There are few reasons to adopt a new piece of software, unless it has real productivity gains.  I’ll admit, I like cool tools like the next person, but if the tool doesn’t help me get more done, it won’t last.  A couple years ago when Google first entered the browser market by releasing Chrome, everyone was impressed with it’s speed, but the discussion didn’t go much beyond that.  Today, several versions later, and a maturing extensions leaves me using it more than any other browser.  Let me share 3 reasons why.

3 Reasons Why I’m Using Google Chrome More Than Ever

If your primary job has you working online most of the day, it is all about proper focus balanced with productivity.  Using Chrome might move things along for you a bit too.  Here are reasons I’m using it more than Firefox, Internet Explorer, or Safari.

1-Speed and Reliability

2-Support for My Favorite Extensions

3-Bookmarks Everywhere

Photo Credit: lafabriquedeblogs

Technorati Tags: browser plugins, productivity tools, software reviews

I guess you can never “settle in” with anything technology, especially when it comes to the interconnected services of social media.  This became pretty obvious to me when I discovered and signed up for Schmaps & Schnaps (thanks to @marismith).  This service gives users a way to share photos and events with followers on Twitter and Facebook, and makes it easy for them to share.  I just got started with the service, and took some screenshots along the way.  Would you use this service?

My Impressions of a New Twitter Tool Schmaps & Schnaps

First you need to login to the service with your Twitter account, and grant it permission for access.  This allows it to use your twitter background on all your photo and event links.

Image Sharing

The service allows you to upload images, and from what I can tell there is no way to do this from the iPhone, Android or other smartphone, must be at a PC or Mac.

After the upload was complete, I was prompted with the following screen:

Followed by a tweet format screen:

I decided to preview what the page would look like, should my followers click the link:

You’ll notice there is an option to both retweet the image, as well as add a comment.  This could be very useful for professional photographers or enthusiasts.

Finally I sent the tweet.  You can see the tweet here.

Events- Perhaps the Best Feature of This Service

These are geared for face to face events, and could be useful to local chambers, meetups, tweetups, or if you or your company are hosting your own offline events.

I plugged in the address, and hit the “schmap.it” button.

NOTE: When Facebook events to import.  I didn’t test this part (had no events), but perhaps it let’s you tweet those out too.

The service pulls the map from Google maps, and then allowed me to upload an image.  There are quite a few options on this page, including allowing for people to RSVP.

Here’s another screenshot:

Schedule to Tweet Your Events. Look at the options I found after saving the event.  It allows scheduling of tweets, DMs (most recent followers),and @Messages (most recent followers), along with posting it to Facebook.  Since this was just a test, I tweeted it only once (it’s here).

Here is what it looks like in Facebook:

Lastly, it gives some useful stats about your schmaps and schnaps. Between the tweets and the screenshots, there have already been some views. The management panel also allows you to edit, tweet, or copy previously created events or images.

Overall, if you are someone who has high quality images to share on a regular basis or wants to twitterfy (is that a word?) your events, Schmaps and Schnaps is the best service I’ve seen so far.  However, if mobile is the way you like to do things (iPhone or other smartphone), this isnt for you (yet).

You can sign up for one of the free accounts they have available, through July 31st they are offering a Two Year $240 Pro Account Free.

Would you use a service like this? If using an existing Twitter/Facebook integrated photo or event service, would you consider switching?  Why or why not? Chime in below.

Technorati Tags: product reviews, twitter apps

I golfed in High School, and loved it.  Golf takes talent, desire, and a dedication to develop your craft.  Form time to time I watch Golf on TV, and am familiar with quite a few of the pros names.  So who is Louis Oosthuizen?  If you never heard of him before, you aren’t alone.  He’s a 27 year old golfer who was unknown before this weekend when he won the British Open Golf tournament.  He drove the ball well, sank a few amazing putts, and was very well composed in the midst of the pressure.  I didn’t watch the whole tournament, but watched enough to get a good feel for his skills, and learn that his nickname is Shrek.  One thing that stood out was the red dot on his golf glove.

