The Ideas Bus: Pimping Everybody's Ideas

Do you smell? if not, why not!!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 04:17:00 +0000

When it comes to smells, aromas, or scents, "Lush" takes the cake, or soap in this case. It doesn't matter if you're in London, Auckland, Vancouver, Newport Beach in California, the aromas of Lush will tickle your senses and attract your eyes and nose to their store like the Pied Piper playing a magic tune on his flute.

As I walked past a Lush store in Sydney yesterday, it reminded me of some thoughts I had many years ago of how businesses use aromas to attract people to their business directly and indirectly. It also took me back to childhood memories from smelling freshly baked bread from the local bakery to a Nestles chocolate factory to Starbucks, The Body Shop and now Lush.

For many years, aromas have been used as a tactic to attract customers to their business. What would be interesting, would be to find out how many businesses actually use aromas. For any business, give it a try. Talk to an aromatherapist to ensure the aroma you use 'fits' with your business. Not only will it attract people from off the street to your business, an aroma will create a memory in your customers minds. When they smell the aroma again, and you combine and reinforce this memory with a positive shopping experience, your customers will likely remember your business and brand for a very long time. In fact, you may even create another line of business if enough customers start to ask if they can purchase your aroma.

hmmmmm, I'm now recalling the smell of freshly popped popcorn. I think I'm going to watch a movie. Have an awesome day!!! ;-)

This is what you can learn from a Champion Team

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 02:00:00 +0000

One week on and the Crusaders as predicted are the Super 14 Champions of 2008. This is a report of the match. The master coach guiding his rugby team to another championship and the end of his dynasty as coach of the Canterbury Crusaders rugby team.

Read my last post for some of the reasons why great teams will always beat a team of individuals.

Super Coach Robbie Deans now ends his coaching duties and heads across the 'ditch' (or Tasman Sea, between New Zealand and Australia) to Australia to take charge of their national team, the Wallabies, for the next 4 years. The next 4 years of rugby in the southern Hemisphere will be interesting to watch. If you're a rugby purist, you will chopping at the bit waiting for the next Australia versus All Blacks test match. Im sure 'Mr Lovemarks' Kevin Roberts won't miss that game ;-)

What can we learn from the Canterbury Crusaders rugby team?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 25 May 2008 03:35:00 +0000

If you haven’t heard of the Canterbury Crusaders, then click here The Canterbury Crusaders are the most successful rugby franchise in Super Rugby based in Christchurch, New Zealand.

You can draw comparisons across many different successful sports teams from the successful Green Bay Packers (NFL) of the 1960’s, the Chicago Bulls (NBA) of the 1990’s, the New York Yankees (MLB), to Manchester United (Football).

When you examine all these teams, all have a couple things in common. A great leader who has vision, stellar management skills, strong meticulous attention to detail and an eye to spot and nurture talent. Add to that a cast of key personnel to execute the vision and plans of the leader.

In Canterbury, they have a successful coach named Robbie Deans who is well known in the rugby world for his professional work ethic, attention to detail, continuous learning and his ‘meritocratic’ culture which moulds his players and extended squad into a ‘no-egos’ culture.

Each and every individual player understands their role in the team and is encouraged to develop their strengths and work on their weaknesses to improve their individual performance. Deans then gels his team together through various drills and team sessions to focus and practice the new game-plan he wants to execute in the next match. The systems and culture of excellence that Deans has created within his franchise is reflected in the number of championships he has won.

As the saying goes, a great team will always beat a team of great players.

What does this have to do with business? Tonnes.

Ask yourself these questions:

Are you a visionary leader?
Have you employed a great leader to grow your business?
Is your staff smarter than yourself?
Do you have a strong team culture?
Do you have systems within your business that are easy to follow?
Do you have a culture for success?
Do you reward your team/employees with other benefits?
Are you focused on the small details as well as the large ones?
Are you continuously learning and improving yourself and your people?
Is your staff armed with the right knowledge and tools to deliver the results you expect?
Do you measure the outputs of your individual team members?
Do they know their strengths and weaknesses?
Do you know the strengths and weaknesses of your competitors?
How focused are your people on achieving the short, medium and long term objectives?
Are you congruent with your message?

