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3-1-91
=====================================================================
B & B S A L E L E A D
User's Guide
Most of your questions can be answered by reading this
=====================================================================
COPYRIGHT 1986 B&B Systems
B&B SYSTEMS
P.O. Box 171
Waukesha, Wisconsin 53187
Voice 414-544-5988 (9:00am-5:00pm CDT)
Free Bulletin Board 414-548-9034 (24hrs)
Files and systems for Businesses+Tips+Support+On-Line Ordering
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 1
-------------------
TABLE OF CONTENTS
-------------------
Introduction ........................................... 3
Installation ........................................... 8
Operation ............................................. 12
Add records ............................................15
Edit records, Browse screen.............................15
- Quick label ............................17
- Search/Replace .........................18
Labels/Letters/Reports using:.......................... 20
- Flexi-SORT ............................ 22
- Flexi-SELECT (Query by Example) ....... 23
- Format, Flexi-LABEL/REPORT or dBase ... 24
- Flexi-LABEL ........................... 26
Import/Export ......................................... 30
Duplicate Checking .................................... 33
Letters ............................................... 34
- Making ................................ 37
- Flexi-LETTER .......................... 40
- Rep & Distributor lists ............... 43
- Form/Thank you letters ................ 45
Maintenance ........................................... 49
Testing Mailings
- Nth Sampling Method.................... 52
- Break Even Method ..................... 53
- Probability Method .................... 53
- Bulk Mailings ......................... 55
Marketing with your B&B system ........................ 61
Miscellaneous ......................................... 64
Troubleshooting ....................................... 67
- Error Messages ........................ 72
Technical Information ................................. 75
Appendix .............................................. 77
Warranty .............................................. 82
Upgrades, Order Form, Site License .................... 84
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 2
=================================================================
DISTRIBUTION POLICY
=================================================================
DEMO versions of Systems produced by B&B Systems of Waukesha are
commonly distributed through the 'Shareware' concept.
SHAREWARE Software means that you can try software prior to
purchasing it. It is based on the premise that 1) you should be
able to try software before you purchase it, 2) sharing of
information is to be encouraged, and 3) those users who decide to
use such software have an obligation to support the Shareware
authors so that Shareware development can continue.
Shareware versions of this software (limited to 500 records) are
distributed freely. We encourage others to distribute these demo
versions. But, registration can only be made with B&B systems.
Some companies will charge you for a disk copying service, but no
price or consideration should be charged for this software, unless
it is for the cost of registration with b&b systems. Commercial
distributors may distribute this software, but they should not
charge for this software, although they commonly cover their costs
with a "distribution" fee. Files and programs on this disk should
not be modified, nor sold as part of some other inclusive software
package.
If you decide to use this software, please register. It is the
only way QUALITY software will continue to be available.
================================================================
WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO DISTRIBUTE SHAREWARE DEMOS
================================================================
Although B&B Systems encourages you to copy and distribute limited
edition Demo versions, this is not public domain software. This
program is copyrighted.
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 3
------------
INTRODUCTION
------------
WHAT IS B&B SALELEAD? B&B SALELEAD is a DBMS (Data Base
Management System) to manage your letters and marketing
information. It provides data files for centralizing and
automating this information, including product sales letters, form
letters, and data on sales efforts. B&B SALELEAD provides
adding/editing and maintenance capabilities, plus
reporting/analyzing capabilities. The theory behind a letter
based marketing system is that increasing and improving
communications with customers through mailings and on-line
referencing, will increase sales.
JUST FORM LETTERS?
If you just want the basics, like just sending occasional form
letters, you can start adding your records anytime. When it's
time to print letters, just say yes to the Form Letter prompt,
enter the name of the form letter file (Form.Ltr?), and you will
get your letters.
But if you want to take advantage of some other features, you've
got to plan ahead. If you want letters specifically designed for
the Sales Lead, plan out the types of letters/product explanations
and promotions you want. Then, when entering a record, you'll
want to enter the letter name that prospect should eventually
receive into the "ainterest", "binterest", or "cinterest" fields.
PLAN AHEAD
A little extra planning, before using the B&B Sales Lead System
can make a clean efficient system more powerful. Think of
information in terms of how you collect and use data presently,
and how you wished you could use this information. Take the time
to determine just how you want to use the B&B System codes for
YOUR NEEDS. This process can mean the difference between a USEFUL
system, or a DUST COLLECTOR. Your input is essential.
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 4
PRODUCT/SERVICE INTEREST CODES
Try to be consistent with your coding. An example involves the
development of your Product/Service interest Codes. Since this is
an 8 character code (the same size as DOS file names), the
interest code you enter here should be the same filename (?.LTR)
which describes that interest. Also, use codes that are the same,
or similar to your product, or stock codes. Use codes that are
the easiest for you to remember (eg. PLANE1 for the Model # 1
Airplanes, and PLANE2 for Model #2). Anyway you do it, be
consistent. Even though your codes will appear on the screen when
you need them, it is best if your coding technique is consistent,
so that it is second nature. You and your staff will appreciate
it. Reference one of your catalogs, or a stock code/price sheet.
Try making a list of the products and services you offer, and see
if using the first eight characters of each of your product names
would cause duplication. You can use letters of the alphabet,
numerics and special characters in the Product/Service Interest
codes. Don't worry about remembering them. When adding or
editing, you can use the F1 help key to bring up the Interest
codes file which lists the code and a short description.
SALES REP/TERRITORY CODES
Another example would be to recommend the use of sales personnel
initials for the Sales Rep/Territory code. This is the easiest
method we've found. Duplicate initials can be resolved by using
initials of a nickname. If your sales territory is national in
scope, you could use state abbreviations.
DISTRIBUTOR CODE
Plan ahead for this powerful code. It has two uses OTHER than
identifying the Distributor for you on the Sales Lead record: 1)
When you print letters TO your Sales Leads, you have the option to
also print a REFERENCE to the name of your local distributor on
the sales lead letter. 2) After printing the letter, you can also
elect to print a FOLLOW-UP report FOR each of your distributors
(and Sales Reps/Territory/Offices), which will list, if you wished
your distributors made follow-up calls, the names of the Sales
Leads that have just had a letter printed for them.
Distributor territories - Restricted
If your distributors have restricted/protected territories, there
is no problem, just use "ACME" and "SMIT" to identify Acme and
Smith Distributors. USE ALL FOUR CHARACTERS, as you'll see in the
next section.
Distributor territories - Overlapping
If a Sales Lead could have multiple distributors, you need to
establish a code that could identify territories. It is
recommended that you set up your distributor code with an emphasis
on the left hand value. With multiple distributors, you can't
identify EACH DISTRIBUTOR on a Sales Lead record. Except you can
'interpret' the applicable distributors by using a left-to-right
or large-to-small definition.
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 5
For example, if your market is the United States, the largest,
most universal reach for any of your distributors would be the
United States. Thus, if you had a distributor covering your
entire market, use a "U" in the leftmost position on the sales
lead record. The next breakdown might be the Midwest ("M") or the
state of Illinois ("IL"). Thus, you may have Sales Lead records
with some of the following codes: U, UM, or UMIL.
In the separate distributor file, you could have one distributor
with a code "U" (serves entire US), one with a code of "UM"
(serves the Midwest in the US), and one with "UMIL" (serves the
Illinois portion of Midwest in US). Thus, if you elect to print
the distributor names in your sales lead letters, the distributor
serving the entire US ("U") would appear on ANY sales leads
having a U in the leftmost position of the Distributor code. If
the sales lead record had UM, two distributor names would appear
on the letter, the "U" distributor, as well as the "UM"
distributor.
This means that if you use "partial" codes because of overlapping
territories, 1) You could have 4 different distributor references
on ONE sales lead letter, plus, 2) when and if you print lists
of sales leads to be distributed to your distributors, you could
produce 4 individual listings after printing just one sales lead
letter. For example a Sales Lead for JIM JONES could have a
distributor code of UMIL, and could reference a distributor with a
code of "U", "UM" and "UMIL", in the letter, and separate listings
for each distributor referencing JIM JONES as a sales lead.
This same technique can be used with zip codes. Several
distributors may service the 601xx zip code area, and have a "601"
code. The Sales Lead, in the 60101 zip code, could have a
distributor code of "601" to reference all the "601" distributors.
BE CREATIVE
Be flexible in your thinking when using B&B SALELEAD. Consider
entering records for existing and potential customers. Consider
printing letters on plain paper instead of letterhead, and use
these 'letters' as telephone OR sales call 'reminders' for your
sales staff. (The letters contain the contact name, and their
wording indicates the customer's product/service interests.)
Or, let's say you wish to provide each of your sales reps with a
report of his/her assigned accounts in the morning, with the
oldest LAST MAIL/CONTACT dated records on top. If you don't find
one of the standard reports suitable, make your own report. Use
FLEXI-REPORT to select the data fields: like Sales Rep Code,
Company name, Last Mail/Contact Date, etc. and FLEXI-SORT to sort
by the Last Mail/Contact date field. Use FLEXI-SELECT to select
Sales Rep codes desired.
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 6
WHAT WILL B&B SALELEAD DO FOR ME?
B&B SALELEAD can be your Marketing Mailings Manager. It can keep
track of all of your customer data now kept in separate files or
logs. Report on Sales Leads cultivated as a result of specific
promotions (Source code), or report on Leads with the highest
sales potential and likelihood of closing (Qualified code). Track
time and dollars spent cultivating sales.
This manual will give you some hints on how to collect your sales
lead information and if you are already collecting it on an IBM
PC, how to "import" it into the SALELEAD data base (.dbf) file.
DON'T SEPARATE FILES....PICK A FIELD, ANY FIELD
It pays to look ahead on how you expect to use your file. You can
'dissect' your master file into sub-files, and thus use one file
for multiple purposes. For example, you could decide that one of
the fields could be used to identify a "type" of record. You
could use Flexi-Select to pick records where field='BC' (your
Bridge Club), while field='Z' might represent a list of Zoos.
Maybe you need to code 'I' Industrial or 'S' Special Handling
accounts. Maybe you won't need the field set aside for the DUNS
number or SIC (Standard Industrial Code - See local U.S. Printing
office for code book). You could use them for any purpose.
For large volume Mailers, any two character field can be used to
contain the carrier route information.
If you absolutely need two separate files, B&B SALELEAD will allow
you to select different MAIN files (other than SALELEAD.dbf) from
the maintenance menu. The purpose of this option is to allow
access to very infrequent files. It is not recommended that you
separate different file uses in this manner, use values in fields
to distinguish record types.
This is not recommended for an important reason. Having all the
records in one file will be an advantage when it comes to
maintenance. When you edit a record in one file (address change),
a similar record in another file will become outdated. Instead,
all records, should remain in one main file, with codes indicating
uses.
INSTALLING/SELECTING MULTIPLE PRINTERS
--------------------------------------
If you have multiple printers, you can install each printer. This
is accomplished by INSTALLING the system twice. Each time you
enter 'SALELEAD', and the file config.mem file is missing, you will
be prompted to INSTALL. Install the printer control codes for the
secondary printer first. Once this printer is installed, you can
then rename the config.mem file to configa.mem (a=alternate).
(from DOS REN CONFIG.MEM CONFIGA.MEM). Enter 'SALELEAD' again to
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 7
install your main printer. Since config.mem will be missing, this
second file will be named config.mem and will be the default file
for your main printer when retrieving your memory variables.
When you start your system, all B&B systems will sense if BOTH
config.mem and configa.mem files exist. You will then have the
option to select which printer you will be using for that session.
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 8
------------
INSTALLATION
------------
STEP 1
If you are using two floppy drives (greater than 360k), make two
blank 'working' diskettes. Put the master disk in A: and a blank
working copy diskette in B:. Use the DOS COPY Command (COPY
A:*.DBF B:) and (COPY A:*.NDX B:) to copy all of the Data type
files (suffixes ending in .DBF or .NDX) to your working copy on
B:. Use the same process to copy System files to your blank
System working copy diskette. The System files are all of the
remaining non-data files, and they commonly have suffixes like,
.EXE,.OVL,.DBC,etc.
HARD DRIVES
-----------
Store your system on a separate DOS subdirectory on your hard
drive. Simply use the MD (make directory command) from C:\> (root
directory), and then use CD (change directory command) to select
the subdirectory you've just created. (eg. MD SALELEAD, then CD
SALELEAD). Use the DOS command COPY A:*.* C: to copy all of the
SYSTEM and DATA files from A: to C:. Put your Master disk(s) away
in a safe place.
NOTE: for existing users, if you want to test the newer versions
first, copy all your C:\SALELEAD files to a C:\TEMP directory
and install your new system there to try it out.
STEP 2 - SETTING THE ENVIRONMENT
--------------------------------
This is a mandatory step and involves minimum values in the
config.sys file. If you don't have one, use the 'COPY CON'
command as explained in the DOS manual, or make one with your TEXT
or ASCII mode of your word processor. Or use your word processor
to incorporate the proper lines of coding into your existing
config.sys file. Config.sys should reside on your C:\> or A:\>
root directory (the drive you boot from).
The FILES=35 statement tell DOS how many open files to allow.
Every 'files' number uses about 48 bytes of RAM (not much), so
feel free to use A MINIMUM of 35. Increase if you get 'Cannot
Open File' errors. The file is probably there, just no place to
allocate it in memory. BUFFERS=10 holds data from the disk,
similar to a crude disk cache. Unfortunately, each 'buffer'
uses 528 bytes (Maximum is 99 under DOS 3.3). Use too many, and
you'll get 'Not Enough Memory' errors, not enough and you'll be
constantly accessing your drive which is not as fast as memory
(plus it's mechanical wear and tear). Experiment for your system.
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 9
------------- MANDATORY Lines in Config.sys file ----------------
| |
| FILES=35 |
| BUFFERS=10 |
| |
| Reserves sufficient RAM memory to operate. |
-----------------------------------------------------------------
STEP 3 - Installation prompt
----------------------------
Re-Boot your computer so that it will read your new config.sys
file. After re-booting, you will need to enter 'SALELEAD' at the
DOS prompt (after rebooting, you will be at the Root directory,
indicated by a single backward slash (eg. C:\). Change to the
SALELEAD subdirectory first, eg. CD\SALELEAD). When SALELEAD is
entered for the first time, you will automatically be prompted to
start installation.
Anytime the file called config.mem is missing, and IT WILL BE
MISSING the first time you run SALELEAD, you will be prompted for
installation. Config.mem is a file containing your memory
variables as defined by you as you step through the installation
program. It is important to remember that you can re-install by
simply erasing the file config.mem. This may become necessary
should you change printers, or find that the installation wasn't
done properly the first time (maybe you installed the wrong
printer codes, and the printer isn't responding with the proper
print style). Just use the ERASE command at DOS to erase
config.mem.
PROMPTS:
--- Install your system on a hard disk?
If No, assumes you will be using floppy drives A: and B:
NOTE - If you're installing a hard disk and created a separate
subdirectory for SALELEAD, you should be 'ON' that
subdirectory now. (Subdirectories are names of storage areas
on your hard disk which 'branch out' from the 'root'
directory. For more on subdirectories, see your DOS manual).
--- Your Company or Organization name.
--- Use Fast Screens? If you are not planning on customizing your
screens, use "Y". NOTE: if you would like fast screens and
a customized screen, contact B&B Systems for customization
services.
--- You can Enter "EXTRANOTES", or variable text, for any record
(default maximum=50 lines, changeable in Maintenance Menu).
These memo notes are saved either in the special dBase type
.DBT file, or saved in simple DOS files using the data from
each record as the file name. If you want to use the .DBT
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 10
file, space bar through the default value. To save memos in
individual DOS files select the default value, which is the 1st
4 characters of the company name (cn) plus 1st 4 characters of
the last name (ln). If you don't use the company name, change
(cn) to last name (ln). Just make sure define data that is
will never be blank, and doesn't change. A file for Bill Smith
is saved as SMITBILL.NOT. If you change names to "William"
your old notes in SMITBILL.NOT will not be found (though if
you remember, you can RENAME the file to SMITWILL.NOT in DOS).
The reason you are given these options is convenience versus
reliability.
If you use the .DBT file, ALL EGGS ARE IN ONE BASKET. If
something happens to the file, all notes are lost. On the
other hand, DOS files are simple and reliable, although harder
to maintain if data changes frequently. If your notes are
invaluable to you, use the DOS file option.
NOTE:
50 line DOS files consume about 4,000 bytes each.
--- Your printer needs control codes in order to produce various
type styles. These are ASCII codes in DECIMAL form. Samples
are provided for Epson, Epson compatible and HP laser
printers. These codes control the printer's functions.
Review your printer manual to find the DECIMAL codes. If your
printer does not support all of the codes recommended, just
RETURN. The effect is that you will be limited in some of
your options. If you have a daisy wheel printer and plan on
controlling type styles yourself, you may not need to enter
any of the printer control codes. It is important though, to
install at least the condensed code, or to have a condensed
daisy wheel font. Almost all reports default to condensed mode
in order to display as much information as possible. If you
have a printer with two paper feed trays, such as the HP
LaserJet 500+ or LaserJet IID, you can enter codes which will
call the top tray for letterhead, and the bottom tray for
plain paper when letters exceed 1 page in length.
SAMPLES CODES :EPSON/compatible HP LaserJet
==================================================================
Condensed print :15 27,40,115,49,54,46,54,72
Normal print/reset:27,64 27,69
Near Letter Qual. :27,69
Use Upper tray : 27,38,108,49,72
Use Lower tray : 27,38,108,52,72
Underline ON "[" :27,45,1 27,38,100,68
Underline OFF "]" :27,45,0 27,38,100,64
Installation is now complete.
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 11
These installation instructions were intended to keep your files
organized in a simple and efficient manner. Please do not try to
improvise by making multiple copies of the .DBF or .EXE files in
multiple locations, or on different floppy disks. We've seen it
done with enigmatic results. Don't do it. If you need to
separate, or identify individual records use the miscellaneous
codes (See Plan Ahead section). Take our word for it, separating
records into duplicate files will only ensure obsolescence because
you won't remember which file to go to for address changes.
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 12
---------
OPERATION
---------
QUICK LESSON - PRODUCING LETTERS
--------------------------------
1. Use your word processor to edit a .LTR file. Select the
GENERAL.LTR letter sample that came with this system (if you don't
have one, word processors like WEDIT, UED, or P.COM are available
on B&B System's Bulletin Board). Change the wording to suit your
needs, but don't worry now about having the final wording. You
can easily change the wording later. (Don't change the values in
{} brackets). Repeat this step for the END.LTR and BEGIN.LTR if
you wish.
Also create a ?.LTR describing one of your Products or Services.
Pick an eight character code describing your product or service.
Again, don't be too concerned with wording right now. It can be
improved later.
2. Start your system, and Enter A from the Main Menu to [A]dd a
Sales Lead. Use an actual example, or make up one. Leave all
3 Product/Service Interest codes blank.
3. Enter E from the Main Menu to [E]dit the Sales Lead you just
added in step #1. You can select this record by entering the
record # (probably #1) or search on any other field. PgDn (It's
quicker than <Enter> multiple times).
Change any of the values to become acquainted with editing. [E]dit
again from the Main Menu and see if the changes were made.
4. Enter [T] from the Main Menu, to Print a Letter for Sales Leads.
<Enter> on the Flexi-Letter screen because you will accept all of the
default values right now. You should get the Sales Lead added in
Step #1.
Note: The letters produced in the prior step contains wording
from the BEGIN.LTR, GENERAL.LTR and END.LTR letter files.
5. Enter [R] to select the Report Menu. Enter [E] to edit the
All-In-One screen. Bring your cursor down to the Format box, and
enter 'N' to run a dBase type report. After entering 'N', your
cursor will be at the top of the screen again. <Enter> to accept
all values. You will then be presented with a list of all of the
.FRM files. Enter one of the file names, and accept the default
page formatting questions. You have now produced your first
report.
