------------- PowerfulTimes ------------------ \/\/\/\/\/\/ What's Inside \/\/\/\/\/\/ See the Front Page for New PV Training Program Complete Explanation of Newsletter Format on Page Two Introducing "QuicKey" in VT Reports \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ ***** The Front Page ***** PV Has Good News and a New Training Program * * THE GOOD NEWS IS . . . . . . We are extending the Beta Test to July 20th. For Subscribers, extending the Beta Test means more FREE PowerVision. All PowerVision access will remain absolutely free until July 20th when the billing cycle will begin for pre-launch subscribers. On July 20th, all subscribers will start to use the "free" month they earned by signing up before the end of the beta test. Remember that the first two hours of access time for which you would ordinarily be charged $18.95 are free. After those two hours have been used, all subscribers will be charged at $.09 per minute for their access time. For Associates, extending the Beta Test means that you now have until July 20th to offer your prospects the pre-launch incentives of a Free month of PowerVision (first two hours), a free picture scanning for Picture Perfect Personals and Email, and a free Picture Perfect Properties listing. For Subscriber/Associates, you now have two and a half weeks to really get to know PowerVision and to demo and sell it like crazy with absolutely no access charges. * * PowerVision INTRODUCES CERTIFIED TRAINER PROGRAM Another excellent suggestion by one of our associates has resulted in the implementation of a new program. This new "Certified Trainer" program is designed to help us expand knowledge about PowerVision across the country and fairly compensate those individuals helping people from other downlines learn more about PowerVision. Like most of our programs, it is simple to understand and administer. Associates wishing to become a "Certified Trainer" must meet two qualifications. First, they must be a subscriber so that they have access to the latest information about PowerVision. Second, they must become certified by PowerVision. Certification can be achieved by attending a weekend certification program offered periodically by the home office and pass an examination given thereafter regarding product and marketing knowledge. When completed, the certified trainer will be permitted to offer PowerDay training sessions for other PowerVision associates and charge $15 per attendee. All Certified Trainers will be listed at no charge on the PowerVision network and any scheduled training sessions will be listed in the "Meetings" directory. This new program will not only help us spread the word about PowerVision, but will fairly compensate Associates who willingly train new recruits in their area who might belong to other associates' downlines. This is another example of how all of us working together can create a very special opportunity and a win/win situation for everyone. The first Weekend Certification seminar will be held August 22-23 in San Diego. The cost of the seminar, which includes a Saturday night banquet, will be $75. We will also arrange a discounted room rate for Friday and/or Saturday night in the hotel where the seminar is being presented. Full details will be available in next month's newsletter, but you may want to mark your calendar for these dates. ***** Page Two ***** Major Publisher Signs on with PowerVision PowerVision is proud to announce we have recently reached an agreement with a major magazine publishing company to offer versions of their monthly periodicals online. The agreement provides for Compute, Omni, Longevity, and Four Wheeler magazines to offer unique online services in our Premium Services directory. Beginning late this year all the above magazines will be online and offering what promises to be unique and entertaining features that all PowerVision subscribers should find interesting. This agreement also demonstrates our ability to continue to attract strategic alliances with major companies desiring to enhance the distribution of their products, services or information through our advanced technology. In the coming months we will keep you informed about the particulars of these new services and the other alliances currently being negotiated. * * POWERVISION'S NEW ON-LINE NEWSLETTER This is the first issue of the on-line version of the PowerfulTimes. We will continue to "publish" a new issue of the newsletter on-line on the first of each month. The scroll box on the introductory screen will allow you to flip through the various features. Or you can use the NEXT ARTICLE and PREVIOUS ARTICLE buttons on your screen to read through the entire newsletter page by page, just like a paper newsletter. Here's what you'll find in each section: THE FRONT PAGE - One or two articles containing what we consider to be the most important news. PAGE TWO - Several articles that will keep you up to date on new developments and important news for subscribers and associates. VENDOR NEWS - A regular feature written by Phil Bruce, Director of Vendor Relations, that will update you on information services, national vendor and local vendor news. VT REPORTS - Each month Lesa Laird, the head of our Customer Service department, will address subscriber issues and new network developments. MARKETING UPDATES - Associates should look here each month for the latest developments in PowerVision's marketing department written by Leslie Nary, National Marketing Coordinator. POWERVISION SHORTS - This monthly feature contains all the tid bits of information that subscribers and associates need to note or remember. PV ON THE ROAD - A monthly schedule of national PowerVision Opportunity and Training meetings led by representatives from the home office will be published here. (Regularly scheduled seminars led by associates are still listed in the PERSONAL DIRECTORY under Building Your Downline.) MLM ALL-STARS - This feature is our salute to outstanding associates. EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT - Get to know PowerVision's home office staff better as we commend our employees for their important contributions. The best feature of this new on-line newsletter is that it is downloadable. Any subscriber who wants a paper copy for their records can simply download and print. Any associate who wishes to distribute the newsletter to the non-subscribers in their downline may photocopy and do so. Communication - 21st Century style. ***** Vendor News ***** * * FIRST LAST MINUTE CRUISE SPECIAL IS SETTING SAIL ON POWERVISION! * * California Superstar International (CSI) Travel & Cruises is offering PowerVision subscribers their first opportunity to pack a bag and take advantage of a substantial last minute price reduction on a cruise. Right now, two can travel for the price of one for an entire week aboard the Pacific Princess, one of The Love Boats. Want to know where you'll be going? For information, go to the GENERAL DIRECTORY and choose WEEKLY SPECIALS. You'll find complete details in the Cruise section of Last Minute Travel Bargains. Bon Voyage! * * NEW TOOL TO AID IN LOCAL VENDOR AD SALES * * Those of you who have been involved in the enjoyable and very rewarding pursuit of selling local vendor advertising will be glad to know that we are now providing vendors with "proof" copies of their ads and detail screens before they go on-line. All vendors will receive a text printout of the detail screen and/or a grey scale printout of the half-screen ad. These will be accompanied by a letter explaining that the vendor must return the proofs with changes to PowerVision within ten days from the date of the letter for the changes to be made at no charge. After that, there is a $25 fee for changes. * * NATIONAL PRODUCT PROVIDERS GOING ON-LINE * * Over the next ten days you'll discover that the first half dozen or so of what will eventually be an avalanche of "electronic catalog" merchants, will be available to you for on-line shopping and ordering. We hope that you will regularly explore this important section of the PowerVision network to see "what's new", and to take advantage of the many values and savings. As time goes on, you can expect to find everything here from auto parts to zodiac charts. We have about two dozen product providers in the cue now, with more being added all the time. Occasionally, a vendor may request that you order through an 800 number. The reason is that they are not technologically ready to take advantage of all the time and money saving possibilities that PowerVision can offer them. DON'T LET THIS HAPPEN TO YOUR FRIENDS! Make sure they all are ready for the 21st century by getting a computer and, of course, a PowerVision subscription to go with it. Happy Savings! ***** VeeTee Reports ***** WHEN YOU ONLY HAVE TIME FOR A QuicKey We have just made PowerVision even faster and easier to use! Introducing . . . QuicKey, a "short-cut" that will take you directly to the PowerVision service you want to use. You may use QuicKey from any main menu or directory or from the PowerVision welcome screen. Simply, press the HOME key and a blank bar will appear on the screen. The first time you use QuicKey type ALL and a directory of the selections that are currently available will appear. Highlight the service you want to go to and the system will automatically take you to your selection. As you become more proficient and familiar with the QuicKey directory, you can type the name of the section in the blank box without having to use the QuicKey directory. As