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[updated with correct URL] I saw this and thought I should pass it on. Microsoft Partner Network 2009 will explore strategies that enable you to continue to meet customers' needs and exploit new opportunities. Designed for Partner executives and sales leads, this event follows on from the Worldwide...
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I saw this internally and thought I had better share via the blog - a number of ask the expert technical and sales events! Are you ready for Windows 7? The industry is preparing itself for one of the most exciting launches - Windows 7. The press is already buzzing with the launch of Windows 7 –...
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David Overton
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Sun, Apr 5 2009
Filed under:
Filed under: Windows 7, Vista and XP, Community, Event, Microsoft, Windows Client, Marketing, Training, Partner, Windows 7
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I saw this at the Special Offers site from the Small Business team and thought I would share. Office Small Business 2007 – get up to 25% off Buy Office 2007 Small Business Edition before 17 January and you can get a discount of up to 25%. Enhance productivity in your workplace and manage tasks...
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I saw this RSS Hub and decided it had to be shared. Go to https://www.microsoft.com/uk/partner/rss/default.aspx . [updated with fixed url - thanks for the comments] It enables the following segmentation: What roles are you interested in? Management Sales and Marketing Technical What areas are you interested...
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A Quick note - there has been lots of comments recently on who's virtualisation has what share of the market. I've just installed Microsoft Hyper-V server up and running with 3 VMs inside it (HomeServer, SBS 2008 and Windows Server 2003) and I expect a couple of small desktops too before long...
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Hopefully you have seen this elsewhere, but if not….. 7 th November 2008, Reading: TechNet Exclusive! Hear from the guy that brought you Microsoft’s enterprise computing to small and medium businesses An exclusive opportunity to meet Nicholas King, Technical Product Manager from Microsoft Corporation...
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I see the latest Windows advert is up on http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ . These are the US adverts and the UK adverts are coming so I’m told. It is nice Microsoft beginning to emphasize the value of it’s products … I just wish I could see the how the whole series will play out. The latest...
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One thing I have never been accused of is holding back my opinion and on the Yahoo Groups recently there has been some discussions around what Microsoft has done for partners. As part of the discussion this blog post from Sonal, the UK Product Manager for SBS 2008 and EBS 2008, came up with a question...
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David Overton's Blog
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David Overton
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Sat, Jun 28 2008
Filed under:
Filed under: Support and Tools, Business, Community, Event, SBSC, Microsoft, Documentation, Marketing, Small business, Partner, Windows Server 2008, SBS 2008
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I would have put money on this not happening this year, but finally there is a legal place for people to download full copies of Microsoft products. Go to http://www.MicrosoftStore.co.uk and you can buy software and download it there and then. At the moment this is limited to the UK and Germany, but...
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I just saw this over at https://microsoft.eprize.net/officelivesaveoursiteuk/index.tbapp and thought I would share. We are offering a makeover, £540 in cash and a Dell Laptop. If you have a site, or know someone who does, then forward this on to them. ttfn David Technorati Tags: Office Live , Small Business...
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Susan has raised a really good point and something that is often misunderstood about SBS – and this ties in to SBS 2003 AND SBS 2008. What is the problem … Here is what Susan put… is SBS designed for 50 or 75 CALs? "Tom"? We'll need you to dispell another myth. March 11, 2008 Windows Small...
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Unfortunately there are people who answer yes to the questions above, so lets get some things straight – if you think that: SBS is bad. There were dark days in the SBS 4.5 and 2000 time (to a small extent) when people thought SBS did not work, did not perform and was clobbered down with stuff that made...
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[updated 4th March] Many people congratulated Microsoft after the Mr Busy campaigns allowed partners to drive their customers back to them using a MS campaign. Well, this is now being repeated for a number of campaigns. Today I found the click and go site to get them all ( http://www.campaigns.arvato...
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David Overton's Blog
by
David Overton
on
Tue, Mar 4 2008
Filed under:
Filed under: SBS 2003, Windows 7, Vista and XP, Office System, CRM, Support and Tools, Business, Windows Mobile, Windows SharePoint Services, Community, Windows Server 2003, SBSC, Microsoft, Windows Client, Vista, Office 2007, SBS 2003 R2, Marketing, Small business, Partner
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I saw some people talking about this on the Yahoo groups and on the blogs, so thought I would do some investigating. The retail price has moved quite nicely in the UK .. in the following blog they talk about a drop of upto 40+% in the UK, while US prices only dropped 20% http://hackinthebox.org/index...
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Today is the start of the Server 2008 PR ramp up. I can today tell you a bit more about Cougar, as was, or SBS 2008 as it will be, the new "family" that SBS is part of and a bit more on Windows Essential Business Server 2008 (aka Centro). Hopefully there will be a couple of surprises and also...
