Thanks to all for your input. I think I was probably looking for some creative way to keep in touch with a prospect. Just calling periodically, to check on their status just didn't seem like enough. A variety of contacts; phone, mail, e-mail, personal visits, and small gifts, sounds like a better way to be remembered.Your right, persistence and consistency will pay off eventually. I will need to organize better to keep track of when I contacted a prospect, what was said or implied, and to follow-up in a timely manner.No more procrasting, I'm starting.... tomorrow!

good on ya Steve.

my way of keeping good records may not be the best, but i love it:

i bought a Fujitsu Tablet PC a year and a half ago, these things are awesome! weighs about 3 pounds. battery lasts 3-6 hours.

bought mine used off of a Tablet PC "For Sale" Forum: http://www.tabletpcbuzz.com/forum/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=27

my model is a several years old but is still loaded with features...the Stylistic ST4120 i got it shipped for $650.

came with Windows Tablet XP, external DVD rom, 60 GB hard-drive, wireless keyboard, stylus and a bunch of other stuff. you can probably pick one up nowadays for $400 or so. you write on them just like a pad, then you can save that as a Windows Journal file. make a bunch of folders up, ie: Commercial Prospects ; Upcoming Commercial ; Upcoming Demo's ; Commercial Call Back In Future ; etc... and keep those Journal Files in them.

hope this helps --- Derek.

Derek-

Does the Tablet PC power up almost instantly, like a Pocket PC? Or does it take a while, like with a laptop? Any problems with it 'freezing up' or crashing?

Kevin Kluth
Pinnacle Cleaning
www.dryinonehour.com
www.fullerdirect.com/0704120

hiyas Kevin.

interesting article on Tablet -vs- Laptop : http://tinyurl.com/82nle

it takes awhile like my desktop, maybe 70 seconds to power up. i turn mine off once every 1-3 weeks, it's always in Stand-By mode. powers up in 2 seconds then.

i have a 1gb mem stick that i SHOULD be using daily to back-up all my files, but i usually do it every 3-14 days... then i transfer it to my desktop. it does have infrared "stuff" that apparently can sync it to my desktop with, but i dunno how to do it. has wireless internet that works great at the library or other hotspots.

no prob's freezing up ever. and no crashes. the fella that sold it to me, wiped it clean and re-installed Tablet XP and all the updates in Dec '05.

Win Tablet XP is supposedly a souped-up version of Win XP Pro.

one Tablet i was looking at back then had a camera built in. that seems like a cool feature, but that particular model didn't have any good reviews.

then i was also asking around on the TPC forums for a TPC that accepts credit cards, like where you could swipe it for a client to pay with...THAT would be a cool feature! but alas i couldn't find one lol.

the "strong" TPC's out there appear to be :
1) Fujitsu
2) Motion
3) Toshiba

these are probably the only 3 i'd look at, and in that order.

___________________________________________________

here are some NEAT TPC sites for ya:

FORUMS:
- http://www.tabletpcbuzz.com/forum/
- http://forum.tabletpcreview.com/?styleid=2
- http://tinyurl.com/yw8syz
- http://forumz.tomshardware.com/

INFO ON Tablet XP:
- http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/evaluation/compare.mspx
- http://www.winsupersite.com/reviews/windowsxp_tabletpc.asp

TPC REVIEW SITES:
- http://www.tabletpc2.com/

MICROSOFT Tablet XP POWER TOYS & OTHER FREE PROGGIES:
- http://tinyurl.com/6uxrj
- http://tinyurl.com/2385x6

MISC.:
- http://tabletwiki.com/TabletWiki/index.php?title=Tablet_PC#Links
- http://www.tabletpctalk.com/
- http://tinyurl.com/ysuh57
- http://gottabemobile.com/



thanx --- Derek.

this is mine if it were brand spankin new. it is called a "Slate". the other kind of TPC is called a "Convertible", cause you can use it as a Slate, or open it up, twist the monitor and now you have a keyboard like a Laptop!

but those Convertibles weigh several LB's more, not practical in the field IMO.



came with this small and extremely lightweight battery powered cordless keyboard:



then i bought a used corded keyboard off eBay, 'cause i don't like the cordless one. again this one is very small and lightweight:



then i bought the Tablet Dock used off eBay for $103 + shipping, has DVD rom. rarely use it though:





when i have to replace my Desktop i will replace it with a TPC. they can do everything a Desktop can but are way more diverse & way smaller.

thanx --- Derek.