we add new services, we will continue to add new selections to the QuicKey directory to make it easier and faster for you to enjoy all of the features and benefits of the PowerVision network. ENOUGH MEMORY? Have you been frustrated with being frequently disconnected from PowerVision? Do your screens occasionally freeze when on-line? Is PowerVision running at a snail's pace even with a 9600 Baud modem? Do you know that most PowerVision users do not experience these problems and that your problem may be insufficient RAM. RAM (Random Access Memory) is the space within a computer where information is held while it is being actively worked on. RAM is the memory needed to actually use PowerVision. This is different from the memory in your hard drive which is used to store the PowerVision program when it is not in use. To run PowerVision, you must have at least 540K of available RAM. Note that we say AVAILABLE. If you have memory resident programs like disk-caches and print spoolers or if you have TSR's such as "pop-up" functions like a calendar or calculator or a screen saver, these are using part of your RAM and you may not have enough left to efficiently run PowerVision. To check your available RAM, please follow these simple instructions: 1) Type CHKDSK at the C:\ prompt. Your system will list several lines of numbers and characters. The last number sequence should be in the hundreds of thousands followed by the words "available bytes free". That is your available RAM. 2) If it is under 540K you will need to unload some or all memory resident or TSR programs that you may have. 3) If you still do not have enough available RAM, try booting your computer with your original DOS system disk. Do this by inserting a DOS bootable system disk into the A: drive, and reset your computer. Run the PowerVision Access software as you normally would. If you have questions about the available memory on your computer or anything else about the PowerVision network, please contact Customer Service at 800-547-4727. ***** Marketing Updates ***** * * OVERCOMING COST OBJECTIONS Prodigy has recently given PowerVision associates even more ammunition for overcoming cost objections. As you probably know, Prodigy traditionally has emphasized its flat-rate pricing scheme. This policy ended last year when Prodigy began charging for Email messages if more than 30 are sent in a month. Now, Prodigy is introducing other "value-added" services and charging extra for them. * Prodigy recently introduced a program similar to PowerVision's Government Access Program. On PowerVision, the program is part of Basic Services. On Prodigy, subscribers must pay $2.50 per letter. * Prodigy has also introduced another program featuring downloadable shareware. This service will cost members an addition $14.95 per month for three hours of use and $6.00 per hour thereafter. PowerVision's shareware games and programs are downloaded for free. If you consider the entire picture, our monthly fee of $18.95 that you can offset completely by grocery coupon savings is looking better all the time. * * NEW MARKETING MATERIALS Due to popular demand, several new marketing materials are in the works. We're not ready to tell you about all of them yet, but here's a teaser. A new Local Vendor Flip Chart showing actual ads, detail screens, and listings will be available soon to help you sell those Local Vendor ads. And, an all new trilogy demo disk package combining text and graphics is close to completion. ***** PowerVision Shorts ***** BEST FARES MAGAZINE Please note that BEST FARES magazine is a Premium Service. The magazine is located in the TRAVEL DIRECTORY and has been free during the beta test. However, beginning July 20, subscribers will be charged $3.00 per month to access the service. As with all Premium Services, users will be notified on-line of the additional access charge when entering the service and have the opportunity to exit the program before extra charges begin to accrue. This is a great deal for all of you travelers who would ordinarily pay $5.95 per month for a printed copy of the magazine. WHY CAN'T WE ORDER AIRLINE TICKETS ON-LINE? Some subscribers have asked why they can't book their own flights on-line through PowerVision. When developing PowerVision, we decided not to offer this capability because it would require subscribers to use an airline reservation service. Our technical staff found that such services are so difficult to use and understand that we believe the average subscriber would become frustrated and not want to use the ticket booking service. So we decided instead to find a great travel agency that can do the work for you and will get you the best price available as well as rebates. COMING SOON Financial Service Providers, Local Vendor Detail