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Using Web Analytics to Make More Sales

Tue, 08 Dec 2009 01:54:55 GMT

clipped by: lori763

Selling Products With Web Analytics

:: Three Web Analytics Insights to Help Merchants Sell More Products This Holiday ::

Best Selling Items by Category: You might think you know what products are “hot” right now in the minds of consumers but it’s only the buying visitors that can provide you with accurate data in this regard. Presenting three to four of the best-selling items by category (perhaps in the past day or week) applies a bit of pressure to the shopper as they can clearly see what others are purchasing and want to get in on the action. While many will argue that using social media to identify what items are flying off the virtual shelves, these resources are often a bit misguided. Only your analytics account won’t lie.

Tags: google analytics, increasing online sales

Tips for Selling a Web-Powered Business

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 01:15:21 GMT

clipped by: lori763
clipper's remarks: Building your business' web presence eventually add a lot to your bottom line. The time to start building it is now while most small businesses are still not doing it.

Clip Source: www.websitemagazine.com

Selling a Web-Powered Business

Twelve Tips That Will Help You Achieve the Highest Possible Exit Price

With blood, sweat and tears, you've built your web business into a thriving moneymaker.

Sure, you could keep running for years to come, but maybe you'd prefer to cash out and enjoy a little rest and relaxation, or switch gears and jump to an entirely new startup concept.

No matter what your current situation, the time will come when you will want to execute an exit strategy for your web business. It's never too early to start thinking about how you will sell the company and maximize the sale price.

Understanding what it takes to sell a web business should be your first step. With that in mind, here are some important things to consider as you start contemplating selling your website and the accompanying business to an interested buyer.

1. Sell The Business, Not Just The Site

Tags: small business web presence, building a competitive edge, web-powered business

Why Should Your Employees Like You?

Sun, 06 Sep 2009 17:45:28 GMT

clipped by: lori763
clipper's remarks: “The best way to win in a recession is to keep employees’ chins up.”

Clip Source: www.businessinsider.com

Why Should Your Employees Like You?

Employee Relationships in a Recession

But the recession won’t last forever and those companies that survive recessions are the ones that continue to focus on developing high performers and keeping people engaged, Murphy says. “The best way to win in a recession is to keep employees’ chins up.”

Murphy’s research shows about 70 percent of companies that make positive progress during a recession will continue those gains after the recession is over. The organizations that suffer during a recession “often maintain that suffering for a great deal of time after the recession is over,” he says, frequently due to increased turnover rates when the job market improves. “A recession shakes things up in the marketplace and offers an opportunity to take market share. What if you’re the one company that’s able to motivate employees and keep them going while your competitors’ employees are frozen in fear? This is your chance to win.”

Tags: management, entrepreneur, hiring & firing

Is the Recession Turning?

Thu, 03 Sep 2009 18:25:38 GMT

clipped by: lori763
clipper's remarks: 10 Companies hiring in September

Clip Source: www.theworkbuzz.com

10 Companies Hiring in September

Every day, we seem to hear one more piece of positive news that makes it seem as though things are looking up after all. Today, for example, the Labor Department announced that jobless claims declined last week.

While this tidbit is definitely good news, most people are still concerned with one thing: “Can I find a job?”

The answer, is a resounding “yes!” — you just have to look in the right places.

Each month, we feature a list of companies that are hiring employees right now. They need help, but they want to make sure they’re selecting the most qualified candidates — especially during this period when success is integral to survival. For the full article, click here.

Tags: hiring trends, recession 2009

Legal Liabilities while Tweeting

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 14:18:23 GMT

clipped by: lori763
clipper's remarks: Important consideration

Clip Source: legalliteracy.com

‘Twink’ before you tweet

The need for legal literacy doesn’t end with new fangled technology platforms such as Twitter. Just because Twitter is fast and easy doesn’t mean that others won’t try to hold you accountable for what you say.

Free speech doesn’t mean you can say whatever you want. Just ask Mark Cuban, the Dallas Maverick’s owner, who was fined by the league for slamming an official refereeing the Maverick-Nuggets game. That was a $25,000 boo-boo.

Unfortunately, more people are being dragged into court due to indiscrete tweets, giving rise to Twitter torts, or as I prefer to call them “tworts.” These tweets are the latest examples of smoking gun rule #3 (choose and use your communication channel wisely).

The lesson from these emerging tworts is clear — it always pays to twink before you tweet.

Tags: twitter and legal liability, tweets and legal issues

Google Chrome and Sony Vaio

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 21:29:00 GMT

clipped by: lori763
clipper's remarks: Units with Chrome are already shipping

Clip Source: arstechnica.com

Chrome celebrates early birthday with Sony distribution deal

It has been almost a year since Google announced that it was joining in the battle for browser supremacy with its Webkit-based Chrome. In that time, however, Chrome has attracted nothing like the following or public recognition of some of the company's other products. In an attempt to get the ball rolling, Google has cut its first deal with a computer OEM, which will see Chrome appearing on Sony's line of Vaio PCs.