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 13
6. Return to the Main Menu and enter [E] to edit the same Sales
Lead record (record #1). Add a Product/Service Interest Code in
the first of 3 boxes reserved for Product/Service Interest codes,
say, TEST (You also need to create TEST.LTR with your word
processor). Then PgDn, and [Q] at the Browse screen to go back
to the main menu. [E]dit #1 again to get to the Browse screen and
enter l[T]r to print a letter. At the Flexi-Letter screen, <Enter>
to accept all values, and you will print a letter with your TEST.LTR
wording, instead of the GENERAL.LTR wording (used when no Product/
Interest codes).
Try the same process again, but in the Flexi-LETTER screen, [E]dit
and bring your cursor to the form letter box. Enter the name of
the sample form letter, FORM.LTR. <Enter> until your cursor is at
the top of the screen, then <Enter> again to accept all values, and
will have just printed your first form letter.
7. If you plan on having Sales Rep names printed on your letters,
when in the edit screen use F1 in the REP field and ALT-A to add a
Sales Rep record using the initials of one of your Sales Reps as
the code. <Enter> when done filling in all of the fields, and the
Rep Code will be inserted into the Rep/Territory field. Repeat
the prior step, and you'll see that the Sales Rep name now appears
in the letter, because it is referenced in the END.LTR.
Letters - SET-UP
----------------
When you are ready to set-up the letter features on B&B SALELEAD,
assemble all of the different letters you use to communicate with
customers. If you already have these letters on your computer,
make sure that they are converted to 1) ASCII format. For
example, if using WordPerfect, use the separate CONVERT.EXE
utility, or Text-In/Text-out and 2) make the ASCII letter files
with a name will eventually correspond to the Interest Codes that
will be used in your Sales Lead records. 3) the suffix of the
file name should always be .LTR. If you don't already have these
letters on your computer, enter them in Non-Document or ASCII
format.
ASCII files are simply files that contain only keyboard
characters, no control codes, or special characters. Many word
processors make ASCII files by default (Not WordPerfect)
Remember, your .LTR letter files can be any length. If you use
form letters, they can have any name.
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 14
+------------------+
| MAIN MENU |
+------------------+
A ... Add a record
E ... Edit a record
L ... Labels
R ... Reports
T ... Letters
I ... Import (Read) a file
X ... Export (Write) a file
M ... Maintenance
D ... Duplicate check
Q ... Quit
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
| |
| MAIN MENU |
| --------- |
| | |
| ------------------------------------ |
| | | |
| | | |
| LABELS ADD |
| REPORTS EDIT |
| LETTERS IMPORT |
| | EXPORT |
| | MAINTENANCE |
| | DUPLICATE |
| | |
| ALL-IN-ONE MENUS |
| --------------------------------- |
| | SORT | |
| | SELECT | |
| | NTH SAMPLING | |
| | STARTING POINT | |
| | OUTPUT: FILE/SCREEN/PRINTER | |
| | FORMAT: | |
| | FLEXI-Letter,Label,Report | |
| | or dBase Labels, Reports | |
| --------------------------------- |
| | |
| | |
| ONE-STEP |
| OUTPUT |
| |
| |
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 15
FUNCTION KEYS
-------------
F-2 is a daily scheduling and planning system with a monthly
overview and follow-up features.
F-3 is a Product Information key. If you would like to access
information about your company's products anywhere in the system,
you can use F-3 to access a file called product.dbf that contains
the Catalog/Stock code, Description, and Price. You can import your
existing ASCII product data file, containing these three fields
using the Import feature. B&B can customize this file for you
through our 24 hour bulletin board.
ADD RECORDS Repeat Data - from Added Record to next
-----------------------------------------------------
Prior to adding your first record, you will be asked if you wish
to repeat data from one label record to the next. This is handy
if you are adding several records with the same city name, or
similar addresses, which means you'll only need to type over the
unwanted information, which reduces keystrokes.
Also, if you Add a record that appears to be a duplicate of an
existing record (based on a simple check of contact names and
company name), you will be prompted with a listing of possible
duplicate records and the option to cancel the addition of the new
record. See Duplicate Checking process for more detailed
duplicate checking.
When you finish entering the data, you can either use the return
key to step through each field until you get to the bottom, or use
the PgDn key (Page Down) to get to the bottom faster. Using PgDn
on an empty record will end the Add session and return you to the
main menu. An empty record is defined as a record not having a
company name, or the first or last name of a contact. These field
are usually cleared each time you add a record, but you can elect
not to clear them (see options in Maintenance Menu).
Help files
----------
When in either the ADD or EDIT mode, when your cursor is on fields
such as state, zip, customer #, etc., you can access "help" files
by pressing F1 (Help). If there is a supporting .dbf file, such
as state.dbf, zip,dbf, etc., the records will be displayed.
If there are more fields in that file than will fit in the width
of the screen, you can use Ctrl-><- to see more fields. You can
also use Alt-A to add records, Alt-E to Edit, Alt-D to mark
records for deletion/un-delete, Alt-P to Pack (remove records
marked as deleted and refresh .ndx file), or Alt-L to list all
of the records to your printer. Alt-Z will also mark all records
for deletion, and Alt-R will Un-Delete all records.
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 16
You can also add help files yourself. Look in the SALEFLDS.TXT
file for the "x" marker, which will be followed by the name of the
.dbf and .ndx file that the system WILL EXPECT. If it is a
Character type field, you can use DOS to copy an existing
Character type .dbf/.ndx file to the new name.
While the records are displayed, you can: enter F10 to quit, or
<Enter> to transfer the displayed data to the field being edited,
or enter a character to search for data in the file.
If you want to find the zip code 54333, enter "5" and you will see
the first record with a "5". Enter a "4" and you will see the
first "54" record. This process can continue until a NO FIND
occurs, in which case, the process starts over again. Note: with
the Zip file, if you enter a #, the file will be displayed in
numerical order. If you enter an alpha character (A-Z), the file
will be displayed in CITY order.
Also, while in the ADD/EDIT screens, you can control the entry of
either VALID or BLANK data in the fields supported by "help"
files. Select "O"ptions from the Maintenance Menu and you can ask
for a valid test where a warning appears when attempting to enter
a value that cannot be found in the supporting "help" file [VALID
test], or whether a blank value will cause a warning message on
the screen [BLANK test].
For example, entering "II" in the state field will cause a message
to appear on the screen if 1) "II" is not in the states .dbf file,
and 2) you have selected the VALID test for the states file in the
Options choice from the Maintenance Menu. Thus, you can restrict
your operators from entering either Blank or Invalid values.
EDIT -Search Screen
-------------------
After entering "E", prior to seeing your record on the screen, you
will be presented with a Search Screen which will aid you in
finding the record to edit. If you use the Record #, or some
fields which have an index file associated with them (like Last
Name, Zip Code, Company Name), you will be in the Quick search
mode. Because these fields have a record number "pointer" in the
index file, you will be able to locate a record in less than 1
second.
Besides these Quick Search fields, all of the other data fields
are presented, allowing you to locate records based on a value in
any of these other fields. Pick a field, enter the data, say
"123" in the address, and PgDn. If you are not sure WHERE your
data resides in the field, enter a ? in the first position of the
field, followed by the search data. Entering "?123" will allow
you to find records: "123 W. Main" or "64123 W. Main". Obviously,
this search function looks at every partion of the field in every
record, and can be time consuming.
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 17
Once the desired record is found, you will be presented with the
Browse screen. NOTE: if you entered data into one of the fields
supported by an index (Quick Search), the browse screen will now
be in that sort ORDER. So, if you search using the company name
field, the browse list will now be in company name order.
BROWSE Screen - Add (Repeat Data from existing record)
------------------------------------------------------
When you are in the edit mode (E from the main menu), you can
"browse" thru a list of up to 21 records at one time, and entering
"A" will repeat the data in the currently selected record into a
NEW record. (Handy if you wish to add a record that is almost a
duplicate of an existing record).
BROWSE screen - Edit
--------------------
Like in the Add mode, you can access your help files by putting
your cursor on the appropriate field and use the F1 Help key to
recall data in these files.
After editing, B&B SALELEAD will detect if you changed any data,
and will ask if you wish to proceed, and save your changes.
BROWSE Screen - Delete
----------------------
'D' will prompt you to either Delete the record, or if already
marked for deletion, Recall it from deletion status. Whenever a
screen is "re-painted" on the monitor, records marked for deletion
are marked with an asterisk (*). Records are NOT permanently
removed until housekeeping from the Maintenance Menu is completed.
BROWSE Screen - Arrows, PgUp/Dn
-------------------------------
The 'up/down' arrow keys will select records vertically, and the
left/right arrow keys will pan the different fields so that you
can review all fields in up to 21 records at one time. 'PgUp/Dn'
and the 'Home/End' keys will list a new page of records, or go
directly to the top or bottom of the file.
BROWSE Screen L - Quick Label
------------------------------
'L' produces a single label, postcard or envelope using a
standard name/address/city,state format. You will be prompted
for the rows/columns to indent before printing, and the rows to skip
after printing (to force postcards or envelopes to eject, or move to
the next label position). B&B SALELEAD will automatically remove
blank (no data) lines. You can use Control-L to bypass the prompt
and print the label directly.
BROWSE Screen T - Letters
---------------------------
This option access the Flexi-LETTER screen for the selected record.
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 18
BROWSE screen - Peek
--------------------
Allows a quick review of the record data while giving access to
making "extranotes".
BROWSE Screen C - Continue Search
-----------------------------------
If you used the General Search (not by record#), you can
"continue" your search for the NEXT record having your search data
by entering 'C'. If there is a subsequent record with matching
data, that record will now appear on the top of the list.
O - Flexi-Sort
--------------
Changes the sequence of the records in BROWSE list temporarily.
S - Flexi-Select (or Query by Example or Conditional testing)
-------------------------------------------------------------
Entering 'S' will allow you to Flexi-Select certain records so
that you won't need to page down as often, and can concentrate on
seeing just certain records on your list. Please be aware, that
if you are selecting several records in a file of several thousand
records, your screen prompts will be slower because the 'unneeded'
records will still need to be passed.
Every time you select a "Portion" of your file with Flexi-Select,
an 'S' will appear on the bottom-right corner of the screen,
indicating to you that a Flexi-Select is in force. Conversely, a
blank in the bottom right hand corner indicates that you are
looking at the entire file.
For example, if you keep a record of people who have purchased
product from you, as well as just inquiries, one of the ways in
which you can use Select is to view just those records with Sales
greater than zero "Sales>0", or the opposite, "Sales<1". Either
way, you will be presented with just those records meeting the
test.
R - Search\Replace
------------------
Entering 'R' will invoke the Search/Replace function. This
feature is useful when you want to change the values of a field in
multiple records. This is a two step process. Prior to this
step, you should have already used Flexi-Select to choose the
records you want to change (THIS IS IMPORTANT, Otherwise ALL
records in the file will be changed). For example, to change the
address of all 'Jim Smith' records, use 'S' to Flexi-Select JUST
the 'Jim Smith' records (fn='Jim' and ln='Smith'). Verify by
reviewing the list, and then select 'R'. Enter the new address in
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 19
the address field. Important: make sure you've selected all of
the appropriate records FIRST, otherwise you'll change all of the
records in your file to the SAME address. This is a powerful
feature, BUT use carefully.
You can also use this option to "blank" existing data. You can
force a field to be blank (or 0 for numeric fields) by entering
1's in all positions in the field.
You can also use the option to change capitalization in the field.
For example, say you imported a data file that has all characters
in the Last Name field in UPPER CASE. You can convert the data to
Initial upper case (remainder lower case) by entering the word
PROPER in the last name field. The word PROPER will NOT replace
all of your last names, but instead the last names will be
converted to the proper case.
BROWSE SCREEN F6 Function Key
------------------------------
F6 brings up an edit screen for you to enter miscellaneous notes
for a specific record. You can opt to have the current date
entered into the first blank line.
BROWSE SCREEN F7 Function Key
------------------------------
F7 will present you with the record ACTION1 and DATE1 values
for quick editing without needing to enter the normal Edit mode.
You will be prompted for "Y" if you wish to enter a specific
action that was taken on that specific date (Visit, Phoned, etc.)
The values in the other Action/Date fields will automatically
be moved down.
BROWSE SCREEN F8 Function Key
------------------------------
F8 Will move the ACTION1, DATE1 and First, Last names to the
schedule system so that reminders will appear automatically
when using F2.
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 20
LABELS, LETTERS AND REPORTS
---------------------------
------------------------------
| All-In-One Option SCREEN |
------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------
DESC: | This is for info only. Describe label type, sort, etc. here |
----------------------------------------------------------------
----------- SORT ----------- ------------- SELECT ---------------
| | | |
| 'Y ' = display screen | | (See Flexi-Sort) |
| of Flexi-Sorts | | |
| 'N ' = use default | ---------- Nth Sampling ----------
| '# ' = execute this | | |
| sort # directly | | Print every Nth Record |
| | | (Labels only) |
---------------------------- ------------------------------------
------------------------ STARTING POINT --------------------------
| |
| Start at specific record number, or last name |
| |
------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------- OUTPUT ------------------------------
| |
| Send to Screen, Printer, or a Disk File |
| |
------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------- FORMAT ------------------------------
| |
| (See Flexi-Sort, except 'N ' which executes a dBASEIII file) |
| |
------------------------------------------------------------------
As you can see, the ALL-IN-ONE Setup screen contains all of the
sorting and record selection and output selections needed to
produce one-key production (once you've defined each value,
<Enter> will be all you need) of labels, letters or reports.
There are 10 ALL-IN-ONE screens that can contain different
mixtures of sorts, and selection criteria. Screen #2 may have the
same sort and selection criteria as screen #1 except, maybe in #2
you defined the output device to be the screen instead of the
printer.
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 21
CHANGING SORTS, SELECTIONS, or FORMATS
--------------------------------------
To begin, the typical choice is "E" to edit. You would then use
<Enter> to proceed to the box you want to change, and then insert
any value. Most of the information is obvious, such as a
description (which you can use to help you remember that this all-
in-one screen is for the "monthly mailing to zookeepers", etc.)
For the Flexi-SORT, SELECT, or FORMAT options, you can enter
various values.
Say you wanted to change, or add a sort. Use your <Enter> key to
go to the Flexi-SORT box. Enter " Y". Then use your <Enter> key
to pass through the other selections until the cursor appears at
the top again as it was prior to editing.
Entering " Y" forces B&B to access sorts definitions that have
been defined previously, in case you want to select a different
one, or add a new one.
Now, with the cursor at the top, <Enter> or Return to tell B&B
that you accept all of the values on the boxes, and want to
proceed. When Flexi-SORT or Flexi-SELECT encounters a "Y", a list
of up to 20 of the previous definitions will appear. Use your
arrow keys to select one, or "A" to add a new one. To recap, from
the All-In-One screen, you can enter "Y" to select or add a new
definition, or an "N" to accept the default, or "1-20" for the
specific definition desired.
When it comes to the FORMAT, you will also see up to 20
definitions for REPORTS. But for LABELS (and in B&B Salelead,
LETTERS), you will not see a list of 20 selections, but instead,
you will see screen #1 up to 10 different Flexi-LABEL/LETTER
screens, or screen #2 of 10. If you defined LABEL screen #1
to print labels 4-across, and now want 2-across labels, you can
enter #2 to access screen number 2 directly and define screen #2
labels to be 2-across.
To recap, for REPORTS, you can enter "Y", #1-20, or "N" (N accepts
default values in Flexi-SORT and SELECT, but in REPORT, it will
bring up the a listing of .LBL or .FRM, label and report type
dBaseIII type files you can run). For LABELS or LETTERS, you can
enter "Y" to select a new screen, or #1-10 to access that LABEL or
LETTER screen # directly.
F1 key will help you if you want help in the All-In-One screen.
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 22
FLEXI-SORT
----------
If you entered 'Y' (Add or Review existing sort definitions), you
will be presented with a list of all previously defined options to
select from, or add to.
----------------- FLEXI-SORT Screen ------------------
| |
| (Up to 20 different sorts displayed here) |
| |
| |
| You can use the arrow keys to hi-light one of |
| the 20 options and either 'D'elete the option |
| (except line #1) or <ENTER> to select/run it. |
| |
| |
| Entering 'A' will present a list of all fields |
| of data. Select your fields, and this sele- |
| ction will be added to the list of options that |
| will be redisplayed. |
| |
| You can 'E'dit directly, but it is recommended |
| that you delete, then re-add. |
| |
------------------------------------------------------
If, for example, you selected [A]dd, and picked three fields
S+Z+LN (State, plus Zip, plus Last Name), S+Z+LN will be added to
the list of 20. If you highlight this option and <Enter>, you
will sort the file Last Name sorted WITHIN Zip Code sorted WITHIN
State - Major to Minor Sort order.
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 23
FLEXI-SELECT
------------
Similar to Flexi-Sort, 'Y ' displays Flexi-Select options where
you can add or review up to 20 definitions. 'N ' bypasses the
screen, and a numeric value (1-20) executes that selection
directly.
Flexi-Select is a process called "Query by Example", or
conditional testing. This is simply saying that you go into the
file and select records based on a condition, or test, supplied by
you, like last name='SMI'. You query (or look into the file) by
using an example of what you're looking for. Its really quite
simple.
If you entered "Y", you will be presented with a screen of 20
Flexi-SELECTS, just like Flexi-SORT. When [A]dding a Flexi-
Selection, Step 1 is just like Flexi-SORT, and involves picking
one of the fields in the data file (in our example, the LAST NAME
field). Step 2 is to select an operator (in our example, EQUAL
TO). In Step 3, select a value to be tested for (in our example,
SMI). Lastly, pick a connector, like AND/OR to link more
selections or tests, or QUIT to end your selections.
Examples: Last Name='SMI'
Last Name='SMI' .OR. Last Name='JONE'
Last Name='SMI' .AND. Zip<>'666', etc.
The 'E'dit feature in Flexi-Select allows you to be more precise
in the selection of your records. The reason for this is that the
use of parentheses allows better Boolean logic. B&B SALELEAD will
not automatically insert these parentheses because it really can't
determine the placement of parentheses in a multitude of .AND. or
.OR. statements. For example, the following two expressions will
select different records simply because of careful placement of
parentheses. This is BOOLEAN logic and it basically goes like
this: Line #1 will select all records having a Last name equaling
'SMI' and not having a zip code starting with '666'. After that
test has BEEN MET, other records whose Last name may NOT be 'SMI'
will be selected as long as the zip is not equal to '555'. Line
#2 will select just the records having a Last name equaling 'SMI',
and once that test has BEEN MET, THAT record cannot have a zip
code of '555' or '666'.
Last Name='SMI' .AND. Zip<>'666' .OR. Zip<>'555'
Last Name='SMI' .AND. (Zip<>'666' .OR. Zip<>'555')
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 24
Nth SAMPLING - labels only
--------------------------
If you wish to "Test" your mailing list by mailing only to a
portion of list, Nth sampling is a good choice. Enter 10 if you
wish to print every 10th record (skipping 9 records).
STARTING POINT
--------------
You would normally print your records beginning from the top of
your file. But you can start printing after skipping a certain
number of records, or skipping to a specific last name in the
file. You may have had your print job interrupted (printer jams,
etc.) and wish to resume printing where you had left off. If you
print 5,000 labels, and the printer jams prior to finishing the
job, enter 5,000 in order to skip printing the first 5,000 again.
OUTPUT
------
You can have your output directed to your Monitor Screen, Printer,
or to a Disk file (for manipulation later by other software
systems).
