Motivated To Learn

You may or may not have heard of  Hub pages. They were new to me, but are another great way of driving traffic to your website or blog. Hubs also help you become known online as an expert in your niche.  

Although they each use different terms, Hub pages are similar to Squidoo lenses as far as content. Each hub contains information on just one area of the niche, for instance “conducting an interview” would be a complete Hub topic.

I recently enjoyed reading a short report by Melanie Bremner called “Hubbing with Hubpages for Fun and Profit”.  Melanie covers a number of concepts in her report, including how to:

• set up a profile on Hubpages
• create a hub
• understand the rating system used for hubpages
• socialize and become known as a quality writer and expert in your field
• promote a product or service without creating a commercial hub
• build traffic to your hub
• properly utilize and set up SEO tags and keywords for the best results

At 22 pages complete with screenshots, this detailed report left me eager to set up my own Hubpage. The tips on getting traffic to your Hub can readily be adapted to any website or blog.  And at only $5, it’s a great investment in your Internet learning.

Technorati Tags: Hub Pages, Hubs, creating a Hub

Getting Traffic, Social Media

I just finished reading “The Martha Rules” by Martha Stewart. I enjoyed all the stories of entrepreneurs that are included in the book, as well as her work ethic.

This is a quote taken from the book: “You will care about quality in a world where quality is often declining. You will listen to your customers in a world where that business value is often ignored. You will be a respected expert in a world that is overflowing with information but deficient in reliable sources of the ‘best’ advice.

With a business view like that, is it any wonder that Martha Stewart has been able to succeed, in spite of the obstacles she has faced!

Technorati Tags: Martha Stewart, The Martha Rules, business tips

Business Tips

Reading summaries of current business books (as mentioned in my last post) is one way to keep up with trends and information. There are many others, including reading the business section of the newspapers, reading various business magazines, reading business books from the library or your local bookstore.

Whatever your method of keeping current, time is involved, so you want your time to count. I like to keep up with business and Internet practices by using the time that my brain would otherwise be taking a vacation.

For instance, I exercise on a mini trampoline set up near my computer. That way I can watch informational or tutorial videos while I work out. I download text from business ebooks to my ebook reader and read it whenever I have to wait - in line, at the doctor’s office, etc. And I download audio podcasts to my iPod to listen to while I walk or do the dishes.

Whatever your method of keeping current, there will always be more information available than you could ever absorb. Part of being a life-long learner is deciding what you need to know and what you can safely ignore. How do you keep current in an ever changing world?

Technorati Tags: business information, keeping current, business books, podcasts, ebooks