3 Takeaways from South African Champ on Golf, Business and Life

If you have a moment watch the champions interview below. Or see it here.

The red dot on his glove got me thinking.  Did you catch what he said there? He has a tendency to, “get carried away by thinking about a lot of things.”

He said he needed, “a trigger to get back in the moment, compose…focus on the shot and forget about everything around…”

When asked about telling sharing this day with his 6 month old daughter one day, he glowingly replied, “I’ll probably try and ge…a DVD…and show her the whole thing.”

Essentially he’s:

• Aware of the potential of distractions that exist and can keep him from his goal
• Has a built in “trigger” to help him focus and play within himself
• Playing for something more than himself.

Wow, applying that to growing my online business and having balance in life, here are a few takeaways I’m considering:

• The importance of having focus in business and marketing activities.
• The awareness that distractions are everywhere, it is critical to build in (and reinforce) “triggers” to remain focused
• Playing for something bigger than myself.

What takeaways did you come away with? Chime in below.

Technorati Tags: inspiration, perspective

Some of these marketing and continuing education courses are expensive, and should be considered investments. A couple weeks ago, a post here discussed Factors to Consider When Purchasing Marketing Education Products.  It was suggested that the post may be the most unpopular one on this site, not because the information is bad, rather, it contains practical ideas that aren’t so flashy.  Crazy stuff, like thinking through your purchase, seeing it as an investment, etc. But that is just how we roll here…  If you have taken the time to determine if a course is for you, went ahead and made the purchase, the next question for me is, what is the best way to consume the information and apply it to your business? Here are a six tips I find useful.

6 Tips for Making the Most of Your Internet Marketing Education

One – Schedule – Put It On Your Calendar

I find I get more out of a course when I:

• Decide to prioritize it scheduling time to go over the course materials.
• For webinar or teleseminar delivered content, put them on my calendar and commit to be there.
• Allocate an additional 15 minutes a the end of each session, and spend 15 minutes strategizing possibilities of how the information can be applied to my business.
• Assign deadlines for the low-hanging fruit identified in strategy session.
• Allocate time to review suggested materials to prior to the next webinar.

If I am unable to attend a live webinar, I reevaluate my commitment in light of other projects, and then schedule time to listen to the replay, assuming it is available in a timely manner.

Benefit: With these approaches in place, I get to “application” aspects of the course much faster than without.

Two – Review Before Reading

I didn’t like studying growing up… it was just to SLOW and boring for me.  Years later I learned the value of tricking myself into learning.  It’s pretty straight forward.  Before reviewing materials for the next section, I review the notes from the previous session, including the strategy brainstorming session.

Benefit: I find myself going into the reading/studying time with more excitement, and it prepares my brain to receive the information in the next section or session.  Thanks to Dave Ellis for reminding me of this technique.

Three – Muscle Reading Exercise

I have only done this once since learning this from Dave Ellis, and it helped tremendously.  It is pretty simple idea, and it goes something like this, with a notebook, a pen, and the course  materials:

• Scan through all the materials in order.  No more than 1 -2  seconds per page.
• Write down things that caught your attention on a page in the  notebook.
• Write the text, section header, or chapter, and be  sure to include the page number.

Benefit: What I ended up having is a list of things I’m interested in.  I  found that absorbing the information was easier and faster when  I covered the materials in detail. Maybe it was a fluke…so far I’m pleased.

Four – Getting Visual with Mind Mapping

Mind mapping is something I’ve been doing for some time.  Recently I started doing it as I go through various courses.  Sometimes with computer software (MindJet, and just started testing out The Brain), but also with just pen and paper.

For me, pen and paper allows the creativity to  flow smoother when not having to deal with a keyboard and  mouse.
Here’s how I do it:

• Create an initial topic with an oval, it might be a chapter, or section of the course.
• Create links to subtopics that are connected to the main topic.
• Use stars or colors to highlight important points.

Once the mind map is complete, I make a secondary mind map  reflecting the action items and priorities of applying the information just learned.