N - FORMAT (Run dBase .FRM or .LBL files)
-----------------------------------------
'N' will allow you to run dBaseIII .LBL or .FRM type files from
DOS. You will see a directory of .FRM or .LBL files, and you can
select one to run. You can use the dBaseIII file samples
provided, modify them, or create your own. If you have dBaseIII,
at the dot prompt, enter '.MODIFY REPORT(LABEL) oldfile' to modify
the file. Or use the '.CREATE LABEL(REPORT) newfile' command to
make your own.
You'll need dBase to create new report/label files or modify those
provided with B&B Systems. You may want to add a field, or replace
fields. You can use dBaseIII to permanently change these files to
print the fields you want. If you are not confident about
proceeding, you can take steps to assure that you can restore your
*.frm files to their original condition. If you decide to modify
general.frm, just use the DOS COPY command to COPY general.frm to
genback.frm. If you make a mistake, you can always use the DOS
REN Command to rename genback.frm back to its original name.
To add or make changes to an existing (.frm) Report or (.lbl) Label
file, open dBaseIII to get the 'dot' prompt. Issue the commands:
.USE <name of main system .dbf file>
.MODIFY REPORT [filename] or .MODIFY LABEL [filename]
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 25
See your dBaseIII Manual for more information.
The sample .FRM reports usually need to be printed in condensed
mode in order to fit properly on the page because they are defined
to be wider that 80 columns. Also, for most of the reports,
REP.FRM, you may need to pick a FLEXI-Sort option, such as sort by
Rep/Territory. If you still need a variation unavailable using
the standard reports, select the FLEXI-Report option. Note - you
need to use the Extrnote.frm Report format in order to print
'extra note' Memo notes.
Y, or # - FORMAT (FLEXI-Labels/Letters/Reports)
------------------------------------------------
A number or "Y" will call the Flexi-screens.
The Flexi-LABEL screen is comprised of several questions that
control spacing, margins, etc. and a 20 line layout of what data
is printed on your label.
The Flexi-LETTER screen is comprised of several questions that
control spacing, margins, etc. Unlike the Flexi-Label, you don't
see a layout, but instead the letter layout is based on the .LTR
files created on your word processor.
A Flexi-REPORT is a string of field names you define that are
printed in a report format.
EXAMPLES of FLEXI-REPORTS you can develop:
* You can select the Potential Sales, Expenses fields, etc. for
each Rep, sorted by Sales Rep Code.
* You can sort by potential sales and print the sales.
* You can display information regarding specific Marketing
programs, such as potential sales, etc. by the Source code.
* You can select a period of ACTION1 dates to find Leads who should
soon receive a follow-up letter, and may be worthy of a Lead-in
phone call, or Leads who had recently received letters and
should receive a Follow-up call, or use the letters as Field Call
reminders to take on the road with you.
* You can see the Leads for 'a particular Sales Rep/Territory'
that are getting old or stale (based on sorting by adddate or last
mail/contact date ?).
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 26
FLEXI-LABEL screen
------------------
10 possible label layouts are displayed, one on each page.
PgUp/PgDn to review each label format.
-----------------------------------------------------------
| |
| -------- LABEL CONTENTS ------- |
| | | |
| | | |
| | 20 lines of label data | Set-up |
| | | Questions |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| ------------------------------- |
| |
| |
-----------------------------------------------------------
E - Edit
--------
To set up your label definitions the first time, you will normally
enter 'E' to edit the default values. These values include: a
short description (to help you remember the type of label stock to
use, who normally uses these labels, etc.), set-up questions, and
all 20 lines of the label.
When editing the 20 lines of the label, enter any text, printer
control commands, or data fields.
E - Edit (Text)
---------------
The syntax for text is simple: enclose in single quotes and use
the plus sign to link anything prior to/after the text.
E - Edit (Printer commands)
---------------------------
Printer commands must be in decimal form and entered as:
CHR(decimal code). Link commands with a "+".
The use of PRINTER CONTROL commands can be especially powerful in
your label. You can insert printer codes which "skip ?? lines"
which effectively expands your label to more than 20 lines. You
can use fancy fonts in the printing of name tags. On laser
printers you can print envelopes or postcards by incorporating the
printer code to use the 'landscape' mode (on laser printers, this
means rotating the print direction 90 degrees) at line #1 of your
label format. Set your page length and ejects properly, and you
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 27
can print one envelope at a time.
TIP: If you use a laser printer with envelopes, it applies
toner in a heat process. To avoid partially sealing
your envelopes when printing them, order quality
envelopes that are not heat sensitive. This becomes a
greater problem when humidity is high.
A - ADD Fields
--------------
Although you can enter field names under the Edit mode (if you are
confident about spelling the field names right, and linking fields
with plus signs "+" and identifying spacing with single quotation
marks "'"), it is recommended that you use the [A]dd option. Your
next step is to select the line to be modified (with arrow keys),
then, enter 'A' again to select from the list of field names, F10
when done, or 'D' to Delete, 'I' to Insert a line.
C - Count
---------
'C' will provide a preliminary count of the labels to be produced
BEFORE you start.
Z - Zip Groups report
---------------------
'Z' will take you directly to the ZIPGROUPS report, bypassing
label printing.
Set-up questions - Flexi-Label detail screen
--------------------------------------------
Label stock - Enter the # of labels across on your label stock, 1,
2, 3, 4 or greater across (count # labels left to right across
your label stock).
If the label stock is greater than 1 across, you will be asked for
the amount of SPACES to skip between labels (left to right
spacing). This requires you to know the number of characters
printed per inch for the font style being used (commonly 10
characters, or 12 characters per inch). You may find
experimentation useful here. Since you have vertical control over
spacing between labels, and horizontal control when there is more
than 1 label across the sheet, you have COMPLETE control over how
your labels appear, and you can accommodate ANY type of label
stock.
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 28
Vertical spacing - Enter the number of vertical LINES to skip
between labels. This will depend on the size of your labels
(distance between the bottom to top of each label), the number of
lines printed on each label, and the print style to be used by the
printer. The default is 3 lines between labels because many label
stock types have 1/2" between labels, and printers commonly print
6 lines per inch. (6x.5=3)
Starting Row/Column - Identify where you want the printer to start
printing your first label. The default is row #0 and column #0
(the topmost and leftmost position).
# of copies - Enter the number of sets of labels desired. The
default is 1 copy.
If selecting multiple copies, normally each set of labels start on
a new page. But if you want to make multiple copies of just
several labels, select [N]o so that blank labels are not wasted on
each page. You can also use this option to make your own
company's return labels. Just enter your company data, Flexi-
Select just THAT record number, and if you want 50 labels, enter
50 copies, or use the EXTRA labels function (see below).
Page Length - Use this value to define how many lines are printed
on a page. At 6 lines per inch, the default page length is 66
lines, less a couple lines for margins. This value is used in
conjunction with the next option,
Pause after printing a Page - Handy if you have to insert label
stock manually. If you have continuous fanfold label stock, or if
your printer feeds label stock automatically such as laser
printers, you do not need to pause between pages. If you produce
many labels, we suggest you consider continuous label stock.
Page Eject - If you use continuous form labels, you won't need
ejects. If you have a laser printer with sheet stock, answer
'Yes' to send a page eject after printing a full page (see page
length above).
Full State Name - You can opt to print the State name on each
label instead of the Postal Service abbreviation for states. The
information for state names comes from the states.dbf file.
Extras - You can automatically produce extra labels for a
particular record. In order to do this, you will have needed to
dedicate one of your unused data fields to just this purpose.
Contain a numeric value containing the number of extra labels
desired. You can use any field. Just make sure the field is
dedicated. If you select the Sales Field to indicate how many
EXTRAS to produce, make sure that you don't have a record with
$400 in the Sales Field because you'll end up with 400 labels. If
some of the values translate to a non-numeric value, such as "MB"
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 29
in Code, or "444-555-1111" in business phone, B&B will default to
a quantity of one label.
HINT: to print extras of just one record, say labels for YOUR
COMPANY NAME, you should select that record in Flexi-Select, and
select multiple copies.
If you are not sure how these values will affect your labels,
experiment. You can select a zip code having only about a dozen
records. That way, if you make any errors, you will not waste
much label stock. TIP: Use paper initially to adjust sizing.
LABEL STOCK
-----------
Some printers can utilize labels made especially for copiers,
others require special laser labels. Avoid labels designed for
typewriters. Die Cut labels with the excess removed can peel-off
and jam your printer. Here are some SAMPLE value for several
different type of Label stock. (These values will depend on the
number of lines printed on each label, the type of printer, and
personal alignment preferences. These SAMPLES were based on 6
lines/label):
------ LABEL TYPE (see below) ------
A B C
# ACROSS PAGE 2 3 1
# HORIZ. SPACES 40 29 NA
# VERTIC. SPACES 6 3 3
STARTING ROW 4 0 0
STARTING COLUMN 4 0 0
# COPIES ----- indiv. preference -----------
PAGE LENGTH 64 64 ?
PAUSE AFTER EA PG ----- indiv. prefer/printer type---
EJECT AFTER EA PG ----- printer type ----------------
USE FULL STATE NAME----- indiv. preference -----------
EXTRA LABELS ----- indiv. preference -----------
A= Avery Labels #5163(laser) #5352(copier), 2 across, 10/pg, 2"x4"
B= Avery Labels #5360(copier), 3 across, 21/pg, 1-7/16"x2-13/16"
C= Generic, 1 across continuous fanfold labels, 4"x1-7/16"
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 30
IMPORT / EXPORT
---------------
B&B Systems can READ or WRITE files from/for use by, other sources
(mainframe computer, 1-2-3, word processors, mail-merge, dBase, R-
Base, list vendors, etc.).
Which File?
-----------
Normally, when exporting or importing, you will be using the
default Master Data file. But you can select other .dbf files to
export or import. For example, you can import records into the
Zip.dbf file, used in the F1 (Help) mode when on the zip code
field. If you only enter records for Illinois, you could Import a
file of Illinois Zip/City/State data into your Zip.dbf file. You
would be wasting a lot of Disk Space if you imported all 43,000
USA zip codes. If you expand into Iowa, import Iowa zip codes at
a later date.
TIP:B&B Systems makes available the latest Zip Code data for the
USA, or in separate zip files for each state. If you have a
modem, you can download these files free from B&B System's
bulletin board, P.C. Manager. To import these files into the
Zip.dbf file. Simply select [I]mport from the main menu, select
ZIP.DBF as the import file, select the file type (these zip files
are provided in dBase format) and enter the name of the file to be
imported, such as ZIPNY.DBF.
IMPORT
------
B&B Systems will import these types of files:
ASCII (Comma Delimited or SDF, Standard Data Format)
dBaseIII (.dbf)
Lotus 1-2-3
DIF
SYLK (Multiplan Spreadsheet)
If you purchase data for your System from a vendor, ask if they
will supply the data in one of the formats (such as ASCII comma
delimited) that B&B Systems can Import, and if ASCII, if they will
supply the data in the order (which field comes 1st, 2nd, etc.)
shown in the structure of the .dbf file in the Appendix. If you
want to see an example of how the Import file should appear,
Export a 'TEST' file for review. If importing .DBF type files,
order is not important, but field names should match.
TIP: If you import files regularly, the Add Date, unless you add
it to the import file first, is normally missing. You can use
Search/Replace to enter the Add Date by Flexi-Selecting all
records with a blank Add Date, then Search/Replace with current
date. When adding records in Add Mode, Add Date is assumed to be
today's date.
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 31
EXPORT
------
B&B Systems can export the same type of files listed under Import,
plus, it can produce a Ventura type file that can be used in Desk
Top Publishing. B&B SALELEAD will automatically assign TAGs to
each field.
There are several additional options available before exporting
your file. You will be presented with the FLEXI-SORT option to
allow you to sort your file in a specific order. The FLEXI-SELECT
option will allow you to select only specific records for your
export file.
And lastly, A VERY POWERFUL OPTION. You will be asked if you
would like to change the 1) sequence of your output fields
AND/OR 2) Which fields are included. For example, you may prefer
your file to have the Company Name (CN) in front of the Last Name
(LN). OR, you may not wish to include Sales (SALES) or
Added-to-file-date (ADDDATE) in your export file. This option
may be necessary if the system using this file requires a
certain sequence of fields.
If you select to export an ASCII Comma Delimited field, you can
also opt to select a different delimiter (the character that
separates each field) than a comma. For example, you may use a
software package that needs the '@' character to mark the
beginning and ending of fields.
ASCII type files
----------------
There are two common types of ASCII file formats: COMMA DELIMITED
and SDF(Standard Data Format). ASCII refers to the fact that
ONLY Normal ASCII characters (numbers or letters of the alphabet,
upper or lower case, and a limited number of special codes) appear
in the file. There are no special control or binary codes. In
both types of ASCII files, every record is a separate line, with
records separated by a line feed ASCII(10) and carriage return
ASCII(13). The remaining difference between these two types of
files is how the data appears on each line.
You can test if a file is ASCII by reviewing the file on your
screen. At the DOS prompt, enter C:>TYPE FILENAME.TXT. If every
character is legible (no special characters, unusual spacing, no
beeps from your computer), then it is probably an ASCII file.
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 32
Most other programs, such as Lotus 1-2-3, R-Base, Symphony, and
most MailMerge programs can use, or produce, a file in at least
one of these formats.
COMMA DELIMITED files contain commas to separate fields. Many
Word Processing and Data Base Management software handle this type
of file. Commonly double quotes (") are used to enclose character
type fields. Numeric fields are left alone. Also, numeric fields
do not contain commas to delineate thousands. This transfer
method saves space, and is fine if the number, AND the order of
the fields is the same in the FROM and TO systems.
STANDARD DATA FORMAT files contain fields that start in specific
positions no matter how much data the field actually contains
(common for Spreadsheet programs). Field 1 starts in Column 1 and
field 2 starts in Column 12(?) even if field 1 is blank. This
method is necessary if you need to change the length of fields, OR
add/delete fields because the FROM or TO system have differing
file structures. The reason is: since all data is in columns, you
can use a word processor to shorten/eliminate/add columns.
For example, if you require that the export file ADDRESS be 20
characters long, instead of 25, you need to use your word
processor to DELETE a 'Block' of text 5 columns wide. You will
need to become familiar with 'Blocking' and setting the 'Blocking'
mode to columnar (ie. the text you block will appear to be
vertical columns, and excludes text to the left and right of your
'Blocking' markers). In Wordstar, set this mode with Ctrl-K-N.
If, in the prior example, you need an address 30 characters long,
you would INSERT a 'Block' of blank text 5 characters wide at the
25th position of the address.
COMMA DELIMITED file example
-----------------------------------------------------------------
| Smith, Joe, 123 Main ST, New York, NY, 10000, etc. |
| Jones, William, 666 E St, Elmhurst, IL, 60011, etc. |
-----------------------------------------------------------------
STANDARD DATA FORMAT file example
-----------------------------------------------------------------
| Smith Joe 123 Main ST New York NY 10000,etc. |
| Jones William 666 E St Elmhurst IL 60011,etc. |
-----------------------------------------------------------------
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 33
IMPORT/EXPORT FROM DATA BASES, INCLUDING SQL
Most software packages support the writing and reading of standard
ASCII files, and SQL data bases are no exception. Using Oracle
SQL version 5.1 as an example, ASCII files can be exported, or
written from SQL by using Oracle's SPOOL <filename> command;
issuing SELECT <field names,...> statement; and SPOOL OFF after
writing the file. Don't forget the YYYYMMDD ASCII date format.
To read an ASCII file into SQL, use Oracle's ODL utility. By
writing a copy of B&B's records, then reading them into SQL (and
vice versa), you can transfer data back and forth. If the number
of fields are different on the data bases (ie. you need to 'write'
a home AND business phone number but only have one phone number,
set up a 'blank' field with a length of 1 character. Then when
defining the fields to be written, enter the name for the 'blank'
field wherever you need a field, but don't have one). Also, when
any data is changed, re-index (housekeeping) your B&B records
before using them.
DUPLICATE CHECKING
------------------
B&B SALELEAD offers both SOUNDEX (sound-a-like) and EXACT testing
of records in your file. Exact matching will NOT uncover
differences in spelling. If you have two records, one with a last
name of SCHULTZ, and one with SHULTS (with matching first names
and city names) exact matching will not identify them as
duplicates, although they may be.
Once you've selected the type of matching you prefer, the next
step is to select WHICH FIELDS of data are compared. The default
is first/last and company names. But you can be more specific
based on your needs. For example, if you do not allow two records
with the same address, you can select the address field. The
selection of fields uses any one of the currently defined fields
in a Flexi-Report, or you can define a new Flexi-Report, just for
this duplicate checking process.
If FLEXI-Report #3 defines the fields Address and Misc Code, then
if you select #3, duplicates found for those two fields will be
listed.
You can also opt for B&B SALELEAD to automatically mark all
duplicate records for deletion. But it is suggested that you
print a report of the duplicates BEFORE opting to delete them
automatically. Check the report first for accuracy and then re-
run the process with the automatic deletion feature turned-on. If
there are several records you prefer NOT to delete, note their
record numbers on the report, process the automatic deletions,
then go back and Recall them from deletion status individually in
the Edit mode.
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 34
SAMPLE B&B SALELEAD LETTERS
Records WITHOUT Product/Service Interest codes or FORM Letter option:
+----------------------------------------------------------------+
| ==================== |
| YOUR LETTERHEAD |
| ==================== |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| DATE ) |
| ) |
| NAME )----(The file: BEGIN.LTR contains |
| ADDRESS ) text, data fields to printed, |
| CITY STATE ZIP ) etc. Edit this ASCII file |
| ) with your word processor as |
| ) desired) |
| DEAR : ) |
| |
| |
| Hello, this is our general letter ... <--(GENERAL.LTR |
| file |
| used if all |
| Interest codes |
| are blank) |
| |
| |
| Thank you for your interest ... )------ (ENding ltr |
| ) see sample |
| ) END.LTR file |
| Sincerely, ) and edit as |
| I.M. Manager ) desired) |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
+----------------------------------------------------------------+
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 35
For Sales records with Product/Service Interest codes:
+----------------------------------------------------------------+
| ==================== |
| YOUR LETTERHEAD |
| ==================== |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| DATE ) |
| ) |
| NAME )----(The file: BEGIN.LTR contains |
| ADDRESS ) text, data fields to printed, |
| CITY STATE ZIP ) etc. Edit this ASCII file |
| ) with your word processor as |
| ) desired) |
| DEAR : ) |
| |
| |
| Hello, this is Product Letter #1... )--- (1 to 3 Product |
| letters here, |
| depending on 3 |
| Interest codes |
| on Sales record |
| and existence |
| of .LTR file to |
| match. ? code |
| will look for |
| ?.LTR file) |
| |
| |
| Thank you for your interest ... )------ (ENding ltr |
| ) see sample |
| ) END.LTR file |
| Sincerely, ) and edit as |
| I.M. Manager ) desired) |
| |
| |
+----------------------------------------------------------------+
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 36
For Sales records with FORM LETTER option:
+----------------------------------------------------------------+
| ==================== |
| YOUR LETTERHEAD |
| ==================== |
| |
| |
| |
| DATE ) |
| ) |
| NAME )----(The file: BEGIN.LTR contains |
| ADDRESS ) text, data fields to printed, |
| CITY STATE ZIP ) etc. Edit this ASCII file |
| ) with your word processor as |
| ) desired) |
| DEAR : ) |
| |
| |
| |
| Hello, this is our FORM LETTER ... )--- (define which |
| file to use as |
| your form letter|
| in Flexi-Letter |
| setup screen) |
| |
| |
| Thank you for your interest ... )------ (ENding ltr |
| ) see sample |
| ) END.LTR file |
| Sincerely, ) and edit as |
| I.M. Manager ) desired) |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
+----------------------------------------------------------------+
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 37
COMPOSITION OF B&B SALELEAD LETTERS
-----------------------------------
All B&B SALELEAD Letters share some common characteristics. In
order to produce a successful letter to a Sales Lead, your
Letters must have already been defined. All Letters can be
identified from DOS as .LTR files. The file name is also the
Product/Service Interest code to insert on the Sales Lead record.
