. What the hell – let’sgo for it!

Over the past month or two, we have asked in-personattendees at our WW MS\HP workshop tour to suggesttopics for the fall SMB Nation 2007 conference in Redmond(Microsoft Conference Center, September 29-October 1,2007). We also ran an online survey to collect suggestionsfrom our cyberfans. It’s all good and let me share the resultsright here, right now!

Photo Essay

“I’m interested in industry best practicesand how to leverage these best practices inmy business.”David Yarachus, President, ChesapeakeNETCRAFTSMEN, Annandale, VAAttendee at Cisco Partner ConferenceSMB Day, April 3, 2007 (Las Vegas)

“Business topics are interesting to me.”Scott Richman, Nerds SupportComputer Services, Miami, FLAttendee at Kaseya User Conference,April 2-3, 2007 (Las Vegas)

“Find out more about customers. What arethe customer’s hot spots?”Mike Mudford, Technical Consultant,CodeBlue, Penrose, Auckland, NZAttendee at SMB Nation, Aucklandworkshop, April 11, 2007

“Licensing - learn more about Open Value.I’m talking to a law firm client right nowthat needs to move up to Open Value.”Clive Start, CVS Computing Limited,Lower Hutt, NZAttendee at SMB Nation Wellington,NZ workshop, April 12, 2007

“Some of the onlinecontent like you read at ITWeb and TechRepublic”Scott Davison (right),Terence McPhail (center), Colin McCarthy (left)Morolo Dynamics (Pty) LTD

Attendees at SMB Nation Johannesburg, South Africaworkshop, March 14, 2007

“Software as service stuff”Chad Mileham, Domain SolutionsAttendee at SMB Nation Johannesburg,South Africa workshop, March 14, 2007

“Red Ocean, Blue Ocean! It’s anintriguing business paradigm everyoneshould learn about.”SBS-MVP Henry Craven, SolutionsArchitect, CI Information TechnologyPty. Ltd.Attendee at SMB Nation MelbourneAustralia workshop, April 18, 2007

IUnconferencing!

Perceptions by Harry Brelsford

May 2007 4/30/07 10:52 PM


“SharePoint 2007”Christian Cipolat, Technical Director,ComputerTroubleshootersAttendee at SMB Nation SydneyAustralia workshop, April 17, 2007

“One of the things I like to get out ofconferences is to get the opportunity tonetwork with other professionals and alsogain insight from experts in the field.”Raymond Hunter, SystemsAdministrator, Georgia EnvironmentFacilitiesAuthority, Atlanta, GA, attendee

at Exchange Connections conference in Orlando, FL, April 04, 2007

CyberSpeakSo what say ye online? Here is a sampling of comments

from our online survey.

• A majority of respondents (31%) spread over fourresponse categories felt that having the boot camp

as PART of the SMB Nation 2007 conference was agood idea. But there is a strong contingent that feelsan important need for bona fide business andtechnical content to boost their businesses. We hearya’s and we’ve built in that balance.

• An overwhelming majority like the idea of a sessionon how to use OneNote (over 75% approved this).

• Content comments included:o As a newbie (and having never been to a

conference), I'd like to see topics related to starting/building a new business.

o Anything SharePoint related.o I would like to see E-Myth presentations.o CRM and SMB - How to make it outshine what

it was intended for. I.e., how to use CRM to properly track assets for customers, how to make it be a database worthy of the SMB consultant.

o A session on the relevance of Groove to SMB

Poll of the month: Mobility madnessTell us your view of the world with respect to mobility.

Have you completed the mobility assessment toolkit? Clickover to www.smbnation.com and kindly complete oursurvey. We appreciate it. �

May 2007 4/30/07 10:52 PM


Mobile Solutions a lá Microsoft For real Geeks only:

Watch this webcast to seehow Microsoft deployed,manages, and uses its

own Windows Mobile platform within the company.You'll learn about Microsoft IT's operational disciplinesof device standardization, Windows Mobile andMicrosoft Exchange Server application serviceextensions, and market procurement strategies and future service expansion objectives.http://tinyurl.com/2kbawy

Congratulations!One of our very own,

Mark Crall, an instrumentalmember of the Charlotte SBSUser Group www.sbs-charlotte.com was nominatedto become a SBSC PartnerArea Lead (PAL). If this is thefirst you hear about this newSBSC program, listen up –

because its purpose is to grow communityengagement providing partners with networkingopportunities and helping partners to grow theirbusiness. As a community leader Mark will beinvolved in shaping SBSC community strategy andfoster community participation by meeting severalcriteria set by Microsoft, which includes providingfeedback to Microsoft to help improve programinitiatives. We look forward to see and hear morefrom Mark as he continues to participate in UGactivities, online newsgroups and forums. Way toGo Mark!