Posted to
David Overton's Blog
by
David Overton
on
Wed, Feb 20 2008
Filed under:
Filed under: Windows SharePoint Services, Security, SQL Server, Community, Exchange, SBSC, Microsoft, Marketing, Small business, x64, System Center Essentials, Software plus Service, If you only read one post today, SBS Cougar, Windows Server 2008, SQL Server 2008, Windows Essential Server Solution Family, SBS 2008
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Today is the start of the Server 2008 PR ramp up. I can today tell you a bit more about Cougar, as was, or SBS 2008 as it will be, the new "family" that SBS is part of and a bit more on Windows Essential Business Server 2008 (aka Centro). Hopefully there will be a couple of surprises and also...
Posted to
David Overton's Blog
by
David Overton
on
Wed, Feb 20 2008
Filed under:
Filed under: Windows SharePoint Services, Security, SQL Server, Community, Exchange, SBSC, Microsoft, Marketing, Small business, x64, System Center Essentials, Software plus Service, If you only read one post today, SBS Cougar, Windows Server 2008, SQL Server 2008, Windows Essential Server Solution Family
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Today is the start of the Server 2008 PR ramp up. I can today tell you a bit more about Cougar, as was, or SBS 2008 as it will be, the new "family" that SBS is part of and a bit more on Windows Essential Business Server 2008 (aka Centro). Hopefully there will be a couple of surprises and also...
Posted to
David Overton's Blog
by
David Overton
on
Wed, Feb 20 2008
Filed under:
Filed under: Windows SharePoint Services, Security, SQL Server, Community, Exchange, SBSC, Microsoft, Marketing, Small business, x64, System Center Essentials, Software plus Service, If you only read one post today, SBS Cougar, Windows Server 2008, SQL Server 2008, Windows Essential Server Solution Family
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I saw this and had to share ... just a little too much truth in them I think :-) The Google Strategy Will Backfire We forget that Google is still a very young company. But they just reminded us ... Continue Parsing Yahoo!: What Makes You Think We're Desperate? Given its grim outlook as a stand-alone...
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I saw this in the Technet newsletter and thought I would pass it on: The launch of Windows Server 2008, SQL Server 2008 and Visual Studio 2008 is drawing near and we are pleased to announce the three main launch activities to help you learn more: 1) The main launch event on 19 March at the ICC Birmingham...
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David Overton's Blog
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David Overton
on
Fri, Feb 1 2008
Filed under:
Filed under: Virtualisation, Developer, SQL Server, Community, Event, Documentation, Marketing, Training, Partner, Virtual Server, Terminal Server, Windows Server 2008, IIS, SQL Server 2008
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I had the pleasure of attending this event today. The last item was Q&A with Bill Gates and there were a number of questions that you will be able to watch and listen too in the future. However, the one that I thought was most interesting was this one: "What will Bill be doing in his part time...
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Microsoft is currently looking for Small Business case studies about how customers use Microsoft products. These case studies include the name of the partner used to install the solution and so are a great way of generating completely free publicity. Case studies are mainly targeted at a customer audience...
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I just found the MSDN Evaluation Center online today to give you evaluation resources that you might develop against. These include BizTalk Server, Office Communication Server, Office Enterprise , SharePoint Server, SharePoint Designer, SQL Server 2005, 2008, Express 2005 SP2, Windows Server 2008. I've...
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David Overton's Blog
by
David Overton
on
Wed, Nov 28 2007
Filed under:
Filed under: Office System, Support and Tools, Developer, SQL Server, beta, Office 2007, Documentation, Marketing, Tips, Trial, Partner, SQL Server 2005, Windows Server 2008, Unified Communications, SQL Server 2008, Office Communication Server
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From the http://blogs.technet.com/kevin_beares/archive/2007/11/07/windows-server-centro-is-officially-unveiled-and-has-a-new-name.aspx a small amount about Centro and the tech beta. This is produced by the same team who build SBS 2003 R2 and SBS Cougar. More on those next year. Windows® Essential Business...
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I saw this post of Vijays ( » SBSC PALs Quarterly Conference Call ) and thought it was worth highlighting some of it: Michael Risse, VP of the Small and Midmarket Business Group has issued an open letter to SBSC Partners about the issues with Solution Finder. Demo Showcase 2007 will be available to all...
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I always say that every contact you have with your customers is marketing and that marketing is not "hard", but does require some thought. Well I thought you might like this teleseminar. Learn How To Create Magnificent Marketing Materials John Jantsch of Duct Tape Marketing will be conducting...
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I saw this and thought I would share it. As small business partners we need to decide what the "Small Business" means and tell our partners and customers. It is not about sticking a label on something that fits everything, but actually customising it for the real small business customer. And...
