Posts by Danny | The Company Rocks

Danny December 30, 2009 Leave a Comment

The Online Store for The Company Rocks has Opened for Business!

I am proud to announce that my online store for The Company Rocks is now open!

You can now purchase my two DVDs without leaving my website.

“The 50 Best Tips for Excel 2007” contains over 5 1/2 hours of training. Each video lesson focuses on one tip and you can learn it in @ 6 minutes! The tips range from Beginning Level to the Advanced level. The majority of Tips (30 tips) are at the Intermediate level. If you enjoy the lessons that I post here, now you can own a DVD of the 50 Best Tips – now for Excel 2007!

“The 50 Best Tips for PowerPoint 2007” contains over 7 hours of training on two DVDs! I put a lot of effort into producing this DVD – and the customers who have already purchased it tell me that has immediately improved their presentation skills.

This DVD is unique!

Because, I do not teach PowerPoint as a “techie.” Rather, I am a professional speaker and trainer and I show you how to use PowerPoint as a tool to use during your presentations. Of course I show you how to create animations and how to create custom PowerPoint shows. But, significantly, I demonstrate how best to use custom animations and why you should prepare Custom PowerPoint shows. If you think you know PowerPoint, think again. I guarantee that you will learn new techniques for PowerPoint and … you will learn how to take advantage of the many great new graphic features available in PowerPoint 2007.

I invite you to visit my online store. The DVDs are in stock and attractively priced. I know that you will learn new tips and refine your skills in PowerPoint and Excel when you watch one of my lessons.

Invest 10 minutes to learn a new productivity tip – and, save yourself hours of frustration and avoid having to rekey data entries in Excel 2007.
Invest 10 minutes to learn a new presentation tip – and, learn how to deliver presentations using PowerPoint 2007 that get you the sale or get your audience to take action.
Invest 10 minutes and learn how to use the new Office 2007 interface. I show you how to always have your favorite commands right at your fingertips.

Finally, let me wish you a very Happy New Year in 2010!

Sincerely,

Danny Rocks

danny@thecompanyrocks.com

Danny November 1, 2009 8 Comments

Build an Accounts Receivable Aging Report

Here is another request for help from a viewer. How to create a report that shows “the aging” of past due invoices (1 – 30 days past due, etc.).

Here are the Functions that I use in this report:

=IF()
=AND()
=WEEKDAY()

Looking for a specific Excel video? Take advantage of my Index of Excel Video Lessons to find the video that you want to watch.

Invitation to Visit My Online Shopping Site

Want to learn the best Tips for Excel? You can purchase my DVD, “The 50 Best Tips, Tricks & Techniques for Excel 2007

I use a secure shopping cart at http://shop.thecompanyrocks.com – I invite you to pay a visit today!

Click here to see a Listing of “The 50 Best Tips for Excel 2007”

Filed Under: Excel Financial Tools, Excel Functions, Excel Training, Video Response to Viewers Tagged: A/R Aging Report, Absolute cell reference, Accounts Receivable Report, Amount Past Due, Logical Formulas, Logical Functions

Danny October 30, 2009 Leave a Comment

Calculate the Days Worked on a Project

Do you manage Projects? Do you create Project work schedules? Do you need to know how many days were actually worked on your Project?

If so, this Excel video lesson is for you. A viewer asked for my help. He did not want to use MS Project for his work schedules. Rather, he wants to know which Excel Functions to use for his Project work schedules.

Excel Functions Covered in this Tutorial

In this lesson, I demonstrate how to use two functions included in the Excel “Analysis Tool-Pak”:

=WORKDAY()
=NETWORKDAYS()

Index of Excel Video Tutorials

Search for a specific Excel Video Lesson on this website in my Index.

Watch Excel Tutorial on YouTube

Click on this link to watch this Excel Tutorial on my YouTube Channel – DannyRocksExcels

Secure Online Shopping for My Resources

Want to learn how to get the most out of Excel 2007?

My DVD, “The 50 Best Tips, Tricks & Techniques for Excel 2007” is available for purchase.

