

May 2009 From the Desk of \| Industry News Special Offer Schedule feed vs. demand. Bottle or not. Pacifier vs. self-soothe. Let him sleep. Wake him up. Let him cry. Pick him up. Miracle blankets, Baby Wise, SIDs and swings. Did you know? Have you tried? It seems like a major life change brings everyone’s unsolicited advice out of the woodwork … from strangers to your own parents and from the grocery store to the living room. I’ve recently heard all of the above and thensome because on Mother’s Day, I became a proud new papa! For the first time, I am experiencing pure joy and sleepless nights all wrapped into one little 8-pound package named Spencer. Other members of Zerion’s team also have gone through recent life changes: Kathy Williams of Tampa, who teaches many of our webinars and manages our office, married Keith Howe in March. And Nancy Ault, a consultant residing in northern California with her husband Greg, just welcomed their second baby girl, Allison, on May 26. It seems as though these two milestones, marriage and parenthood, always bring with them a firestorm of information. There are books, DVDs, TV shows, classes and entire professions dedicated to making you successful in either one. It struck me when I took a few days off after Spencer’s birth and found myself at home, knee deep in an unfamiliar world of diapers, feedings and onesies that this experience, though more exciting and amazing than anything else I’ve been through, has a lot of similarities to business. Becoming a parent for the first time (or getting married) shares many of the same challenges and opportunities as starting a business, going through a recession, or implementing a new software program. In all of these situations, we are bombarded with diverse information everywhere we turn. And again, there are books, DVDS, TV shows, classes and entire professions dedicated to making us a success, or getting us past the obstacles. There is also the added dynamic of the partner relationship or the management team. Just like a husband and wife have to decide together what is best for their child, or their marriage, in any given circumstance the business stakeholders have to come to a consensus on the best course of action. Everyone may not agree; but, a decision has to be made, and the team needs to carry it forward with leadership and enthusiasm. As a software consultant, I’m used to providing advice. (But unlike the meddling yet well-meaning Grandma of 10 you ran into at the post office, it’s actually my job!) So now that I’m on the receiving end, I’m reminded how important it is that we make our own path. I know that following the principles outlined in one book, or listening to the advice of one person, will not help my family grow and thrive. Rather, we need to hear everyone out and gather as much information as we can; then, decide which sources we trust, take the best of the best, throw in a few of our own ideas, and come out with our own unique plan. Because each child is different, each marriage is different and each family is different, just as each business is different, we deserve the opportunity to make our life – or our business – our own. Since I hope that Zerion is a trusted source of counsel for you, maybe you’ll take some unsolicited advice from me … When it seems like there’s only one option, there’s usually more. If you’re told a task can be done only this way, you might want to try another way just to see what happens. If all of us use the same methods, or follow the same guidebook, creative thinking and problem solving would be stifled and we wouldn’t evolve or prosper with the freedom our country values. I challenge us to learn from one another, but step outside the lines. Review the white papers you receive, attend the webinars you’re invited to, read that management book you purchased, and (most important) listen to the consultants you hire; but, in the end, make your own decisions based on what’s best for you and your business. Always explore your options, follow your instincts and blaze your own trail. Tony King, Vice President 321.229.1089 Back to Top What’s happening with distribution, software and business? Zerion is committed to being a resource for our clients and friends. In the newsroom on our Web site, we have an RSS feed supplying new articles all the time. We also have some links to industry news. Here are some of the recent articles we found most interesting: Warehousing and Distribution Centers: 5 ways to find hidden warehouse space Recession continues, but end is in sight Study: US IT Wages Held Steady in Early '09 Want more news? Visit us at: www.zeriongroup.com/newsroom/industrynews.html Back to Top Get an RF Site Audit for $400 ... RF installation can provide more productivity and accuracy. Don't miss this great opportunity to get an in-person consultation for only $400 plus travel expenses. We'll cover all aspects of how RF will work in your warehouse, but this offer is available only for newsletter subscribers for a limited time. Contact Tony for more information. Back to Top	Excluding Data from Purchasing Calculations With automated purchasing calculations, sometimes the system doesn't mark a sales order as Exceptional, but yet you'd like it to be excluded from the next calculation or buy. To achieve this, you'll need to manually mark the sale as exceptional. There are three ways to do this in Eclipse: For the product or line item, you can change the sale to Exceptional from the Inventory History Ledger (change the “stock type” to Exceptional for the particular line item sale); from the Schedule screen on the body of a sales order (change the “stock type” to Exceptional for the individual line item; or by flagging an entire order as “Exceptional” from the header screen (in Solar, go to additional and check the box next to Exceptional; in Eterm just type in the word). Training in Ohio this June The Eclipse Users Group is offering regional training sessions in Columbus, Ohio that are taught by Zerion consultants. The classes will cover Paper Warehousing, Purchasing and RF best practices on June 16-18. To see the class schedule or sign-up, UFO members can visit the UFO web site. June/July Webinar Schedule Posted Zerion offers an ongoing schedule of webinar classes to get you up to speed fast. In June and July we're offering Sales 1-3, Warehouse Management, Customer Calling Queue and more. To see the complete schedule or sign-up, visit our web site.