Five – Notebook

Simply, a place to jot down important information about what it is I’m studying.  Recently I’ve combined this with my business journal  (lesson one).  As a wise person once said, “Writing it down helps crystallize thought”.  If the course is serious enough to invest time (an money), it is serious enough to write it down.

Six – Develop Goals

Not everything you learn in a course will apply to your business.  “Eat the meat, and spit out the bones.” When you see the meat, write it down, explore how you can implement it, and then put a time-frame on implementing it.  Consider ranking goals so that the ones that have the greatest impact while requiring the least amount of effort are at the top of the list.

Bottom line, I find I get out of a course what I put into it. These tips have served me well.  What are your thoughts on this?  How can I help?
Photo Credit: MOOby

Technorati Tags: internet marketing lessons, internet marketing tips

The show that airs tonight, July 8th, 2010 at 9pm EST is simply called, “The Decision”.  The title reflects what traditionally takes 12-15 seconds for most athletes to convey. Not only is this unprecedented, but I you might be surprised to learn where this idea reportedly started, and why it’s better to show up late to the social media party than not at all.  I believe there are some potential game changer elements here, what do you think?

Update: Why LeBron James “Decision” is a Game Changer – Marketers Edition

Earlier this week a post discussed the Marketing Lessons from LeBron James Free Agency, tonight he is revealing his decision in a 1 hour prime-time show on ESPN.  So much has been said about this already, here, I’m thinking about the marketing impact of his Game Changer approach.

It’s Unprecedented

Never has a professional athlete taken 1 hour of primetime as a result of a deciding what team they are signing with.  LeBron’s spin? Share his decision and to raise money for the Boys and Girls Club of America with the program sponsorships.

Image: LeBron’s “The Decision” show as promoted on ESPN Home page.

Reportedly…It Started with the Media

A lot of people are upset that LeBron has gone this route in revealing his team of choice. He negotiated with ESPN reportedly hand-picking the interviewer Jim Gray.  However, according to a Tweet from sports reporter Dan Patrick ,  “LeBron’s ‘Decision’ Show was Jim Gray’s (another reporter) idea. He pitched it to LeBron’s handlers on June 6. http://bit.ly/bxU5KY“

Is LeBron James simply being selfish and narcissistic or is there something more?

Late to the Web and Social Media

Early on one of the top active athletes in social media was Shaq.  To date, Shaq has over 3000 tweets and nearly 3 million followers.  He was a teammate of LeBron’s last year, and LeBron remained uninterested in social media until now.  This week LeBron opened a Twitter account and put up a website.

Some social media gurus have suggested it is too late if you haven’t started marketing your business through social media channels.  Oh contraire!

Questions About the Potential Impact

• Will he go on TV to crush Ohio, and leverage the 1 hour show to apologize?
• How does he go on national TV and leave a northeast Ohio without humiliating them in the process?
• What are the long-term impacts of this approach the LeBron brand?  Compelling story if he stays, cold and harsh if he leaves.
• Impact of “the Decision” approach if he fails to win a title with the Cavs or a new team in the next year?

Some Takeaways I’m Pondering as a Marketer

• Excellence is rewarded. World class performers get special opportunities.
• The average marketer may not have access to national media, but it is important to build relationships with local media and with people of influence.
• It’s never too late to get started with social media or any other marketing channel, have a plan, and start working your plan. Get more ideas about this how here, here, and here.

Where will LeBron Go? No idea, but we will all know soon.  Just as interesting, how will he handle 1 hour of air time for a 12-15 second statement that so many are waiting for? Is he an egomaniac, or is he simply interested in leveraging this platform to help children involved in Boys and Girls clubs throughout the country?

“The Decision” good or bad, will go down in historic on many levels. It is new territory for both ESPN (network airing the show), and the athlete.  For now this Game Changer approach contains lessons for every marketer at any level.

Agree? Disagree? What’s missing? Share your thoughts below.