Filed Under: Excel Date and Time Functions, Excel Financial Tools, Excel Functions, Excel Training, Video Response to Viewers Tagged: Excel Add-ins, Excel Video Training, Named Cells and Ranges, NETWORKDAYS Function, Project Estimates, project management, Video lessons for Excel, WORKDAY Function

Danny October 18, 2009 2 Comments

Use the =TODAY() Function to Identify Past Due Invoices

Here is another response to a viewer request. The letter asks for my help in identifying, counting and totaling the amount of “Past Due” invoices. In the viewer’s letter, she wanted me to use the =NOW() Function. This function returns the current date and time (Hour, Minute, Second) from your computer’s system clock. The =TODAY() Function is similar, but it returns only the current date. Both the =NOW() and =TODAY() Functions are “volatile.” This means that the value that they return will automatically update according to your computer’s system clock. This makes them excellent reference points in formulas that identify “Past Due” invoices.

In addition to using the =IF() Function to identify the invoices that are “Past Due,” I also demonstrate two other functions: =COUNTIF() to total the number of “Past Due” invoices and =SUMIF() to give me the total dollar amount that is “Past Due.” I recreate these formulas, this time, using “named cell ranges” in the formulas.

Finally, I show you a great new Filtering Feature in Excel 2007 – the ability to filter by time period e.g. “Next Week!”

Use the Transpose Feature to Change the Orientation of Data Imported into Excel

I am working through the special requests that viewers have sent me. In this lesson, I show you how to:

Use Data – Get External Data – to import a simple delimited text file.
Use Copy – Paste Special – Transpose – to make a copy of the imported data that is now “vertically oriented.” i.e. The field entries run down the column rather than across the rows.
Use the Data – Text-to-Columns feature to break an “address block” (City, State, Zip Code) that is one cell into three distinct cells. This is a terrific time saver!

Now available for purchase: My DVD “The 50 Best Tips, Tricks, and Techniques for Excel 2007”

Over 5 1/2 hours of training. Each video lesson focuses on one tip and averages 6 minutes.

Now available from the online store at www.thecompanyrocks.com

Use the =COUNTIF() Function to see how many badges have been claimed

A viewer wants to know how many badges have been claimed and how many have not yet been claimed. In Excel, use the =COUNTIF() Function to get the answer(s) to this question.

If you have ever struggled with using “Nested =IF() functions” you will welcome the =COUNTIF() Function – it is so much easier to use because the arguments for the function follow a logical progression.

My viewer also wanted to see the names of the guests who have claimed or who have not yet claimed their badges. To answer this request, I use a Data Filter – very easy to use and change.

Learn Excel quickly. Over 5 1/2 hours of Excel 2007 training on my DVD. Each lesson averages @ 6 minutes.

Shop for the DVDs in “The 50 Best Tips for…” series at my online bookstore.

Filed Under: COUNTIF and SUMIF Functions, Excel Functions, Excel Training, MS Excel 2007 DVD, MS Excel Training, Video Response to Viewers Tagged: COUNTIF Function, Excel Video Training, Filter a List, IF() Function, New in Excel 2007

Danny September 10, 2009 1 Comment

Add Video of Your Employees to Your Website

danny-playing-the-piano People do business with people that they like – or would like to be like.

Take advantage of this. Shine the (video) spotlight on your employees. Let your customers get to know them better. Let your employees “showcase” their special talents and expertise.

People want to do business with people that they know and trust. Your website gives you a great opportunity to:

Include a short video of your employees sharing a tip, a hobby, a piece of trivia
Invite your customers to get to know something that they did not know yet …
- About your business
- About your product
- About your employees

Try it!

Here’s an example – I filmed a series of training videos for NAMM – The International Music Products Association.

In this video, you can see – and hear – me playing a little piano music. Now, perhaps, you did not know that I played the piano. Perhaps that makes me more interesting. Perhaps you – the customer – would like to know a little bit about me.

This is an opportunity to start a conversation. Which may lead to a sale. Which will help to establish a connection between your employees, your customer and your business.

Try it – you may like it. And… you may find more customers – who like to business with people that they like – or people that they would like to be like!

Filed Under: Add Video to Your Website, Powerpoint Techniques Tagged: Add Video to Your Website, Customer relationships, Playing the Piano, Showcase your staff

Danny June 7, 2009 2 Comments

My New DVD – The 50 Best Tips for MS Excel 2007 is now on sale

New! Now available from the online store at www.thecompanyrocks.com

Do you ever have one of those “A-ha” moments? You know – those moments when everything falls into place. When everything becomes crystal clear. When you finally “get it!”