Don’t Miss It! You work hard to make sure your small-business

clients are successful, helping them adopt technology tofurther their continued growth and prosperity. But whatabout your own success? Come to the second annualMicrosoft Small Business Symposium, July 9, 2007, in

Denver, Colorado. TheMicrosoft Small BusinessSymposium will give youkey insights about how tobalance customer needs with your own growthobjectives. Free to SmallBusiness Specialists, non-SBSC can attend for a USD $99 fee. Register athttp://partner.microsoft.com/sbsymposium using codeTHDOY29X.

Most popular performance add-on sold!Diskeeper Corporation

announced that unit sales ofDiskeeper have reached an89.8% market share in SystemUtilities/General Disk Utilitiessold (March 2006 - February2007) according to data from TheNPD Group's Distributor Track.Diskeeper software providesunparalleled performance and

reliability to laptops, desktops and servers. Receive full versions of Diskeeper software including the latest Vista-compatible 2007 edition by requesting your free Channel Solutions Kit fromhttp://www.diskeeper.com/smbn

ASCII Event, Austin, TXThe next ASCII

event will be heldThursday, June 28,2007 at the Omni

Austin Downtown, 700 San Jacinto at 8th Street, Austin,Texas 78701. Speakers will cover topics from sales andmarketing to wecurity, managed services and businesscontinuity trends to Spam, VoIP and IP cameras!

Find out more at http://www.asciievents.com

Technology Watch

Continued on page 29 (see Tech Watch)

May 2007 4/30/07 10:52 PM

May 2007 4/30/07 10:52 PM

wonder what Microsoft will think of next. At lastyear’s Microsoft WW Partner conference (WPC) youwere able to spot pods of yellow shirts amongst the

crowd, and you knew right away there was a group ofSmall Business Specialists. The day before the WPC kickedoff in Boston, Microsoft held its first ever Small BusinessSymposium next-door to the conference center, drawingabout 400 Microsoft partners, many Small BusinessSpecialists (which received the yellow t-shirt. See SMBPCAugust 2006 issue: Code Yellow!) and others about tobecome Small Business Specialists.

Fast forward – this year on July 09, 2007, the communityaffair will happen again at the Hyatt Regency Denver at theColorado Convention Center. I look forward to the SmallBusiness Symposium this year because the theme is“Growing Business to Its Potential” and that is a topic that Ienjoy – because it is as great a challenge as it is a passion.

Simply by becoming a SmallBusiness Specialist (SBSC) and beingable to sport the logo, I feel thatPartners who choose to go throughthe certification process aim higherthan to be just the neighborhoodnetwork technician. They aspire to be

true “trusted advisors” to their clients. The advantages ofSBSC certification don’t stop with the offers and incentivesfor Small Business Specialists by Microsoft which includegreat tools like the Technology Assessment Toolkit (that reallyhelps leverage the relationship with your client by movingyou more into a “strategic consulting” role). Certification alsoprovides you with opportunities to participate at theSymposium, where you can gather in a group of like-mindedpeers for one day of super-brainstorming and knowledgeexchange and mingle with the very Microsoft representativeswho have made this program happen. This is an advantagenot to be missed.

Constantly I hear people moan and groan aboutMicrosoft this and Microsoft that. Yet I do not know of anyother worldwide company that puts out so much effort intosupporting its partners and fostering its community. A dayof free business advice for Small Business Specialists, achance to exchange with Microsoft directly and meetconsultants I may be able to partner with, and being part ofan extraordinary group of entrepreneurs who take theirbusiness seriously – and at no cost other then the flight and

a hotel room for one night – makes this almost tooeffortless. One could easily miss the value presented here.

It is obvious that I am excited about the Symposiumthis year. Part of it is due to the excellent agenda that hasbeen put together. The three main goals this year are:

1) Helping small business Partners build business success;

2) Provide new insights into the small business marketplace;

3) Build the community of Small Business Partners

I

Community

Small Business Specialist Investment Advisory: Microsoft Small Business Symposium 2007

Symposium Highlights

• Microsoft Keynote – Microsoft’s Vision andRoadmap in the Small Business Marketplace

o Michael Risse,VP Small and Medium Business.

• Business Growth & Success Keynote o Motivational and entertaining. Robin Crow will

relate his experience as an entrepreneur andsmall business owner to the audience. Thepurpose is to energize the audience and givethem real-world advice as business leadersabout how to overcome growth barriers andbuild their own businesses successfully.

• Small Business Marketplace Keynote o Insight into trends in the small business

marketplace based on late-breaking researchconducted by Warrilow & Co. These trends will relate to the business growth barriersidentified by Partners. The goal will be to give partners a “look into the minds of theircustomers.”

• Microsoft Executive Panel – Executives fromMicrosoft Business Groups representing SmallBusiness technologies (Small Business Server,Vista,Office, CRM, Office Live) will take audiencequestions relating to the future of the MS smallbusiness technology stack.