In other words, if you expect a letter to be produced properly for
a Sales Lead with an Interest Code of 'PLANE1', then you should
make sure that you have already created a letter file called
'PLANE1.LTR'.
The contents of each letter can vary, but it is recommended that
you use specific product information that distinguishes your
product or service. You may want to include a price list that may
be of interest to your Sales Lead.
If your letters are already prepared, there is a good chance
you'll need to rename them (unless you've already had the
foresight to call the letter describing your Model #1 Airplane,
PLANE1.LTR). Also, remember don't put names and addresses in your
letters. B&B Salelead just wants the TEXT that doesn't change
from record to record, and data field names. B&B Salelead will
add the customer's name, address, and other information in the
letter based on YOUR use of curly brackets {} placed around the
names of data fields. For example, the BEGIN.LTR always prints
first. It has: {date},{fn} and {ln}, etc. in it. Wherever B&B
finds a left curly bracket, it will then look for the
corresponding data in the data files, like fn (first name) and ln
(last name). After printing BEGIN.LTR, which you can modify, the
PLANE1.LTR will print, followed by the END.LTR.
There is no need to memorize all of your product interest or form
letter codes. When you [E]dit or [A]dd Sales Leads, you can
recall your interest codes by pressing F1 on any of the
Product/Interest code fields.
Letters are based either: 1) the Product/Service Interest codes
entered on the Sales Lead record (eg. if the customer wants
information on your Airplanes, Model #1, B&B SALELEAD will print
the file PLANE1.LTR in the letter if you entered 'PLANE1' as the
interest code on the Sales Lead record.), Or, 2) if all codes are
blank, the GENERAL.LTR file will be used automatically, Or, 3) prior
to printing letters you will be asked in the Flexi-Letter 'setup'
screen if you wish to use FORM letters. If you respond yes, any
text in the .LTR file you specify, say FORM.LTR, will be printed
instead of using the interest codes on the sales lead records.
The Product/Service Interest Codes you enter on your Sales Leads
can not only indicate what the potential customer may has already
expressed an interest in, you can also TARGET your prospects for
product ?? that YOU think the prospect would be interested in.
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 38
When printing your letters, B&B Salelead will look for a file
called BEGIN.LTR (or other file defined in Flexi-Letter screen).
Then it will look at either the 3 Product/Interest codes on the
Salelead record OR the FORM.LTR file (if you elected to print a
form letter in the Flexi-Letter screen). If you are not using a
form letter, B&B Salelead will look for the appropriate .LTR files
to match the Product/Interest codes. If the code is PLANE1, it
will look for PLANE1.LTR. Lastly, it will look for the END.LTR
file (or other file defined in the Flexi-Letter screen).
Once all these file are found, your letter is printed.
VARIABLE TEXT - Curly brackets
------------------------------
Your .LTR files contain text that doesn't change from one letter
to the next. Variable text refers to printing actual data from
the data fields in each record, which obviously can vary the
appearance of each letter. You can put Sales $ amounts, or your
Sales Representative's name, etc. anywhere in your letters.
To put variable data in your letters (fields from your data file),
enclose the name of the data field in {} curly brackets.
You can put the names of data fields from 4 different files in your
letters because the SALELEAD, REP, STATES and DISTRIBU.DBF files
are linked during letter printing. You can also use a variable
called {today} which is predefined to print your computer system's
date in the written format, such as: September 3, 1990. Two
additional variables are: {quote} and {qquantity}. {Quote} in
curly brackets will print either the Aquote, Bquote or Cquote
values, depending if the Ainterest, Binterest, or Cinterest letter
is printing at the time. {Qquantity} will do the same for quote
quantities. For other data fields, first review the APPENDIX to
determine which file contains the data you desire. Since you can
access any of four files, it is recommended that you put the NAME
of the FILE in front of the name of the data field (for example,
To print the data field called 'Z' (ZIP CODE) from the SALELEAD.DBF
file, insert the following in your .LTR file: {SALELEAD->z}).
The identifier for the main, SALELEAD file is SALELEAD->, or A->
The identifier for the States file is STATES->,
The identifier for the Rep/Territory file is REP->,
The identifier for the Distributor file is DISTRIBU->.
As an example, the END.LTR contains curly brackets to include
Sales Rep/or Territory Office information in your letters, from
the REP.DBF file. This assumes that you would want each letter
closed with the name of each sales rep. Note: If you want all of
your letters ending with a CONSTANT name or closing, edit the
END.LTR.
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 39
IMPORTANT - Make sure you spell the name of the field properly,
and use the file identifier correctly. If incorrect, an error
WILL OCCUR!!. Also, if the field you want to print is a numeric
field, put a STRing designator around the field name which will
convert the numeric to a character value (for example, to print a
numeric field called: sales, put {STR(sales)} in your .LTR file.
Likewise, DATE TYPE fields also need to be converted to character.
If the field name is: added, put {DTOC(added)} in your .LTR file.
You can also do "Interactive" or "Immediate" tests on the data in
your data fields through the use of an "Immediate IF, or IIF. In
the BEGIN.LTR is an example of the use of an "Immediate IF". An
Immediate IF is comprised of four basic elements. Number One, is
the letters IIF and a set of parentheses, IIF(). Second, within
the parentheses is a test. In the BEGIN.LTR this test is to
determine if the length of the first name is equal to zero
(contains a value), IIF(LEN(fn)=0). The third and fourth elements
is what to print if the test is true, and what to print if the
test isn't. If there is a value, fn and ln (first name and last
name) print. If not, "Purchasing Department" prints. This test
avoids having "DEAR (blank space)" print if the first and last
names were blank. This way, either "Dear John Smith", or "Dear
Purchasing Department" prints.
PRINTER CONTROL - Square brackets []
------------------------------------
You can use square brackets within your .LTR files. The brackets
won't print, but instead when the left bracket is encountered, the
code you insert on this screen (for the left bracket) will be sent
to the printer. If this code controls your printer's UNDERLINE,
OR BOLD print function, then all text that follows the left
bracket will be UNDERLINED, or BOLD. The code you insert for the
right bracket should be the appropriate code to return the print
state to normal (Not RESET). The code should either remove the
UNDERLINE function or should be the NORMAL font setting.
Example: (assuming brackets define the UNDERLINE function)
LTR FILE CONTAINS: Mary had a [little] lamb.
PRINTED RESULT : Mary had a little lamb.
------
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 40
FLEXI-LETTER SCREEN
-------------------
The production of letters follows a few simple guidelines. When
you elect to print letters, you will be presented with default
set-up values, and you will be asked if you want to accept the
default values. The very first time you use B&B SALELEAD, default
values will be pre-defined based on common needs. Thus, when you
print letters for the first time, you may not know whether any of
these values need to be changed. Test these values the first time
by accepting all of them, print several letters, and if the top
margin needs to be 10 lines, instead of 8 lines to fit your
letterhead, just change the value to 10 next time by [E]diting at
the top prompt.
----------------------- -----------------------
| line # TOP MARGIN | | line # TOP MARGIN |
| for Page 1 | | for Pages 2, etc. |
----------------------- -----------------------
---------------------------- ----------------------------------
| Spaces for LEFT MARGIN | | Use a form letter which |
---------------------------- | ignores the interest codes |
----------------------------------
--------------------------------------
| Beginning and Ending letter names |
--------------------------------------
-------------------------------
| BOTTOM MARGIN |
| LETTER PAGE LENGTH before | -------------------------------
| ejecting page | | For two tray printers, |
------------------------------- | send printer codes to use |
| TOP tray for letter pg.1 |
| BOTTOM tray for remaining |
-------------------------------
--------------------------------------
| Include a reference to the local |
| distributor on the letter bottom |
--------------------------------------
------------------------------------------
| Pause printer if BELLRINGER not blank |
------------------------------------------
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 41
TOP MARGIN (Page 1) - This number defines the number of lines that
are skipped before starting with line 1.
Use this number to avoid printing over your
letterhead information.
TOP MARGIN (Pages 2, etc.) - This number defines the number of
lines that are skipped at the top of
every page after page 1. If the top
margin for page 1 is 15 lines because
of your letterhead, you may only want
8 lines skipped at the top when
printing subsequent pages on bond.
LEFT MARGIN - This number defines the number of spaces that are
skipped from the left. Right margin is determined
by each .ltr file.
PAGE LENGTH - This value should be the number of lines to print on
a page and is also, the bottom margin control. If a
blank sheet is printed after the first sheet, you
may be attempting to print more lines per page than
your printer can handle.
TWO TRAY PRINTERS - Ignore this option unless you have a two tray
printer, or have two printers that are
software selectable through a "soft switch"
box. This option will send commands to the
printer(s) that allow you to select
tray/printer #1 containing letterhead for page
#1, and automatically select tray/printer #2
containing bond paper for additional letter
pages.
LOCAL DISTRIBUTOR - If you select this option, and a record is
found (DISTRIBUTOR file must contain a record
having a value matching the DISTRIBUTOR field
on the Sales Lead record), the name and
address of the local distributor will print on
the letter prior to the END.LTR.
NOTE: Remember the END.LTR references
the local Sales Rep so that the letter will
appear to be coming from him/her. You can
repeat this same type of coding in other
places, such as the BEGIN.LTR, or individual
.LTR files.
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 42
BELLRINGER PAUSE - If this option is selected, and data exists in
the Bellringer field in the Sales Lead record,
the printer will pause prior to printing the
next letter, giving you time to act on the
Bellringer message which appears on the screen,
such as "needs Catalog".
FORM LETTER - Normally the letter to be printed is a composite of
up to 3 different ??.LTR files which have the same
name as the 3 different interest codes. For
example, the letter to be printed for Sales Lead:
John Smith, who has interest codes:AA,BB,CC,DD and
EE, will be an accumulation of .LTR files:AA.LTR,
BB.LTR, CC.LTR, DD.LTR and EE.LTR.
BUT, you can select this option and enter the name
of a Form letter file (FORM.LTR?) that will be
printed for each record, regardless of the interest
codes on that record.
BEGIN/END
LETTER NAMES - This option will allow you to select beginning and
closing .LTR files to be used for each letter.
The BEGIN.LTR that is provided with this system
contains Name, Address, City, State, Zip and "Dear
??" default settings. If you wish to change this
layout edit BEGIN.LTR, or make a new one and enter
your new name here. The same rules apply to the
END.LTR which controls "Sincerely yours" settings,
as well as the field names of the first/last names
from the REP files (assuming you want the Sales Rep
name at the bottom of your letters).
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 43
LETTERS - IMPACT ON DISTRIBUTORS and SALES REP/TERRITORIES
-----------------------------------------------------------
In order to make your sales lead letters a complete marketing
package, it is important that you can reference YOUR SALES REPS/or
TERRITORY OFFICES along with, YOUR DISTRIBUTORS on your letters if
desired. Both of these capabilities are optional.
In addition, for follow-up purposes, YOUR SALES REPS/or TERRITORY
OFFICES along with, YOUR DISTRIBUTORS should be made AWARE of
these leads. With version 3.0, after printing letters to your
Sales Leads, you can elect to produce follow-up reports for each
1)SALES REP/OFFICE and/or 2)DISTRIBUTOR.
HOW IS THIS DONE?
-----------------
There is a separate data base file for both DISTRIBUTORS and SALES
REPS/TERRITORIES. These files contain codes that "relate" to
the Distributor and SalesRep/Territory codes on your sales lead
record. These files are accessed during the printing of your
sales lead letters.
REFERENCE DISTRIBUTORS/SALES REPS ON LETTERS
- HOW DO I MAKE THIS WORK?
-------------------------------------------
Review the Pre-Plan section early on in this manual in order to
properly develop your codes.
To include Distributor information on your sales lead letters,
say YES to the Distributor information option on the Flexi-Letter
screen. At the end of each letter (prior to printing END.LTR),
B&B Salelead will look for a letter file called DISTRIBU.LTR. The
DISTRIBU.LTR file contains the wording for the heading of the
distributor names section. Once this heading is printed, the
detail (distributor names, addresses) are printed based on the
variable names and other text in the DISTDETA.LTR (Distributor
detail) file. This second file repeats for each distributor name
found.
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 44
SAME LETTER AS EARLIER, BUT WITH DISTRIBUTOR DATA INCLUDED:
+----------------------------------------------------------------+
| ==================== |
| YOUR LETTERHEAD |
| ==================== |
| |
| |
| |
| DATE ) |
| ) |
| NAME )----(The file: BEGIN.LTR contains |
| ADDRESS ) text, data fields to printed, |
| CITY STATE ZIP ) etc. Edit this ASCII file |
| ) with your word processor as |
| ) desired) |
| DEAR : ) |
| |
| |
| |
| Hello, this is our FORM LETTER ... )--- (define which |
| file to use as |
| your form letter|
| in Flexi-Letter |
| setup screen) |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| Contact a Local Distributor: )---- Text from file: |
| ---------------------------- DISTRIBU.LTR |
| |
| Company: ABC Distrib. Contact: Jones )-- from file |
| Address: 123 Main St. Chicago, IL 60001 DISTDETA.LTR |
| etc. |
| etc. |
| |
| |
| Thank you for your interest ... )------ (ENding ltr |
| ) see sample |
| ) END.LTR file |
| Sincerely, ) and edit as |
| I.M. Manager ) desired) |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
+----------------------------------------------------------------+
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 45
PRODUCE DISTRIBUTOR/SALES REP FOLLOW-UP REPORTS
- HOW DO I MAKE THIS WORK?
-----------------------------------------------
You will be prompted to print these reports after printing your
letters. These reports summarize (for each DISTRIBUTOR and SALES
REP/OFFICE) the Sales Lead name, address and phone number
information for the letters just printed. This information can be
used by the Distributor or Sales Rep/Office for 'follow-up' calls,
and is also an indicator of how many leads were 'directed' to
them, and what type of specific interest the customer has.
For example, three Sales Lead Letters are produced as shown below.
Each Sales Lead has the DISTRIBUTOR and SALES REP/TERRITORY code
shown under each letter.
+-----------+ +-----------+ +-----------+
| A.Smith | | B.Jones | | C.Kline |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
+-----------+ +-----------+ +-----------+
Distrib=Acme Co. Distrib=Carter Co. Distrib=Carter Co.
Rep/Terr=BB Rep/Terr=Main Rep/Terr=BB
After printing letters, you can print these LISTINGS of Sales Leads
for your:
DISTRIBUTORS and/or SALES REP/OFFICES
+- ACME Co.--+ +--MAIN OFFICE-+
| A.Smith ..| | B.Jones ... |
| | | |
| +- CARTER Co.-+ | +--- BB REP ----+
| | B.Jones ... | | | A.Smith ... |
| | C.Kline ... | | | C.Kline ... |
| | | | | |
+-----| | +-----| |
| | | |
| | | |
+-------------+ +---------------+
NOTE: In the listings you see above, the Sales Lead data (names,
etc.) can be controlled by you in a file called REPLIST.TXT for
the Listings by Sales Rep/Terr., and in a file called DISTLIST.TXT
for the DISTRIBUTOR listings. Edit with your word processor, and
enclose field names in curly brackets {} just like in your
letters.
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 46
GENERAL.LTR
Printed for sales leads with NO product interest codes. Salelead
will default to print the BEGIN.LTR, GENERAL.LTR and END.LTR letters.
END.LTR
This letter should be kept to 8-10 lines long. If you prefer not
to have a closing for your letters, just Edit your ENDing letter
as having a blank line.
SHORT LETTERS
Because you control the length of your letters through your word
processor, you can, in theory, fit up to three different short
product information letters on one page.
If a sales lead record has three product interests, PLANE1,
PLANE2, PLANE3, all three letters will print on one page if each
is relatively short (make sure there aren't a lot of extra
carriage returns at the end of your letter files. They make look
blank to you, but each carriage return in your letter files will
produce a blank line). Your Beginning and Ending letters should
also be short.
TICKLER LETTERS
Tickler letters can be handled many different ways. Since the
DATE1 and ACTION1 fields are automatically filled-in with the
letter date and (.LTR) file name when a letter is produced, you
can elect to send tickler letters (use Flexi-Select) to any
record having a BLANK ACTION1 field. Or you can use any Flexi-
Selection like: blank ADDDATE, or records with any value in any
field.
If you started printing letters, but only finish half, you could
add a Flexi-select with the same conditions, but exclude those
already receiving a letter by ADDING another condition such as:
DATE1 - not equal - DATE of FIRST LETTER RUN.
If you want to manually control the production of a tickler letter,
you could edit the record and change the DATE1 to the desired future
date, then Enter "TICKLER" in the ACTION1 field.
You can then use Flexi-Select to print letters for all records with
ACTION1='Tickler' and DATE1="today's date", or less than today's
date, etc.
THANK YOU LETTERS
If you want to send Thank You letters, simply use your word
processor to type up a thank you letter (say, THANKS.LTR). Select
Letters [T] from the Main Menu, then [T] again to change your
Flexi-Select to select just those records you wish to send letters
to (eg. sales over $1,000). Select the Form letter option in
Flexi-LETTER, enter the file THANKS.LTR, and all records selected
will then contain the wording from the THANKS.LTR.
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 47
FORM LETTERS
Every time you print letters, you will be given the option to
select the form letter option in the Flexi-Letter set-up screen.
If you select to enter a file name containing a form letter,
letters will contain the wording from the BEGIN.LTR, your form
letter file (FORM.LTR?), then END.LTR (you can define new
begin/end letters also, such as FORMBEG.LTR and FORMEND.LTR).
QUOTE LETTERS
You can quote dollar amounts and quantities for each of the three
interests, by using one of two methods. You can have separate
letters for different quote levels. For example, PLANE1.LTR may
describe Model #1 of your planes, while PLANE1_1.LTR may contain
the same, plus quotes at price level #1, and PLANE1_2.LTR may
contain quotes for price level #2.
You can also use the {quote} and {qquantity} variable names in
your letters which will print the Aquote and Aquantity values when
the letter for Ainterest is printed (see variable text-curly
brackets).
BELLRINGER
The BELLRINGER feature allows you to code Sales Lead Prospects
that may require special attention when you print letters. For
example, if you wish to add a special brochure, add a personal
note, or add extra information along with the letter, you can add
a 10 character BELLRINGER code, such as "addcatalog", or "Wants
prices". When that letter is printed, the computer bell will ring
(you also have the option of having the printer suspend printing
until you press a key from the keyboard in case you wish to take
immediate action, such as pulling it from your printer). If your
computer does not provide bell capability, you can always rely on
the pause option to alert you to special handling.
PAPER STOCK
Letters are printed without pause (unless something has been
entered in the Bellringer field AND the bellringer pause option is
selected). The letters are designed to be produced on printers
which will accommodate fanfold (continuous) paper/letterhead or
printers which will automatically feed your letterhead, such as
laser printers. The envelopes should be standard business size
#10, with windows. We recommend a window envelope system to
eliminate label affixing and matching letters with the right
envelopes. If you cannot find a source for continuous forms or
letterheads, B&B Systems can provide the appropriate fanfold
paper. Just send a sample with any specific ink color or printing
requests, and we will provide you with an economical quote.
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 48
APPEARANCE OF LETTERS
B&B SALELEAD assumes an 11" long letter. At a standard 6 lines
per inch, that allows 66 printed lines per letter. If you find
that your letters overlap onto the next page, maybe you defined a
top margin of 10 lines, used 7 lines for the name/address in the
BEGIN.ltr, printed two Product/Service Interest Letters of 22
lines each, and an 8 line ENding letter totaling 69 out of the
maximum 66 lines.
THE PRINTED RESULT OF LETTERS WILL DEPEND UPON SEVERAL FACTORS:
1. The printer's font width and the number of vertical lines
printed per inch.