Business Tips

Judgment - How Winning Leaders Make Great Calls by Noel M.Tichy and Warren G. Bennis Two titans of effective leadership have identified the fundamental essence of leadership as the ability to make consistently good judgment calls, especially when the stakes are high, information is limited and the right call is far from obvious. They clarify an often misunderstood concept that good judgment is an inborn trait. Instead, the authors show it’s actually a skill that can be developed, refined and nurtured throughout an organization. Click to get this summary free!	Influencer by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, David Maxfield, Ron McMillan and Al Switzler From the authors that brought you Crucial Confrontations comes their thought-provoking look at how anyone can become the type of influencers that are bringing about change in the world. Influencer takes readers on a journey across the globe, showing them how seemingly “insignificant” people are making incredibly significant improvements in solving problems others would think impossible. Click to get this summary free!
What Got You Here Won’t Get You There by Marshall Goldsmith with Mark Reiter People don’t realize that doing one annoying thing repeatedly may sabotage their otherwise golden career. Worse yet, they do not realize that it’s happening and it can be fixed. Goldsmith details the 20 habits that hold you back from the top rung of the corporate ladder. These are the most irritating interpersonal issues in the workplace. For each habit, he gives examples and practical solutions. He then describes the 21st habit, which stands separate from the other 20 habits –– not because it is a flaw, but because it is often the root of an annoying behavior. Click to get this summary free!	The Speed of Trust by Stephen M.R. Covey with Rebecca R. Merrill Loss of trust will destroy the most successful business, the most thriving economy, the most influential leadership, the greatest friendship, the deepest love… On the other hand, if developed and leveraged, that one thing has the potential to create unparalleled success and prosperity in every dimension of life. The Five Waves of Trust model serves as a metaphor for how trust operates in our lives. Understand how to make trust actionable, including a look at the Four Cores of credibility and the 13 Behaviors of high-trust leaders. Click to get this summary free!
Leadership Gold by John C. Maxwell Good leadership always makes a difference. It can turn organizations around and positively impact the lives of thousands. Learning more about leadership will make a difference in you, and you will make a difference in the lives of others. John Maxwell shares a lifetime of leadership truths, which can guide anyone who currently leads or aspires to lead. Click to get this summary free!	Sway by Ori Brafman and Rom Brafman Brothers and authors Ori and Rom Brafman explore several of the psychological forces that derail rational thinking. We are all more prone to irrational behavior than we realize and this can affect our careers and shape our business and personal relationships. Understanding why the sway of irrational behavior is so alluring can help us to become more aware of it and perhaps less likely to fall victim to its force. Click to get this summary free!
Outsmart! by Jim Champy Jim Champy, dubbed one of the leading management and business thinkers of our time, identifies the counterintuitive lessons learned by companies that have been able to sustain super-high growth for at least three years straight. Champy shares an inside look at the success factors associated with many of the companies that continue to outsmart their competition even in a tough marketplace. Click to get this summary free!	Leaders at All Levels by Ram Charan In Leaders at All Levels: Deepening Your Talent Pool to Solve the Succession Crisis, Ram Charan — prolific author and world-renowned advisor to business leaders — takes aim at the current crisis in leadership: the shortage of leaders prepared to face the complex business challenges of today. Charan offers a solution that outlines a new model for succession and leadership development. Click to get this summary free!
Transparency by Warren Bennis, Daniel Goleman, James O’Toole Digital technology makes transparency all but inevitable in this era, and leaders must be cognizant of the fact that trust and transparency are always linked. The three essays in Transparency look at this urgent issue from different angles and offer leaders practical advice on how to embrace transparency as a good thing, even if it’s not an easy one. Click to get this summary free!	The Necessary Revolution by Peter Senge, Bryan Smith, Nina Kruschwitz, Joe Laur, Sara Schley The Necessary Revolution focuses on sustainability and the challenge for businesses to invest in new solutions to environmental problems and innovative strategies that will generate both short- and long-term profitability while helping to create a better world. The authors tell us that it is business that has the motivation, ability and resources to dramatically change the way we do things. Click to get this summary free!

Business Tips

When working online, excellent customer service is even more important than it is in the offline world. Your perspective clients can’t see you face to face, hear the way you speak, or judge your body language. Those are all decisions that come into play when someone is deciding whether or not to do business with you. No matter how good your company’s reputation is, if you or your salespeople come across as arrogant or rude, you’ll lose a sale.

So how can you make a positive impression on the Internet? Well, there are a few ways that will keep people coming back to find out more about you and your business. You can add audio or video to your site. That way, customers begin to feel that they know you. At the very least, have a photo of you and some background information on an “About Me” page of your site.

Another important matter is making sure you respond to comments left on your site or emails sent to you as quickly as possible. A few weeks ago, I sent email to two different companies and neither of them has bothered to reply. As a result, my feelings about those companies have been affected.

One I will continue to buy from, because in the past they provided efficient customer service, so I’m willing to give them another chance.

The other business was one I wanted to know more about and there was the potential of a long association with them. But the fact that they didn’t respond at all, not even with an automated follow-up message (easily done with an autoresponder) has given me a negative opinion of the company. Which is too bad, because the service they provide is excellent. But without excellent customer relations as well, they’ve lost my interest!

