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The Terminator: Small Business Guru – Who Knew?

Fri, 02 Jul 2010 06:17:48 +0000

As much as it pains me to admit this, I may have learned something from the Terminator. Well, to be clear . . . it was actually from the new Fox(R) spinoff series, “The Sarah Connor Chronicles.” I have never been much of a fan of this series of movies, but after viewing them again recently with my husband, I must reluctantly admit that “Ah-nold” just might be on to something.
Those of you who may be die-hard fans will know the line I am referring to, but if not, just indulge me a moment. I promise there is a method to my madness.
In both the movie and the series, there is a (variation) of the line, “Come with me if you want to live.” Direct, forceful, and certainly insightful on its own. But here’s where it gets a little weird (and I will warn you up front to make a bit of a leap with me).
In both the movie and in the series, the characters look toward technology to help them. We need these pseudo-human beings to guide us, and ultimately, to save us. It got me to thinking about how it parallels so much of what is happening with technology today, and how important it is that we both embrace and trust the technology around us if we want our small business to survive.
There are literally dozens of advancements that have come on the scene, and, whether you follow these developments or not, they can, and will impact you. You have two options here: you can choose to ignore them and resist accepting them, or, you can embrace them, and leverage them to your advantage. History teaches us that no matter how hard we may try to resist change, it is inevitable. Those who resist change are often left behind.
What Can You Do to Make Technology Work For You?
There are many small changes that we can make to begin the process of embracing the technology around us. I know how it feels to be hesitant, or even downright resistant, to these changes. I wrote many of them off as nothing more than fads, then watched with surprise as many industry titans began implementing them. THAT got my attention. And, fair reader, it should get yours, too.
So, just how can you start making technology work for you? I am so glad you asked. I have worked up a short list that I think will help get the gears turning for you. From there, I encourage you to expand and revise the list to suit your needs.
Utilize Small automations. Setting up reminders in your email client (check out Outlook’s Calendar feature, for example) can help keep you on track, and on schedule. I set reminders for everything from client conference calls to reminders to change out content on my various websites. I would be lost without it.
RSS News Feeders. Streamline your web-surfing by setting up feeds from your favorite news outlets, blogs, magazines, etc. This puts all the information in one place, and allows you to read them at your leisure.
Automatic Credit Card Processing. I used to waste several hours a week in processing orders for my various sites — because I was doing all of this manually. Last fall, I had finally had enough. I switched over to 1ShoppingCart.com, and it was one of the best decisions I ever made. Not only are my orders processed automatically, but the cart system also handles my affiliate program, autoresponders, and can even handle delivery of digital products. It is a bit pricey at first glance, but if you take the time to price out all of these elements separately, you’ll soon realize it is a valuable investment in your business.
AudioGenerator.com. This service is one that after you begin using it, you will wonder why you didn’t start sooner. You can record (via phone, or upload your own file) short messages for your website — welcome messages, product instructions, special announcements, etc. — and upload a short line of code to add them to your site. Because the file is third-party hosted, if loads quickly and won’t bog down your server. You can also give out a special phone number to your customers, and allow them to record product or service testimonials.
Productivity Tools. Embracing technology allows us to work smarter, rather than harder. That said, below are some time-saving resources, along with a short explanation of how they can serve you.
BizJournals: Search 41 business news journals at once.

http://www.bizjournals.com

TrackEngine: Set up alerts to monitor changes on frequently visited websites. http://www.trackengine.com
TinyURL: Shorten lengthy URLs for easy emailing. http://www.tinyurl.com
ZoomInfo: Don’t Google someone, ZoomInfo them! http://www.zoominfo.com
DomainTools: Identify web sites owned by the competition. http://www.domaintools.com
Blinkx: Track the TV coverage of your competitors. http://www.blinkx.com
Jux2: Locate unique results between 3 search engines. http://www.Jux2.com
Wikipedia: Search and browse the ultimate online reference site. http://www.wikipedia.com
Ask: Answer who-is and what-is questions instantly. http://www.ask.com
TurboScout: Search across multiple search engines for comprehensive results. http://www.turboscout.com
Social Networks. I saved this as my last list item (although I could go on for quite a bit longer) simply because it is one that I personally resisted for far too long. The good news is, if you aren’t using it, you haven’t missed the boat on this. Follow these helpful tips, and start using these networks as another promotional method for your business:
Always provide valuable content. Nobody likes a spammer. Avoid hopping on these sites shouting from the rooftops about how great you are. Let folks come to that conclusion naturally by seeing all of the valuable knowledge and content you have to offer.
Go for quality, not quantity There are tons of social networks out there, and more springing up each day (trust me on this, I have a news alert set up to let me know). Select one or two and test the waters. Get a feel for the community, and then become a productive and respected member of it. You don’t have to be a member of every social network in order to reap the benefits.
Be Prepared to Welcome the Leads. Do you have a lead-capture plan in place? If not, get one. Make sure you have a prominently placed opt-in area on your home page — preferably “above the fold.” Offer a free report, coupon, discount or other promotional offer to encourage conversions of that traffic.
These are really only the tip of the iceberg in terms of embracing the technology available to us as small business owners. The most important fact that I’d like to leave with you is that if you aren’t using technology, you run the risk of being left behind. The Internet offers us the unique opportunity to enjoy a global marketplace; don’t kid yourself into believing that your competition isn’t going to be employing these exact same strategies to get the jump on you.
Little do they know that we have the Terminator on our side. “Hasta la vista, baby!”