2. The top and left margins you select in the letter set-up.
3. Printer type. Some printers, such as laser printers, will only
print 60 lines per 11" sheet because of sheet handling
requirements.
PAUSE/CANCEL PRINTING
---------------------
The system can be forced to PAUSE by entering Ctrl-S. Entering
another Ctrl-S will resume. You can CANCEL many of the output
options with the F10 key (except Import/Export).
ZIPGROUPS Report
----------------
After labels are printed, you will be prompted to select the
ZIPGROUPS report which summarizes the number of pieces in the
mailing on 9, 5 and 3 digit zip code subtotals. This option is
only accurate when the zip code sort is selected. If you've
already printed your labels and want JUST the ZIPGROUPS report,
you can enter 'Z' from the FLEXI-Label screen, or just start
printing labels, F10 to quit immediately, and your zip group prompt
will appear.
You will be prompted for the 'group size' you wish to see. If you
are only concerned with the zip groups having 10 pieces or
more, you can select to print only groups having 10 or more pieces.
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 49
+-------------------------+
| MAINTENANCE MENU |
+-------------------------+
R ... Delete/Undelete groups for records
M ... Maintenance - Remove records marked for deletion
P ... Printer Control Menu
S ... Modify Data Entry screen
N ... Select new main file
O ... Options
Q ... Quit to main menu
R - DELETE or UNDELETE GROUPS OF RECORDS
----------------------------------------
This is a convenient method of marking large groups of records as
having either deleted or undeleted status, instead of doing so
individually in the browse screen. Marking records for deletion
does not permanently remove them. They will be permanently
removed when the file is maintained [M].
You will be provided with the Flexi-Select screen. From this
selection screen you can select field(s) AND enter the values for
each field that you are interested in. Records matching those
values will be selected (For more information, see Flexi-Select)
You will be provided with a listing prior to deletion, giving you
the opportunity to confirm this process of marking/unmarking
records for deletion.
M - MAINTENANCE/HOUSEKEEPING
----------------------------
This option will permanently eliminate all records previously
marked for deletion. Because some records are lost, it also will
make new indexes for your file. This process is commonly called
"packing" because it physically removes records that you have
previously marked as deleted, but still occupy space in the file.
These files are critical for you to see the proper records, or
records in the proper sequence. Use this option to perform
housekeeping if you are getting records misplaced in your sorted
listings, or error messages regarding .ndx files. This option
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 50
will also literally make a new copy of your file, but without any
records that you have previously marked for deletion. This
feature will also delete any EXTRA NOTES that are outdated (those
that have been replaced through editing). These notes are kept in
a separate file called SALELEAD.DBT. This file could decrease in
size, depending on how often you edit your EXTRA NOTES.
P - PRINT CONTROL MENU
----------------------
A Printer control menu is provided to send control characters to
change printer options. The default values are for Epson and
compatible printers, but by entering 'E' you can edit these values
to suit your printer. In order for you to properly edit these
codes, you need to use your printer manual to identify the proper
DECIMAL codes for the desired result, and be sure to maintain the
proper syntax: CHR(your decimal code) plus '+' to link multiple
codes. This menu can be called from the Maintenance menu, and is
not related to the printer codes entered during installation.
There are Custom codes that can be edited for any use.
If you've ever wondered how you can change your printer fonts just
prior to a print job, you can do it with PRINT CONTROL MENU.
Let's say you were just about to print letters, but want to change
your printer style to BOLD. Access this menu, select the bold
option, and your ready to print without leaving your system.
You can use this option to force your printer into various print
modes, including setting up your printer for other systems, in
addition to your B&B systems. Once your printer has received a
Control Code, it remains in effect until the printer is turned
off, or new Codes are sent.
S - MODIFY DATA ENTRY SCREEN PROMPTS
------------------------------------
This option allows you to modify the Field Names that are
displayed while Adding/Editing a record. Not available if quick
screen installation option selected.
N - SELECT A DIFFERENT MAIN FILE
--------------------------------
Select a file other than SALELEAD.dbf (see Pre-Plan use of your
files).
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 51
O - OPTIONS
-----------
With this selection you can change some of the behavior of B&B
SALELEAD. For instance, normally after adding a record, the next
record screen will "clear" the name and address information. B&B
SALELEAD senses that when this critical information is missing,
and will exit from the Add Mode when you PgDn. If you elect to
NOT clear this data for each new add screen, (ie. you are entering
"RESIDENT" for names and don't want to retype "RESIDENT" each
time), remember that in order to exit the Add Mode, put blanks in
the name/address info.
Also, similar name and address data may lead to frequent
"duplicate record" warnings, and you can elect to NOT check for
duplicates.
Enter the # of lines that you wish to reserve for the EXTRA NOTES
feature (Extra Notes store TEXT comments for a particular record).
The built-in word processor will default to 50 lines (80
characters wide).
Enter the printer port used for your printer.
There is also a prompt for the Flexi-Label format to be used for
the Quick Label function in the Browse Screen [This option is
presently not used].
If you have not selected the "quick screen" option during
installation, you can validate data entry for each 'Help' data
file such as states, zip, or misc code #1. You have two ways to
validate proper data entry. You can elect to VALIDATE the value
that is entered. If this option is turned on, if a zip is entered
and not found in the zip file, a warning will appear on the
screen. You can also request a screen warning for fields where no
BLANK data is allowed. You can have a field verified for VALID
data and/or BLANK data.
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 52
-----------------
TESTING MAILINGS
-----------------
If you want to keep your vendor or purchased lists as separate
test files, copy your B&B master files (empty) to a temporary
'test' directory and load the vendor list (Import). Or, use your
word processor to edit the import ASCII file, insert a 'TM' (or
some other marker) in the Misc. Code location in the file.
Import, and then use Flexi-Select to select only Misc. Code='TM'
records to test your mailing.
You can test the probable results of your mailings using Nth
sampling technique. Use of the Nth sampling technique, such as
mailing to every 100th record, is most useful when additional
information is known in addition to zip codes. Information such as
age, or earnings level are invaluable.
Measure the response to the test mailings. If you notice the
response is only 2% overall, but 5% from a 40-50 year old age
group in all Zips starting with 631xx, focus your mailing.
Produce labels from your file for records with a Misc. Codes=40
(Misc. Code used as age indicator) and Zip codes=631. Results of
tests from a sample, as long as the sample is reasonably large
enough to be representative, can normally be applied to the whole file.
If you are not sure how many to include in your sample mailing,
there are several approaches which will probably give you better
results than just guessing. Each method gets progressively more
complicated, but the results become more predictable and measurable.
It should be obvious that the larger number in the sample, the
more reliable the results. But sampling is meant to give you an
idea of the effectiveness of your list before you invest all the
dollars on postage/printing for the entire list.
Method #1 - Simple Nth Sampling
================================================================
If you decide to send a test mailing to every 10th record on your
file, you would select 10 for your Nth value. But if your file
size is small, a test of one tenth of a file size of 1,000 would
only produce 100 test mailings, probably not large enough to
provide reliable test results.
Whereas a file size of 500,000 records would produce a test of
50,000 pieces. This size is probably unnecessarily large to
provide a measure of effectiveness. Use discretion. Depending on
your selection, the Return Rate of the test mailing may not be
representative of the total file.
If the sample size were 1,477, and the total number of records in
the file was 15,000, use Nth sampling to select every 10th record
(15,000/1,477).
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 53
Method #2 - Break Even Method
================================================================
Step 1 - Calculate the Return Rate that would be required for you
to cover all of your costs, but not provide a profit (Break Even).
For example, if you make $100 profit on each sale, and the
printing/mailing costs are $1 per mailing piece, you would need a
1% return to break even.
Step 2 - Assume that you need a certain # of returns before the
results would be considered valid. For a small mailing, a return
of 30 pieces may validate the effectiveness of the mailing. A
large file may require 75 returned pieces. We will assume 60
here.
60 returned indicating valid test
Formula for sample size = ---------------------------------------
.01 Return Rate
= 6,000
Method #3 - Probability
================================================================
Step 1 - Make a 'Best Guess' of the return % you expect. (eg. 4%,
or .04).
Step 2 - Pick an Acceptable Margin of error (eg. plus or minus 1%
would be .01) Do not define a margin of error too fine (say,
.005), because this just forces the sample size to be
geometrically, and maybe unreasonably large.
Step 3 - Desired Confidence level (eg. 'I want to be 95% sure my
sample size is right.'). Use a confidence level that is standard
like, 99%, 95%, 90%, etc. Again, the larger the confidence level,
the larger the sample size will be. Convert the % to the Standard
Deviation (in this case, 1.96). Any book that covers Standard
Deviations will include a bell shaped curve called a normal curve
that illustrates the law of probability (the likelihood of a value
being on/or near the center line, after being repeated many
times.)
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 54
-----------------------------------------------------------------
CALCULATE THE SAMPLE SIZE (uses example figures from above):
.04 x (1 - .04)
Formula to calculate Sample Size = ------------------------
(.01/1.96) x (.01/1.96)
.0384
= ------------------------
(.005102) x (.005102)
= 1,477
AFTER INITIAL MAILING, MARGIN OF ERROR CAN BE CALCULATED (Assumes
Actual Return of 5%):
Formula to verify Margin of Error = 1.96 x square root of:
.05 x (1 - .05)
= ---------------
1,477
= .011
CONCLUSION
----------
Based on the examples shown above, you can be 95% sure that your
mailing list would produce a 5% return, plus or minus 1.1%. Make
sure you are comfortable with the Confidence level selected,
Return Rate, and Margin of Error. The size of the sample will
then take care of itself based on the formulas.
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 55
--------------
BULK MAILINGS
--------------
If you produce enough mailing pieces, you may want to consider
sending your mailings using a discount Postal Service rate.
(Contact US Postal Service for current rates and restrictions.
Recently, the Post Office minimum is 200 for 3rd class or 500 for
1st class. A 500 piece first class mailing could cost $110, while
pre-sorting would cost $90. The savings become larger as the # of
pieces increases.) Since rates and requirements are subject to
change, this section is intended only to help you become familiar
with Postal Service discounts. B&B SALELEAD's sorting and ZipGroups
report provide the 9,5 and 3 digit Zip summaries required.
STEP 1 - Select Rate desired (No mixing)
-------- TYPES ------------- --------- REQUIREMENTS --------
3rd Class Carrier route sort 10 or more pieces per route, 125
per zip.
3rd Class 5/3 digit Zip sort More than 125 pieces for any 5
digit zip.
Residual mail goes at bulk rate,
and does not apply towards 200
minimum.
3rd Class Bulk rate
1st Class Carrier route sort 10 or more pieces per route, 125
per zip.
1st Class 5/3 digit Zip sort
STEP 2 - Bundle w/Rubber Bands Same for all classes
-----------------------------------------------------
Bundle all pieces with the same 5 digit Zip (minimum of 10/bundle,
maximum of about 4" thick). Groups of 10 or more are marked on
ZipGroups report.
After making as many complete 5 digit Zip groups as possible,
consolidate all pieces with the same first 3 digits. These groups
are also marked on ZipGroups report.
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 56
STEP 3 - Put PO stickers on top mailer in each bundle
------------------------------------------------------
The Post Office supplies 'D' stickers (for all 5 Digits match),
'3' stickers (for first 3 Digits match), and 'S' sticker (for all
one state) bundles. These stickers are applied on the top piece
in each bundle.
RESIDUAL MAIL -Remaining pieces should be grouped by State. State
bundles can be given an 'S' sticker. Miscellaneous pieces can be
bundled and given an 'MS' (MIXED STATES) sticker. Residual mail
may not qualify for the discounted rate, and should be sent 1st
class. If you selected one of the 1st class discounts, your
residual mail can count toward the minimum (500 pieces).
STEP 4 - Bag bundles
--------------------
The Postal Service supplies bags to insert your bundled pieces.
The quantity minimums for the number of bundles in each bag is
similar to the number of pieces in each bundle, 10 minimum (except
for the 'residual' bundles at the end).
Step 5 - Complete form RE: # of pieces, bags
--------------------------------------------
Prepare the appropriate Postal Service form
Other discounts
---------------
Additional discounts are available with Zip+4 sorting, but is not
available for carrier route mailings.
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 57
POSTAL SERVICE
--------------
The Postal Service provides the rubber bands for bundling,
stickers for marking the first piece in each bundle, bags, trays,
labels for bags, and forms for detailing the pieces in your
mailing, and net postage.
The easiest way to handle payment of postage is to open an account
for the permit number, pre-pay, say $100, and subsequent mailings
will be deducted from the balance in your account.
The Postal Service provides other services for free, or for a
modest charge. They will correct non-existent addresses, or
update addresses for 'change of addresses' that they may have.
They offer services to update the Zip+4's in your floppy disk
file, if presented to them in ASCII format (SDF or Comma
Delimited).
Most Post Offices will have reference books you can take with you
for the asking.
ANNUAL BULK MAIL PERMIT #
-------------------------
Give your print shop the Bulk Mailing Permit # (obtained from the
Postal Service) so that the printer may include it when printing
your window envelopes. As a low volume alternative, you could
also have a stamp made to 'stamp' each envelope with your permit
#. The current annual fee for a Permit # is $50. But if you
compared a postage rate of $.22 versus a 3rd Class $.125 bulk
rate, you would only need one mailing of about 600 pieces to
recover the cost of the annual fee. After that first mailing,
every additional mailing during the year would provide net
savings. If you have some concerns over the response rate or
effect of a bulk rate mailing, relax. Surprisingly, marketing
surveys dealing with response rates have found that first class
vs. bulk mail postages consistently does not effect mailing
response.
TIP: when you ask the printer to print the Bulk Permit # box on
the envelope, ask that the size of the box be smaller
than a postage stamp, that way you can use your bulk envelopes
for first class mailings also. There is less waste, and no one
can see the permit # underneath the postage stamp.
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 58
SELLING YOUR MAILING LIST/BUYING MAILING LISTS
----------------------------------------------
Should you decide to sell your mailing list, normally it will be
for a one-time use. If you want to take steps that the list is IN
FACT used only once, consider 'planting' names (of relatives,
friends, special PO Boxes, etc.) in the list with mis-spellings
that will identify the person purchasing your list.
There are service bureaus that will assist you in selling your
mailing list. One of them is the Standard Rate and Data Service,
3004 Glenview Rd, Wilmette, Illinois, 60091, 312-441-2277. This
company issues a 'list of mailing lists'. There are about 80,000
lists by Market classification represented. You can register your
list with them at no charge. Just ask for the Editor of the Direct
Mail List Rates & Data, and request a listing form. If you are
interested in purchasing a list, the 'Direct Mail list' is
published 6 times/year, and costs about $269 for six issues, or
$166 for one. This is also a good source for buying lists.
CALENDAR System
---------------
Included with your B&B Systems is a calendar and task scheduling
system. Pressing the Calendar Function key will present you
with a screen of Daily Tasks (not time specific) and a listing
of tasks by time. When you enter A to Add your first record,
You will enter the DATE of the task, then the number of extra
days your task will last (eg. a one week seminar would go 6
extra days beyond the first day). Enter the Time in hundreds
of hours (eg. 100 for 1:00pm, 1000 for 10:00am). Note: Military
time will be accepted.
AM or PM requires an 'A' or 'P'.
Then enter the length of the task in HALF HOURS.
You can then assign a PRIORITY
CODE with can indicate C=Complete, D=Delegated, blank=unfinished).
The Comment data is the task description. After finished, the
system will check for DATE/TIME conflicts, and will display any
conflicting tasks, along with asking you if you wish to re-edit.
Entering the Month mode, and you can review up to 3 tasks for
each day of the month. The Shift mode moves all tasks for a
day to a new day ??days into the future. Look and CodeLook allows
you to search for comments containing a string of data, or a
particular priority code.
You can enter ALARM on the command line when starting your B&B
System if you want to automatically be alerted if there were
any appointments for the day.
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 59
EXTRA NOTES
-----------
Extra Notes is text, or comments associated with each sales lead.
This information is stored in a file called SALELEAD.DBT. It is a
very efficient method of storing notes because the file does not
grow unless information is actually stored there, thus saving you
disk space. In order to utilize this feature, use F6 in the Browse
screen (list of up to 22 records).
You can preface your notes with the current date. For example:
+--- EXTRA NOTES as they could appear after pressing F6 -------+
| |
| 05/05/88 Talked to Bill about trying product XX Fred |
| 07/01/88 Bill promoted. Jim now purchasing VP Showed JIM |
+---------------------------------------------------------------+
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 60
HINT - There is an excellent shareware program called
SEARCH.COM from Arborsoft Systems, Inc., PO Box 4599, Ann Arbor,
Michigan, that can be downloaded from many Bulletin Board Systems.
This program is superior to DOS's PATH because it will find all
related files for a program that is called from a different
directory, regardless of file suffix. If you use Search.com, we
recommend you use the following PATH command: Path=C:\; to make a
path back to the root directory, no matter where you currently
are. Then, put SEARCH.COM on your root directory, and develop a
series of .bat (batch) files on the root that will call your
programs. Using Wordstar as an example, make a batch file called
ws.bat with two lines: "search=c:\ws" (looks to that subdirectory)
and "ws" (runs the program). Make this file with a word processor
in the ASCII or non-document mode, or small files can be written
directly 'to' the console, and thus your disk. To do this, at the
DOS prompt, enter COPY CON WS.BAT, then enter your two lines.
Press the F6 key on the third line. WS.BAT is now on your disk.
Entering WS from any directory will 1. Use the DOS 'path' to go back
to the root, resulting in finding 2. ws.bat, which 3. will run
the 'search' program (already on root) to link the ws directory,
and 4. runs ws.
This allows you to be on any subdirectory, like Mary, or Phil, and
call your word processor, data base manager, spreadsheet, or any
other program. This is an excellent way to keep your working
text, data and worksheet files organized, associated with the
personnel who use them, and separate from the subdirectory
containing the program.
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 61
MARKETING
---------
SUGGESTIONS ON DIFFERENT WAYS OF USING B&B SALELEAD
By taking some time to fully understand and use the other data
collected for each Sales Lead, you can develop a data base that
will allow you to interpret your data in a variety of ways to fit
your needs. You can even use B&B SALELEAD as a sales RESULTS
system, in addition to a sales POTENTIAL system.
You can analyze sales produced by different marketing programs by
reviewing the results in the SOURCE field. For reports, Flexi-
Sort on SOURCE code. Enter 'N' at the format prompt in order to
run the SOURCE.FRM report, or you can enter "Y" and select fields
such as: Actual Sales AND Expenses fields in the Flexi-Report
option.
The SOURCE.FRM report will allow you to calculate sales force
effectiveness. For your promotion ad in the Wall Street
Journal (SOURCE='WS'), look at the subtotals for the WS source
code, subtract sales force Expenses from sales force Total Sales.
Also look at the # of calls, and # of hours and you can compare
the sales efforts with sales results.
IDENTIFY HIGH POTENTIAL LEADS
You can prioritize your Leads. Like to see Leads with the
greatest chance of being sold, the greatest potential dollar sales
amount ? Use Flexi-Sort to sort on: 1) Qualification codes
(S=Sold, H=Hot, W=Warm, or 1-9 indicating 10-90% chance of making
the sale), and then 2) potential sales. Then review which of your
90% probable sales leads provide the greatest potential dollar
sales. If you're using the potential code to indicate % likelihood
of a sale, use 1 digit, not 95% or 97% so that you won't have a
hundred subtotals. B&B Sales wasn't designed to anticipate and
pre-define all of your needs. It was assumed that your needs would
change, and that you should be given the tools to allow your
reporting to change with your needs.