• Networking Lunch


by Beatrice Mulzer

May 2007 4/30/07 10:52 PM


WorkplaceSurveillance from

Down UnderBeen looking for a

reporting tool to use withSmall Business ServerPremium Edition?WebSpy Insight is theultimate reporting toolfor users of MicrosoftSmall Business ServerPremium. It providesaccurate and detailed

information on user web browsing and email activity, aswell as important security information such as externalattacks and blocked outgoing requests. Find out moreabout Insight and download a 30 day trial athttp://www.webspy.com.au/products/insight/index.aspx

Another reason to attend is the line-up of excellentspeakers and topics which are very relevant to our success inthe SMB space. Take a look at the outline of the agenda onpage 21.

If you feel like you have been an island of your own, thismay be the time to reach out and participate in this event tore-energize, get ideas, get motivated and meet other positive-thinking people who understand the value of good business.

You can get more detail and sign up for the event athttps://partner.microsoft.com/40028827?msp_id=sbsymposium – and consider this an investment into yourSmall Business Specialist future! �

• Business Opportunity Breakout Sessions (Two hours– Partners pick two of six sessions to attend.)

o Microsoft-led breakout sessions with topicscentered on current and upcoming smallbusiness technology solutions and how toimplement the business opportunity of eachwithin the Partners’ businesses. Each session willinclude Partner best practices and testimonials.

• Business Growth Breakout Sessions (Two hours –Partners pick two of six sessions to attend.)

o Partner-led breakout sessions related toovercoming business barriers to growth.Presented by partner peers. Topics include:Hiring, Financial Management, CustomerRelationships, Conducting BusinessAssessments, Business Model Best Practices(Managed Services, Software as a Service).

• Cocktail Reception

The admission is free for Microsoft Small BusinessSpecialists and $99 for non-Small Business Specialistpartners.

Tech Watch (Continued from page 26)

If you register

for the Small

Business

Symposium,

be sure to enter

code:

THDOY29X

May 2007 4/30/07 10:52 PM

irtualization is a hot topic today. You could use yourhardware more effectively and work in differentways. How would you like to “undo” a service pack

installation? Or take a “copy” of a web server and do sometesting in an isolated environment? Let’s look at someinnovations you could implement in an SBS environment.

Microsoft has two products that could be used - VirtualServer and Virtual PC. The versions that I use today areVirtual Server 2005 R2 SP1 (BETA 2) and Virtual PC 2007 (RC).

The difference between “Virtual PC”and “Virtual Server.”

Virtual PC is meant to be a desktop application fortesting and trying out applications and configurations andsometimes also to run legacy applications on an upgradeddesktop. Virtual Server on the other hand is designed as aserver service and for running machines virtually for“real.” Below are the major differences between the twoapps. Despite the difference in the applications, the formatfor the virtual hard disks is the same. If you create amachine image in Virtual PC you can use it in Virtual PC orin Virtual Server.

I’m often asked whether you can run Virtual Server2005 R2 on a desktop with Windows XP installed. Yes, youcan. However, scripting is not supported and neither isrunning it in a production environment.

Different scenarios in a Small Business Server 2003 environment.You can use virtualization and Virtual Server in a

couple of ways in an SBS environment. First, you couldinstall Virtual Server on the SBS 2003 server. It’s fullysupported and works well for some types of virtualmachines. Another scenario is to get an extra physicalmachine and install Virtual Server on it. That would begood scenario if you need multiple virtual machines.Maybe you would like to have a terminal server, an SQLserver, a SharePoint Services server 3.0 and a new fileserver. If you don’t want these running in the server (andyou shouldn’t) you could get a good 64-bit machine, installthe Windows Server 2003 x64 version and then installVirtual Server 2005 R2.

Licensing and Virtual Server 2005.Virtual Server and Virtual PC do not cost

anything but you have to pay for the licensefor “guests” as if the products were normally-installed in a physical machine. But there aresome special rules. Because all the virtual“guest” machines can only “see” one CPU, youwill only have to pay for one CPU. Anotherinteresting thing is that if you buy the x64-bitversion of Windows Server 2003 R2, you havethe right to run four virtual instances ofWindows Server 2003 R2 on top of the physicalbox. That way it does not cost so much to get avirtual server platform to run.

Before installation.There are a few things to think of before

starting the installation. First there is the choicebetween 32- and 64-bit. When you installVirtual Server on the SBS server you don’thave a choice - you have to install the 32-bitversion. But if you by a new piece of 64-bithardware and install a 64-bit version ofWindows Server, you can run the 64-bit

by Mikael Nystroem

Virtual Server 2005 and Small Business Server 2003

Tech Corner

V

• Uses single-host CPU o Single thread for all VMs• Emulates Sound Blaster 16 (enabled by default)• Shared folders (with Virtual Machine Additions)• Drag & drop• 1 x CD-ROM drive per VM, ISO image <= 2.2 GB• No SCSI support• Shared networking (NAT)• PXE support (Virtual PC 2007)• Description of host network adapters stored in %APPDATA%\Microsoft\ Virtual PC\Options.xml