These are a couple questions (not in any order of importance) you may want to reflect and chew on. Each situation is different so tailor your initiatives for your specific needs.

----------------------

The Canterbury Crusaders have just won the right to play in another Super rugby final next weekend and being a one-eyed fan of it’s arch-rival – the Auckland Blues, one can only respect the fantastic work and commitment Robbie Deans has instilled within his franchise.

You may not be a fan of the team but you can sure appreciate great talent in Robbie Deans and his band of Crusaders players.

At the end of the day, it’s the results that will reflect your work and commitment. I have wagered a hard soy skim latte with a friend that the results of next weekend’s final will be another Crusaders win. If I lose, then I know the other team has prepared better than the Crusaders and they will definitely be worthy champions for 2008.

From a coaches point of view, to beat the Crusaders would be equivalent to beating Vince Lombardi and his Packers, Phil Jackson and his Michael Jordan led Bulls, Joe Torre and his Yankees, and Sir Alex Ferguson and his Manchester United team.

Question: How prepared is your business for success?

Do you have a business model that makes no sense?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 22 May 2008 22:24:00 +0000

After attending the CeBit Expo in Sydney 2008 over the last few days, it was apparent that there were some business's whose business models just didn't make sense to me. Your business model is basically how your business makes money. It is a system and a blueprint on how to generate revenue.

One of the industries I found interesting where I found the business model to be weak was in the area of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). Don't let the acronym scare you. It is simply a platform on how your voice is transmitted via the internet. All this is invisible to the end-user and the most important thing to note about VoIP in countries like Australia, New Zealand and other countries where data usage is mostly tiered and capped, is monitoring your usage. If you are on a small bandwidth plan, forget about VoIP if you make many calls, downloads and uploads. Stick with your normal telephone service if this is the case.

At Cebit, I found there were many businesses promoting their services in the VoIP area yet felt there was a lot of spin and advertising falsehoods being promoted. Please any expert correct me if I'm wrong with what I'm about to say. Here's the rub. These businesses were promoting, in my opinion, expensive software and hardware to allow people to make calls via the web (ie. VoIP). Most of them promoted their business model through a longterm subscription model namely $X per month depending on what plan you use. I asked all the salespeople that approached me how they could be compete against a FREE product like Skype or Yahoo Messenger?

I can understand possibly a large business procuring hardware and software to take advantage of VoIP technology but surely small to medium sized business can get by on a FREE robust and secure softphone application like Skype or Yahoo Messenger?

I have been using both for several years now and have experienced very few technical issues. Most of my calls are from skype to skype or yahoo to yahoo so they are free. I rarely lose quality in the call as I use broadband and the receiver usually has broadband.

So tell me, how can you beat "free"? why would a small to medium size business need to purchase a new VoIP package and hardware? Wouldn't all I need is a headset and a downloaded free app like Skype or Yahoo?

Maybe Im missing something but I just don't see strong enough reasons for anyone to use an alternative that's not free.

Side note and this is a classic. When I asked the salesperson how they could beat a free zero priced service, their reply: "You only pay $25 per month for etc etc etc and you can do the same". Am I missing something? or is $25 per month cheaper than FREE?

What do you think?

Happy Mother's Day!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 10 May 2008 22:12:00 +0000

Happy Mother's Day to all Mothers in the world!!
May you enjoy your day and the next 364 ;-)

Love you Mum/Mom ;-)

Can you jump into your jeans? These guys can!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 09 May 2008 23:50:00 +0000

One of the hottest hits on the Youtube circuit now is the 'uncovered' ad by Levis Strauss where guys literally jump into their pants performing all kinds of stunts and antics to do so.

If buzz/viral marketers were looking to create surreptitious advertising online then Levis Strauss has created a nice template. It is the intersection where Jackass meets ordinary people, outrageous stunts, wow factor, fun, intrigue and turning the ordinary into the extraordinary .

I must warn you though, blatant naked advertising isn't that effective in social media circles. It is too impersonal, formal and for reasons explained they don't quite encapsulate what it takes to get mouths 'wagging' or in this case, 'forwarded'.