DEVELOPING and PROCESSING SALES LEADS
Here is a example of the Postcard method to develop and process
Sales Leads. This postcard is designed to fit many sales
activities, such as handouts at seminars & expositions, mailing
stuffers, and for recording office or field calls. When ready for
processing, plan ahead by designing the format to follow the add
and edit screens (Easier for everyone to input data). Print it on
standard 3.5 x 5.5 postcard stock, with your company name and
address on the front and it becomes an easy-to-return self mailer
for a Sales Lead. Consider having it printed with Business Reply
Mail pre-paid postage, available from the U.S. Post Office for an
annual fee and a per piece handling fee. (They can still be used
as an office form to record leads, you won't incur postage costs).
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 62
SALES LEAD POSTCARD EXAMPLE
+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| ABC Company |
| |
| |
| Name ___________________________ Title ________________ |
| |
| Company ________________________ Phone ________________ |
| |
| Address _____________________ City ________ ST ___ Zip____ |
| |
| Contact me regarding: |
| [ ] MODEL#1 Airplanes [ ] MODEL#2 Planes |
| [ ] #245 parachutes [ ] etc. |
| |
| |
| Comments:_____________________________________________ |
| _____________________________________________ |
| |
+--------------------------------------------------------------+
(REVERSE SIDE should be self-addressed to ABC Company)
Set up the Product Interest check-off boxes to resemble your
Product/Service Interest Letters. Once returned, you can easily
enter data from these cards.
LAST ACTIVITY - ACTION1,2,3,4 and related DATE1,2,3,4 fields
You can enter activities for each sales call by entering
information in the DATE and ACTION "taken" fields (ie. visit,
phoned, etc.). When producing letters, the DATE1 field is
automatically updated (with the current system date) and the
ACTION1 field is updated with the name of the letter produced
(FORM1, or GENERAL). This updating WILL NOT OCCUR if the
old DATE1 and ACTION1 fields contain the same values as the
new (assumes letter re-print).
Thus you'll know when and what letter you sent a prospect.
Data previously in these fields are automatically "moved down"
into the DATE2-4 and ACTION2-4 fields.
PROMOTIONS
If you have a promotion or a special sale price planned for MODEL
#390 airplanes, you could develop a promotion letter called
390PROMO, then print letters for Sales Leads having an interest
code of PLANE390 (from main menu, or by using Flexi-Select)
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 63
FUTURE SALES CALL PLANNING
You can use the DATE1 field (or any other date you wish to
dedicate to this function) as a reminder tool. Edit the Date
to a future date and insert a note in the ACTION1 field to remind you
of the action you wish to take.
ANALYZE REASONS FOR LOST SALES
Analyze why you lose sales. Use one of the Miscellaneous codes to
assign a reason why a sale was lost (ie. Q=perceived as being
lower in Quality, P=higher in Price, etc.). Then you can later
review the impact of lost sales by using Flexi-Select to select
records with any of these lost sales codes you've used, sort by
this code in Flexi-Sort, and select to print this misc. code plus
the potential sales field in Flexi-Report. The frequency and
impact will be obvious.
HINT - When you require counts from reports that don't
automatically provide them, use the fact that printers commonly
print 6 or 8 lines per inch as an aid in counting. Count the
inches, or number of pages.
SOURCE - Measure Marketing Program Effectiveness
The Source field was developed for tracking the origin of each
Sales Lead. Although initially used to indicated type of media
(ie. NE=Newspapers, RA=Radio) that produced the Lead, you can use
it to pinpoint Leads developed as the result of specific marketing
programs. For example, Promotions for program #1 can be coded
'P1', Program #2, 'P2', etc., Cold Calls 'C1', or Direct Mail
'D1'. The potential combinations are numerous. You can even use
codes that indicate the timing of your promotion, by using month &
year in your code. For example, indicate month with:1 thru 9 and
A,B,C, while 7 or 8 can identify the year (eg. 73=March 1987
8A=October 1988, etc.). Your fall and spring promotions can then
be easily 'picked out'. Note that the year code is used first so
that similar time periods remain together when sorted.
Summarizing sales, expenses and other data could provide an
indicator of where your marketing dollars are being spent, which
ones develop the most Leads (and the ones with the most potential)
and possibly where your marketing dollars should be spent.
ON-LINE REFERENCE
If you have useful product information in your letters, your staff
can 'edit' the letters as an on-line reference tool.
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 64
ADVANTAGE of MAIL MARKETING
In a society such as ours where litigation has become so
prevalent, it is imperative that we represent our products and
services in a fair and honest manner. When using B&B SALELEAD
letters to promote and describe products and services, you can be
assured that the potential customer is getting the message you
want him/her to hear. You will not fall victim to the over-
zealous salesperson who makes a sale based on misleading and
possibly fraudulent information. Over-promising is not the way to
do business. Instead, mail marketing provides consistent
disclosure of relevant information. It's less costly too.
-------------
MISCELLANEOUS
-------------
BACKUP
------
Make BACKUP copies often (at least of your *.dbf files). If you
have many transactions per day, you should backup daily, if not
twice daily. You should also have multiple backup copies so that
you have at least one backup that is less than one day old, one a
week old, one a month old, etc. You can use B&B SALELEAD to
write an ASCII file to a blank floppy in A: using the Export
option.
A function key from the main menu will perform backups of your
key files. The files selected is determined by a file called
Backup.bat. Edit this file with your word processor if you want
to select more/or less files for backup.
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 65
B&B SALELEAD VS. B&B MAIL
-------------------------
B&B SALELEAD is a superset of B&B MAIL that was designed to
consolidate Marketing Information, and to be your letter manager.
If you are looking for options other than affixing labels to
envelopes, B&B SALELEAD was designed to use personalized letters
which fit into window envelopes eliminating matching labels with
letters, allows customized letters, and reduces manpower for
mailings.
NETWORKING VERSION
------------------
B&B networking versions are available. They work on any LAN that
supports standard protocols of DOS versions 3.1 and greater
(ie. Interrupt 21 data locking). B&B network versions are NetBios
compatible, and will support any number of workstations.
Fully compatible with dBase, B&B SALELEAD can run at
the same time as dbIII LAN, share each others files and respect
each others locks. Networks supported:NOVELL;3COM;3+;10NET(v 4.0);
PC-NET;PC-LAN;LANTASTIC (v2.2);BANYAN;INVISIBLE;SIMPLENET(v 3.0).
Note:Let us know if using Novell Spooler earlier then version 2.0.
NetBIOS is not necessary for file/record locking, but is required for
message/task and screen handling.
B&B Systems Network versions support full record and file locking
functions without separate software. If you still require message,
task sending or WHOHASIT() communication functions between
workstations and file servers, you will need the separate LAN
Networker+ software LAN-PAK from Wordtech systems. To Install,
1. COPY networker+ files to file server, 2. RUN laninst.exe, 3.
Specify the LAN.COM residence, 4. Specify LAN.LOG + QUE residence, 5.
Run INSTALL after loading/logging onto LAN Operating System. 6. Use a
.BAT file to Run LAN.COM with options from each workstation.
EXISTING FILE CONVERSION SERVICE
--------------------------------
If you currently have a file of mailing records (from a 'list'
vendor, 1-2-3 files, ASCII files, etc.), but do not know how to
convert them to the proper B&B format/structure (see Appendix), we
can convert this file for you at ten cents per name/record. Send
the file electronically to B&B's electronic Bulletin Board, P.C.
Manager, or send on any floppy disk to B&B Systems. The
approximate time required is 2 weeks.
CUSTOMIZING SERVICE
-------------------
If you wish different fields or would like some other modification
made to your B&B System, we will be happy to discuss the cost
of your desired changes. In many cases, the costs are nominal.
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 66
YELLOW PAGES NAMES/ADDRESSES by ZIP CODE or SIC Code
----------------------------------------------------
B&B Systems can provide you with Company Name, Address, City,
State, Zip, SIC Code data from the Yellow Pages for any ZIP CODE
or STATE or SIC (Standard Industrial Code) that you supply to us.
The costs vary, depending on the quantity desired. Leave a
message on B&B's Bulletin Board, PC MANAGER, requesting a quote.
The completed file can then be mailed to you on a floppy, or made
available to you on the Bulletin Board.
LABELING Machines
-----------------
Machines are available to affix self adhesive labels onto your
mailing pieces. Some manufacturers:Novatec of Gladwyne, PA;
Master Addresser of Minneapolis, MN.
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 67
---------------
TROUBLESHOOTING
---------------
Before calling for technical support, many problems can be
resolved by: 1. Ensuring that you have all of the files listed in
this documentation. 2. Checking your config.sys file for the
proper Buffers and Files statements.
Q. REPORTS DON'T FIT PAGE
A. If your reports don't seem to fit the paper properly, the wrong
printer control codes could have been used. In order to verify
this, double check your printer manual. You can re-install your
system (simply ERASE config.mem from DOS). Or you can edit these codes
in the Maintenance Menu where each of the printer control codes should
appear as a 'CHR( )' with your decimal code in the parentheses.
Q. THERE IS AN ERROR WHENEVER I START-UP MY SALELEAD PROGRAM.
A. Re-read the Installation section of the DOCumentation file,
including any README files. Start-up errors are usually an
indicator of problems with the set-up values in the .MEM files
needed by your B&B system. This can occur when upgrading to newer
versions that may have different start-up values, but the old
config.mem file still remains. To ensure that you get off to a
fresh start, use the DOS ERASE command to erase any files created
upon installation, like CONFIG.MEM - see list of files in
Appendix. Then, re-install
Q. FIRST LETTER BAD, REST O.K.
A. If your text prints low on the first page, but is O.K. on the
rest of the pages, you probably had some data (even blank lines)
in your printer's memory buffer before you started printing. B&B
intentionally does not eject a page (to clear printer) before
beginning printing so that you don't waste a page each time you
print letters. Solution: Make sure your printer buffer is clear
before printing. On some printers, pressing reset will put the
printer into its default draft quality print mode instead of
letter quality. If this is the case, you can ensure the memory
buffer in your printer is clear by resetting, sending the letter
quality commands through B&B SALELEAD, then start your printing.
Q. TEXT ON THE RIGHT SIDE PRINTS OFF THE EDGE OF PAPER.
A. Check your left margin value (it may be too large), and check
the font size being used. If it is Pica (10 characters per inch),
maybe you should use Elite (12 characters per inch).
Q. MY HP LASERJET PRINTER DOESN'T SELECT LOWER TRAY FOR LETTERS.
A. Assuming you entered the proper codes at Installation, try
taking the paper tray selection off the auto-select mode.
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 68
Q. A BLANK PAGE APPEARS AFTER A LETTER PAGE FINISHES.
A. An extra page will eject if you've exceeded the maximum number
of lines that fit on one page, even if the last few are blank.
If you have a .LTR file with extra carriage returns on the bottom,
delete them.
Q. HOW CAN I PRINT MANY COPIES OF JUST ONE LABEL, SAY FOR MY
COMPANY?
A. Make sure you've Added a record containing your company
name/address. In that record, enter a numeric value for the
number of labels desired in an unused field (for this record and
others).
Enter L for Labels. Use Flexi-Select by [E]diting and entering Y
in Flexi-Select. [Enter] to accept your selections, then [A]dd a
new selection: select the RECORD # field, then EQUALS TO, and then
your COMPANY's record RECORD #. Highlight that new selection, and
[Enter].
In Flexi-Label, select an existing label format, or PgDn to select
a new label. [E]dit the EXTRAS code. Enter the name of the field
containing the number of extra copies desired (CODEB, etc.).
Q. MY LABELS ARE NOT PRINTING PROPERLY ON PAGES AFTER THE 1ST?
A. If you are using sheet label stock, such as that used by laser
printers, there are various values that affect positioning of
labels. Make sure your page length is accurate. If you elect to
EJECT after each page (and you should), a new page is
automatically started and the first label position is defined by
your starting row and column values.
Q. I HAVE A LAPTOP THAT IS CONSIDERED TO HAVE A COLOR DISPLAY, BUT
THE FLAT SCREENS DO NOT HAVE THE RESOLUTION I WOULD LIKE. SINCE
SALELEAD SENSES COLOR DISPLAYS, HOW CAN I FORCE MONOCHROME DISPLAY?
A. Since version 3.0, colors are determined by the detection of
color capability. But you can enter 'SALELEAD MONO' at DOS and B&B
SALELEAD will force the use of monochrome screen definitions. Also,
download a program like c2b.com to change the cursor to a "block"
style from B&B Systems to make cursor easier to see on laptops.
Q. I WANT TO DEFINE A SORT USING FLEXI-SORT, HOW DO I?
A. To use Flexi-Sort, Flexi-Select and Flexi-Label/Report, you
use the same method. When you select Labels or Reports from the
main menu, you will be presented with an Options Screen which
contains all of the different options you can select before
producing your labels or reports. If you enter E to edit these
options, you can enter Y, N or an existing sort number in the box
marked Flexi-Sort.
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 69
If you select N, there will be no defined sort (except for the
default). If you enter a number, that number should be a sort
option that is ALREADY defined if you were to look at all of the
Flexi-Sort options. Entering Y will force the display of all of
the previously defined options, and you can select from this list.
Thus, if your option screen indicates that previously you selected
Sort #4, and you wish to change that sort, [E]dit your options,
bring your cursor to the Flexi-Sort box, and enter Y (plus a space
to erase the 4). When you are done defining all of your options,
entering Return will proceed with the Label/Report process and you
will then be presented with a list of existing sort options and
you can choose one, or add/delete another.
Q. HOW DO I ENTER PRINTER CONTROL COMMANDS INTO MY LABEL ?
A. In the Flexi-Label screen, you would normally use [E]dit to
insert the COMMANDS into an existing line (in front of data
already on that line). Or, to add codes to a new line, it is
easiest to enter 'A' as if you were going to add fields, but use
the [I]nsert line option to move the label format lines down.
[E]dit the label, and go to the label line desired, press the
"Ins" key for the Insert mode (so that any existing data on that
line is not overwritten) and enter your Printer codes using this
format: "CHR(your printer's decimal code)". Join additional codes
with a "+".
Q. CAN I PRINT ENVELOPES ?
A. Yes, through two different methods. If you have a laser
printer that can print in landscape mode (printing rotated 90
degrees), insert printer control codes to change to landscape
mode, and enter a start row and column that will start the
printing "low on the page". Landscape codes for the HP LaserJet
are:"CHR(27)+CHR(38)+CHR(108)+CHR(49)+CHR(79)" For other
printers, you'll need to either feed the envelopes, or purchase
envelope stock that comes affixed to continuous fanfold paper.
Q. HOW DO I CONTROL THE # OF FIELDS, OR ORDER OF FIELDS IN THE
BROWSE, ADD or EDIT SCREENS ?
A. THIS CAN BE COMPLEX. (TO CONTROL THE # OF FIELDS, YOU NEED dBASE)
The # of fields is controlled by the salelead.dbf file and a
supporting file called saleflds.dbf. The Order of fields are
controlled only by the file saleflds.dbf. There is another file
called saleflds.txt which is a duplicate of the saleflds.dbf file,
but with one significant difference, it can be edited with your
word processor. So, if you make changes to the saleflds.txt file,
ERASE the file salelead.scn (screen display) and config.mem files,
and the data in salelead.txt will overwrite the data in the
saleflds.dbf file.
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 70
TO CHANGE THE ORDER OF DATA ON EACH PAGE IN THE BROWSE SCREEN:
Use your word processor to edit the saleflds.txt file. The page #
is controlled by the ORDER field which is the 62nd/63rd columns.
If the value in those two columns is 11, that field will appear on
the 11th page of the Browse screens. If the order value (63rd and
64th columns) is 3, that field will be the 3rd field from the left
on page 11. The ORDER field should not contain duplicates and
try to distribute fields on each of the BROWSE LIST pages, (ie. if
the ORDER for field#1 is " 1 1" and for field#2 it is " 2 1" and
for field#3 it is " 3 1", you will have one field displaying on
individual pages; not very efficient). On the other hand, if you
try putting too many fields on one page, and thus have fields with
a combined width greater than 80 characters (ie. ORDER=" 1 1"," 1
2"," 1 3"...," 199") your screen will scroll unusually because it
will try displaying more than 80 characters on one line.
TO CHANGE THE ORDER OF DATA ON THE EDIT and ADD SCREENS:
Use your word processor to edit the saleflds.txt file. The order
of fields (cursor movement) is controlled by order in the .TXT file.
If First Name is followed on line #2 by Last name, then switching
those two lines will reverse the order of the cursor. The
location of the field "description" is controlled by "srow" and
"scol", columns 54-55 and 56-57. The actual data box is
controlled by the "grow/gcol", columns 58-59 and 60-61. The first
value is the row number and should be (3 to 24). The second value
is the column number (0 to 79). Delete the salelead.scn and
config.mem files and re-install.
TO CHANGE THE NUMBER OF FIELDS (add or delete):
If you never use some of the fields, for example, "COUNTRY", you
can eliminate it. You would DELETE the COUNTRY record from
salelead.txt. Then USE salelead.dbf in dBase and MODIFY STRUCTURE.
You then move the cursor over COUNTRY and use CTRL-U to eliminate
it. This will decrease the amount disk space used by your file.
Several things to remember about the saleflds.dbf file. Each
record defines data for ONE field in salelead.dbf. Do not change
the values for the field FIELDNM. If you delete records in
saleflds.dbf, you need to also change the structure of
salelead.dbf. If you change the DESCLN (length of the field
description) and FIELDLN (length of data stored in the field)
from, say 20 characters to 10 characters long, the salelead.dbf
STRUCTURE also should be modified.
You can also Add fields. Insert a new line in saleflds.txt and
fill out the required data (see Appendix). (Caution: do not
INSERT new fields after RECNO() record, always the last record, or
any memo type fields). Then .USE SALELEAD.dbf and MODIFY
STRUCTURE. Position the cursor, and Ctrl-N to insert the new
field.
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 71
Also, If you decide to look at the saleflds file, you'll notice
that the city, state, and country fields FOLLOW zip. That's
because if you use F1 in the zip field, and press [Enter], data is
inserted in those fields in that order. Data fills the fields
following zip, so care must be taken to make sure field lengths
match in salelead.dbf and zip.dbf.
NOTE: if you change the number of fields in saleflds and salelead,
your previously defined FLEXI-Reports, Sorts, or Selects may no
longer work if they reference a field that no longer exists.
Q. WHAT IS THE HDATA FIELD IN SALEFLDS.DBF/TXT?
A. Starting in column 43 is the 11 character H"elp" DATA field.
Position #1 is the Alphabetic letter (A-J) designating the file
"number" as it was opened when starting your system. Letter A will
correspond to the first record in FILES.DBF, and is the first file
opened. These files are always "open". Some files, like Help
files, have an "x" in this position meaning that they are opened
only when F1 is pressed when the cursor is on that field.
Position #2, and #3 are "Y"ES and "N"O indicators to tell the
system whether to check for Valid Entries, or Blank entries
respectively. Position #4 thru 11 is the name of the HELP .dbf
and .ndx file to call when pressing the F1 key. In effect, you
can add your own Help files for any field by supplying a ??.dbf
and ??.ndx file, entering ?? in the 4th position, and putting an
"x" in Position #1.
Q. I HAVE A LARGE FILE AND IT SEEMS THAT FLEXI-LABEL TAKES LONG
TO PRINT LABELS. HOW CAN I INCREASE SPEED?
A. The speed of label printing involves many factors, including:
CPU:8088 XT machines are slowest. 80286/80386 machines are faster.
HARD DRIVE: (Access Time). Some drives are 65 micro seconds,
others are 3 times faster at 18.
HARD DRIVE: (data fragmentation). Over a period of time, data for
your file will be spread in disjointed areas over your disk
requiring longer access times. Use a utility that will optimize
disk space.
BUFFERS: in config.sys file can be increased reducing disk access.
USE RAM DRIVE: Requires loading entire system onto a RAM drive.