Screens, the Government Access Program, Picture Perfect Properties, Shareware Games, Local Information Providers and National Product Providers will be on-line soon. SUBSCRIBER FEES Remember that the pre-launch incentive of a FREE MONTH of PowerVision (two hours of access time valued at $18.95) ends July 20. From that day forward, all subscribers will have to include payment for their software ($79 plus state tax) as well as their first month's basic access fee ($18.95 or $20.95 in Hawaii) along with their subscription agreement. LOST YOUR PASSWORD? New passwords will now be issued by mail. Subscribers requesting a new password will be billed $5 to cover administrative costs. In the future, you will have the ability to personalize your password. LOCAL VENDOR LISTINGS LV listings and ads are currently being updated every other week. SPONSOR FEE All sponsors enrolling an associate who is not also enrolling as a subscriber must now include the $5 processing fee with the application or it will not be accepted. ***** PowerVision on the Road ***** Jeff Cohen is scheduled to speak in Southern California at the following meetings in July: * SAN DIEGO Tuesday, July 14 at the Del Mar Hilton. * ORANGE COUNTY Thursday, July 2 in Laguna Niguel. Jeff may be speaking at other regularly scheduled meetings in these areas as well. For complete, up to date information, go to the PERSONAL DIRECTORY and choose BUILDING YOUR DOWNLINE and then SEMINARS. Jeff will also lead POWERDAY CORPORATE TRAINING on July 25 at the Del Mar Hilton. June's training session was a great success with over 40 associates attending. The cost is only $3 for the four hour session. Complete details are in the seminar section. * * * * * * * Jeff is available to present Opportunity seminars anywhere in the United States where he is confident of having an audience of 100 or more. Please contact Leslie Nary, National Marketing Coordinator, at (619) 546-2343 if you are interested in organizing a seminar time and location for Jeff. ***** MLM All-Stars ***** This month's ALL-STARS are being recognized for a variety of achievements. The first, Dave Holm has built the first level of his downline by using non-traditional methods. Dave's 38 front line associates and subscribers are from all over the country and were found primarily by advertising in publications throughout the United States. Bob Trask, on the other hand, has built an exceptional first level of 19 associates and subscribers by using the more traditional approach of personally talking with friends, holding opportunity meetings, and using a personal approach. Each of these two has been successful through their commitment and steady action. A brand new associate, Warren Fameralo, from Irvine has come into PowerVision like a whirlwind and enrolled 6 subscribers in his first week. And, thanks and congratulations to Bill Taylor who has done so much to promote PowerVision in San Diego and now has decided to make PowerVision a full time business. By the way, those associates who have been part of PowerVision for a while, know that we generally recognize the associate who has called or faxed the marketing office to ask the most questions in any given month. Without a doubt, Kevin Patrick in Indianapolis gets this month's award for most questions asked. We have received a phone call from Kevin every day since he enrolled. Thanks Kevin. We know that these phone calls are an indicator of your incredible enthusiasm and appreciate that you keep us on our toes. ***** Employee Spotlight ***** DAN GERVAIS Systems Engineer Not only is Dan Gervais the creative genius "behind the scenes" who has turned the idea of PowerVision into a visual reality but he is also the leader of PowerVision's team of programmers. Dan's background and education prepared him perfectly for his position at PowerVision. A San Diego native, Dan graduated from Gompers Secondary, a magnet school offering a specialized degree that required a focus in Computer Science. He received his B.A. from UCSD with a combined emphasis in Visual Arts and Software Development. Before coming to PowerVision, Dan spent several years designing the system and screens for graphic advertisements placed in Computer Ad Display Kiosks. At PowerVision, Dan has been able to combine his experience and education with his innate problem solving and creative ability to make PowerVision a reality for all of us. Dan and his group have been working 6 or 7 days a week, 10 to 16 hours a day for many months now. When he manages to have some "free" time, he enjoys spiking the volleyball on the beach, flying over trails on his mountain bike, and creating videos. And, ladies, though he's not listed in Picture Perfect Personals, he's 6 foot 8, an absolute sweetheart . . . and single.