Well, here is your opportunity to experience 50 “A-ha” moments. Here is a great way for you to learn “The 50 Best TIps, Tricks, and Techniques for Microsoft Excel 2007.”

I spent almost three months filming these short Excel training videos. I worked hard to create this DVD in order to make it easy for you to learn how to remain productive at work while learning to use the new Excel 2007 interface.

And, the Excel 2007 interface is really quite different.

So different, that many long-time Excel users just give up on it and return to the tried and true Excel 2003 program.

And that is too bad. Because, Excel 2007 allows you to perform so many business tasks faster and better. But … first, you must get over “the initial learning curve” to understand how to navigate in Excel 2007.

This DVD makes it easy for you to learn how to use Microsoft Excel 2007 – guaranteed!

In selecting the 50 Best Tips for Excel 2007, I wanted to include tricks that all Excel users could put to use – now! I include tips at the Introductory, Intermediate and Advanced levels.

Each lesson is short – five to six minutes on average – and focused on just one topic. Each lesson on the DVD is self-contained – I teach you how to solve one problem per lesson.Overall, the DVD contains 5 1/2 hours of training on Excel 2007!

This DVD is available exclusively from the SkillPath Seminars bookstore. They are offering it for sale at the introductory price of $49.95 Here is a link to the demonstration / order now page.

I am proud of this product. I know that you will gain some new insights into how to get the most out of Excel 2007. I welcome your feedback. Please drop me a note – danny@thecompanyrocks.com Or … add your comments below for all readers to share.

Thank you for your support!

Danny Rocks

Filed Under: Excel Training, MS Excel 2007 DVD, Online Store for The Company Rocks Tagged: "What-if" Analysis in Excel, Consolidate Excel data, Create Subtotals in Excel, Data Validation, Excel Keyboard Shortcuts, Excel Video Training, Goal Seek, Group Dates in Pivot Tables, Hide Details in Pivot Tables, MS Excel 2007 Video Training, MS Excel Training, Paste Special, SUMIF Function

Danny April 9, 2009 Leave a Comment

Save Time and Maintain Consistency When Entering Data

This is every company’s nightmare: You have a list of Customer Names that are entered in multiple worksheets by multiple employees. The (nightmare) result – you have multiple misspellings of the Customer Names! This is GIGO (“Garbage In, Garbage Out”). This is a mess!

This is preventable!

In this Excel Training Video I demonstrate three tips to save you time and help you to maintain consistency when entering long text labels into your worksheets. The Tips:

Use Data Validation – Choose from a List
Use a Named Constant – you type =”Shortcut” and get the Customer Name spelled out correctly
Use MS Office’s AutoCorrect Option – Create your “Replace and Replace With” in Excel and you can use it in Word and PowerPoint

Here are the steps to follow in this lesson:

Enter the list of Customer Names in a worksheet. Highlight the list and type a NAME for this range into the Name Box. Remember to begin your Name with a letter and you can not use a Space in the Name.
Tip # 1 – Use Data Validation – Allow – List. You can watch my lesson on Data Validation.
Tip # 2 – Create a Named Constant. You can watch my lesson on Named Cells, Ranges & Constants.
Tip # 3 – Use MS Office’s AutoCorrect Option – Go to Tools – AutoCorrect Options in any MS Office Program. For the “Replace” entry, type in your “Shortcut.” I like to make my 1st character an”_” so that it is easy to find, edit or replace. For the “Replace with” type in the full Customer Name. Remember to ht the SPACEBAR when you use this in Word & PowerPoint!

It is easy to find the Excel Training Video you want to view – Search my Index of Excel Topics

New! Danny’s DVD Training Series, “The 50 Best Tips for …” is now available at the online store for The Company Rocks

Filed Under: Excel Basics, Excel Training Tagged: Data Validation, Excel Video Training, GIGO, MS Excel Training, MS Office AutoCorrect Options, Named Cells and Ranges, Named Constant

Danny April 8, 2009 Leave a Comment

Danny Rocks “Training You to Excel”

The Online Store for The Company Rocks has Opened for Business!

Build an Accounts Receivable Aging Report

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Invitation to Visit My Online Shopping Site