Business Development Training – How To Beat The Fear Of Meeting People

Sat, 12 Jun 2010 18:42:12 +0000

Recently I presented a business development training session at a conference. The audience were managers from all across Australia. I gave them a 2-minute break and asked them to get up and talk amongst themselves.

When we resumed I asked how many of them made a point of meeting someone they didn\’t know. One lonely hand went up in the air. Only one!

This was particularly important as the conference workshop was about building effective business relationships.

The moral of the exercise was that we naturally gravitate towards people we know and like. And it is easy to stick with our current network of clients, colleagues and industry contacts.

It can get scary when we have to meet new people.

But – from a business development perspective – it is extremely selfish when we are not brave enough too reach out to people we don\’t know.

It is selfish for us to avoid engaging with people with whom we may be able to develop a mutually beneficial relationship.

I have spoken with many clients and training delegates who are reluctant to meet new people. They feel a bit awkward and unsure of themselves.

Does that sound like you too?

In many cases this reluctance is based on self-centred feelings such as:

It is ironic that most people feel the same way, and could easily comfort each other. Yet everyone keeps to the safe relationships they already know.

So, in our efforts to stay within our comfort zone we act selfishly and do not fully explore new opportunities.

This can be the kiss of death to a service business. Especially for new businesses or those that are trying to expand into new areas. Meeting new people is critical to the success of the organisation.

By meeting – and fully engaging – with new people (prospects, industry partners, or referral sources) we open the doors to:

One of the greatest challenges for service providers, professionals, business owners, and new sales people is to have the confidence to strike up new relationships.

You owe it to yourself and to your business (or to your employer).

The tools you will need include:

For those who muster the courage, and learn the necessary skills, a whole new world of possibilities and success awaits you.

Why Hollywood Gossip Is So Interesting?

Thu, 27 May 2010 10:04:31 +0000

Hollywood is the Olympic Mountain on this earth. It is the place where the gods and goddess of show business belong. We always wonder about what’s going on there just like we always curious about what does god do in heaven while we are living in this world. It’s some kind of a mystery that we desperately want to reveal.

Hollywood Gossip is the one we can count on to reveal what the hell is going on up there on the hill. We want to know how those celebrities live their lives. We want to take a sneak peak of celebrities’ homes so we can adopt some part of it for our homes. We try to catch as much as we can about those celebrities to feel more connected to them. What those celebrities wear and do is the new fad that will be spread out easily to all over the world. Yes, they are the trendsetter. They are the center of all the spotlights in this planet. Everyone wants to know about them and it is only Hollywood gossip that is able to serve this need. There are still pros and contras about the existence of yellow journalism. It can’t be called journalism because they don’t tell the fact. It’s only a gossip that is still questionable. But it is the one that is always searched for many people. Yellow journalism is like a drug dealer. It only provides abstract news to provoke people’s curiousness. And you surely can predict what follows.

Yes, because there is no certain fact about the gossip, people seek it out for more. It makes gossip gets its popularity and unstoppable in ruling the media. But we can’t blame the gossip either because it only serves what people need. It’s a two-way correlation that makes gossip news grows stronger day by day.

Selection for Your Truck Accessories

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 04:36:27 +0000

Even though you have spent your time to look for new spare parts for your truck, you often get limited choices. It does not help you to repair your truck. Complete selection is what you need. You need to get spare parts that are perfectly matched to your truck. You often waste your time to find the right spare part in the wrong supplier. You need to find other choices of supplier to get your new spare part.

Carid.com can show you the best choices that you need to repair your truck. It has unlimited choices of truck accessories. Information on your truck type will lead you to the right choices. This website gives you the chance to choose your truck parts. Right after you dropped your order, this website will proceed it. Staffs in this website will send your payment procedure, so you can pay it right away. When you have completed your order, your order will be sent to your house.

This simple order does not cost you a lot of money. You will enjoy the best service at low cost. Without wasting your time, you can get the right spare parts to repair your truck. This website gives you the best choices that you need for your truck.

Easiest Mortgage Application

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 03:17:26 +0000

Yes, the mortgage company is easy to find in this modern era. The company that is able to giving the mortgage service is growing anywhere. But the problem is how can you trust and choose one for you? The mortgage is actually the more safe way to you to get the money, especially to get the money to buy a home or even maintain the home. The mortgage service itself is able to helping you in every kind of your needs.