Technorati Tags: case study, social media strategies, Twitter marketing strategy

Marketing lessons are all around us, but sports marketing is particularly intriguing.  Whether a fan or not, if you have caught the news in the last few days, you no doubt heard some report about Lebron James.  As I was thinking through observations of LeBron James’ free agency, I’m convinced there are some marketing lessons here for the rest of us; I’ve included some of my ideas below.  What is missing?  What do you think?

Marketing Lessons from LeBron James Free Agency

Be World Class

One of the most effective ways to market is to give others something to talk about.  LeBron has taken his natural gift and worked at it to become one of the best basketball players in the world.  He has a strong work ethic and one of the most rigorous workout programs of all his peers.  This has put him in position to be one of the most sought after athletes on the planet

What do you or your company have that is uniquely yours? What programs do you have or could you have to maximize that uniqueness?  What can you do to be world class and obtain “Lebron” notoriety in your market and with customers?

Make Teammates Better

The best compliment any professional can receive is how great they are to work with. One of the things LeBron is good at, is making others looks great (career high in assists last year – that’s where he passes the ball to a teammate who then scores). Marketing is a team sport.  Whether a virtual assistant, customer service rep, or even your email marketing or hosting service, making teammates look good is good for morale, it also good for business.

Maximize Opportunities with Partners

Make no mistake, LeBron is a team player.  In addition to being a great basketball teammate, he also knows what it is to partner with people outside his circle to make them look good.  During this free agency period, he is also hosting his Nike Basketball Camp.  Word is, he is not making a decision as to the team he will sign with until the camp is over later in the week.  Nobody knows how intentionally strategic this move is, but certainly Nike will benefit from this additional exposure.

Don’t Show Your Hand – Keep Them Guessing

While reading information about free agency possibilities, one of the frustrations the media has had is the lack of information from LeBron’s camp.  Yet, just yesterday he surprised many by showing up at his Nike Basketball Camp, he and a few other NBA players.  He was expected to skip yesterday’s and come to today’s camp, but so far today he is reportedly a no show.

There is nothing like curiosity to keep the attention of your market. Can you think of some examples of companies that do this well?

Think Long-Term

LeBron wants to be in a situation where he has the greatest chance to win multiple championships.  He wants to become a legacy, and not the legacy of the “best athlete to never win a championship”.  Being a winner on the court today positions him for accomplishments off the court years after he has left the game.  What are your long-term marketing objectives, what are you doing today to help get you there?

Control Your Message

Early last season he made it clear to the media that he wasn’t going to speak about his plans until the season was over.  He kept that promise which has been tested many times in recent months.  He will announce his decision on his terms.  NOTE: LeBron did open a twitter account today follow Lebron here (at this time already has nearly 35K followers).  FYI: Tiger Woods made most his announcements through his website in the last year.

Stay Home

Keep yourself in familiar surroundings; don’t stray too far from your roots.  So far, all the teams had to come to Cleveland to sell LeBron on joining their franchise.

The net result: during this free agency period, everything to do with professional basketball is overshadowed by, “Who will LeBron sign with?”  He has taken his craft and become world class with it, been a team guy all the way around, kept the media and competitors guessing, had a long-term view on things, while controlling his message from the comforts of home.  When he does make his decision publicly, you can be sure other big decisions will follow in response, which contains yet another lesson…

What do you think of these observations and lessons?  What’s missing?  Chime in using the comment boxes below.
Photo Credit: Wikipedia

Technorati Tags: marketing example, marketing ideas, marketing strategy

Summer is a great time, filled with hot summer days and long summer nights.  Yet those of us in the northern hemisphere running online empires might be tempted to chill on a few too many ice creams, Jamba Juices and homemade smoothies.  Summer is a great time to get ready for the second half.  Taking a few steps back to consider what’s been working, what customers and the market wants, and using technology can be the difference between closing more sales, and just doing cruise control for the balance of the year.  Let’s discuss this in more detail.