Virtual PC• Uses multiple-host CPU o Multithreaded• Hardware speaker only (classic beep)• No shared folders (uses virtual network)• No drag & drop (uses virtual network)• Multiple CD-ROM drives per VM, ISO image >= 2.2GB• Built-in SCSI support (Adaptec AIC-7870)• No NAT built-in (uses MS Loopback adapter and RRAS/ISA)• COM API• VMRC Remote management• Runs as a service• Stores network settings in separate XML configuration files in %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Documents\ Shared Virtual Networks\*.vnc• Infinite number of virtual networks supported, each with a fully customizable DHCP server• Unlimited number of virtual machines can connect to each virtual network

Virtual Server


May 2007 4/30/07 10:52 PM


version of Virtual Server. There are great benefits torunning the 64-bit server OS and the 64-bit version ofVirtual Server 2005 R2 - both performance and memoryhandling. Another thing to know is that you should havean extra NIC in the host machine so that all the virtualmachines have their “own” NIC in the host machine. NICsin the host machine act as network switches to the virtualmachines. If you add an extra NIC to the machine youshould remove all bindings on the NIC except “VirtualMachine Network Services.” Then you will avoid theproblem with the host machine actually having two IPaddresses in your local network.

Setup and Configuration of Virtual Server 2005 R2.

It’s a pretty straightforward process - kind of next-next-“finish.” But before you start the installation, you need toinstall IIS 6.0 on the server. (Of course, if it’s an SBS serveryou won’t need to, because IIS 6.0 is installed by default).

After installation, start your browser and typehttp://servername:1024/virtualserver/vswebapp.exe?view=1 and you should see the Virtual Server page:

To configure the server properties, click on “ServerProperties” and you will get this screen:

Select “Virtual Machine Remote Control (VMRC) Server”and select “Enable.” If the SBS server has multiple networkadapters, change the TCP/IP address from “(Allunassigned)” to the internal IP address of the server.

Next step is to configure the “paths” so that new virtualmachine ends up in the right place and you can easily selectISO and other images. First, create a couple of folders in thefile system. Create the following folder structure:

E:\MachineE:\ISO

Go back to the web page, click on “Search paths,” and typein the correct paths to the folders like this:

Creating a Virtual Server.To do this you will need a CD media or an ISO image

of a Windows Server 2003, a license, and a PID key.

1. Select “Virtual Machines,” – “Create.”2. Give the server a name.3. Select the amount of memory the

server will have (the overhead is 32 MB).4. Select size on the hard disk.

a. Note that the hard disk created by the wizard is a “dynamically expanding virtual disk.” This kindof disk could be bigger than what you actually have as free space on the server. For performance reasons you should convert the disk to a fixed size disk afterwards.

5. Connect the machine to the network by choosing the correct network adapter.

a. Note that the network adapter works as Ethernet switches and that more than one virtual machine

May 2007 4/30/07 10:52 PM


can use the same virtual “switch.” You should selectthe same network adapter that is connected to your internal network.

6. Click “OK” and there is your new “server,” without OS, of course.

The server configuration properties screen shows you allthe attributes of the virtual machine. In the example shown,I have 128 MB of RAM dedicated to this virtual machineand the network is not connected. So this machine will notbe able to communicate with the rest of the network beforeI connect it, not even with the host. Before installing the OS,add an SCSI adapter for speed.

1. Select “SCSI Adapters,” add one, and then return to this menu.

2. Select “Hard disks,” and change the connection to SCSIID 0:0 instead of IDE Primary.

3. Insert the OS CD into the host CD.

Note:It’s very important that when you use the SCSI adapter, you use thecorrect driver. Otherwise the installation will be very, very slow.

Installing the operating system.In a Virtual Server you do not have a real screen or a real

keybord/mouse, but there is an application that comeswith the system called “Virtual Machine Remote Control”client. Prior to this we configured the VMRC Server on port5900. Now go to “Start - All Programs – Microsoft VirtualServer - Virtual Machine Remote Control Client” and typein the servername starting with vmrc://servername:5900.

The first time you start the new machine you will have tofill in the security questions. At this time you have thevirtual machine running and booting from the CD. If youwant, you can change settings in the virtual BIOS if you like.

Choosing the correct SCSI driver.Boot up the system with the installation CD in the CD

drive and then:1. Press F6 when prompted. 2. Switch over to the web interface for Virtual Server.3. Select to “Edit” the configuration.4. Search for “Floppy,” and select the “Known floppy

disks,” radio button. 5. Select the image called “SCSI Shunt Driver” (see Floppy

drive selection screen).6. Press “S” to select the correct driver.

Server configuration properties

Floppy drive selection screen.

SCSI Driver selection.

