5 Ways to Make Closing the Sale Easier

Tips on how toquickly get your prospect's interest and lead them through the processto "Yes, Let's get started NOW!" Presentation includes a 'Question andAnswer'session.

Arleen McClean with Work Smarter, has just completed an in-depth,competitive analysis of Computer Web and Software Developers in thePortland area. Based on this analysis, she'll be sharing "5 Ways" tomake closing the sale easier. Learn how to increase your sales, even ifyou hate 'selling'! Then stick around for a question and answer periodon your specific marketing concerns.

Presented by

Arleen McClean

Every meeting we have a opportunity to present to the group problemsthat we have as we go though our days as consultants, but it neverseems like we have enough time to answer all the questions. Thismonth's meeting, we will spend the time finding solutions, and talkabout all those products and services we have questions and commentsabout. Bring all your problems, questions, comments, and solutions tothis month's meeting.

Everything every consultant should know about Excel

The Easy Stuff:

• Uses for Excel/Spreadsheet structure
• Simple math and formulas
• Simple lists
• Simple models

Not So Easy Stuff:

• Special formulas and built-in functions
• Linking between sheets and files
• Managing Data
• Charting

The Really Fun Stuff

• Complex formulas
• Complex models
• Macros and automation

What are the basics of Search Engine Optimization? In the first part of the presentation, Scott will cover his own Top Ten Fundamentals of the search engines, explaining what every site must have, to be given a fighting chance in the search engines.

Then, what do you do after the basics are already in place?What should a site owner or web designer do? What can anyone do besides sit back and wait?

How about as a computer consultant or network administrator who keeps getting asked about client websites, back ends, installing content management systems, blogs, etc? What should you recommend? How  can you be sure you re in the proper hosting environment for your client needs?

Finally, what should a website REALLY look like? You may think it looks great, but is it turning visitors into clients? Are you turning people away the moment they arrive? Improving conversion rates on websites is often quite simple. Scott will summarize basic eyetracking studies and look at general visitor behavior as it relates to page layout.

If you are an IT service provider, a web designer, a computer consultant, or even just interested in the basic search engine marketing, this presentation is for you

Presented by

Scott Hendison: CEO of Search Commander

Scott Hendison is the CEO of Search Commander. He is a former Portland computer store operator that built a local on-site service business through Pay Per click and organic search engine optimization.

In 2003, he started specializing in search marketing, and today serves clients in 5 countries, who find him on the front page of mos tsearch engines for "internet consultant" and related phrases.

A.K. Capoor and Mark Schulstad from SonicWALL will discuss disaster recovery and business continuity.

Presented by

A.K. Capoor and Mark Schulstad from SonicWALL

Keys to Effective Marketing:

• How to distinguish yourself from your competitors
• How and why to focus on the client instead of yourself
• What types of clients do you want?
• Understanding why you sometimes lose sales and how to prevent it
• Putting it all together

Arleen McClean started Work Smarter, after seeing the proven effective methods in her Work Smarter Sales System (WSSS) result in a27% jump in sales (in a year the industry grew 1%). The WSSS is based on over twenty years of helping businesses increase their sales and improve their advertising results.

As a Marketing Problem Solver, Arleen enjoys taking real life sales and marketing challenges and helping a business see how the Work Smarter Sales System can be customized to help their business grow.

Presented by

Arlene McClean, Founder Work Smarter Inc.

Arleen McClean started Work Smarter, after seeing the proven effective methods in her Work Smarter Sales

System (WSSS) result in a 27% jump insales (in a year the industry grew 1%). The WSSS is based on over twenty years of helping businesses increase their sales and improve their advertising results.

As a Marketing Problem Solver, Arleen enjoys taking real life sales and marketing challenges and helping a business see how the Work Smarter Sales System can be customized to help their business grow.

Dan will discuss current issues in security including:

• Encryption:
  • What general types of encryption are there and where are they used?
  • What is SSL and how does it work?
  • How do you know if the data you send over the Internet is encrypted?
  • How do encryption keys work on the Internet?
  • How are online banking and credit card transactions handled, what can go wrong?
  • What is a hash table and why is it cool?
• Approaches to securing data on:
  • Laptops
  • Backups
  • Flash Drives
• How can we do our due diligence to help secure our client's data?

Presented by

Dan Sweet is founder and President of Crescendo Research

Dan Sweet is founder and President of Crescendo Research and a localexpert on Networking, security and WAN/LAN troubleshooting and support.A former board member of the OCCA Dan's networking expertiseencompasses Unix, Linux and Windows.

Join Ben Lee from Intel to learn about the many new changes inhardware design that are taking place in desktop, laptop and servercomputing. This will be an interactive session with questionsencouraged from the audience. We will be talking about new platforminnovations such as the new Intel Core 2 Duo processor, Conroe, as wellas future chips and the new mobile Core 2 Duo chip. He will also talkabout improvements in battery life, virtualization technology andsecurity improvements. Ben will cover processor, chipset and associatedtechnologies. He will cover trends in the industry like legacy removaland new technologies such as, Intel VIIV and vPro.

Ben H. Lee III is an Intel Field Sales Engineer located in Beaverton,Oregon. He covers the Northern Midwest Territory of the US andresponsible for $25M in annual revenue. He started working at Intel in1996, and held various positions in engineering for desktop andnetworking products. He went on to marketing in 2000, and started inSales in 2004. Ben holds one patent in adaptive synchronization of dataacross networks.

Presented by

Ben H. Lee III, Intel Field Sales Engineer

Dave Kezziah will preview not only Windows Vista Beta2 but MicrosoftOffice 2007 as well. We will take a look at the features first hand andsee if all the hype is worth it. Bring your questions, tips and tricksand take a look at what Vista and Office can do for you and yourclients.

Dave Kezziah is President of Watchfire Technologies, and currentlyalso president of the Oregon Computer Consultant's Association.Watchfire Technologies supports small business computing.

GOALS OF THE SESSION

This session focuses on the business side of computer consulting

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?

Your business savvy has more to dowith your business and financial success than your technologicalprowess. Most consultants and software companies fail not because theyare lousy developers. They fail because they do not take care of thebusiness side.

WHAT WE WILL COVER

• Business Plans
• Marketing Plans
• Setting your fees and costs
• Sales materials
• Meetings with clients and demo s.
• Sales techniques.
• Closing the sale
• Contract issues
• Legal Issues
• Getting paid
• Other Stuff

Presented by

Tom Howe, Author, Lawyer, Editor, Speaker

Tom Howe is Co-author of "Access 2000/2002 Development Unleashed"(SAMS)as well as a Speaker at over 50 Developer Conferences throughoutthe world.He is also Technical Editor of Advisor Journal: VB.NET, and a TrialLawyer for 20 years.