As people become more educated and frustrated with the flood of advertising on their senses, the less they want to see it. However, if the ad is highly interactive, relational, and feels less like an ad, the more likely it will succeed.

Check out these guys because in the space of a week, it has been viewed 1.5 million times!!!

Just one thing before I forget: DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!! Im sure these got well compensated and possibly a few visits to the doctor and physiotherapist.

COLES (Australia) - The problem with supermarkets

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 09 May 2008 04:43:00 +0000

Why is it when one walks into a supermarket and it seems like an eternity to find what you're looking for? For example, I walked into a Coles supermarket in Sydney and the signs blended into the aisles and it just took too long to navigate throughout the store. I hope Coles cut that interior designer(s) contract short....I doubt it.

As a shopper, when I walk inside a supermarket, I want to have clear visibility of signage to show me where things are, I want to have less clutter in the aisles so that I'm not bumping things over, I want clean shelves, great lighting, dusted products, clean floors, clean shopping carts, working shopping carts with functioning wheels, fresh produce, clean mirrors, fully stacked shelves, friendly service, helpful service, knowledgeable service, smiling staff, I want complimentary products sitting together if possible. For example, if I'm going to make a pasta, is it possible to have the sauces nearby? Is it possible to have recipes next to the items that I'm purchasing? I hope this isn't too much to ask for.

Some of the best supermarket experiences I've ever had has to be Big Fresh (Auckland, NZ), Wholefoods (USA), Woolworths (NZ) and Foodtown (NZ), and Sainsburys (UK).

Poor Coles, not only do they have a interior design problem in their stores, now they are under scrutiny for allegedly ripping people off at the pump. I really do hope Coles gets their act together because competition is great in this market space of food and gas.

How good is your customer service?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 08 May 2008 02:24:00 +0000

Now this video is a bit old school yet the lessons are timeless. Press play and there might be some great tips there on how to improve your customer services.

5 lessons to make you think about the way we treat people.

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 08 May 2008 01:28:00 +0000

Now before you wonder what relevancy does this email below have to do with business, a lot. Although this email has been doing the cyber circuit for a while now, it is still a positive message to be shared. What this email will highlight are these themes:
- respect for people like all your stakeholders (staff, customers, suppliers, partners, creditors, shareholders etc),
- respect for yourself,
- having faith (which we all need in business to succeed),
- paying attention to the details,
- show charity all day every day,
- give more than what is expected,
- going the extra mile,
- and always expect the unexpected,

Have a read and let it simmer. Then work out how you can make a person's day by doing something positive without expecting anything in return. In business, that could be sending your customer to your competition if you don't have what they need, tipping your courier person, giving them a coffee or some food, sharing a smile, complimenting a customer on how they look, what they're wearing, writing a positive message or quote on your shop window or website and more.

Read below:

1 - First Important Lesson - Cleaning Lady.

During my second month of college, our professor
gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student
and had breezed through the questions until I read
the last one:

'What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?'

Surely this was some kind of joke.. I had seen the
cleaning woman several times. She was tall,
dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name?

I handed in my paper, leaving the last question
blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if
the last question would count toward our quiz grade.

'Absolutely,' said the professor. 'In your careers,
you will meet many people. All are significant. They
deserve your attention and care, even if all you do
is smile and say 'hello.'

I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her
name was Dorothy.

2. - Second Important Lesson - Pickup in the Rain

One night, at 11:3 0 p.m., an older African American
woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway
trying to endure a lashing rainstorm. Her car had
broken down and she desperately needed a ride.
Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car.
A young white man stopped to help her, generally
unheard of in those conflict-filled 60s.. The man
took her to safety, helped her get assistance and
put her into a taxicab.

She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his
address and thanked him. Seven days went by and a
knock came on the man's door. To his surprise, a
giant console color TV was delivered to his home. A
special note was attached..

It read:
'Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway
the other night. The rain drenched not only my
clothes, but also my spirits. Then you came along.
Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying
husband's bedside just before he passed away... God
bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving
others.'