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I just know when a rebate offer goes up on the Microsoft web site that I will get an e-mail asking if it will be available in the UK. For this one the answer is most definitely YES. To prove that it is not a waste of time, I need you to USE the offer, i.e. sell SBS and claim back you money, CALs or D...
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In the IT market the term "change is the only constant" has been around for years (well, certainly since I left ICL where change was not constant, but that was due to the contract that dictated that everything did not change, so fell behind). Note, this post is purely the ramblings from my...
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David Overton's Blog
by
David Overton
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Thu, Aug 9 2007
Filed under:
Filed under: Business, Community, Hosted, Software as a Service, VoIP, Microsoft, Marketing, Small business, Internet and Web, Partner, Software plus Service, If you only read one post today
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Once again I thought I would put pen to e-paper on the top reasons I give people to move to Office 2007. I don't think there are many businesses out there that use a PC and don't use some form of office productivity suite and while most use Microsoft Office XX (where XX could be 97, 2000, XP...
Posted to
David Overton's Blog
by
David Overton
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Fri, Jul 20 2007
Filed under:
Filed under: Office System, Business, Windows Mobile, Office 2007, Marketing, mobile, Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Demo, Training, Tips, Small business, Partner, BCM, Business Contact Manager
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The Video I have delivered a number of Vista and Office demos over my time, so I decided to record a number of them for others to borrow, use, learn from or anything else they choose. This video covers the following subjects in enough detail for people to hopefully understand what they need to know on...
Posted to
David Overton's Blog
by
David Overton
on
Thu, Jul 19 2007
Filed under:
Filed under: Office System, Support and Tools, Business, Microsoft, Marketing, Outlook, Demo, Training, Partner, OWA, Silverlight
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I have been asked this many times and had promised to put these things down on paper (well e-paper), so now I am. This is my thoughts on why someone should buy SBS and also how I would sell it if I was selling it. Obviously there is much more that can be said and tailoring a solution to a customers needs...
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I have always like the Assess and win program along with the Technology Assessment Toolkit, although some say they have little to learn from it. It is one of those things where someone says "I need more stuff from Microsoft, but not anything to help me sell because I am great at that already."...
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I'm not there, so can't tell you what they said, but I can point to others who have and point you to their blogs: WWPC PreDay Recap MAPS Training Requirement for MAPS WWPC Cougar WWPC Small Business Symposium WPC Small Biz Symposium Kicks Booty At the Small Business Symposium http://www.iqubed...
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The Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference is an amazing opportunity to understand what Microsoft is planning on doing for its partners over the next 12 months, what changes will be happening to our products, look Microsoft in the eye and ask your question and to build relationships with other partners...
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David Overton's Blog
by
David Overton
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Tue, Jul 10 2007
Filed under:
Filed under: Business, Community, Event, SBSC, Microsoft, Marketing, Training, Small business, Partner, If you only read one post today, Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC)
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Again, I saw this on the home Server blog and thought it was worth sharing. Not the information about Surface or Home Server - I have commented on those before, but the fact that people are finally saying these products are cool: Unless you've been hiding in a cave somewhere (or just maybe working...
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This is a quick one - hope along to http://uk.msn.com and today you will be greeted with the Office 2007 ribbon bar. You can change the formatting of the picture or the MSN section at the top using the live preview function of Office 2007. This will be 24 hours only I am told, so about 14 3/4 hours left...
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It is rare that I copy a MS web page directly, but the information in here is amazing and worth spreading the news on. I found the Microsoft Partner Drive Your Business web site and not only does it have the information below. It also has references like " Read How a Partner Maintains 100% Growth...
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Promote your business online The Microsoft Resource Directory, listing all Microsoft partners, will be retired on 14 June, when all traffic will be redirected to the increasingly popular Solution Finder tool. This is where existing and potential customers can search for partners who offer the specific...
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I was recently asked how to get a trial of SBS. You can't download one, but as a customer you can order one here. Note that if you go to the international pages you might have to scroll around a bit to find the right bit of information. If you are a partner and wish to give them to use them with...
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One of the most commonly asked questions is "How do I get Microsoft to send me leads?" While we run campaigns that point people to the bCentral site and the find a small business IT advisor process some want more direct action. Well, using the Mr Busy campaign you can now get us to carry our...
Posted to
David Overton's Blog
by
David Overton
on
Wed, May 23 2007
Filed under:
Filed under: SBS 2003, Windows 7, Vista and XP, Office System, Windows Mobile, Windows SharePoint Services, Community, Windows Client, Office 2007, SBS 2003 R2, Marketing, If you only read one post today
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I should have blogged on this ages and ages ago, but somehow I thought everyone knew about this already. It is a set of tools (pointers to documents, Q&A recording tool, customisation tool and general web based advice) to help you sell your services by understanding the needs of your customers and...