There are also some banks that prepare the mortgage service. In the regulation, you need to make the mortgage application first and wait for may be one or two day when the bank informs you about the mortgage that you can get. It needs the patiently and the ability to doing the negotiation with the bank company. The mortgage application from you is actually bringing to the meeting of the bank and then they decide whether they approve it or not and of course need the enough time for that.

If you want to get the easier way or even the easiest way to get the mortgage, you can visit Mortgagefindersnetwork.com. You can get the information there about the fast mortgages that you are able to get. Visit it now.

Car Insurance Service for Your Car

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 03:11:27 +0000

The global crisis has about to end, that is what many economic experts said. But even so, the effects of the global crisis wouldn’t easily end as well. Many of us must struggle to survive from the effects of the global crisis. Today, people would be lucky enough if they could maintain their assets. Many of us should sell the assets to survive, and we didn’t know that we would be able to buy it again or not.

So, for some people who still have the chances to maintain their assets, it will be better if they set some excellent protections for the assets, such as houses, cars and many other things. The car for example, we need to protect it because this is the most important thing that could support our mobility. The car insurance service would be the best protection that we could set for the car.

What kind of insurance service? Well, there are so many options for it. If you need some excellent insurance services, you may click the Carinsurancerates.com to get more information about the insurance services. You may choose many kinds of protections for the car from the insurance company. Are you interested to get one?

Don’t Run from Debt

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 03:08:59 +0000

Dealing with the debts is a thing that makes our head wants to blow. It is really something that can make us get not only headache but also heart attack. It is really miserable yet unavoidable. We like it or not, we must pay back all loans that we have borrowed.

Although, it is a must to finish all debts, some people always have a tendency to runaway from it. They are afraid of the debt collectors and they do not want to pay the loans back. And, we may not become that kind of people. We must finish our debts no matter what and Nodebttoday.com will help us with its fast debt consolidation program. This program will give us easier way in finishing our debts since by consolidating all of our debts in one account and negotiating the rate that need to be paid with the lender so that it can be lowered down. It is not difficult to ask this online consolidator to help us. We just need to fill out their free online form with our debt problem. The form is, of course, available on the website and there are explanations about it.

Just visit the website immediately when the time for paying the debts comes. If there is any question about the website, call 1-888-867-1953.

Low Insurance Rate from InsuranceRate.Com

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 03:03:41 +0000

I wonder what kind of facility or service which can protect me in every uncertain condition? Although in a separate packages, but insurance is the right answer for my question. Insurance is a protection service for uncertain condition in the future. For example, you can take home insurance to protect your house and also you as the people living inside, car insurance, health or life insurance.

People who want to take insurance has following the terms. When it comes to the deal, we have to pay monthly payment. When we talk about monthly payment, we will also talk about insurance rates. Interest rate is one of elements that determine the level of monthly payment. Some people are get trapped in interest rate problem because they have to pay high interest rate before they enjoy the service.

Because of that, InsuranceRate.Com comes to the air and serves those who need more information about insurance and also interest rates. All will be classified based on the types of insurance you take. They also have close relationship with certain popular insurance agencies. In sum, the information will be summarized in the form of quote. The quote will be multiple quotes and it taken from certain insurance agencies across United States.

Get Your Fast Cash Advance to Cover Your Unexpected Expenses

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 02:54:56 +0000

You might have bought things that are not listed on your monthly budget. If you do not have saving for extra expenses, you may run out of cash money to pay these things. Borrowing money can give you fresh fund that you need to pay these things. However, you surely do not want to let anyone knows that you are incapable to manage your finance.

Perfectcashadvance.com can give loan that you need without letting anyone knows that you are taking new loan. On this website, you have the chance to take fast cash advance. The process only takes a few minutes and your money will be wired to your bank account instantly. This website asks you to give your personal information and the amount of money that you need. Your application process will be complete after your submit this form. Then, you will get phone call from this website to confirm your application.

Once you have completed your confirmation, this website will give your cash advance through your bank account. Even though it is easy to take cash advance on this website, but you need to know that, your cash advance has high interest rate. It means you have to pay it back on time and avoid taking it again for the second time.

How to Get a Loan Easily and Quickly

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 02:51:45 +0000

Do you think that getting a loan is really tough? Do you have to wait for a long time to have your application approved? Well, you probably submit your loan application in the wrong place. You won’t have those problems if you visit the right resource for a payday loan.

If you are looking for the easy and fast procedure of getting a loan, then Easyonlinepaydayloan.com is perfect for you. You don’t need to search any other place to get a fast cash payday loan. The loan process is totally online. It means that you can keep your fax in your basement because you won’t need it to send any documents. All you have to do is just filling out the online form and you’ll get your submission processed. Only two words you’ll get for this process. They are fast and easy. You can also help your self to not getting trapped in an endless debt by reading the law regulations provided by this site. You can learn the rights you have as borrower.

The website doesn’t only give you the fast and easy payday loan but also teach you to be a smart borrower. Just call their toll-free number if you need any help.