Sincerely, Mrs. Nat King Cole.

3 - Third Important Lesson - Always remember those who serve.

In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less,
a 10-year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and
sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him.

'How much is an ice cream sundae?' he asked.

'Fifty cents,' replied the waitress.

The little boy pulled is hand out of his pocket and
studied the coins in it.

'Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?' he inquired.

By now more people were waiting for a table and the
waitress was growing impatient.

'Thirty-five cents,' she brusquely replied.

The little boy again counted his coins.

'I'll have the plain ice cream,' he said.

The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on
the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice
cream, paid the cashier and left. When the waitress
came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the
table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish,
were two nickels and five pennies..

You see, he couldn't have the sundae, because he had
to have enough left to leave her a tip.

4 - Fourth Important Lesson. - The obstacle in Our Path.

In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a
roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if
anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the
king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by
and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the
King for not keeping the roads clear, but none did
anything about getting the stone out of the way.

Then a peasant came along carrying a load of
vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the
peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the
stone to the side of the road. After much pushing
and straining, he finally succeeded. After the
peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed
a purse lying in the road where the boulder had
been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note
from the King indicating that the gold was for the
person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The
peasant learned what many of us never understand!

Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition.

5 - Fifth Important Lesson - Giving When it Counts...

Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a
hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who
was suffering from a rare & serious disease. Her only
chance of recovery appeared to be a blood
transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had
miraculously survived the same disease and had
developed the antibodies needed to combat the
illness.. The doctor explained the situation to her
little brother, and asked the little boy if he would
be willing to give his blood to his sister.

I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a
deep breath and saying, 'Yes I'll do it if it will
save her.' As the transfusion progressed, he lay in
bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did,
seeing the color returning to her cheek. Then his
face grew pale and his smile faded.

He looked up at the doctor and asked with a
trembling voice, 'Will I start to die right away'.

Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the
doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his
sister all of his blood in order to save her but he had chosen to save her anyway.

Hugging always brings a smile to one's face...

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 06 May 2008 01:37:00 +0000

.....but be careful. You wouldn't want to do this to a stranger in your place of business as a lot of people like their personal space and may take it as an offence. You may try giving away a free hug to people on a public accessway. Much safer ;-)

Have you hugged a total stranger before? Watch the video below to see how one Australian wanted to make a difference. This is a project that started over a year ago and the creator was also interviewed on the Oprah Show.

I know this doesn't have much to do with business but hey...hugging has everything to do with life.....and besides, its FREE! Reach out and give a hug. ;-)

Smile and the world smiles with you!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 03 May 2008 01:09:00 +0000

What is the power of a smile? A smile shows your friendly, warm, approachable, positive, trustworthy, welcoming, helpful, accessible, you have a good attitude, inviting, responsive, very cordial etc etc.

You try this test with yourself, smile at anyone you see on the street and see how many people smile back. In business, a smile does wonders. It makes your customers feel welcome, it alleviates the tension of their buying decision because they know they can approach you for advice/help. A smile breaks the ice and creates an overall positive customer experience. This positive customer experience is what you as a business owner wants to achieve.

If you have an online business, you smile using positive language in your emails by making your email sound like its from a real person and not a generic mechanistic spiel. Take a template reply and customise it. Ask how people how they are, tell them to have a great day, say you look forward to matching their face with a name one day, tell your customers they have a beautiful name (if they have one that you like), ask your customers if they would like you to call to make it more personable and there are many more friendly compliments and questions.

If you have an internet business, you can smile through your website by having people smiling in your graphics, use colour to create a warm feeling to your site and use language in your copy to relate to your customers.

Ohhh and here's a nice trick to try when you're hiring people to sell your business, smile at the potential job candidate when you first meet them. Try not to look like the boss or get someone you trust to do it. Then watch their reaction. If they smile back at you, then the chances are this candidate will smile at your customers. If they don't smile back, then imagine if you were a customer? Not good.

So get smiling my friends!!

Join our discussion here for your opinions on smiling.

