Happenings June 28, 2024

    In this issue:

• National Day Spotlight
• Acumatica User Tip
• ISV Addon Spotlight
• IT Services User Tip
• Sales 101
• Events, Blogs, Movies
• Webinars, Community

The purpose of a newsletter is an opportunity for the ASWi team to provide you and the rest of our clients with information on all the new ASWi an Acumatica related things (or “happenings”) that you may not otherwise be aware of.

Please feel free to share this newsletter with any/ all of your team. Pease let me know if anyone on your team who would like to be added to the mailing list for the next issue and removed.

You can always have a look at back issues of Happenings on ASWi’s web- site at: https://aswiblog.wpengine.com/category/customer-newsletters/

“A waffle is like a pancake with a syrup trap.” Mitch Hedberg

Since the 1300’s, the waffle iron usually has had two honeycomb-patterned metal plates hinged together. A person pours the batter between the heated plates and then closes it to bake the waffle.

Celebrate National Waffle Iron Day by:
• Pulling your waffle iron out from the back of the shelf and give it a good workout today.
• Share recipes for your favorite waffles with friends and family.
• Buy that waffle iron you had your eye on that makes waffles in the shape of the Republic of Texas.

About the picture: Innovative Packaging Solutions is an ASWi client, an Acumatica Cloud ERP subscriber, and the provider of packaging for Birch Benders pancake & waffle mix.

Q: What’s the best part of a waffle?
A: The ‘W’. Without it, it’s just awful.

This morning, I made a Belgian waffle.
This afternoon, I plan to make a German uncomfortable.

Q: What do you call a waffle that’s been dropped on a south Californian beach?
A: Sandy Eggo.

Q: Why did the waffles’ baseball team always win?
A: They had the perfect batter.

Q: Why do waffles make good detectives?
A: They always iron out the truth.

Q: What did the waffle star say to the pancake impersonator?
A: You’re imitation of me is very flat.

Q: What did the waffle say to pancake after they had a fight?
A: Sorry for being so crusty earlier.

Q: Why did the waffle join Planet Fitness?
A: To get stacked.

By GreyTrix
In Acumatica ERP, selector field, which allows users to quickly select and input data from predefined lists. However, as the amount of data grows, finding the right information can become challenging. This is where the need for filters comes in.

Here the steps to add filter icons to existing selector fields in Acumatica:
1. Open the Customization Screen (SM204505), click on the Add button, add the project name, click on the Save button, then publish the project.

2. Open the appropriate Acumatica screen, select Inspect Element, click on the field, click on Action, select Project Name, click OK.

3. Open the project, select Replace Original, click Save, then click Convert to Extension.

4. Update the cod to add Filterable = true, then publish the project.

Please let our Customer Success Manager Keith Wood know by emailing him at keithw@aswius.com or call him at (717) 581-1226 if you would like to learn more about having additional filters added to your Acumatica Cloud ERP screens.

AcuRental from Information Integration Group (IIG) streamlines your rental operations efficiently, from the generation of quotes to flexible pricing and billing,
from viewing of date based inventory availability to warehouse operations.

And now, with the addition of the following new features, it is an even more powerful and valuable addition to your Acumatica Cloud ERP or Sage 100 footprint than ever:

• Rental Yard Quick Order Entry
Streamline your order processing with our new quick order entry feature. This enhancement allows for faster and more efficient order management directly from the rental yard.

• Drag & Drop Rental Equipment Availability Order Generation Tool
Simplify the order creation process with our intuitive drag-and-drop tool. Easily check equipment availability and generate orders with just a few clicks, making your workflow smoother and more efficient.

• Dashboard & Capture Signature on Mobile App
A new dashboard and signature capture functionality have been added into the Acumatica Cloud ERP mobile app. This allows for real-time updates and secure signature capture for all your deliveries and pick-ups, ensuring accuracy and accountability in your operations.

These new features within AcuRental will enhance your rental operations and provide a more seamless experience for your team.

Please let our Customer Success Manager Keith Wood know by emailing him at keithw@aswius.com or call him at (717) 581-1226 if you would like to learn more about Netstock IBP.

Physical and logical security should be top priorities for every organization. Having a risk management plan for security is as essential as having sales, operations and financial strategies.

Here are five areas that should be addressed in your security plan:

Change
The world we live in is ever-changing and, as a result our security plan must include security capabilities that can be rapidly deployed and retracted based on the changing needs of the business.

In the context of physical security, new security capabilities should be able to be deployed as needed and where needed without investing in the technology and human resources required to support the service. The plan should be built upon the economic deployment of ever-improving technology to ensure their organization’s access to the latest features without ever worrying about upgrade patches and hardware limitations.