USE "N" in FLexi-Label: Run a dBase .LBL file, which is modifiable
if you have dBase. Since Flexi-Label is more complex, it takes
longer.
Q. SOME WINDOWS/PORTIONS OF THE SCREEN ARE TOO LIGHT.
A. If you change between monochrome monitors, or laptops,
erase your .SCN file and reload your system (use MONO in the
command line if appropriate).
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 72
---------------
ERROR MESSAGES
---------------
MESSAGE SOLUTION
=================================================================
ERROR OPENING FILE A file cannot be found. If using
a two floppy system, ensure that
data files are on B:. Check
listing of all files in Appendix
to make sure all of them are on
your directory. Don't change
location of files after
installation. Also, check
config.sys file to ensure 'files'
statement is OK.
I/O ERROR Disk is full. Erase unnecessary
files, incl. *.Bak files.
Delete unneeded records, and Pack
the file. Larger hard disk.
TOO MANY FILES OPEN Make sure your computer was 1)
booted FROM a disk with the right
config.sys file and 2) that the
config.sys file contains the proper
FILES and BUFFERS statements. 3)
try increasing their value, then
re-boot.
4-SYNTAX ERROR IN FILTER Your Flexi-Select is invalid. If
EXPRESSION you edited it, please recheck
placement of parentheses, or
redefine.
10-FILE DOES NOT EXIST (See ERROR OPENING FILE)
13-SYNTAX ERROR/VARIABLE The most common cause of this
UNDEFINED error is because of an old .MEM
file that is missing a new
variable. You can eliminate this
error by erasing one, or all of
the .MEM files. B&B Systems will
build these files automatically
from scratch.
18-INVALID REPORT FORM FILE If you developed your own *.FRM
file make sure you developed it
using DBIII, and it resides on
the same drive as other *.FRM files.
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 73
19-REPORT STACK OVERFLOW A field expression is too complex
in the *.FRM (Report) file.
22-ERROR CREATING FILE Usually incurred when writing a
file and 1) the wrong config.sys
file was used, or 2) there is
insufficient disk space, or 3)
disk is bad. Or, you may have
installed your system on C:\SALELEAD,
then moved it to another directory.
Reinstall by erasing config.mem.
23-ERROR OPENING FILE (See Error Opening file, TOP)
24-ERROR CLOSING FILE Usually due to insufficient disk space.
25-ERROR READING FILE A frequent cause is a corrupted
*.DBF file. If familiar with
repairing *.DBF file structures,
you could attempt repair, or use
your backup file. Also check if
proper config.sys was used.
26-ERROR WRITING FILE Usually due to insufficient disk
space.
27-ERROR POSITIONING IN FILE Usually due to swapping disks
before a file is closed.
30-RECORD OUT OF RANGE Re-Index records (Maintenance Menu)
Check for duplicate .ndx file(s).
31-NOT A DBASEIII DATA BASE *.DBF file may be corrupted.
(See #25).
32-NO SUCH RECORD IN INDEX Re-Index records (Maintenance Menu)
or ERASE .ndx files from DOS. They
will be re-created at start-up.
Check for duplicate .ndx file(s).
33-ILLEGAL KEY You need to do Housekeeping from
Maintenance Menu. A record
in the index file was not
found in the .dbf file. Or, you
can erase the .ndx files, they will
be re-created.
38-INDEX SYNC ERROR (See #33)
39-MAXIMUM NUMBER OF RECORDS Limit of 1 billion records.
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 74
42-PRINTER NOT READY Printer not turned on, or not
connected to proper parallel or
serial port, or (if connected
properly), a DOS command such as
MODE changed configuration.
43-NOT ENOUGH MEMORY Insufficient RAM. Make sure other
RAM resident applications are not
running, ie. Sidekick, etc.. Also,
check to make sure you installed
config.sys FILES/BUFFERS correctly.
57-BINARY FILE NOT FOUND A binary (.bin) type file is not
on the same drive or directory.
58-MEMORY ALLOCATION ERROR Not enough memory to load binary
file. If 640K is available, re-
boot to erase any TSR programs
68-EXPRESSION STACK OVERFLOW There are too many variables in
the expression. Simplify the
number of selections.
HELP. I'M STUCK
----------------
ANY PROGRAM CAN CORRUPT FILES - HOW TO AVOID IT
-----------------------------------------------
If you are running a system and you get into a situation that you'd
like to exit from, some applications allow you to enter the ESC
(Escape) key. In other systems. you may need to wait for the
process to end. If your system allows the use of the ESC key,
and B&B does, use it, the ESC key will not alter or change the files.
BUT, Be patient. Depending on what the system was doing, it may take
1 second or 1 minute. BUT PLEASE, IN ALMOST ALL CASES, AVOID
RE-BOOTING (cold or warm boots). If you re-boot your computer
BEFORE your system finishes the process it is currently working on,
you could corrupt your file(s). The computer may have been READING
data, but does not now know where to WRITE it. THIS IS ONE OF THE
MAJOR CAUSES OF CORRUPTED FILES. This is another good reason for
frequent back-ups.
If you are not sure if your file has become corrupted, print a
report that lists the entire file. If any of the data appears
missing or switched, your file is probably corrupted. If binary,
or strange looking characters appear, your file is corrupted.
If you're not sure, first try Re-Indexing your .NDX files by selecting
REINDEX from the Maintenance Menu, or erasing all .NDX files.
(B&B will re-create them if missing)
Re-run your report, and if that does not fix the 'order' of your data,
run the DOS CHKDSK program with the '/f' (fix lost clusters option),
C:DOS>CHKDSK C:/f. If corruption did occur, DOS will write the
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 75
corrupted data in separate files called FILE0001.CHK, 0002, etc.
Since this data has now been separated from your .dbf or other files,
you should copy your .dbf files from your
backup. If B&B SALELEAD itself does not boot
properly, you may need to copy your system files from back-up also.
HINT: CHKDSK is a good command to insert in your autoexec.bat file,
so that your hard drive is checked every time you turn your
computer on. This takes 10 to 20 seconds longer to boot, but
it will avoid the continued corruption of a fragmented disk.
Backup is such a critical issue, it cannot be overemphasized.
DBASEIII COMPATIBLE
-------------------
Your data base files are dBaseIII compatible. If you have
dBaseIII, you can read or manipulate your files independently of
your B&B System. This is an added feature of using B&B Systems.
Although your data files are based on this DBMS (Data Base
Management System), your B&B System is all you really need,
because all B&B programs are developed for improved speed and
independence from dBaseIII.
Caution - should you decide to make changes to files outside of
the B&B SALELEAD environment (ie. using dBaseIII directly), B&B
SALELEAD may not recognize those changes (because SALELEAD wasn't
in use when you made them) and they may no longer be compatible
with other B&B files. Make a copy of any file before editing it.
----------------------
TECHNICAL INFORMATION
----------------------
Computer : PC-DOS IBM PC, XT, AT or compatible.
DOS : DOS 2.0 or greater (3.1 for networks)
Memory : 640K free (without TSR programs) RAM.
Monitor : Monochrome/Color/EGA supported.
Disk Drive: 1 or 2 floppies (greater than 360) Hard Disk recommended.
Printers : Any Serial or Parallel printer, including Lasers.
dBASEIII COMPATIBLE
-------------------
Your data base files are dBaseIII compatible. If you have
dBaseIII, you can access your files independently of your B&B
SYSTEM program. This is an added feature of using B&B Systems.
Your B&B System is all you really need, because all B&B
Systems are independent from dBaseIII.
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 76
COPY PROTECTION
---------------
Copy protection can involve intricate and complicated schemes,
and we believe overcomplicate operations. Thus, we DO NOT copy
protect BB Systems. All we ask is that you honor your Copyright
and Leasing responsibilities. We encourage copying of the
restricted Shareware versions.
F1- HELP KEY
------------
A help.dbf file is provided. If you get stuck, pressing F1 will
often provide a HELP WINDOW of additional information text from
this .dbf file. (this is modifiable with dBase to allow
customization to suit your needs).
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 77
--------
APPENDIX
--------
The SALELEAD.DBF file contains the following fields:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FIELDS* DESC TYPE LENGTH
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FN Contact First Name Character 15
LN Contact Last Name Character 20
TITLE Title Character 20
FN2 2nd Contact First Name Character 15
LN2 2nd Contact Last Name Character 20
CN Company Name Character 30
AD Address Character 30
ADO Address Overflow Character 30
C City Character 20
S State Character 2
Z Zip Code Character 10
COUNTRY Country Character 15
BP Business Phone Character 18
HP Home/Fax Phone Character 12
SIC Standard Indus. Code Character 5
DUNS Duns number Character 10
AINTEREST Product Interest Code#1 Character 8
BINTEREST Product Interest Code#2 Character 8
CINTEREST Product Interest Code#3 Character 8
AQUOTE $ Quote for Product #1 Numeric 8,2
BQUOTE $ Quote for Product #2 Numeric 8,2
CQUOTE $ Quote for Product #3 Numeric 8,2
AQUOTEQTY Volume required for quote Numeric 8
BQUOTEQTY Volume required for quote Numeric 8
CQUOTEQTY Volume required for quote Numeric 8
DATE1 Date of Last ACTION(1) Date 8
DATE2 Date of 2nd Last ACTION(2) Date 8
DATE3 Date of 3rd Last ACTION(3) Date 8
DATE4 Date of 4th Last ACTION(4) Date 8
ACTION1 Last Action Desc/Letter Character 8
ACTION2 Description/Letter name Character 8
ACTION3 Description/Letter name Character 8
ACTION4 Description/Letter name Character 8
SOURCE Source of Lead Character 2
QUALIFIED Degree of Interest Character 1
POTSALES Potential Sales Numeric 9
SALES Actual Sales Numeric 9,2dec.
SALESDATE Date for above Date 8
EXPENSES Cost of Selling Lead Numeric 7
HOURS Number of Hours spent Numeric 4
CALLS Number of Calls made Numeric 4
ADDDATE Added to File Date 8
REP Salesman/Territory Character 2
DISTRIBU Distributor code Character 4
CODE User definable #1 Character 2
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 78
CODEB User definable #2 Character 2
CODEC User definable #3 Character 2
CODED User definable #4 Character 2
CODEE User definable #5 Character 2
BELLRINGER Note & bell ringer Character 10
COMMISSION Commission paid to Sales RepNumeric 7
EXTRANOTES Extra Notes Memo 10
* Although these field names should not be changed in the file,
you can change the descriptions that appears on the screen.
The INTEREST.DBF file contains the following fields:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FIELDS TYPE LENGTH REMARKS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
NAME Character 8 Product Interest Code
DESC Character 20 Brief description of Code
The REP.DBF file contains the following fields:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FIELDS TYPE LENGTH REMARKS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
REP Character 2 Sales Rep. Terr. Code
REPNAME Character 30 First/Last name Sales Rep
REPTITLE Character 20 Title of Sales Rep
REPPHONE Character 12 Office phone #
REPFAX Character 12 Office FAX phone #
REPOFFICE Character 30 Office Name
REPADDRESS Character 30 Office Address
REPCITY Character 15 Office City
REPSTATE Character 2 Office State
REPZIP Character 10 Office Zip
REPCOUNTRY Character 15 Office Country
The DISTRIBU.DBF file contains the following fields:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FIELDS TYPE LENGTH REMARKS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
CODE Character 4 Distributor code
DESC Character 26 Distributor Name
DISTADDRES Character 26 Address
DISTCITY Character 20 City
DISTSTATE Character 20 State/Country
DISTZIP Character 10 Zip
DISTCONTAC Character 26 Contact Name
DISTPHONE Character 18 Phone number
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 79
The STATES, CODE, CODEB, and ZIP.DBF files contain the
following fields: (In States.dbf, this data is State abbreviation,
and full name; In Zip.dbf it is zip code and city name, plus
two other fields:state abbreviation and country).
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FIELDS DESC TYPE LENGTH
-----------------------------------------------------------------
CODE Code Character 2
DESC Full Descrip. Character 20
The SALEHELP.DBF file contain the following fields:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FIELDS DESC TYPE LENGTH
-----------------------------------------------------------------
TEXT HELP TEXT Character 40
START Start Indicator Character 8
STOP Stop Indicator Logical 1
* You can customize your own help screens by editing this file in dBIII.
The SALEFLDS.DBF file contain the following fields:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FIELDS DESC TYPE LENGTH
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FIELDNM Name in dbf file Character 10
DESC Screen Desc. Character 20
DESCLN Length of above Numeric 2
FIELDLN Length of above Numeric 2
DECIMALS # decimals Numeric 2
FIELDTY .dbf Field type Character 1
PCTR Controls entry Character 5
HDATA Controls help file Character 11
SROW Row for "say" Numeric 2
SCOL Column for "say" Numeric 2
GROW Row for "get" Numeric 2
GCOL Column for "get" Numeric 2
ORDER Page/Order in BrowseCharacter 4
FILES FOR B&B SALELEAD:
SALELEAD.EXE and possibly .ovl, .dbc
SALELEAD.DBT contains Extra Notes text
SALELEAD.DBF Sales Lead data base file
REP.DBF contains assigned Sales Representative codes
DISTRIBU.DBF contains list of distributors
STATES.DBF contains State abbreviations and names
INTEREST.DBF contains codes and descriptions of product codes
WINDOWS.DBF column, row, and colors for some windows (modifiable)
GENERAL.LTR, END.LTR, BEGIN.LTR, FORM.LTR sample .LTR ASCII files
REP.NDX used with Rep.dbf (Indexes provide quick sorts)
DISTRIBU.NDX used with Distribu.dbf
STATES.NDX used with States.dbf
INTEREST.NDX used with Interest.dbf
ZIP.NDX used with CODE (zip) in Zip.dbf
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 80
ZIPCITY.NDX used with DESC (city) in Zip.dbf
LN.NDX used with LAST NAME in Salelead.dbf
Z.NDX used with ZIP code in Salelead.dbf
CODE.NDX used with MISC CODE #1 in Salelead.dbf
CODEB.NDX used with MISC CODE #2 in Salelead.dbf
SALECN.NDX used with COMPANY NAME in Salelead.dbf
SALEDIST.NDX used with DISTRIBU code in Salelead.dbf
SALEREP.NDX used with REP/TERRITORY code in Salelead.dbf
GENERAL.FRM Phone Directory Report (Use any sort, ie. Company)
DATES.FRM Lists last Mail/Contact dates (Sort by any dates)
SIC.FRM Lists companies by SIC (Sort by sic)
ACTION.FRM Lists Last 4 ACTIONS and Dates (Sort by Date1?)
REP.FRM Lists Rep./Sales data (Sort by Rep/Terr)
MISC.FRM used for the Misc. Codes Report. (Sort by Code 1/2)
EXTRNOTE.FRM used to print Extra Notes [text] (Use any sort)
SOURCE.FRM List sales by Source code. (Sort by Source)
SALES.FRM List of Potential/Actual sales (Use any sort)
ERROR.TXT (provides on-screen error message descriptions)
CONFIG.MEM (and CONFIGA.MEM) (files created upon installation).
REPLIST.TXT Controls Sales Lead data on the SalesRep/Terr. lists
DISTLIST.TXT Controls Sales Lead data on the Distributor lists
*.NDX files are Index files used to maintain the proper order of
records. There are several indexes (see Appendix) that are
constantly open and continually maintained. When you select
FLEXI-SORT, and index may need to be created and depending on file
size/computer speed, this could take some time to build the file.
Indexes do NOT need to be created if you select 1) one of the
indexes that are constantly maintained, like Last Name (LN.NDX),
or 2) re-select a sort option that you had selected previously in
the same work session. For example, you selected a Flexi-SORT by
Sales. If you had previously selected that same sort, B&B will
automatically select the same index. But be careful, if you had
added/edited records in the meantime, the index may not be up-to-
date.
SALEFLDS.DBF contains the names of data fields, and other data in
the main .dbf file. FIELDNM is the same name used in the
SALELEAD.DBF field name. DESC is up to you. DESCLN is the length
you want reserved for the description. FIELDLN and FIELDTY should
match the length and type in the SALELEAD.DBF file. Put a '9' in
PCTR if you only want numbers, an 'X' for any character, and 'D'
for Date validation. HDATA should be A if there is no
corresponding 'help' file. SROW,SCOL,GROW,GCOL control the
rows/columns where your description and data box appears on-
screen. ORDER controls the fields position in the BROWSE screen
(Page, then position on page). NOTE:if you change this file
outside of your B&B System (directly with dBase), you need to
erase file SALELEAD.SCN before any screen changes take effect.
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 81
CONFIG.MEM is the installation file. It is created upon first
running the system. It contains values such as your
company name, etc. If you change names, change printers, or run
into unexplainable errors, C:\SALELEAD>ERASE CONFIG.MEM to allow
reinstallation. Other .mem files listed below are created
automatically if not found, and can be deleted if unexplainable
errors are encountered after upgrading.:
SALEALLL.MEM - your ALL-IN-ONE Options screen label definitions
SALEALLR.MEM - your ALL-IN-ONE Options screen report definitions
SALESORT.MEM - your Flexi-Sort definitions
SALESELE.MEM - your Flexi-Select definitions
SALERPT.MEM - your Flexi-Report definitions
SALEFREP.MEM - Your Flexi-Report Printer control definitions
SALEEXIM.MEM - your Import/Export definitions
SALELBL.MEM - your Flexi-Label definitions
PRINTER.MEM - your Printer Control Menu commands
dBaseIII Report (.FRM) and Label (.LBL) files may be included to
allow you to use this method of producing reports and labels.
MEMORY ISSUES:
--------------
If you have a computer with limited memory, B&B Systems can provide
versions that can operate in such systems. First, make sure that
the RAM memory in your computer is not being limited due to TSR
(Terminate and Stay Resident) programs that you load into memory,
but wouldn't normally use with B&B SALELEAD. These low memory
versions are available on B&B System's Electronic Bulletin Board,
P.C. Manager.
Remember, the amount of RAM required is not related to the size
(bytes) of an .EXE file.
EXPANDED MEMORY
---------------
B&B Systems automatically use up to 64K of expanded (version 3.2
or 4.0) memory, if available. If you encounter conflicts, especially
if running Window or Desqview on a 286/386 machine, you can set
the DOS environment to ignore this memory by entering SET QSEMS=0
at DOS prior to running your program. Remember, if you have extended
or expanded memory, you must have loaded your 'driver' in config.sys
in order to utilize this memory.
RAM DISK
--------
Sometimes data is temporarily swapped to disk. You can speed system
operation if you use a ram disk by including "SET QSSWAP=X:" in
your config.sys.
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 82
--------
WARRANTY
--------
DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY AND LIMITED WARRANTY
The Software and accompanying written materials (including
instructions for use) are provided 'As Is' without warranty of
any kind. Further, B&B Systems does not warrant, guarantee, or
make any representations regarding the use, or the results of the
use, of the Software or written materials in terms of
correctness, accuracy, reliability, currentness, or otherwise.
The entire risk as to the results and performance of the Software
is assumed by you. If the Software or written materials are
defective, you, and not B&B Systems or its dealers, distributors,
agents, or employees, assume the entire cost of all necessary
servicing, repair, or correction.
B&B Systems warrants to the original LICENSEE that 1) the disks
on which the SOFTWARE is recorded is free from defects in
materials and workmanship under normal use and service for a
period of ninety (90) days from the date of delivery as evidenced
by a copy of the receipt. Further, B&B Systems hereby limits the
duration of any implied warranty(ies) on the disk to the
respective period stated above. Some states do not allow
limitations on duration of an implied warranty, so the above
limitation may not apply to you.
B&B Systems' entire liability and your exclusive remedy as to the
disk(s) shall be, at B&B Systems' option, either a) return of
the purchase price or b) replacement of the disk(s) that does not
meet B&B Systems' Limited Warranty and which is returned to B&B
Systems with a copy of the receipt. If failure of the disk(s)
has resulted from accident, abuse, or misapplication, B&B Systems
shall have no responsibility to replace the disk(s), or refund
the purchase price. Any replacement disk(s) will be warranted
for the remainder of the original warranty period, or thirty (30)
days, whichever is longer.