The Second Half – Tips for Finishing the Year Strong

Understanding What’s Working Now

If you have been marketing online for any time at all, you know that things change quickly, and it is important to monitor your results regularly.  In this case you want to look at a half year to get a better understanding how you can improve results for the second half.  Armed with this information, you have the power to tie that into several areas of your overall plan.  (If you missed it, see the post for Evaluating Marketing Results So Far This Year).

What Do Customers and Your Market Want

As you participated in conferences and trade shows, what have you been hearing from customers that is holding them back or frustrating them?  You may or may not come out with product or strategic ideas, but how can you keep the conversation going around this issue?

What is your market saying about their pains on Twitter, Facebook pages, LinkedIn Groups and other social outlets? Is there a way you could modify your product, or how it is sold to increase revenues in the second half, or put yourself in a better position in the New Year?

Entering the Conversation and Partnering

Also, in reviewing your competitors, what are customers saying about how their product falls short?  Can you enter those discussions with a possible solution that the customer wasn’t aware you could offer?  Are there partnering possibilities that you might be overlooking that could help customers and increase sales for both parties making you look like a hero in the process?

Building On Existing Successes

Are you actively pursuing customer quotes, testimonials, and case studies for posting to your website?  Having a 3rd party share with prospects how your company, product, or service made their life better is compelling.  If you sell products online, find that the post order “Thank you” page is a great place to ask customers why they decided to buy.  If you are already doing that, review recent submissions and update your site with the most compelling quotes (be sure you have permission from the customer).

Make Customers the CEO

Talk to existing customers in your target market and find out from their perspective what is working and what could be better.  As them to advise you on how you can build on existing successes.  If appropriate, invite them to be the CEO for a day, and ask them the top 3 things they would change about your company’s product or service.  There can be gold in their responses, by all means take notes!

Looking Forward

If at all possible, break away for a half day to review all areas of your business, and brainstorm areas that need to be modified. As the saying goes, “The only thing worse than singing out of tune is doing so enthusiastically.”  Giving yourself time to thoroughly evaluate your business is not only smart, but can recharge your batteries for a harmonious second half.

Scaling

Sometimes increasing sales is a matter of scaling.  After evaluating key areas, consider how you might implement more resources for the rest of the year.

Outsourcing can be a great way to complete stagnant projects, or jumpstart future ones.  It may be appropriate to hire someone full time, so your time can be spent on more revenue generating activity.

Technology. Is there a service or software available to make your life easier and more productive?  If you use an auto responder service, how can you be using it to automate more areas of your business (more ideas here). If your are dealing with paper sketches, multiple electronic versions of emails, documents, and mind maps to get stuff done, have you considered the time you are losing with this approach?  Decide now to use a hosted project management tool like 5pmweb.com, activecollab.com, or others suggested here. Online collaboration tools are worth their weight in gold.

Got Questions?

Pausing to consider your business can be really good for business.  Whether it is marketplace conversations, customer input, or creating more leverage through technology, applying this information (even a single area) in your business can make a positive impact.

Was this helpful? Do you do a mid-year review in your business?  Why or why not?  Chime in below.
Image Credit: footy

Technorati Tags: business strategy, marketing strategy

Six months of the year is nearly by us, and it is appropriate to look back and see what we’ve done and how effective it has been. Here are a few questions worth considering for various categories in your business. You don’t have to answer all of them, but as you do, you’ll gain insight to your marketing efforts that you might not have otherwise.

Questions for Evaluating Marketing Results So Far This Year

Email Marketing

• How many email campaigns did you send in the last 6 months?
• Which resulted in sales?
• Which resulted in unsubscribes?
• Which subject lines garnished the greatest open rate?
• Which emails had the greatest click-through rate?
• How much has your list grown over that period?
• What has served as the best source of traffic for list growth?

Website Analysis

• How has traffic grown or shrunk over the passed 6 months?
• What has been your most profitable traffic source (think sales)?
• What are the bounce rate trends?
• If you publish content regularly, which posts have had the longest visit time? Least?
• What clues can you derive about what readers are most interested in?
• Which posts have received the most traffic, and most backlinks?