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Hopefully I have your attention, which is good. Microsoft UK are trying to encourage the use of our marketing tools and also gain some feedback. First of all, the prizes for the best feedback - an Xbox 360 system OR 5 x Vista Ultimate AND 5 x Office 2007 Pro. Next, the cash - we can offer a limited number...
Posted to
David Overton's Blog
by
David Overton
on
Wed, Apr 11 2007
Filed under:
Filed under: Windows 7, Vista and XP, Office System, CRM, Support and Tools, Business, Microsoft, Windows Client, Vista, Office 2007, Marketing, Small business, Partner
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If you visited the Channel Expo show this year then you probably saw one or two Microsoft presentations on desktop and server solutions. James Akrigg and Matt McSpirit provided the desktop entertainment while I covered off what servers we have out there and what is coming in the near future. We promised...
Posted to
David Overton's Blog
by
David Overton
on
Fri, Apr 6 2007
Filed under:
Filed under: SBS 2003, Windows 7, Vista and XP, Office System, System Builder Information, Windows Mobile, Windows SharePoint Services, SQL Server, Community, Windows Server 2003, Windows Home Server, Event, Windows Client, Vista, Office 2007, SBS 2003 R2, Marketing, mobile, Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, Small business, ISA Server, Licensing, SQL Server 2005
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I read with interest the previosu stories about large oganisations banning Vista deployments, wondering if this was anything but normal policy. Then this story broke where NIST in the US "were irked" at suggestions that the ban was in anyway but normal practice until they finish testing Explaining a...
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[updated 29th March 2007] Now the event has happened you need to go to http://www.microsoft.com/smallbusiness/small-business-summit/FY07/SummitVideo/Watch.aspx to watch the various sessions. The Microsoft Small Business Summit is just around the corner: March 19-23. It's free, it's online, and we don...
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I was a little horrified to see a small business group posting that said " In my opinion, there is nothing in Vista that warrants an upgrade at this time for businesses." Oh my golly gosh thought me. Has this person actually looked at the stuff we have to better explain what the benefits are? (I don...
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Kerry in the Small Business team sent me this mail, so I thought I would forward it on. It is worth knowing that items from the stock shop are often free, including P&P. I’m getting lots of questions about what is available to partners to use to support the small business PC campaign. Details have...
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David Overton's Blog
by
David Overton
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Mon, Mar 5 2007
Filed under:
Filed under: Windows 7, Vista and XP, Office System, Support and Tools, Business, Windows Client, Vista, Office 2007, Documentation, Marketing, Small business
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Many of you have Windows Vista, but now need to understand what you can do with it. Rather than reading one of the nice big books, you could go look at the www.windowsvistamagazine.co.uk and read all the great info there. You could also go and look at the training available on the Microsoft Partner site...
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I'm going to start with a contentious statement "The Blue Badge is the best scheme in the world for IT partners serving the small business sector". The second thing is that it is not a sales campaign to get people to buy from you. It is a quality assurance and community system. We have been having a...
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I can be abrasive sometimes and whether it "is my fault" or not, I don't always understand others' point of views. To this I would like to say "It is my fault". Now, if you have got up off the floor, let me give you a few examples. I say "contact our customer support" and you say "I don't have time"...
Posted to
David Overton's Blog
by
David Overton
on
Mon, Feb 19 2007
Filed under:
Filed under: SBS 2003, Windows 7, Vista and XP, Office System, Support and Tools, System Builder Information, Business, Off-topic, Windows SharePoint Services, Community, Windows Server 2003, Personal, SBSC, Windows Client, Vista, Office 2007, SBS 2003 R2, Marketing, Action Pack
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[Please also read the Action Pack FAQ on this blog at http://uksbsguy.com/blogs/doverton/archive/2007/02/13/windows-vista-windows-xp-office-2003-and-office-2007-action-pack-update-my-faq.aspx ] Ok, so we failed to hit the January shipment, which is not something I am proud of, but everyone knows that...
Posted to
David Overton's Blog
by
David Overton
on
Thu, Feb 8 2007
Filed under:
Filed under: Windows 7, Vista and XP, Office System, Support and Tools, Business, Community, Windows Client, Vista, Office 2007, Documentation, Marketing, Action Pack
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http://windowsvistablog.com/blogs/windowsvista/archive/2007/01/10/the-wow-starts-now.aspx talks about a number of Vista related web sites, so I thought I would start to find them all for you to look at: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/default.mspx - the official Windows Vista site...
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I've mentioned Captain Campaign before and now Lorrayne Gilbert talks on Partner-TV about marketing with him. This episode of Partner-TV can be found here . After watching this you will be better equipped to do your own marketing, even if it is to just 5 new customers. What is more, you will probably...