THE ABOVE ARE THE ONLY WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESSED
OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES
OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, THAT ARE
MADE BY B&B Systems ON THIS B&B Systems PRODUCT. NO WRITTEN OR
ORAL INFORMATION OR ADVICE GIVEN BY B&B Systems, ITS DEALERS,
DISTRIBUTORS, AGENTS, OR EMPLOYEES SHALL CREATE A WARRANTY OR IN
ANY WAY INCREASE THE SCOPE OF THIS WARRANTY, AND YOU MAY NOT RELY
ON ANY SUCH INFORMATION OR ADVICE. THIS WARRANTY GIVES YOU
SPECIFIC LEGAL RIGHTS. YOU MAY HAVE OTHER RIGHTS, WHICH VARY
FROM STATE TO STATE.
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 83
NEITHER B&B Systems NOR ANYONE ELSE WHO HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN THE
CREATION, PRODUCTION, OR DELIVERY OF THIS PRODUCT SHALL BE LIABLE
FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES
(INCLUDING DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS, BUSINESS
INTERRUPTION, LOSS OF BUSINESS INFORMATION, AND THE LIKE) ARISING
OUT OF THE USE OF OR INABILITY TO USE SUCH PRODUCT EVEN IF B&B
Systems HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
BECAUSE SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF
LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES , THE ABOVE
LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.
The SOFTWARE and documentation is provided with RESTRICTED
RIGHTS. Use, duplication, or disclosure is subject to
restrictions as set forth in subdivision (b)(3)(ii) of the Rights
in Technical Data and Computer Software clause at 252.227-7013.
Contractor/Manufacturer is B&B Systems, P.O.Box 171, Waukesha,
Wisconsin 53187. Should you have any questions about this
Agreement please write to the address above.
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 84
--------
UPGRADES
--------
When upgrades become available, copy all upgrade files that have
'upgrade' in the file name to your C:\>SALELEAD directory. Files such
as the SALELBL.MEM and SALESORT.MEM can also be copied over ONLY
if you DO NOT WANT your EXISTING FLEXI-LABEL or SORT DEFINITIONS.
The most recent versions of B&B Systems programs are always
available on Compuserve (GO IBMAPP), EXECPC, or B&B's own Bulletin
Board, PC MANAGER, (414) 548-9034. [up to 2400 baud, Settings:8/N/1,
8 data bits, No Parity,1 Stop bit]. Our Electronic Bulletin
Board supplies registered owners with the latest versions of
unrestricted B&B Systems without waiting for mailed copies.
Always Search for files starting with 'BB'.
If you have a B&B SALELEAD version prior to 3.0 and are upgrading,
run the utility program CHGLTRS.EXE first! This utility will change
your existing letter files (.DBF) to the new ASCII (.LTR) format.
When upgrading, your new files are named UPGR???? These files
contain the latest file structures. If they are needed, your
existing data is moved into these files, existing files are deleted,
and the upgrade file is renamed. If not needed, upgrade files are
deleted.
UPGRADE.DBF is changed to: SALELEAD.DBF
UPGRSTAT.DBF STATES.DBF
UPGRCODE.DBF CODE.DBF
UPGRCODB.DBF CODEB.DBF
UPGRCUSN.DBF CUSTNO.DBF
UPGRZ.DBF ZIP.DBF
B&B SALELEAD User's Guide 85
-----------------------------------------------------------------
ORDERING INFORMATION
-----------------------------------------------------------------
If Ordering with personal check, please allow at least 2 weeks
for checks to clear. A 5-1/4" floppy disk will be sent to you
unless you specify different media. If you desire, B&B Systems
can provide another alternative which is to register you on the
2400 baud bulletin board (above) which has two advantages:
1. upgrades of unlimited versions become available
immediately, and continuously.
2. If paying by money order, cashier check, or Visa/
Master Charge, you can download your copy immediately
over the phone lines.
To Order electronically, you can call our Bulletin Board, P.C.
Manager, and ACCESS the ORDER system from the Main Menu. You will
be asked for shipping information, and your credit card data. You
can also call 1-414-544-5988 to have a credit card order
processed. If you elect to download your B&B SALELEAD electronically,
your check/credit card will be verified, and in the case of credit
cards, you can be registered (under your first and last name and a
password you define) within 48 hours.
It is recommended that you change your password after accessing
B&B System's bulletin board the first time.
If you ordered from a dealer and want to be eligible for upgrades,
sign on to P.C. Manager, and leave a message that you would like
a security level allowing upgrade downloads, and which dealer you
purchased your system from. Once the purchase has been validated,
your security level will be upgraded.
There is an annual fee for technical support via telephone. Most
questions we have received can be answered by reviewing this
documentation file. Technical questions uploaded through the
bulletin board are answered at no charge.
----------------------------------------------------------
O R D E R F O R M
----------------------------------------------------------
B & B S Y S T E M S
627 Madison P.O. Box 171
Waukesha, Wisconsin 53187
Technical Support: 414-544-5988
DESCRIPTION QUANTITY EACH TOTAL
----------------------------------------------------------
B&B MAIL Label System 1st copy $45.00 $_______
(2-5)_____ 22.50 _______
(6>) _____ 11.25 _______
NETWORK _____ 125.00 _______
B&B SALELEAD Letter and 1st copy $199.00 $_______
Marketing Info. Manager (2-5)_____ 99.50 _______
(6>) _____ 49.75 _______
NETWORK _____ 420.00 _______
FILE CONVERSION SERVICE TO
dBASE FORMAT (# records)= _____ x $ .10 $_______
Shipping and Handling:
___ Sign me up on BBS for immediate downloading - $0
Password desired ____________
___ USPS - $0
___ Express Mail $12 $_______
Wisconsin residents add State Sales Tax $_______
Total: $_______
___ 512K RAM (low memory version) ___ 5-1/4" format OR
___ 640K RAM ___ 3-1/2" format (add $1)
Visa/MC Card Number: _______________________________________
Expiration Date: ________________
Signature: __________________________________________________
Name: _____________________________________________________
Address: ____________________________________________________
(if PO Box, add additional street address)
City: ______________________ State: _____ Zip: __________
Bus. Phone: ________________________________
Current Version # _______________ Date:_________________
dBaseIII is a trademark of Ashton-Tate
Wordstar is a trademark of MicroPro
IBM is a trademark of International Business Machines Incorporated
HP is a reference to the Hewlett Packard Corporation
1-2-3 and Symphony are trademarks of Lotus Corporation
R:Base is a trademark of Microrim
INDEX
=====
ACME, 5, 46
ACTIONS, 81
AD, 62, 78
ADDCATALOG, 48
ADDDATE, 26, 32, 47, 78
ADDED-TO-FILE-DATE, 32
ADHESIVE, 67
ADO, 78
AGE, 53
AINTEREST, 4, 39, 48, 78
AIRPLANE, 38
ALARM, 59
ALLOCATION, 75
ALL-IN-ONE, 13, 15, 21, 22, 82
ALT-A, 14, 16
ALT-D, 16
ALT-E, 16
ALT-L, 16
ALT-P, 16
ALT-R, 16
ALT-Z, 16
APPOINTMENTS, 59
AQUANTITY, 48
AQUOTE, 39, 48, 78
AQUOTEQTY, 78
ARBORSOFT, 61
ASCII, 9, 11, 14, 31, 32, 34, 35, 36, 37, 45, 53, 58, 61, 65, 66, 80,
ASTERISK, 18
AUTOEXEC, 76
AUTO-SELECT, 68
AVERY, 30
BACKUP, 65, 74, 76
BANYAN, 66
BAR, 11
BASKET, 11
BAT, 61, 65, 66, 76
BAUD, 85, 86
BBS, 87
BC, 7
BELLRINGER, 41, 43, 48, 79
BIN, 75
BINARY, 32, 75
BINTEREST, 4, 39, 78
BIRTHDAYS, 16
BLOCK, 33, 69
BOOLEAN, 24
BOOT, 9, 75, 76
BP, 78
BQUOTE, 39, 78
BQUOTEQTY, 78
BRACKET, 38, 40
BROCHURE, 48
BROWSE, 2, 14, 18, 19, 20, 50, 52, 60, 70, 71, 81
BUFFERS, 9, 10, 68, 72, 73, 75
CACHE, 9
CALENDAR, 59
CATALOG, 43
CD, 9, 10
CHGLTRS, 85
CHKDSK, 75, 76
CHR, 27, 51, 68, 70
CINTEREST, 4, 39, 78
CLUSTERS, 75
CN, 11, 32, 78
CODEB, 69, 79, 80, 81, 85
CODELOOK, 59
COLOR, 48, 69, 76
COLUMNAR, 33
COM, 13, 61, 66, 69
COMMA, 31, 32, 33, 58
COMMENT, 59
CONDENSED, 11, 26
CONFIG, 7, 8, 9, 10, 68, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 81, 82
CONFIGA, 7, 8, 81
CONTROL-L, 18
CONVERSION, 66, 87
CORRUPTION, 75, 76
COUNT, 28, 57, 64
CQUOTE, 39, 78
CQUOTEQTY, 78
CTRL-K-N, 33
CTRL-N, 71
CTRL-PGDN, 64
CTRL-PGUP, 16
CTRL-S, 49
CTRL-U, 71
CUSTOMIZATION, 10, 77, 80
DBASE, 2, 10, 13, 15, 25, 31, 66, 70, 71, 72, 77, 81, 87
DBMS, 4, 76
DBT, 10, 11, 51, 60, 80
DECIMAL, 11, 27, 51, 68, 70
DELETE, 18, 23, 28, 33, 34, 50, 51, 69, 70, 71, 73
DELIMITED, 31, 32, 33, 58
DESC, 21, 78, 79, 80, 81
DESCLN, 71, 80, 81
DESQVIEW, 82
DIF, 31
DISTADDRES, 79
DISTCITY, 79
DISTCONTAC, 79
DISTDETA, 44, 45
DISTLIST, 46, 81
DISTPHONE, 79
DISTRIBU, 39, 44, 45, 78, 79, 80, 81
DISTRIBUTOR, 2, 5, 6, 39, 41, 42, 44, 45, 46, 78, 79, 81
DISTSTATE, 79
DISTZIP, 79
DOLLAR, 48, 62
DOS, 5, 7, 9, 10, 11, 16, 17, 25, 32, 38, 61, 66, 68, 69, 74, 75, 76,
DOWNLOAD, 31, 69, 86
DRIVE, 9, 72, 73, 75, 76
DTOC, 40
DUNS, 7, 78
DUPLICATE, 2, 5, 12, 15, 16, 18, 34, 52, 70, 74
EGA, 76
ELITE, 68
ENVELOPE, 18, 28, 48, 58, 70
ENVIRONMENT, 9, 76, 82
EPSON, 11, 51
ERASE, 10, 68, 70, 72, 73, 74, 75, 81, 82
ERRORS, 9, 30, 68, 82
ESC, 75
EXAMPLES, 24, 26, 55
EXCLUDE, 47
EXECPC, 85
EXIT, 52, 75
EXPENSES, 26, 62, 64, 78
EXPORT, 2, 15, 31, 32, 33, 34, 49, 65, 82
EXTENDED, 82
EXTRANOTES, 10, 19, 79
FANFOLD, 29, 30, 48, 70
FAX, 78, 79
FIELDLN, 71, 80, 81
FIELDNM, 71, 80, 81
FIELDTY, 80, 81
FILENAME, 5, 32, 34
FILTER, 73
FLEXI-LABEL, 2, 22, 26, 27, 28, 49, 52, 69, 70, 72, 82, 85
FLEXI-LETTER, 2, 13, 14, 15, 18, 26, 37, 38, 39, 41, 44, 45, 47, 48
FLEXI-REPORT, 6, 26, 34, 62, 64, 82
FLEXI-SCREENS, 26
FLEXI-SELECT, 2, 6, 7, 19, 22, 24, 29, 30, 32, 47, 50, 53, 63, 64, 69,
FLEXI-SORT, 2, 6, 19, 21, 22, 23, 24, 26, 32, 62, 64, 69, 70, 81, 82
FN, 19, 38, 40, 78
FOLLOW-UP, 5, 26, 44, 46
FONT, 11, 28, 40, 49, 68
FRAGMENTED, 76
FRM, 13, 22, 25, 26, 62, 73, 74, 81, 82
GCOL, 71, 80, 81
GENERAL, 13, 14, 19, 25, 35, 38, 47, 63, 80, 81
HANDOUTS, 62
HDATA, 72, 80, 81
HINT, 30, 61, 64, 76
HORIZONTAL, 28
HOUSEKEEPING, 18, 34, 50, 74
HP, 11, 68, 70, 78, 88
IBMAPP, 85
IIF, 40
IMPORT, 2, 7, 15, 31, 32, 34, 49, 53, 82
INCHES, 64
INCUR, 62
INDENT, 18
INITIALS, 5, 14
INPUT, 4, 62
INSTALLATION, 2, 9, 10, 11, 12, 51, 52, 68, 73, 81, 82
INTEREST, 5, 13, 14, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 41, 43, 45, 46, 47, 49, 63,
INTERNATIONAL, 88
INTRODUCTION, 2, 4
KEYBOARD, 14, 48
LABELS, 2, 15, 21, 22, 25, 27, 28, 29, 30, 49, 53, 58, 66, 67, 69, 72,
LANDSCAPE, 27, 70
LANTASTIC, 66
LAN-PAK, 66
LAPTOP, 69
LASERJET, 11, 68, 70
LBL, 22, 25, 72, 82
LETTERHEAD, 6, 11, 35, 36, 37, 41, 42, 45, 48
LICENSE, 2
LIGHT, 72
LN, 11, 19, 23, 32, 38, 40, 78, 81
LOCATE, 17
LOCKS, 66
LOTUS, 31, 33, 88
MAILER, 57, 62
MAILMERGE, 33
MAINTENANCE, 2, 4, 7, 10, 15, 16, 17, 18, 50, 51, 68, 74, 75
MARGIN, 41, 42, 49, 54, 55, 68
MD, 9
MEMO, 10, 26, 71, 79
MEMORY, 8, 9, 10, 68, 75, 76, 82, 87
MENUS, 15
MICROPRO, 88
MICRORIM, 88
MODEM, 31
MONITOR, 18, 25, 76
MONO, 69, 72
MONTHLY, 22
MULTIPLAN, 31
NDX, 9, 16, 17, 50, 72, 74, 75, 80, 81
NETBIOS, 66
NETWORK, 66, 87
NEWSPAPERS, 64
NON-DOCUMENT, 14, 61
NOVATEC, 67
NOVELL, 66
NTH, 2, 15, 21, 25, 53
ON-LINE, 4, 64
OPERATION, 2, 13, 82
ORACLE, 34
OUTPUT, 15, 21, 25, 32, 49
OVERFLOW, 74, 75, 78
OVL, 9, 80
PACK, 16, 73
PACKARD, 88
PARACHUTES, 63
PARALLEL, 75, 76
PARENTHESES, 24, 40, 68, 73
PARITY, 85
PATH, 61
PC-LAN, 66
PC-NET, 66
PEEK, 19
PEEL-OFF, 30
PERSONALIZATION, 60
PGDN, 13, 14, 16, 17, 27, 52, 69
PGUP, 18, 27
PHONE, 26, 30, 34, 46, 63, 78, 79, 81, 86, 87
PICA, 68
PORT, 52, 75
POSTAGE, 53, 58, 62
POSTCARD, 18, 62, 63
POSTSCRIPT, 60
POTENTIAL, 6, 7, 26, 38, 62, 64, 65, 78, 81
POTSALES, 78
PRICES, 48
PRIORITY, 59
PRODUCTION, 21, 41, 47, 84
PROMOTION, 62, 63, 64
PROSPECT, 4, 38, 63
PROTOCOLS, 66
QQUANTITY, 39, 48
QSEMS, 82
QSSWAP, 82
QUALIFIED, 7, 78
QUERY, 2, 19, 24
QUIT, 15, 17, 24, 49, 50
QUOTE, 39, 48, 67, 78
RAM, 9, 10, 72, 75, 76, 82, 87
REBOOTING, 10
RECNO, 71
REGISTRATION, 3
REINDEX, 75
REINSTALL, 74
RELOAD, 72
REMARKS, 60, 79
REMINDERS, 6, 26
REP, 2, 5, 6, 14, 26, 39, 42, 43, 44, 46, 78, 79, 80, 81
REPADDRESS, 79
REPCITY, 79
REPCOUNTRY, 79
REPFAX, 79
REPLIST, 46, 81
REPNAME, 79
REPOFFICE, 79
REPORT, 2, 5, 6, 7, 13, 15, 22, 25, 26, 28, 34, 49, 56, 62, 69, 70, 73,
REPPHONE, 79
REPSTATE, 79
REPTITLE, 79
RESET, 11, 40, 68
REVERSE, 63, 71
RE-BOOT, 10, 73, 75
RE-EDIT, 59
RE-INDEX, 34, 74
RE-PRINT, 63
ROOT, 9, 10, 55, 61
ROW, 29, 30, 69, 70, 71, 80
R-BASE, 31, 33
SALEALLL, 82
SALEALLR, 82
SALECN, 81
SALEDIST, 81
SALEEXIM, 82
SALEFLDS, 17, 70, 71, 72, 80, 81
SALEFREP, 82
SALEHELP, 80
SALELBL, 82, 85
SALEREP, 81
SALERPT, 82
SALESDATE, 78
SAMPLING, 2, 15, 21, 25, 53
SCN, 70, 71, 72, 81
SCOL, 71, 80, 81
SDF, 31, 32, 58
SEARCH, 2, 13, 17, 18, 19, 31, 59, 61, 85
SELF-ADDRESSED, 63
SEMINAR, 59
SERIAL, 75, 76
SERVER, 66
SIC, 7, 67, 78, 81
SIDEKICK, 75
SIMPLENET, 66
SORT, 6, 15, 18, 21, 22, 23, 26, 32, 49, 56, 62, 64, 69, 70, 81, 85
SOUNDEX, 34
SOUND-A-LIKE, 34
SPEED, 72, 76, 81, 82
SPOOLER, 66
SPREADSHEET, 31, 33, 61
SQL, 34
SROW, 71, 80, 81
START-UP, 68, 74
STRING, 26, 40, 59
STRUCTURE, 31, 66, 71
SUBDIRECTORY, 9, 10, 61
SUBTRACT, 62
SUGGESTIONS, 62
SUSPEND, 48
SWITCHING, 71
SYLK, 31
TARGET, 38
TELEPHONE, 6, 86
TERRITORY, 5, 14, 26, 39, 44, 46, 78, 81
TEXT-IN, 14
TEXT-OUT, 14
THANKS, 47
TICKLER, 16, 47
TITLE, 63, 78, 79
TOTALING, 49
TRAY, 11, 41, 42, 68
TROUBLESHOOTING, 2, 68
TSR, 75, 76, 82
TXT, 17, 32, 46, 70, 71, 72, 81
UED, 13
UNDELETE, 50
UNDERLINE, 11, 40
UPDATING, 63
UPGRADE, 85, 86
UPGRCODB, 85
UPGRCODE, 85
UPGRCUSN, 85
UPGRSTAT, 85
UPGRZ, 85
UPLOADED, 86
VALID, 17, 52, 54, 72
VENTURA, 32
WARRANTY, 2, 83
WHOHASIT, 66
WIDTH, 16, 49, 71
WINDOWS, 48, 72, 80
WORKSTATION, 66
YEAR, 16, 53, 58, 59, 64
YYYYMMDD, 34
ZIPCITY, 81
ZIPGROUPS, 28, 49, 56