Social Conversations

• What content, news, or information have created the most interest surrounding your brand and market?
• How did you engage in those conversations and what was the result?
• How did those conversations impact your readership, fan base, or subscriber list?
• What does this information indicate about market needs, how you are meeting those needs, and what future needs you might anticipate?

Sales

• How have sales trended over the last 6 months?
• If your organization does projections (hopefully you are asking more often than every 6 months), how did sales compare with projections?
• Which new customers are a pain in the neck, and hinder you from moving your business forward?
• With that information, which customers are your best new customers?
• What is the number one reason your best customers purchased from you?
• What can you do to close more business with those type of (best) customers?

Takeaways

In the spirit of improvement consider the following questions as you evaluate your results.

• What was it about a specific marketing event in the last 6 months that caused it to underperform?
• What was the most productive marketing activity so far this year in the form of leads or sales?
• List 3-5 tasks that require minimal effort and have the potential to have the most impact for current or future marketing activities?
• How effective have efforts been to engage in social conversations, add value, and manage our reputation?

Is this helpful? What idea or feedback do you have? How can I help? Chime in below.
Image Credit: keso

Technorati Tags: email marketing strategy, marketing strategy, online marketing review, website analytics

This may very well be the most unpopular, unlinked to, read, and uncommented post in the history of the Internet… well, maybe not the entire Internet, but perhaps on this site.  Most buying decisions are emotionally, and this post will deflate the emotion from your decision noticeably, but stick with me. It may contain some things that you don’t want to hear, and may rub you the wrong way. Especially if you find yourself in an emotional state during the latest Internet marketing guru’s product launch. However, it also has the potential to save your behind and your business.  Give it a chance, and your honest feedback in the end, and we’ll call it even.

Factors to Consider When Purchasing Marketing Education Products

For many, choosing to buy is often easier than exercising restraint.  At the time of this writing Jeff Walker is about to release the latest version of his product launch formula.  Courses like Jeff’s have a lot to them, and require an investment of $2000 or more (learn more about Jeff Walker’s stuff here and here).  While they often have a lot of value, this is not your $7 eBook, and most need to count the cost before taking the plunge.

Can I Afford It?

Making decisions out of desperation is never a powerful place to be.  If you believe purchasing a given product is your last option for success, you probably cannot afford it, and therefore probably shouldn’t buy.

I’m not here to give financial advice, I have made significant investments, some have gone well, and others weren’t worth it for me.  Learn from my experience, if the product you are considering purchasing will require you to go into debt, you need to think long and hard about it.

In some rare cases it does make sense to incur a little debt if there are grounds for recovering the investment quickly, and the purchase won’t create a hardship.

Is It the Next Logical Step

A simple question. Does this fit with what the goals, phase, and timing of your online business?
An Example:
If you are a beginner, exploring all that is Internet marketing, and haven’t made your first dollar, your investment in a fairly low cost eBook or blueprint on building an online business that lasts by better understanding your gifts and strengths may very well be a good investment if a long-term business is something you are aspiring toward.

However, that same person having no website, domains, merchant accounts, or email service providers would not be such a good match with products that teach:

• How to get more traffic
• Website conversion
• Website analytics
• How to blog for a living
• Copy writing

Ask yourself will this product help move my business into the next phase?  If you answer yes, then read on, because this next point is telling.

Will It Give Me a Competitive Advantage?

The business world is in a constant state of change and doing so faster than ever.  Paying for information that is timely and proven could be extremely valuable to your business and give you a leg up on your competition.

There are two categories of advantage to consider:
Productivity: Will it help you to serve your customers faster and with less effort?
Information: Will it give you timely and reliable information faster, with less effort, so you can make decisions which would allow you to serve your market better?

Note: time often levels the playing field.  What offers a competitive advantage today may be the new norm in 3 to 6 months.  If you are consistently out in front in your market as a result of good information or productivity advantages (tech), you know what I’m talking about.

How Quickly Can I Implement Some of What is Taught?