May 2009

From the Desk of | Industry News

Special Offer

From the desk of Tony King Schedule feed vs. demand. Bottle or not. Pacifier vs. self-soothe. Let him sleep. Wake him up. Let him cry. Pick him up. Miracle blankets, Baby Wise, SIDs and swings. Did you know? Have you tried? It seems like a major life change brings everyone’s unsolicited advice out of the woodwork … from strangers to your own parents and from the grocery store to the living room. I’ve recently heard all of the above and thensome because on Mother’s Day, I became a proud new papa! For the first time, I am experiencing pure joy and sleepless nights all wrapped into one little 8-pound package named Spencer.

Other members of Zerion’s team also have gone through recent life changes: Kathy Williams of Tampa, who teaches many of our webinars and manages our office, married Keith Howe in March. Kathy and Keith Howe And Nancy Ault, a consultant residing in northern California with her husband Greg, just welcomed their second baby girl, Allison, on May 26. It seems as though these two milestones, marriage and parenthood, always bring with them a firestorm of information. There are books, DVDs, TV shows, classes and entire professions dedicated to making you successful in either one.

It struck me when I took a few days off after Spencer’s birth and found myself at home, knee deep in an unfamiliar world of diapers, feedings and onesies that this experience, though more exciting and amazing than anything else I’ve been through, has a lot of similarities to business. Becoming a parent for the first time (or getting married) shares many of the same challenges and opportunities as starting a business, going through a recession, or implementing a new software program. Allison Lane Ault In all of these situations, we are bombarded with diverse information everywhere we turn. And again, there are books, DVDS, TV shows, classes and entire professions dedicated to making us a success, or getting us past the obstacles.

There is also the added dynamic of the partner relationship or the management team. Just like a husband and wife have to decide together what is best for their child, or their marriage, in any given circumstance the business stakeholders have to come to a consensus on the best course of action. Everyone may not agree; but, a decision has to be made, and the team needs to carry it forward with leadership and enthusiasm.

As a software consultant, I’m used to providing advice. (But unlike the meddling yet well-meaning Grandma of 10 you ran into at the post office, it’s actually my job!) So now that I’m on the receiving end, I’m reminded how important it is that we make our own path. I know that following the principles outlined in one book, or listening to the advice of one person, will not help my family grow and thrive. Rather, we need to hear everyone out and gather as much information as we can; then, decide which sources we trust, take the best of the best, throw in a few of our own ideas, and come out with our own unique plan. Because each child is different, each marriage is different and each family is different, just as each business is different, we deserve the opportunity to make our life – or our business – our own.

Since I hope that Zerion is a trusted source of counsel for you, maybe you’ll take some unsolicited advice from me … When it seems like there’s only one option, there’s usually more. If you’re told a task can be done only this way, you might want to try another way just to see what happens. If all of us use the same methods, or follow the same guidebook, creative thinking and problem solving would be stifled and we wouldn’t evolve or prosper with the freedom our country values. I challenge us to learn from one another, but step outside the lines. Review the white papers you receive, attend the webinars you’re invited to, read that management book you purchased, and (most important) listen to the consultants you hire; but, in the end, make your own decisions based on what’s best for you and your business. Always explore your options, follow your instincts and blaze your own trail.

Tony King, Vice President
321.229.1089

What’s happening with distribution, software and business?
Zerion is committed to being a resource for our clients and friends. In the newsroom on our Web site, we have an RSS feed supplying new articles all the time. We also have some links to industry news. Here are some of the recent articles we found most interesting:

Warehousing and Distribution Centers: 5 ways to find hidden warehouse space

Recession continues, but end is in sight

Study: US IT Wages Held Steady in Early '09

Want more news? Visit us at: www.zeriongroup.com/newsroom/industrynews.html

Get an RF Site Audit for $400 ...
RF installation can provide more productivity and accuracy. Don't miss this great opportunity to get an in-person consultation for only $400 plus travel expenses. We'll cover all aspects of how RF will work in your warehouse, but this offer is available only for newsletter subscribers for a limited time. Contact Tony for more information.

Click here for our special of the month.

Excluding Data from Purchasing Calculations
With automated purchasing calculations, sometimes the system doesn't mark a sales order as Exceptional, but yet you'd like it to be excluded from the next calculation or buy. To achieve this, you'll need to manually mark the sale as exceptional.

There are three ways to do this in Eclipse: For the product or line item, you can change the sale to Exceptional from the Inventory History Ledger (change the “stock type” to Exceptional for the particular line item sale); from the Schedule screen on the body of a sales order (change the “stock type” to Exceptional for the individual line item; or by flagging an entire order as “Exceptional” from the header screen (in Solar, go to additional and check the box next to Exceptional; in Eterm just type in the word).

Training in Ohio this June
The Eclipse Users Group is offering regional training sessions in Columbus, Ohio that are taught by Zerion consultants. The classes will cover Paper Warehousing, Purchasing and RF best practices on June 16-18. learning To see the class schedule or sign-up, UFO members can visit the UFO web site.

June/July Webinar Schedule Posted
Zerion offers an ongoing schedule of webinar classes to get you up to speed fast. In June and July we're offering Sales 1-3, Warehouse Management, Customer Calling Queue and more. To see the complete schedule or sign-up, visit our web site.