May 2007 4/30/07 10:52 PM


After that it’s a vanilla installation! Go ahead with “Next”– “Next” and then you are done. Once you have rebootedthe virtual machine you need to install VMadditions. This isimportant. It’s also very important to keep the VMadditionsupdated, because they improve the virtual machine’sperformance. When you install a service pack on the virtualmachine, you will most likely experience performancedegradation. Installing the latest VMadditions will fix theperformance problem.

Join the machine to the domain.This is done the same way you join a regular physical

machine to the domain, and you can treat it as such on thenetwork. If you have access to an ISO image, you can do allthis remotely. And that could be a cool thing to do. Youcould put up a Terminal Server on the network whilewatching a DVD at home.

Storage.The VHD files are virtual hard disks and can either be

fixed size (performance) or dynamic (only consume theactual space, but more slowly). But there is also ISCSI.Microsoft has an ISCSI initiator (free download) and theonly other thing you need is an ISCSI target (ISCSI Server).Small SAN solutions will have proper ISCSI target support.If you want to try it out, or if you have a large number ofdisks, you could get a piece of software and install it on themachine that has all the other software. I have found onecompany that makes an ISCSI target that works. The URL ishttp://www.rocketdivision.com. Download the StarWindISCSI Target and install it for a 15-day trial. It’s one of theeasiest setup/configurations I have ever done. Just install iton the machine that has disk space, start StarWind, create a“disk” and give it a name. Start up the machine that “needs”the disk, install MS ISCSI initiator, select the server, selectthe disk, check mark “Permanent,” and you have a newdisk. StarWind ISCSI target also supports VSS so storage isalready virtualized.

Converting physical to virtual?Yes, it can be done. Microsoft has a tool called VSMT,

Virtual Server Migration Toolkit that works OK. The only“but” is that it requires you to have a Windows Server 2003Enterprise license to install ADS, and that’s a part of VMST.You could, however, install VSMT and all the infrastructureon a virtual machine and use a trial license of WindowsServer 2003 Enterprise just to do the conversion(http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserversystem/virtualserver/evaluation/vsmt.mspx). Another tool thatyou could use is PlateSpin (http://www.platespin.com/).

Ready Built Machines from Microsoft.Microsoft now has “ready-made” virtual machines

that can be tried out. Download them fromhttp://www.microsoft.com/vhd. At this time there areWindows Server 2003 R2, ISA 2006, Exchange 2007 and SQL2005 ready for download. All of them are “trial” and cannotbe upgraded to “real” machines, but they are great for trialand demo purposes.

Summary.Consider the option of a virtual server as either a test

terminal server or a terminal server for just a couple ofpeople in the SBS environment. There is great potentialwhen you start using Virtual Server. If you get just oneWindows Server 2003 R2 x64, you could have a separatefile/print, AV Server, LOB and a terminal server in just onebox except for SBS. You may wonder if it is possible to runSBS in a virtual server. It is, but it’s not supported. You can download Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 R2 fromhttp://www.microsoft.com/windowsserversystem/virtualserver/default.mspx

My tip to you is to start using Virtual Server 2005 R2, learnhow it works, and explore all the possibilities thatvirtualizations can bring to you and your customers. In thefuture, Longhorn Server will have something called“viridian” or “hypervisor” as a free add-on, which willhave even greater capabilities than Virtual Server 2005 R2.Would you like to have “hot-add CPU” support? ☺

The SP1 for Virtual Server 2005 R2 is going to be releasedsoon. It will add great features like:

• Support for Intel Vpro and AMD-V• VSS backup• Support for more Linux machines• Faster performance• Offline VHD Mount• Active Directory Integration• + more

I think that I have covered the most, but not all. If youhave any questions, please drop me an e-mail and I will tryto help out. �

Mikael Nyström is a Microsoft MVP in Windows Server –Setup/Deployment. He is active in the Swedish SBScommunity and newsgroups. Mikael is a trainer and seminarspeaker. He works on large network solutions involving VirtualServer, MOM, SMS, BDD, Exchange, and collaborationsolutions. But in his heart there is a Small Business Server.Youcan reach Mikael at [email protected]

May 2007 4/30/07 10:52 PM

ased on actual testing and client feedback, I canconfidently report that direct mail is one of theBEST ways for any computer consulting firm –

big or small - to attract new clients, cross-promoteservices, and stay in touch with existing clients and prospects.

On average, my clients report a $5.00 to $6.00return for every $1.00 they spend on direct mailmarketing. But you cannot just stuff any old flyer intoan envelope, mail it out, and expect a landslideresponse. You may already know that based on yourown expensive failures using this marketing medium.

While this is a vast topic that requires aconsiderable amount of study, I thought that I wouldgive you a quick checklist to use when creating a directmail campaign. Make sure your package contains all ofthe following before licking your first stamp.

1. Is the list or target audience tightly matched tothe offer you are making? Your list is the singlemost important element to any direct mailcampaign; take extreme care in choosing andverifying the source and accuracy of your list.Most people do not spend nearly enough time onthis activity, and simply rent a list based ongeography and company size. This is a surefireway to LOSE money on your direct mailcampaign.

