WINDOWS TIPS BY: GURU ( Dave Smith )

E-Mail Merge - Send to many at one time

First, let’s set up an example to work with. Let’s say you run a Appraisal Firm and want to tell your customers about this month’s changes in USPAP. You want to send every customer the same form letter, but would like to add unique elements to each in the form of a personalized greeting and mailing address.

Write the form in MS-Word and save it. (Sample)

I’d like to be one of the first to inform you about the latest changes to USPAP. Here they are.

********************* **************************** ********************** * * ***** **********

Sincerely,

Dave Smiths Master Appraisers

1735 North George Street

York, PA 17404

www.MASTERAPPRAISER.TRIPOD.COM

Leave some space at the top, because this is where we’ll insert information like the first and last name of recipient and their address.

· Choose Tools, Mail Merge The Mail Merge Helper dialog box will appear.

· Click on the create button. Find this under Step 1, Main Document.

· Choose Form Letters from the drop down list. Another info box will then appear.

· Press the Active Window Button.

(Compile Information to Merge)

Now we need to create the information we want to merge with our form letter.

· Click on the Get Data button. Found under step 2 of the Mail Merge Helper dialog box.

· Choose Create Data Source from the drop down list. By creating the data source, we’ll define what fields (First Name, Last Name, etc.) we want to add to out form letter and define the data (MARVIN DEANE) that corresponds to those fields.

· Define the fields you want in your form letter. In our example these would be limited to.

First name

Last name

Address

City

State

Postal code

· Remove all other sample fields. Remove Title and WorkPhone by clicking on them and pressing the Remove Field button.

· Save the file when the Save As dialog box appears. Give it a name that’s appropriate for a file holding the customers contact information for our Appraisal Firm. You’ll use this file every time you want to mail news to all your customers.

· Click on the Edit Data Source button. A data form will appear with all the fields we specified blank.

· Add, the First Name, Last Name, and other information for each customer on our mailing list.

·

· Click on View Source button (don’t click on OK!), when you’ve entered the info for every customer. A Word document will appear, and all the info you just entered will appear in Work table format.

· Click Save on the standard toolbar.

(Add Information to Your Letter)

· Switch back to the original form letter document we wrote earlier. The Mail Merge toolbar will be visible beneath the Standard Toolbar.

· Click on the Insert Merge Field button and add fields (First Name, Last Name, etc) where you’d like them to appear in the form letter.

<<First Name>><<LastName>>

<<Address 1>>

<<City,>><<State>><<Postal Code>>

Dear<<FirstName>>,

(Letter Body)

Sincerely,

Dave Smiths Master Appraisers

1735 North George Street

York, PA 17404

www.MASTERAPPRAISERS.TRIPOD.COM

The final step

· Click on the Merge button in the Mail Merge toolbar once the fields are in place. The Merge dialog box will appear.

· Click Merge. Now each customers information will be filled in on a separate form letter, ready to print and mail.

Mail Merge is far more powerful and complex than I’ve let on here, but this should give you the foundation you need to begin tapping into more advanced features.