Warning: Your Computer May Be

Haunted With A Sinister Being!

     As you can see, I've included a skeleton in this newsletter. Why have I done this? There are two reasons

1. I have something very important to share with you, and I needed a way to make sure I had your immediate attention, and -

2. Since what I have to share with you involves "skeletons" hidden in your computer network (and since it's close to Halloween), I thought this was an especially appropriate eye-catcher.

Here's what this is all about -
Your Computer May Be Haunted!

     Can I talk straight? 99% of the business owners I work with wait FAR too long to have us check and update their computer network's health and security. Because they are not performing regular maintenance, almost every single network has problems with spyware, viruses, spam, unreliable backups, security issues, and more.
     At some point, disaster strikes and they find themselves in a real mess with a network that is completely down (that's when they call us in a panic).
      By then, the damage is done and it often costs thousands of dollars to restore their network back to normal. Even then it's not uncommon for them to permanently lose irreplaceable accounting, client, and business data - not to mention hours of downtime.
     What saddens me even more is the fact that almost every one of these costly disasters could have easily been prevented if someone had checked their network's security and health to remove these threats on a regular basis.

Which brings me to the reason I'm writing you today
No More Excuses!
Our Free Network Check-Up Will "Exorcise"
The Demons Hiding In Your Computer Network

     I know you are so darn busy running your business that you simply forget to think about the security and health of your computer network - so consider this a "friendly reminder" to get it done right away.
     And, to make it a complete "no-brainer," from now until Halloween (October 31st), I'm offering you a FREE Network Check-Up ($297 Value) so you have no excuse for making sure that your computer network is safe not only from spyware and viruses, but also hackers, spam, data loss, hardware failure, software corruption, and a number of other disasters.

For FREE, We Will Come To Your Office And

**Check your firewall's security settings to make sure you are protected from the latest hacker attacks, worms, and viruses.
**Scan and remove spyware that is secretly stealing your company's bandwidth, jeopardizing the speed of your computer system, and embezzling confidential information about you, your employees, and your business.
**Check your network's back-up system to ensure it is working properly and accurately backing up all of the critical files and information you never want to lose.
**Verify that you have the most up-to-date security patches installed properly; miss one critical update and you're a "sitting duck."
**Diagnose slow, unstable PCs.
**Perform a quick network "tune-up" to make programs and files load faster.

Why Should You Care About This?

     Because there are literally dozens of ways hackers and viruses can access your network- undetected-to access and remotely control your network, corrupt your data, and use your network as a conduit for spreading spam, viruses, and even illegal software.
     To make matters worse, keeping your network safe is a moving target; the security updates you installed today may be rendered useless tomorrow because new threats are emerging daily.
     There are numerous system checks and updates that should be done on a regular basis to ensure maximum speed, performance, and security. Ignore them and your system will get progressively slower, unstable, and susceptible to viruses, spyware, and hackers.      Tape backups have a failure rate of 100% - that means all tape drives will fail at some point, often without warning. You don't want to find out that your backup was not working the day after your hard drive fried.

Think About This -

     What else in your business is more valuable than the data on your network? Just imagine how devastating it would be to lose it! That's why this check-up and regular maintenance is so important.

Okay - So What's The Catch?

     I bet you're wondering why I'd be willing to give this away for free. Let me assure you that I have no hidden agenda or tricks up my sleeve.
     The simple truth is that we are giving away this free Network Check-Up as a way of introducing you to our PC Rx Managed Service Plan.

     This is quickly becoming our most popular service because it offers a simple, easy, and inexpensive way for businesses to eliminate their computer problems finally and forever. We take over complete responsibility for maintaining your network so you don't have to worry about lost data, downtime, viruses, and other problems.

Here's How It Works:

     For one low, fixed monthly rate, we proactively maintain and monitor your computer network 24/7, 365 days a year to make sure it stays clean, secure, and running fast.
     We make certain your data is being backed up. We banish viruses, hacker attacks, and spyware programs. We perform regular maintenance to keep your network running fast. And we monitor your network 24-7 to catch and prevent developing problems.
     Plus we offer a computer help desk that gives you and your staff instant access to a computer expert to answer any questions you have or to help you resolve any problems you encounter. No surprises or hidden costs - you simply get the services of a full-time IT staff without the overhead or expenses!

Here's What You Need To Do Now:

     To get your FREE, no-strings-attached Network Check- Up, simply complete and fax the enclosed response form back to our office.
     Or if you prefer to speak to me about this, call my office at 919-369- 7800. After we receive your request, we'll schedule a convenient time for one of our technicians to come onsite and conduct a complete health check of your network. When we're done, we'll give you a comprehensive, easy-to-read report that will show any problems, threats, or vulnerable areas that need to be addressed.

     If we discover a problem, we'll also provide you with a recommended action plan and fixed-fee quote on what it will cost for us to resolve it and continue to maintain your network under our PC Rx Managed Services Plan No hidden fees, no bait and switch. If you decide to hire us to do the repair (you're under no obligation), we'll get to work on it immediately.
     If we find out everything is safe and secure, you'll breathe a big sigh of relief knowing the true state of your network's health and security-and then we'll show you the fastest and easiest way to make sure it stays that way.