2. Does your letter have a headline that:o Promises to deliver a big, juicy benefit?o Arouses curiosity?o Contains news that passes the “so what” test?o Is written to appeal to a business owner, and

not a techie? Quick check; are you usingacronyms, industry terms like “ITinfrastructure,” and calling yourself an ITservice provider instead of a “computer guy?”

3. Did you include an offer? Is it truly irresistible? Willyour target market immediately see value in it?

Did you SELL your free offer as though it costmoney? Just offering something for free will NOTguarantee a response. You have to sell it as thoughthey were paying money for it.

4. Did you build urgency to respond immediatelywith a deadline or a limited supply?

5. Did you use technical terms, acronyms, vendornames, or other “tech talk,” or did you focus 100%of the copy on defining the problems you willsolve and the results you will deliver?

6. Is the layout clean, neat and inviting to read?o Did you AVOID using hard-to-read fonts,

graphics or patterns behind text, and multiple fonts?

o Did you use short paragraphs and sub-headlines?

7. Are the testimonials impressive and convincingor do they just say you “did a good job”? Can

B

14 Fast Ways to Dramatically Improve The Response and FinancialReturn of Your Direct Mail Campaigns

by Robin Robins Money Shaker


May 2007 4/30/07 10:52 PM

you supercharge your testimonials by adding your client’spicture or including an audio interview of your clientoutlining the results you were able to produce for them?

8. Did you write the copy as though you were having a casual,one-on-one conversation with your prospect, or did you use“brochure speak” that is NOT used in everydayconversations?

9. Is it clear to readers what they should do to respond? Didyou give them more than one way to respond? (Phone, fax,e-mail, web.)

10. Will they know your letter is junk mail by looking at theenvelope?

11. Have you made your letter hard to ignore (for example,lumpy mail, sent via FedEx or priority mail, unusualcontainer or envelope size)?

12. Are you ready with at least three more letters, e-mails, or phone calls to follow up on the first one?

13. Do you have a plan in place for how you will quickly followup on responses once they come in?

14. Did you focus on one product or service, or did you senda catalogue? When selling professional, high-ticketservices, you will increase response by focusing yourpromotion on your most in-demand service. Never try topromote more than one product or service in a mailing.Focus on a single, “hot” product or service and use everyinch of space to sell the merits of it. You can sell themother products and services once your prospect becomesa client. �

Robin Robins has over 14 years’ experience in direct sales andmarketing. Robin is an independent marketing consultant, salestrainer, and author who specializes in low risk, low-cost marketingstrategies for small computer resellers, solution providers, and ITconsulting firms. To learn more about Robin, visit her online atwww.technologymarketingtoolkit.com.


May 2007 4/30/07 10:52 PM

May 2007 4/30/07 10:52 PM

arlos was recently in the Puget Sound area for theMVP (Microsoft Most Valuable Partner) Summit. Imet Carlos at the Rock Bottom brewery after he

finished his first ever game of pool, where he wove aninteresting tale of his life as a consultant in Brazil. Whilesome of it is very familiar, some of it radically different.

Founder andpresident of theMicrosoft UsersGroup - RioGrande do Sul –Brazil, Carlos also contributesto the MicrosoftT e c h N e tn e w s g r o u p s

(http://www.technetbrasil.com.br) and VBA ExpressForum (http://www.vbaexpress.com). Though Carlosenjoys contributing technical articles, his passion appearsto be answering questions and soothing doubts.

Carlos said, “I run a consulting firm called ConsultingBusiness Solutions (http://www.consulting.etc.br) anddevelop websites for my clients. I ama graduate in Accountancy Sciences,with specializations in Accountingand Finances and Master inAccounting and Finances.”

Carlos has been in theconsultancy since 1996 with a focuson solutions for small and mediumcompanies through the use ofMicrosoft technologies. Carlos is anactive member of the VBA Expressforum and the TechNet and MSDNcommunities in Brazil.

As with so many SBSCs, lifeoutside the business is nearly asfull-time as inside the business.

“My wife is a psychologist, soshe has good flexibility in her fullschedule like me. Even having thishectic life we always find time to

help other people. During the nights we teach to share ourknowledge. My wife teaches about human resources andI teach about computers, management and accounting asit’s my academic background. This is something that’s in[the] family already as [both our] mothers were teacherstoo. We also volunteer through our churches.”

“MVP designations is a synonym for a dream carried out.”

Being an MVP gives Carlos recognition of the workalready carried out, which is a very necessary advantagein his marketplace. The designation is also a stimulus. Hesays, “Because I am not from the United States … thisMVP designation is a synonym [for] a dream carried out.It is a big honor to possess this title. This title givesrecognition and credibility to the widespread works bymy company.”

Despite some apparently wild bureaucracy and someof the stickiest red tape imaginable, Brazil is still a veryentrepreneurial culture with new businesses opening and flourishing.

