►Welcome
►Are you Doomed if your Office
     Computer Tech Quits
►The Power of Saying "Thank you"
►Sit Up Straight
►Meet the Team
►Just for Laughs

 

Finally fall! The cooler weather is a welcome relief from the summer heat, and hopefully our months of frequent thunderstorms are behind us now. In the next month or two we'll have another Amnet Tech Breakfast with our resident trainer, Jennifer, leading us through some basic information on the Microsoft Office 2007 suite. Give us a call if you're interested in attending; we'd love to see you there!

1. Do you know every password?
Practically everything computer and Internet-related in your shop has, or should have, a password. If your computer expert left at this very moment, could you (or someone you trust) log on to each of the computers on the network and have the ability to make changes to system settings, tweak the firewall and more?

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The wheels of business revolve with such spin and speed these days that we roll right over the courtesies. Who has time for quaint customs?

More to the point, who can afford to let competitors rush onto the new and the next while we slow down for pleasantries? You're in for a surprise. The advice that follows, rest assured, is not some ubermom lecture about society's loss of grace (not that I couldn't get into that). This is about leveraging an underutilized edge in the marketplace.

Today, extending old-time courtesies helps you stand out. Yes, boys and girls, saying "thank you" has become a competitive advantage. So few people express appreciation — a Lenox etiquette poll found that nearly five out of every 10 people don't always say thanks — that remembering to do so is a sales point of difference. It also goes a long way toward forging the relationships that can turn into opportunities.

Here are fast and affordable ways to show business gratitude, as well as tips about timing and tactics. Your takeaway: Don't underestimate the power of saying thanks.

Read tips

Sit Up Straight and Keep Your Wrists in Neutral
By Monte Enbysk
Reprinted with permission from the Microsoft Small Business Center

Ergonomics is not a four-letter word — even though many business owners may think otherwise.

That's because when business people hear the word ergonomics, they immediately think of dollar signs — as in what it will cost to outfit employee workstations with new setups to prevent sometimes crippling injuries.

But the money needed may be minimal, and your employees' health should be the overriding concern, says Dan Eisman, vice president of marketing and product development for HealthyComputing.com, an ergonomics consultant. Painless simple adjustments to a computing environment, such as getting a better chair or raising a monitor, may cost little but makes a huge difference in injuries and employee absences.

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Meet the Team

“What's Your Current Favorite T.V. Show?”

Colin:  Dexter
Corinne:  Ace of Cakes
Craig:  Entourage
Hunter:  Lost
Jack:  NCIS-Naval Criminal
Investigative Service
Jay:  (the new) Battlestar Galactica
Jennifer:  (the new) Battlestar Galactica
Stephen:  Dirty Jobs
Tarah:  CSI
Tim:  CSI
Trevor:  Heroes

(*A special welcome to
our new tech, Colin!*)