Technorati Tags: customer service, answering email, business excellence

Business Tips

Did you know how easy it can be to record your own teleseminar or teleconference? Using a service such as Basement Ventures, you can do just that.

First, go to thebasementventures.com and set up an account. The service is free, but you and each of the people involved in your call pay long distance charges. You’ll be given a phone number and a special bridge number that you can use over and over again, as often as you like. Up to 250 people can be in on the call, which can last up to six hours.

As the moderator, you’ll be given a pin number which you need to use to activate the call. Pressing a number allows you to see how many callers are on the line. You can disable the tone that announces new callers, mute and unmute, and of course, record. All with the push of a telephone key or two.

Once the call is finished, simply hang up and the recording stops. Then later in the day, login to your account at Basement Ventures and the mp3 of your call will be there waiting for you. Calls are posted on your recordings page for 30 days and can be downloaded for use on your website or anywhere else you choose to keep it.

Technorati Tags: Basement Ventures, teleseminar, recording

Business Tips

This week I had the pleasure of listening to a well-known female Internet marketer. At the end of her presentation, she mentioned her website, Blogging4Boomers.com, so I went to BloggingForBoomers.com to check it out.

As you can see, I went to a different site. And found a totally different person running it. Now that little mistake has probably cost this marketer a lot of money.

When you register your website domain, consider any other spellings and register that name too. And if your site ends with .ca or .us, consider registering the .com extension as well.

For instance, I have a site called CanadianWelcome.ca, so I also registered CanadianWelcome.com. Then I pointed the .com address to the .ca. Now, if anyone types in the .com URL, they will still be taken to my site.

It’s easy to forward a domain name to another site and saves you the grief of losing customers. Or even worse, having someone ask a lot of money to surrender the other possibile form of your web address.

Technorati Tags: domain name registration, domain extensions, URL

Business Tips

I finally bit the bullet and joined my local Chamber of Commerce. It’s quite an active one, with a large membership, so I’m not sure why I waited so long. Their facilities here are quite nice and the training room is available for members to rent at a more than reasonable price.

I went to my first ‘after five’ event soon after becoming a member, and was pleasantly surprised. Everyone was very friendly and easy to talk to. And as a result, I was recommended to a couple of people that I would otherwise never have met.

Becoming a member of my Chamber of Commerce has already been beneficial and it’s only been a week so far. I’m looking forward to a great year ahead!

Technorati Tags: Chamber of Commerce, business events

Business Tips

I’ve mentioned how important it is to have an opt-in form on your website. That way, when a visitor leaves your site, you still have a way to keep in touch with them. No matter how good your visitors’ intentions, they will often forget you.

I was reminded of that fact the other day when my husband and I went shopping at our local lighting store. We found a set of lights we liked and were prepared to purchase immediately. But one of the fixtures wasn’t quite the same color as the others, so the saleslady said she would hunt up the matching light. In the meantime, why not go have a bite to eat and come back later?

Well, we took her advice and left to grab some dinner. But guess what else we did? That’s right. We stopped at another store to check out their lighting. And we found another set of fixtures we liked that were on sale. So the second store got our business instead. All because the salesperson allowed us to walk away.

Our neighbourhood lighting store only had a few competitors and we knew exactly how to get back there. But we didn’t. How much more crucial for you to capture your potential customers’ information before your online business is lost in a sea of competing websites.

Technorati Tags: customer care, opt-in form, capturing customer information

Business Tips

Would you like to meet some of your potential customers offline and get to know them? Or want to present some information about your product or service? Why not host a meetup?

Start by going to meetup.com and register your new meetup. You’ll be charged a small fee and they will help publicize your event. You decide on the topic, the location, and any fees attendees will pay. That’s it. Within hours, people who are interested in what you’re delivering will start to register for your meetup.

Technorati Tags: meetup, event, offline

Business Tips