Oddly enough, many of our clients and contacts still think of Promethius solely as a computer consulting firm. In reality, less than half of our staff is fully equipped to explain the difference between a “bit” and a “byte.”
Did you know that Promethius is also a full-service graphic design and marketing firm? 

Our creative team decided they wanted to take the limelight for a change and toot their own horns. The idea behind the design of this month’s Promethean is to wake up the public a bit. We looked upon this issue as a fun branding exercise. Isn’t it groovy?

In fact, we help several companies around the country tell their stories through corporate image, branding and targeted marketing pieces. A Clearwater, Florida company recently contacted us with an urgent need for marketing help. They are a very small company that had landed a meeting with a very large potential client. 
One week before the meeting, they had virtually no marketing pieces and no brand to speak of.

Within one week, we were able create a sophisticated corporate image including corporate logo, professional website, business cards, brochures and more. In that very short period of time we created a compelling corporate image that helped our client get past that very critical first impression phase. 

Click here to view an online portfolio of some of our design and branding work.

With the first quarter behind us, most companies already recognize that 
they need to take advantage of every opportunity and tool to meet this 
year’s goals. 


We have compiled a list of the most popular business websites that your competition may already be using.

1. www.nolo.com
This law website offers countless resources for business owners, employers, employees and the general population. Find legal forms, a law encyclopedia, a law dictionary and tons of advice on things like writing a business plan and employing workers.

2. Quicken Small Business Center (http://www.quicken.com/small_business)
This nifty site isn’t just for Quicken or QuickBooks users. Find articles on customer service, business finance, office management and more.

3. U.S. Small Business Administration (http://www.sba.gov)
Our favorite feature is their Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE). Through SCORE you can receive free counseling from retired business executives. Click here (http://www.score-indianapolis.org) for the Indianapolis chapter of SCORE.

4. www.salesforce.com
Let’s face it, whether you are a for-profit or a not-for-profit organization, you still rely on sales. Track customer relationships, sales leads and the entire sales cycle with this powerful online tool. 

5. www.amazon.com
That’s right, good old Amazon is a must-have in our view. Find books on public relations, motivation, sales, marketing and just about any topic you can think of. What could you become if you were always learning?

That’s it for our business website list – short and sweet. Good luck in reaching your goals this year. Please email us at support@promethius.com if you feel we have missed an important business website!

Microsoft has been talking a lot about .Net, but their commercials never really explain what it is. You’ve likely already signed up for a .Net Passport without knowing what .Net is. Those of us who know Microsoft are skeptical. We know that while Microsoft has a lot of great software, they also sell a lot of vaporware at very high prices.

It turns out that .Net is another Gates marketing strategy intended to encourage Microsoft software upgrades and to provide Microsoft with a steady stream of cash in the form of subscription fees. Microsoft currently relies on users’ upgrade desires to meet its cash flow needs. By integrating .Net My Services, Microsoft hopes to gain a healthy number of monthly subscriptions. Following are the four main elements of Microsoft’s .Net plan:

1. Web services: .Net My Services, formerly code-named HailStorm, includes the existing Passport online ID system and new services, such as calendar, profile, e-wallet, notifications and contact management, along with a service to meter use of those services, which Microsoft and partners will offer for a fee. Microsoft's goal: information available on any device, anyplace. Expected to debut next year.

2. Programming model: Called the .Net Framework, it expands the existing Win32 model to include Web services development and supports XML and SOAP. Intended to entice developers using Visual Basic and other Microsoft tools to build Web service applications on Microsoft's software. 

3. Web sites: Microsoft will market Web services from itself and partners through its bCentral and MSN Web sites.

4. .Net Enterprise Servers: Largely a renaming of existing SQL Server, Exchange and other server software. 1

In short, Microsoft is attempting to bring all of its products into a marketing strategy designed to entice developers away from competing software, like Unix, and to develop a subscription-based revenue stream.

1 Strategy: Blueprint shrouded in mystery, Mike Ricciuti, CNET News.com, October 18, 2001.

Is there something specific you'd like to see? We'd appreciate your feedback and article ideas.
Please e-mail them to support@promethius.com.

Promethius Consulting, LLC
www.promethius.com