How to advertise without advertising

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 20:17:00 +0000

Watch this video to see how to advertise without advertising and creating buzz without buzzing. This is the most effective way to create viral campaigns and to get WOM (word of mouth) buzzing. Build from the ground up, ensure it is unique, add a dash of humour, record it, let everyone you know know about it and watch your brand exposure explode.

So how can you advertise your products/services without advertising? Watch here.

Cleanliness is next to godliness. You think?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 06:44:00 +0000

One thing that really grates me is when I walk inside a store and there is rubbish on the counter, on the floor next to the counter, the doorway, or the entrance. You may have the best products or services in town but if you’re place of business is dirty, you increase the chances of me going to your competition who are clean. This also applies to websites. ‘Rubbish’ on websites I would consider as too many clicks, unnecessary content, bad design, misinformation, no contact details, and bad graphics.

Being ‘clean’ and spotless is another area where businesses can compete against their competitors. You have to treat the premises of your business like Singapore - a no litter, 100% sparkling clean policy. If you see rubbish, clean it up. On websites, you may want someone independent to audit your website to clean up your ‘online rubbish’. It’s really great when your customers see you cleaning too because it shows you care for your business which in turn means great products.

There are numerous examples of businesses who sell exactly the same product, yet one product just seems better than the other. This is where everything outside the product itself comes to the fore. It could be cleanliness, friendly staff, location, opening hours or display could make the difference between a purchase and non-purchase.

Be clean if you know what I mean....and that includes the back of the shop. You never know that your client may inadvertently go 'to the back'. Ohhh and this includes your toilet! There is definitely no excuse for a dirty toilet.

It's all in the 'shin'- InnovaTION, ImitaTION, ExecuTION, CaptivaTION, ConsumpTION, DominaTION

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 02:34:00 +0000

In any market, there are innovators, who want to create an entirely new market space or revolutionise a current one like Red Bull with their energy drinks, Apple Inc. with the iPods and iPhones, Elvis Presley with Rock & Roll, Toyota with their hybrid vehicles, Google with PPC (pay per click advertising), Alexander Graham Bell with the telephone, Paypal with its internet payment gateway, the New Zealand All Blacks in rugby, Microsoft with its Windows operating system, McDonald’s, or Southwest Airlines with budget travel.

When you are an innovator, your future market will be created by you and shaped by how you create and develop it. Most things are different yet the principles of growing a business are still the same. Your marketing challenges are different because you have no direct competitors. Your business development is slightly different because you have to constantly monitor the market place to build on your barriers of entry. The harder it is for your potential competitors to enter your market space, the easier it will be for you to keep building on capturing more market share. Your maintenance and building of your new market requires absolute precision in the delivery and development of your product/service brand.

Constantly assessing and reassessing how the market reacts to your new innovative product/service will ensure your competitive advantage is maintained as long as you religiously improve your new product/service. Never stop innovating and improving your product/service because it can always be better. You won’t find Apple stagnant in their innovation, you won’t find the NZ All Blacks team stop improving how they play the game of rugby, you won’t find McDonald’s not looking for new markets to build a signature restaurant, you won’t find Toyota giving up their lead so easy in the hybrid car market, or Southwest Airlines not finding newer locations to service or better ways to improve their customer service.

Like in nature, business is a game of the fittest, the smartest, the most proactive, the most adaptable and flexible. Keep your game tight, your scoreboard ticking over with runs (cashflow) and you will improve your odds of being highly competitive in your market space.

Have you ever been caught doing this?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 02:00:00 +0000

As any successful business owner would tell you, your reputation is everything. Not just the reputation of your product/service, you the owner as well. Always remember that when you think no one is looking, someone is. Always keep your appearances up and top notch. People will judge you by your appearance, how you treat them, how you treat others so always keep positive and do positive things. The more prominent your brand, the more scrutiny you will receive and you cannot afford to let your guard down for one second...not even for a look like the person in this pic.

Put SPAM straight in the can!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 02:04:00 +0000

As a business, the last thing you need on top of all your business emails is SPAM. SPAM is all that unsolicited stuff, garbage, emails you receive without asking for it. So how do you prevent SPAM? There are many methods which are being discussed now on blog catalog.

