October 2009
Monthly Archive
Heads Up on an Important QuickBooks Security Issue
Posted by Gabrielle on 29 Oct 2009 | Tagged as: Everything Else, Updates
It’s Gabrielle Fontaine with a heads-up critical update for
everyone currently (or formerly) using QuickBooks software.
You may also want to pass this information along to any of
your clients who are currently using QuickBooks software on their own.
Intuit, the company that makes QuickBooks, just announced that
there is a potential security risk that has been found that
would allow hackers to access the data on your computer.
The threat is due to a newly discovered vulnerability in
Microsoft’s ActiveX technology, which is commonly used by many
popular computer programs.
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QuickBooks Versions Affected By The Threat
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All QuickBooks Simple Start, Pro, Premier and Enterprise Solutions
versions, 2009 and older (including trial versions) are vulernable.
The new QuickBooks 2010 versions, however, are not affected.
Intuit updates its currently supported versions from time to time
by releasing software patches. Each update or patch is given a
“Release” number for easy identification.
Right now, downloading Intuit’s updates is the only immediate way
to eliminate the vulnerability in currently supported versions of
QuickBooks. In time, Microsoft will likely release a patch with
their regular security updates for ActiveX.
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How To Protect Your Computer Now
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All QuickBooks users of 2007, 2008 and 2009 versions should verify
that they have downloaded and installed the most current updates.
You can check if your software is up to date by opening QuickBooks
and then using the F2 key.
These are the most current updates that include a patch which
eliminates this new threat:
QuickBooks 2009 – R8
QuickBooks 2008 – R10
QuickBooks 2007 – R13
The best way to stay up to date is to enable the automatic update
feature AND to install those updates when prompted.
You can also manually download the latest updates directly from the
QuickBooks website.
http://support.quickbooks.intuit.com/support/productupdates.aspx
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If You Are Running QuickBooks 2006 or Older….
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If you are running QuickBooks 2006 or older, you are vulnerable to
this security threat. Since these versions are no longer supported
by Intuit, there is no downloadable update. Your best defense is to
upgrade your QuickBooks software to a supported version (2007-2009)
as soon as possible.
You can find both 2009 and the newest 2010 versions on amazon.com
Additionally, if you have an older version of QuickBooks installed
on your computer but it is no longer in use, remove it by
uninstalling the program to remove the ActiveX threat.
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If You Are Running a Non-US Version of QuickBooks….
===================================
For Canadian versions of QuickBooks, you can download the updates
directly from the Intuit website:
For UK versions of QuickBooks, you can download the updates
directly from the Intuit website:
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I’ve Made a Video to Show You Exactly What to Do
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As an Advanced Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor, I want to see you
get the most out of your QuickBooks software. That’s why I created
my free video training blog, QB QuickTips.
My latest video post walks you through each of the steps outlined above to
show you exactly how to protect yourself from this new ActiveX threat.
If you want to stay informed about critical updates for QuickBooks
like this one, as well as learn insider tricks and tips on how to
use this powerful software for your business success, be sure and
sign up for the QB QuickTips notification list.
You’ll also receive private, subscriber-only bonuses that are not
even posted on the blog.
Get your free subcription here:
Quick Money, More Clients, Great Reputation
Posted by Gabrielle on 09 Oct 2009 | Tagged as: Articles, Marketing, Training
Sounds good, doesn’t it? But how can you get those kinds of results in your freelance bookkeeping business….especially now?
Training.
No, I don’t mean TAKING more training classes. I mean GIVING training classes.
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Why Public Speaking & Training Will Help Your Business NOW!
When you step up and take on the role of trainer, by giving a talk or by conducting a class or seminar, you are positioning yourself as the expert. Few bookkeepers ever step into the spotlight and offer helpful advice to small businesses. If you do so, you set yourself apart from the competition and build tremendous trust in a hurry.
In this economy, trust-based marketing is more effective than anything else at attracting new clients. And not just any clients.
Quite likely the people who will come to hear your pearls of wisdom will be interested in either managing their business finances more effectively, or finding a better way to get their bookkeeping done. These are high quality client prospects.
After they see you in action and feel as though they know you, if they need additional assistance, who do you think they will contact? (And who will they recommend when a colleague needs assistance with cleaning up his books at year end?)
Of course, if you are conducting a training class, say in QuickBooks, you can charge a fee for sharing your knowledge. You won’t get rich on teaching these classes, but it can help smooth out any cash flow pinch you may be experiencing right now. You’ll also be sowing seeds for pulling in new clients in both the short and long terms.
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Don’t Be Afraid to Give Away Your Secrets
Even in this tight economy when many of us are losing clients because of cut-backs, you can be the hero who teaches small businesses how to get the most out of their financial reports, or teach them how to use QuickBooks effectively. You won’t be teaching how to live without you. In fact, they will likely be calling you for help to clean up their bookkeeping mess later when they don’t apply what you’ve taught them. (See my previous article on how to handle this situation gracefully – “When Clients Want to Do Their Own Books” )
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What’s Involved?
In-person talks – Small business networking groups or your local Chamber of Commerce are usually looking for speakers who can share useful information with small business owners.
On-site or off-site classes – Another option is doing small group classes, such as for QuickBooks basics, for an organization such as the SBDC, Chamber of Commerce, or even a local continuing Adult Education programs. These may be paid or free gigs.
Online training – This is my favorite way to conduct training events. You can do both free and paid events at very little cost. Both teleseminars, which are conference calls, or full-blown webinars work well, depending on the topics you will be presenting. Even hands-on QuickBooks classes can be done on a virtual basis with small groups. Lots of possibilities here.
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What to Teach?
Answer FAQs – Answering the most common questions clients ask or giving helpful tips on how to handle the most common problems you see clients struggle with is an easy way to provide very useful information to your audience.
Practical How-To Info – Of course, how-to information is always popular. This could include a class on how to interpret financial reports, or a simple way for small business owners to set up a working budget or forecast their cash flow. And of course, QuickBooks training is the most popular for full-blown classes.
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Is It Really Worth the Effort?
YES! Whether you pull in some quick cash, pick up a couple new clients, or simply establish yourself as the go-to bookkeeping expert in your community, you WILL see results for stepping up and providing valuable information to small business owners. That’s the stuff on which powerful relationships are built. And building powerful relationships is the most solid way to grow your freelance bookkeeping practice.
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Get Into Action
The best way to learn is by doing. If you are already involved in your local business community, see what opportunities are available to get you started. Start out small to build your confidence.
If you’re more on the shy side, online is the way to go. That’s why I started with online classes. They’re less scary. Your choices are teleseminars or webinars. I prefer the latter, but they are more involved.
I learned how to do webinars from an online training course that was only available one time, a couple years ago. It was far and away the best of the few trainings I’ve ever seen available since.
If you do want to try your hand at doing online events, I’ve got good news! Just last week I learned that this same online webinar training course has just been updated (due to changing technology) and is available again, right now, in fact!
In my experience, webinars are THE best way to build your reputation online and thus open your business reach to a more than national scale. So this training course gets my top recommendations. In fact, I’ll be attending it again so I can stay up to date on the latest techniques. (See more details under the free Resources below)
So get into action and get out there by speaking and teaching to attract more clients and more revenue. You’ll never look back once you do!
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~Gabrielle
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Resources
Free mini “crash course” on doing webinars
Free “Insider Webinar Strategies” LIVE webinar on Monday, October 12th