I learned from Mike Filsaime a while back a 30 Days to Profit approach.  That is, if you cannot implement a product, methodology, or strategy within 30 days and profit from it, you won’t make headway in your business. Building on that further, I like extending that to continuing education investments.

Question: Do you have reason to believe you can profitably implement what is offered in the product or course in 30 days or less, so that you are immediately getting return on your investment? It’s important to be realistic here.

Consider previous purchases:

• Did you leverage the product as you’d hoped, or did it sit on the shelf of unexecuted plans?
• Did you consume the information or services the product offered?
• Did you get a quantifiable return on your investment? Are you still using it?

As in sales, when buying, timing is everything. This may be the next logical step, but be the wrong time to take that step.  You may be in the midst of other unfinished projects, or planning to travel or something else that would keep you from implementing in the first 30 days.

On the flip side, you may have someone in your company to hand the product to and make them in charge of implementing it, or it just may be perfect timing for you to do it.  The point: think in advance of your purchase how quickly you can get a return on your investment.

If It Doesn’t Work Out – What Are My Options

As the commercial says, life comes at you fast.  Should something change and you cannot continue with the product or it is no longer a fit for your business, you should know what your options are.  Any product worth your time will have a return policy, and will display it prominently. They should also include instructions should you need to send it back.

Bottom-line

The guys selling marketing information products online are good.  Taking a few steps back to determine if a product is right for you is important, and something you owe yourself.  If you can afford it, buying is easy, but is much more valuable when it falls in line with the progression of your business, will offer you or your business a competitive advantage, and you can implement it (or a portion) within a reasonable timeframe (30 days).  If you honestly consider these factors before deciding to buy, you’ll be in a much better position to succeed regardless of your decision.

Useless or Helpful?

Was this information any good? How can I help you more?
Image Credits: DeathByBokeh, Roger McLassus, John Nickolls, TeamTraveller, ryantron

Technorati Tags: continuing education, information products, marketing products, personal development

Running a small business? Whether an online or offline small business owner or productivity worker, every once in a while you need some direction and strategies to manage your time and efforts effectively.  With thousands of small business customers using their technology, Infusionsoft shares solid ideas on managing your dreams and your business in “Conquer the Chaos, How to Grow a Successful Small Business without Going Crazy.”

Book Review Conquer the Chaos

If you are someone who needs some encouragement in running an online business effectively, you might want to give a look at a book that recently released, Conquer the Chaos. Running a small online business that serves many other small online businesses, the book offers a unique perspectives that I find helpful.

The book is broken down into four sections:

• The Quest for Freedom
• Mindset Strategies: Achieving Balance
• Systems Strategies: Controlling Speed
• Find Your Freedom

The Four Things I Appreciate about this Book

1 – It’s Balanced. As the saying goes, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. In an industry that shouts with hype and fluff, of getting rich fast with a simple website, and the right “blueprint”. The authors do a good job of being realistic.  There are more failures than successes, but how you navigate through failures it what makes all the difference.

2 – Having a ‘Dream’ is Important, but… You have to remain honest about your current situation, dreams alone aren’t enough to get you through the hard times, you have to have a plan and perseverance.

3 – Systems Are Key.  (Disclaimer) As a partner of Infusionsoft and having known Clate and Scott (the authors) for several years, I was curious how they would handle this concept without pushing their software in the book.  Nobody likes to be sold, right? They share from their experience in such a way that anyone can benefit and apply their ideas regardless of what system is used.  They learned from one of the best when it comes to systems for small businesses, Michael Gerber.

4 – They Have Families. Anyone who can balance family and business life as an entrepreneur is someone I’m interested in learning from.

Here is a video discussing the book (can’t see it? Visit the video on YouTube here).

If you need some ideas on running a small business, balance, and being more productive, Conquer the Chaos is worth reading.

Infusionsoft Trial: Not heard of Infusionsoft? Visit InfusionsoftTrial.com for direct access to their trial account.

Technorati Tags: book review, productivity tips, small business owner