For those of you following my thread in the discussion forum of Blog Catalog, we have come up with using Gmail as a great killer of spam to setting up separate email accounts for personal and subscriptions. I'm sure there are more, so please comment here or here for your thoughts.

For more information on how to prevent SPAM on your blog, you really have to check out blogging maestro, "Shoe Money's" blog. Take heed, collaborate and read...execute then watch the amount of spam you receive drop. Click here

How to apply ancient war tactics to modern day business

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 06:09:00 +0000

When starting any business, it is vital that you know your market of interest inside out and outside in. To be in business is all about strategy, tactics, execution and understanding the environment that your business is going to compete in, understanding your competitors, knowing how they operate, understanding their strengths and weaknesses, understanding the behavior of their customers (which could be YOUR future customers), understanding the supply chain,logistical back office functions and examining where the opportunities are to make your product/service more attractive to your future customers.

These opportunities can be based on price, design, features, ease of use, reliability, location, availability, environmental impact, or quality of employment to name a few. Finding a nice mix of all these elements will enhance your competitive position.

Like Sun Tzu says:
“Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win.”

101 most useful websites

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 05:11:00 +0000

Here is a nice list compiled by the Telegraph.co.uk which you may find useful.

If it ain't broke, improve it!!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 04:21:00 +0000

If you think you have perfected a product or service, it won't take long for your customers to identify a flaw or another way to utilise it. The key in maintaining your advantage over your competition is to continuously improve what you're offering so that it becomes irresistible to your clientèle. Do you think Apple stopped improving the iPod? or iPhone? Do you think Ferrari stopped improving the Ferrari? or Emirates Airlines stopped improving its services? No they didn't. The reason why, is that there will always be ways to improve your products and services to keep your customers happy.

To continuously improve requires outside of the box thinking to reach WOW status in the minds of your customers. If you aim to blow your customers away each and every time they experience your product/service, you will likely increase the probabilities of repeat business and referred business. Even watermelons can be square.

Can you imagine the possibilities of saving space in a department store of your product? this means you can sell more product. Can you imagine the space savings in your fridge or pantry with a square watermelon? this means you can fit a large watermelon quite comfortably in your pantry without it rolling around.

Sometimes, thinking of a square can help improve your bottom line.

Come read what I've been up to....

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 20:18:00 +0000

Hey friends,
apologies for the delay in postings. I've been in Fiji and have been internet free for the last couple weeks. If you have ever been to these beautiful islands, you will understand how you can forget the outside world. I will have some updates within the next couple days so stay tuned.

Talk soon!
"Iconic"

Have you backed up your backyup?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 20:10:00 +0000

If you think that having one backup system to protect yourself from loss of information is enough, think again. For a lot of business owners out there, they save their information on a local hard-drive either on their PC/Laptop or on an external hard -drive. Yes, they are doing a great job in protecting their information from loss, however, this may not be enough. Imagine if there was a fire, or a flood or some other natural, accidental or even a planned disaster, this would potentially wipe out your business's backup systems. Have you thought about backing up your information virtually? or taking your external hard-drive off-site? or sticking your external hard-drive in a fireproof safe?

Some of these ideas may sound a tad unnecessary or even whacky, but only as whacky as a few of the insurance policies out there. It's only when you lose something, you realise how 'unwhacky' the insurance was and that is exactly what backing up your backup is, a form of insurance. Backing up your backup is to ensure you have your important data/information at your disposal in case it gets disposed. It will likely take a little bit of time out of your day but it will save you days, weeks or months to get back on your feet again.

There are a few reliable virtual backup system alternatives out there from Gmail, to this list I gave in a previous post:
1. www.omnidrive.com
2. www.esnips.com
3. totoexpress.com
4. www.fluxiom.com
5. www.safeme.co.uk

The point is, backup your backup today before its too late.

Own a website? Here is a list of 59 Internet Marketing tips

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 19:32:00 +0000

If you own a website or are looking to launch a new website, go through this internet marketing tips list by Ian Lurie to ensure you are giving your website the best chance of doing well online. This is just one list, there are many more but it's a good start.

Read more here -->> 59 Internet Marketing Tips

I got scoops on how to market your blog.

