This page contains answers to common questions handled by our support
staff, along with some tips and tricks that we have found useful and presented here as
questions.
- Most recent postings:
- I clicked "Update", the files were downloaded, yet
when I start Direct Connect, I have the same number of institutional buyers in the
database.
Note: In these answers we will follow a few shorthand conventions for
describing user-interface procedures. Key combinations will be presented like this: Ctrl+Alt+Delete,
which means that you should press and hold down the Control key, the Alt key, and the
Delete key at the same time. Menu selections will be presented like this: File->Open,
which means that you should open the File menu, and then make the Open selection.
- When I click Update on the File menu, nothing happens. Why?
- Why can't I send e-mail to an institutional buyer by clicking on their
e-mail?
- How often should I update?
- Why can’t I access the Direct Connect web page from my Direct
Connect program?
- Can I send an e-mail message to an institutional note buyer from Direct
Connect?
- I put in a note and the company I expected the program to find did not
come up. Why?
- What if a company is no longer in business?
- What if a note buying company gives me really good service? Can I post
that information?
- I have a cash flow that is not on the list called "Type of
Note", what should I do?
- I don’t understand some of the questions on the input screen. What
should I do?
- On the "Search Results" screen, the note buyer does not have an
e-mail address. How can I e-mail them?
- Do I have to send a cover letter to the note buyer with my note?
- I clicked "Update", the files were downloaded, yet when I start
Direct Connect, I have the same number of institutional buyers in the database.
If you are an America Online(TM) user, or if you use other proprietary software to
access the Internet, you need to log on using that program first and then select Update
from the File menu. Most Internet Service Providers supply a standard dial-up
access to the Internet which means that your computer will dial up and log onto the
Internet as soon as a program - like Direct Connect - requests Internet access.
If you are an America Online(tm) user, or if you use other proprietary software to
access the Internet, you need to use that program to send an e-mail message to an
institutional buyer in Direct Connect. Most Internet Service Providers supply a standard
dial-up access to the Internet which means that your computer will dial up and log onto
the Internet as soon as a program - like Direct Connect - requests Internet access. If you
have such an ISP, when you click an e-mail address in Direct Connect, your default e-mail
program will start with a new, blank message addressed to the recipient you clicked on.
The cash flow industry is always changing. We recommend that you update regularly. It
is free. Choose "Update" under the "File" menu. Direct
Connect will automatically dial up the Direct Connect web site. It
will update both the computer program and the database. It will take between five and 20
minutes for the update. There are five files that are transferred to your computer each
time you update.
You can also check this web site to see if a new update is available.
You can. Go directly to the Direct Connect web page. On the "Input
Screen" simply click on the button that says "Direct Connect On The Web"
You will then be taken to the Direct Connect home page. At this site you can
leave messages and read messages about the various corporate note buyers.
Alternatively, you can to the "Help" menu at the top of your screen and
select "Help on the Web." You can choose to either go the NoteWorthy
Newsletter’s web site or the Direct Connect web site. Click on
"Note Buyer Direct Connect Home Page" to go to the Direct Connect
home page.
Yes. Simple click on "e-mail address" in the list on the "Search
Results" screen. You will be taken to your e-mail program. Type in your message and
your e-mail program will send it directly to the company. Similarly, you can visit the web
site of the corporate buyer by clicking on "Web Site" on the "Search
Results" page. Your browser will automatically dial up the web site.
Corporate note buyers change their requirements constantly. Perhaps the company is no
longer interested in the type of note you put into Direct Connect. You can
call or e-mail them to see if they are interested in your cash flow. On the other hand,
the company may want to buy your note, but the database is not correct. If that is the
case, simply let Direct Connect know. On the Input Screen, click on
"Direct Connect On The Web." You will be taken to the Direct Connect
web site. Post a message, we will make the necessary changes.
Let Direct Connect know. Click on the "Direct Connect on the
Web" button on the "Input" screen. From the Direct Connect
web site you can post messages, send email and read information about the note buyers.
Yes. It is a service to all note brokers to let them know the good companies from the
bad. Simply let Direct Connect know. We will review all comments and post
those that are not slanderous. Click on the "Direct Connect on the Web"
button on the "Input" screen. From the Direct Connect web site you
can post messages, send email and read information about the note buyers.
We will, however, monitor the comments. Try to make your comments useful for other
brokers and note sellers. We encourage honest criticism.
Select "Other." Many cash flow buyers have indicated they will buy any type
of secure, collateralized cash flow. You can also e-mail a buyer whom you think is
interested in that type of note. In short, contact a potential note buyer directly if you
are unsure of the products they will buy.
All of the questions on the Input Screen have explanations in the box
at the bottom of the screen. Scroll to the bottom of the screen to see this answer box.
You can’t. They don’t have an e-mail address.
No. However, it is professional to do so. Just fill in the boxes on the General
Information screen and you will have the beginning of a very professional cover
letter.
There are a number of possibilities. The first and most likely scenario is that you
updated the database but we have not added to or removed buyers from the Direct Connect
database. For more information on how often to update, please refer to question
#3 above.
It is also possible, that the icon with which you start Direct Connect is not the
correct one. This can occur if you manually create an icon for Direct Connect on your
desktop, for example. If you manually create a shortcut to start Direct Connect,
please make sure that your shortcut points to the file called "NBstarter.exe" in
your Direct Connect program directory and not to the file called "Direct
Connect.exe". NBstarter is the program that gets called first when you start
"Direct Connect". It's purpose is to check if you have downloaded a new update,
and if so, to replace your old copy with the newly downloaded one.