What Do You Have To Lose?

     We'r e making this as easy as possible to say yes - all you have to do is take 60 seconds to fax back the enclosed form or call our offices and we'll do the rest!

¨ Orange and black are Halloween colors because orange is associated with the fall harvest and black is associated with darkness and death.

¨ Jack o' lanterns originated in Ireland where people placed candles in hollowed-out turnips to keep away spirits and ghosts on the Samhain holiday.

¨ Pumpkins also come in white, blue and green. Great for unique monster carvings!

¨ Halloween was brought to North America by immigrants from Europe who would celebrate the harvest around a bonfire, share ghost stories, sing, dance and tell fortunes.

¨ Tootsie Rolls were the first wrapped penny candy in America.

¨ The ancient Celts thought that spirits and ghosts roamed the countryside on Halloween night. They began wearing masks and costumes to avoid being recognized as human.

¨ Halloween candy sales average about 2 billion dollars annually in the United States.

¨ Chocolate candy bars top the list as the most popular candy for trick-or-treaters with Snickers #1.

¨ Halloween is the 2nd most commercially successful holiday, with Christmas being the first.

¨ Bobbing for apples is thought to have originated from the Roman harvest festival that honors Pomona, the goddess of fruit trees.

¨ Black cats were once believed to be witch's familiars who protected their powers.

Here is what some of America's top sales producers have to say about the power of a handwritten note:

"Short handwritten notes yield long results. In sales, never underestimate the importance of a personal gesture and right at the top of the list of personal gestures sits the handwritten note." Harvey Macay author of Swim With the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive

Joe Girard - #1 car salesman in the world for twelve straight years says that his business came completely from referrals - a result of sending 16,000 handwritten notes each month. You will find his name in the Guiness Book of World Records.

Tom Hopkins says that building relationships is what sales is all about. Very early in his career he made a goal of sending out ten handwritten notes each day.

Danielle Kennedy says that with the advent of email, a handwritten note with a postage stamp gets more attention than ever before.

So, how many hand written notes have YOU written this week or this month? If you thought that your business, like that of these top sales producers, could become a business that was supported 100% on referrals, would it be worth it?

If I could show you a way to send out personal, handwritten notes as easily as clicking "send" would you be interested?

Theresa Carter
StayNTouch Referral Marketing
369-7801
Theresa@StayNTouch.biz

Raleigh, NC - The NC State sponsored Lone Wolf, a fully robotic Lotus Elise, demonstrated its sleek maneuvering to a crowd of over 300 spectators last Friday in the McKimmons Center parking lot. Young and old alike delighted as the Lone Wolf drove itself through the parking lot with no human intervention and no remote control. Spectators included middle school and high school robotics teams from Apex and Greensboro. The demonstration was sponsored by the team, the IEEE Robotics & Automation Chapter, and IEEE Women In Engineering.

The team of engineers and students developing the Lone Wolf is known as Insight Racing. The Lotus Elise has been specially equipped to compete in the DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) Urban Challenge. The Urban Challenge is the 3rd in a series of robotic Grand Challenge races sponsored by the Department of Defense to encourage development of autonomous vehicle control.

According to a story by Louise Jaggs, a SkillSoft survey found that the top 10 most stressful professions are:

1. Information Technology Workers
2. Medical or Healthcare Professionals
3. Engineering
4. Sales and Marketing
5. Education
6. Finance
7. Human Resources
8. Operations
9. Production
10. Clerical

97% of information technology workers say their work lives are stressful on a daily basis and 25% who took the survey said they had to take time off to deal with stress. Four out of five said their stress starts before they arrive at work just anticipating what the day is going to be like. (I guess it's a GOOD thing you outsource your computer support to us!) What were the top 10 work stressors overall?

1. Workload
2. Feeling undervalued
3. Deadlines
4. Type of work they had to do
5. Having to do other people's work
6. Lack of job satisfaction
7. Lack of control over the working day
8. Having to work long hours
9. Frustrations with the work environment
10. Meeting targets

1. They told me at the blood bank this might happen.
2. Whew! I must have left the top off the liquid paper!
3. This is one of the habits of highly successful people.
4. I was just taking a 15-minute power nap like they raved about in the last time-management course you sent me to.
5. I was just meditating on the company mission statement and envisioning a new paradigm.
6. Actually, I'm doing a Stress Level Elimination Exercise Plan (SLEEP) that I learned at the last mandatory seminar you sent me to.
7. Darn! Why did you interrupt me? I had almost figured out the solution to our biggest problem!
8. The coffee machine is broken.
9. Boy, that cold medicine I took last night just won't wear off!
10. I wasn't sleeping - I just got done eating a sticky orange and was trying to pick up my contact lens without using my hands.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Do you have a funny story or a resource you want to share with other subscribers? Send it to me! We are always looking for new and useful content to add including partners who want to submit articles!

Contact Theresa Carter
919-369-7801
theresa@pcmedevac.com