“I believe Brazil [still has]plenty of opportunities forconsulting as there are lots of newbusinesses opening every day andthey need some kind of support.Of course we have to face thecompetition with open source, butif there wasn’t any competition itwouldn’t be fair … so I believe it’sa good thing. Competition alwaysforces us to surpass ourboundaries and become bettereach and every day. This year wereinstated a saying at my firmwhich states: ’Difficult we do rightaway, impossible takes a littlelonger!’ I am definitely a cup-half-full guy instead of a half-emptyone. Most of all, I love what I do,so I do it all with passion.”

C

Global Perspective

An interview with

Mr. Carlos Fernando Paleo da RochaCPA (BR), MBA, MSc, MCP, MCTS, BCP

Carlos is a sought after public speaker and teacher.

Carlos enjoys an after work soak.


May 2007 4/30/07 10:52 PM


With 180 million people, Brazil is the largest countryin Latin America. It has the ninth largest economy in theworld. Brazil is the United States’ largest trading partnerwith a total Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of $1,536trillion (USD). Policies adopted by the Braziliangovernment in recent years to stabilize and open theeconomy have made Brazil one of the most dynamicemerging markets in the world.

The political decision to adopt and stimulate the useof open platforms and free software programs in Brazilhas been reinforced via several government-ledinitiatives. The government ministers advocate free opensource software as a strategy for development. This modelprovides incentives for government technologicaldevelopment policies and cuts government costs onproprietary software.

Money Saving“The number one reason for this change is economic,”

says Sergio Amadeu, who runs the government’sNational Institute for Information Technology. Heexplains that, for every workstation, the government is

currently paying Microsoft fees ofaround 1200 Brazilian reais ($500;£270).

If you switch to open sourcesoftware, you pay less in royalties toforeign companies,” explainsAmadeu. “And that can count for alot in a country like Brazil, which stillhas a long way to develop in the ITsector.”

Overall, the governmentestimates it could save around $120million (USD) a year by switchingfrom Windows to open-sourcealternatives.

Carlos has his own view.“Microsoft is still marketing itsproducts very well down here -almost all of them. But unfortunatelySBS seems to be the forgotten one.The majority of people have nevereven heard about it and Microsoftdoesn’t do marketing over it like wewould like them to.”

“People in some states,especially mine, love Linux in all itsflavors and they take it to the

passion level, not the technical one. We face veryaggressive people at some seminars, but they are gettingcooler as they don’t have enough features to compete[in] the real corporate world. We can’t say there isn’t atrend to open source down here, because in fact there is;but at the same time many businesses that went that wayare coming back already, so maybe the tide is going theother way around now.”

“I see SBS as the best competitor to Linux as there isnothing in the open source world that could be calledfeature-compatible with SBS. It is robust and complete, soit’s the better weapon to fight this war!”

Microsoft Fights Back Because more than 90% of the world's personal

computers still use the Windows operating system, in aglobal sense Microsoft has little over which to worry.

A written statement indicated that governments andcomputer users should be free to choose whicheversoftware and other technology best meets their needs. Butwhen all the costs and benefits are taken together, Carlosthinks Microsoft offers the best value.

Budget:

Public debt:

Agriculture - products:

Industries:

Telephones - mobile cellular:

Internet country code:

Internet hosts:

Internet users:

Revenues: $244 billion Expenditures: $219.9 billion, including capitalexpenditures of $NA (FY 07 est.)

50% of GDP (2006 est.)

Coffee, soybeans, wheat, rice, corn, sugarcane,cocoa, citrus, beef

Textiles, shoes, chemicals, cement, lumber,iron ore, tin, steel, aircraft, motor vehicles and parts,other machinery and equipment

86.21 million (2005)

.br

6.508 million (2006)

25.9 million (2005)

https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/br.html

May 2007 4/30/07 10:52 PM

“Well, [the] core of the Linux question [is] the hiddencosts. People usually look only at the acquiring cost, butthey miss the customization, training and support costs, where Linux loses badly. SBS is sold around US $850 forStandard and US $2,500 for Premium,” he notes.

“Actually I see very few SBSC consultants aroundhere and tons of Linux/Unix consultants, so it’s very hardto compare them. In general a Linux consultant chargesone-and-a-half to two times what a Microsoft consultantdoes, so this is a major cost problem for those who chooseto go for the penguin.”

Carlos goes on to say, “It is important to remember,you don’t even need to talk a word against Linux, because

people will be thinking of it all the way, anyway. Afterthey realize how good SBS is and that there is nocompetitor offering all that’s in the package for acompetitive price, they agree to pay. Our best productswhich make people go for the pockets and buy it are:Exchange 2003, SharePoint and ISA Server.”

Opportunity for Small Business ServerThough Microsoft has rolled out its own initiatives

through a slimmed-down starter edition of Windows XPand Pay-As-You-Go computing, Carlos is hoping forsome direct assistance in customer awareness of SmallBusiness server. The local Microsoft office and especiallyTechNet have given him solid assistance.