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 21:12:00 +0000

If you are just starting out in the world of blogging, then save yourself time and learn from the best on how to market your blog. Here are some HOT tips for you from Darren Rowse.

WE are all guilty of this!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 02:39:00 +0000

We are all guilty of focussing on what we want to see, use to seeing and not taking the time to stand back and reflect on what we may not be seeing. Reflection and honesty are very important to surviving in business. Try standing back a bit from your business, get people to honestly critique your business like 'mystery shoppers', so you can identify ways to improve or else you could be missing out on massive opportunities to grow your business.

A lot of business owners don't like hearing that they're doing something wrong or that they are doing poorly. You only have to watch the business owners on a Gordon Ramsey show to see what I mean. At times, the truth can hurt and that's ok. The test is to bite the bullet, listen to the advice, make the changes and deliver. Then audit yourself again to ensure you're not doing the same old stupid things. Your customers can be your best 'advisors', so listen and learn.

It's amazing what you can see with a fresh perspective.

Look at this video:

Ignore emails, phone calls, and other communications at your peril.

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 02:06:00 +0000

Have you ever made several emails seeking information for a service or a product and got no reply? Then you try again and send out a followup email and still no reply from all the businesses in the same sector? This happened to me recently when I needed quotes for a large job. I sent out over 20 emails to various companies in New Zealand, Australia and the USA and received only 2 replies!!! My initial thoughts are, "are these businesses crazy?", you bet they are. Although the 2 replies that I received couldn't help me out, at least they told me and one of them even gave me a referral to their competitor who I emailed and received NOTHING!

I had it in mind to let all my friends know about my bad experience and name every single company that ignored my email but I thought I would give them a second chance. Always remember, bad news travels faster than good news and when people share the negative experiences with their friends and family, this is a 'viral campaign' of sorts. The power of word of mouth should never be underestimated. If people don't feel that a business is not addressing their needs, they will move on and likely do business with your competitor. If these people tell others of your bad service, you have the potential for a lot of people leaving in their droves to your competitors. Just look at what happened to Bear Sterns this past week! I know it's a little different to what I'm talking about but the issue is the same. If people lack confidence in your business due to bad communication or lack of, bad investment decisions, bad management, bad customer service, your customers will leave.

When you ignore any form of communication from your customers and potential customers, you could be missing out on lucrative cash flows. If you won't help your customers, your competitors surely will. Always think of new customers as customers for life and not one off transactions. It's the repeat business that will sustain and grow your business. Without that, a lot of businesses will suffer financially.

Try looking at it from your own perspective as a customer then think, why is that you only buy certain brands. Why do you drive long distances to service your car? Why do you use the same plumbing service and not anyone else? Why do you usually fly on the same airline carrier? Why do you buy mainly one type of sports shoe? Why do you use only one brand of computer? software? search engine? If you didn't receive an email or a return to your phone call to a business on an urgent request, wouldn't you be disappointed? Yes there is more to it than just replying to a customer's email, phone call or personal request but don't forget, for a lot of people this is what they value highly. It relates to your reliability as a business and businesses should see these communications as opportunities to build trust and long-term relationships.

How do you ensure this doesn't happen? Try a couple of these simple tips:

check your emails regularly and answer them within a couple days max. Not longer. If not, get a 'virtual assistant'.
if you cant help someone, say it! People really don't mind. They simply need an answer. Just make sure you reply either in person or via email. Give a referral if you can. You are there to build trust with people.
exceed your customer(s) expectations at every single point of contact/interaction

why? there are several reasons why.

your customers will remember that experience positively and will likely come back
your customers will likely refer someone else to your business
because when you do, you are inherently building up 'goodwill' and customer loyalty. You are investing in a bank of 'positive credits'. If you experience a bad situation, your loyal customers are likely to forgive you and stick with you through rough times.

ignore your customers and you might as will find another business

So don't be afraid to let your customers know that you can't help them. Tell them that you can't and if you can, send them to your competitor or provide alternative solutions to resolving their issue.

There is nothing worse than a business that doesn't respond or say anything at all!