Compliance
It’s not enough to express intent to follow regulations and policies, you must measure and transparently report on how thoroughly they are being followed. Enforcement of polices and audits for compliance by providing centralized capabilities to establish standards as well as tools to track and report on compliance are essential.

Cost
Pay only for what you need, when you need it in a sharable, scalable way.

Continuity
The need for redundancy and resiliency in your mission-critical systems is not optional. It’s not enough to ask how well we are protected or how many back-ups exist, we must also ask how fast we can resume operations if everything goes wrong.

Coverage
Workforce and facilities have expanded beyond “end points” (laptops, tablets, smart phones, etc.) being located in a single location. The ability to have secured software, hardware and data across multiple geographic locations is today’s reality for every organization.

Conclusion
Change, Compliance, Cost, Continuity, and Coverage; these are all fundamental considerations for an organization. For anyone challenged with evaluating and implementing technical solutions, these factors provide a useful lens through which to assess available options.

Please let our Customer Success Manager Keith Wood know by emailing him at keithw@aswius.com or call him at (717) 581-1226 if you would like to learn more about ASWi’s Security as a Service offerings that will enable you to address all 5Cs discussed above to ensure you have a rock solid security plan in place.

By Mike Brooks

Want the best way to open your closing presentations?

Some reps have an entire presentation planned in advance, and then they launch into it, only later getting to questions and comments.

I used to do it that way, until I found that if I got to initial questions or comments (and yes, even objections) first, I could save myself A LOT of time and energy.

So here is how I currently start my closing calls (yes, I’m still closing sales!): once I get my prospect on the phone for our chosen closing time, I open with:

“Before I get started, I’m sure you’ve looked over things, so, what questions do you have for me?”

And then I hit the Mute button.

One of three things will happen:

1. They start asking questions.
This is GREAT because it tells me they are engaged and interested, and every question they ask – even if it seems negative – is a buying question.

2. They tell me they don’t have any questions.
This isn’t so good, because it tells me they aren’t that involved. What I do in this case is gently requalify here (before I begin my closing presentation), and then begin my presentation, checking in often for buy in.

3. They go right into objections and stalls.
This isn’t terrible, because it tells me where I stand, and each objection they give me tells me how to close them (or even if they are closeable at all!).

The important thing is that knowing where my prospect is in the beginning not only tells me which direction to go, but it also saves me a ton of time.

I can drill down to what’s important to them, OR save myself time pitching an unqualified lead.

Warning:
This is a Top 20% technique, and you have to be willing to ask the tough questions, be willing to use your Mute button so you don’t talk past the close, and be willing to work with the answers you get.

But if you’re willing to do that, you’ll instantly elevate yourself into the top closer status at your company.

By Mike Brooks

If you have followed me for a while, you may know that my opinion on whether to ask a prospect, “How are you,” has changed over the years.

What I’ve discovered, is that asking this simple and socially accepted icebreaker is more important than you might think.

Here’s why:
Selling over the phone is challenging because you don’t have all the visual cues an outside sales rep has and uses. You can’t tell if your prospect is annoyed, resistant, bothered, or if they are willing to have a conversation with you. You just can’t read their expressions and so react to those physical cues.

That’s where asking the simple: “How are you doing today?” comes in. The seasoned inside sales rep knows that the answer to that question, and more importantly how a prospect answers it, makes up for all the cues missing from a face-to- face interaction.

Think about it:
You can immediately tell if a prospect is in a hurry when they answer the phone. You can tell by their tone of voice if they are open to communicating with you or if they are annoyed.

That’s why asking this simple (and accepted) question is the way to go.

What you need to do next is respond accordingly to what (and how) they respond.

For example, if they tell you they’re doing well and ask how you’re doing, you must respond with, “Thanks for asking! I’m well also . . .” before going on with your opening.

If they say, “Fine, how can I help you?” then you’d better react to that as well. Something along the lines of, “I’m sure you’re busy, so I’ll be brief. The reason for the call is . . .”

I’m sure you see now how asking this simple question at the beginning of your call gives you more leverage than not asking it. Hope this helps take the “cold” out of “cold-calling”!

Nearly every weekday, a motivational quote is posted on X/Twitter by @ASWiDelivered and on LinkedIn by @ASWi.

• “The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war.”

• “To err is nature, to rectify error is glory.” George Washington

• “There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.” Colin Powell

• “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” Chinese Proverb

• “No man has ever listened himself out of a job.” Calvin Coolidge