“I just wonder which one is the larger market forMicrosoft: SBS or Enterprise? [In] my state are createdaround 40,000 new businesses a year and as no one startsbig, all out of them are small businesses. 40,000 SBSprospects! I truly believe that SBS can be the boom salesproduct if treated more aggressively.”

As many of us, Carlos endures all this to support hisgoals, dreams and, especially, family.

Carlos told us, “I am married since last year, so amjust starting a new family. Our family is pretty small. Welike a lot to get the mothers together and [go] to themountains or the beach to spend some quality time.”

Keep up the great work and the good fight, Carlos.Your dedication to ongoing education of yourself andyour peers and clients are excellent examples of the hardwork required to be successful in any business climate.Especially yours. �

Microsoft’s site dedicated to helping IT professionalscompare Windows and Linux on key platformconsiderations.

Get in-depth comparative analysis on these topicsand more:

• Total Cost of Ownership • Reliability • Security • Intellectual Property Indemnification • Interoperability • Performance • Partner Success • Small and Medium Sized Businesses

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver/facts/default.mspx?R=cf andhttp://www.microsoft.com/resources/sharedsource/Articles/MicrosoftandOpenSource.mspx

• FlexGo is a technology that makes it easier forpeople with modest incomes in emerging marketsto buy a full-featured PC for their families.

http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/flexgo/default.mspx

• Windows Vista Starter was designed specifically fordeveloping technology markets

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/editions/starter/default.mspx

Carlos sails through life and work.


May 2007 4/30/07 10:52 PM


icrosoft recently announced Windows Mobile 6. Devicesare expected by the second half of the year, perhaps evensooner. What’s new in Windows Mobile 6, and what are

the opportunities for Microsoft Partners?First, Microsoft has simplified naming conventions for

Windows Mobile devices. Since most cell phones with PDA-likefunctionality are marketed as “smartphones,” we took thisopportunity to move to a more traditional naming convention. Thedevice formerly known as Pocket PC Phone Edition will useWindows Mobile 6 Professional, whereas Windows MobileSmartphones will be Windows Mobile 6 Standard devices.Standalone Pocket PCs will use Windows Mobile 6 Classic.

Microsoft significantly improved advanced mobilecommunications in Windows Mobile 6, creating an even moreseamless Outlook Mobile experience. HTML e-mail, messageflagging, mailbox and device-wide search, Information RightsManagement support, additional hotkeys, and improved meetingscheduling are a few new key features that will appeal to a widevariety of customers.

Windows Mobile 6 also increases mobile productivity,providing added efficiency by helping users access previously-unavailable information when mobile. Integration with the

Windows Live experience helps customers stay better connectedwith services like IM, presence, Spaces, and search. In addition, SQLServer 2005 Mobile Edition and .NET Compact Framework 2 arenow included in the ROM of every Windows Mobile 6 device! Thisrepresents a huge opportunity for Microsoft Partners to develop anddeploy mobile applications faster and easier than ever before.

Try the Windows Mobile 6 device emulator,available today in the Windows Mobile 6 SDK!

Of course Windows Mobile 6 also improves security,manageability, and ease of deployment. Storage card encryption,new security policies, better certificate enrollment tools, andwildcard SSL certificates are a few of these new features. Customerswill love the ability to deploy secure mobile solutions, increasingproductivity while mitigating the risk of losing valuable data.

What are the Partner opportunities? Extend your existingservices by offering mobility solutions to your customers.Businesses using SBS 2003 are ideal candidates, since ExchangeServer 2003 SP2 already includes support for “direct push” e-mailand mobile security policies. Your customers may already ownthe necessary infrastructure to support Windows Mobile devices,but need your help to deploy, maintain, and perhaps evendevelop these solutions.

The Windows Mobile 6 platform should have wide appeal to consumers and businesses alike. Check out an interactive demo and more information atwww.microsoft.com/windowsmobile. Winning the mobilebusiness market is a priority, but Microsoft also continues to offerinnovations that appeal to a broad base of customers. It’s a greattime to go Mobile! �

TS2Nami

M

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Upcoming TS2 seminars for May and June.

The TS2 team’s goal is to provide partners like you the education, training, and skills to sell and deploy the latest Microsoft® technologies.

These May-June events will cover the following:• Leveraging data with Microsoft Windows® SharePoint® Services 3.0.• Upcoming Microsoft technologies. Get a sneak peek at Microsoft System Center Essentials 2007, Windows Mobile 6,

and the Microsoft Business Technology Toolkit.

Windows Mobile 5

Smartphone

Pocket PC Phone Edition

Pocket PC (standalone PDA)

by Fred Pullen

Windows Mobile 6

Windows Mobile 6 Standard

Windows Mobile 6 Professional

Windows Mobile 6 Classic

May 2007 4/30/07 10:52 PM

May 2007 4/30/07 10:52 PM