According to reports in the Financial Times and The Wall Street Journal, machines bearing Chrome are already shipping, and may reach consumers shortly. Sony has only a small share of the PC market, so the deal won't make a huge difference on its own, but there can be little doubt that Google hopes it will be the first of many. In that sense, the agreement may be an important validation that will help ease the way for deals with other, more significant OEMs.

Tags: google chrome, google and sony

How the Top 20% Sales Producers Handle the Price Question

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 14:35:07 GMT

clipped by: lori763
clipper's remarks: Valuable information to help close more sales.

Clip Source: www.ineedmotivation.com

How To Handle The Price Question

I receive emails all week long asking me how to qualify prospects better, how to stay in control when the prospect is blowing you off, how to overcome initial resistance, how to get to the decision maker, etc., etc.. I like to call those reps back that actually leave a phone number, and when we do a little role playing I find out the same thing over and over again – They are all winging it!

Let me tell you right here and right now: If you want to be a Top Sales Producer, YOU MUST script out effective responses to the questions and objections you get every single day. If you think you don’t need to do this, that you’ve been in sales long enough to know what to say, and that you are doing fine without them, then I’ve got a little test for you: What do you say when your prospect asks you about the price of your product or service?

In other words, after you give them the price, what do you do? Do you:

Tags: closing sales, top sales producers, sales techniques, sales closing techniques

Writing in the Air Instead of Typing

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 15:36:38 GMT

clipped by: lori763
clipper's remarks: Electrical Impulses can reproduce handwriting; a faster method than thumbing

Clip Source: www.wired.com

Look Ma, No Pen! Electrical Impulses Can Reproduce Handwriting

Someday, instead of typing your text message on a cramped iPhone keyboard, neuroscientist Michael Linderman says you’ll be scrawling your thoughts in the air.

Linderman and colleagues have figured out how to translate electrical impulses from muscles in the forearm and hand into written language. Using pattern recognition algorithms and a technique called electromyography, the researchers can recognize and reproduce a person’s unique handwriting pattern from the movement of their hands. Eventually, they hope to create a fingerless glove equipped with electrode sensors that can automatically translate hand motions into digital or handwritten text.

“You can write in the air, can write on any surface, can write using a pen or pencil or even without,” said Linderman, “and this will be converted into text on the display of a cell phone or computer.”

Tags: brain computer interface, neuroengineering, neuroscience

How to Give a Lousy Presentation

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 18:40:41 GMT

clipped by: lori763
clipper's remarks: It is surprising how many of the items on the list are commonplace practices.

Clip Source: www.businessweek.com

How to Give a Lousy Presentation

1. Misspell words. Failing to check the spelling on your slides shows a complete lack of care. If you don't care enough to proof your presentation, your audience will care less about you and your message. It's the easiest way to look unprofessional.

2. Create distracting color combinations.

3. Use inconsistent fonts. Professional PowerPoint designers will use no more than two, perhaps three, font styles in an entire presentation. But why stop there? There are thousands of typefaces available. See how many you can incorporate into your slide show.

4. Use a really small font size.

Giving truly great presentations requires skill, work, and practice. Giving catastrophic presentations is far easier. So if you want to take the easy way out and look like a rank amateur, here are 15 surefire tips to guarantee that you leave a really, really bad impression.

Tags: small business, business presentation

10 thing you need to know about Social Media

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 00:24:03 GMT

clipped by: lori763
clipper's remarks: This article lists some important considerations for businesses seeking to use social media (especially when it is estimated only 3% of Twitter users are using it a way that will benefit business)

Clip Source: community.prweek.com

10 things you need know (and pass on to clients) about Social Media.

1) Repeat 10x "‘Viral’ and ‘sharable’ are not the same (or interchangeable)". Know when to use each one and what both mean.

2) Twitter is not a popularity game. If you think big numbers is the end-game you should not be playing.

4) Facebook is, fundamentally, a place for people who know each other – it's your job to know if this should/could/can include your brand/client.

5) People are people. Some are sheep, quite a lot in fact, if you don’t know who they are in your audience, find out. Think about the audience's motivations for being there.

7) It’s not about seduction, it’s about connecting. BIG change. Create relationships, partnerships and loyalty. Sorry to break it to you, this takes time. Don’t build and leave… maintain. Customers don’t care where you want them to go. Be useful.

10) There is no free lunch. Stop looking just for big hits. Light lots of small fires. It's about groundswell effects.

Tags: social media, social networking

8 Tips to make your YouTube video go viral

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 20:18:25 GMT

clipped by: lori763

Clip Source: www.webinknow.com

8 tips to make your YouTube video go viral

Tip # 1 – Homemade is just fine
You don’t need to hire a professional. A homemade quality video can work great. But plan ahead and shoot several takes to get it right.

Tip #2 –Your video should be no longer then 2 minutes (preferably less)
Think very short. Although YouTube will accept a video that is less than 10 minutes, smaller than 100MB try to make the video between 30 seconds and 2 minutes.

Tip #3 -- Make your description clear and specific.
To best promote your video, you'll want its text description on YouTube to be accurate and interesting. Use descriptive keywords and language that people will find when they search for videos like yours. And use the correct categorizations on YouTube so people will find it.

Tags: viral youtube videos

The Social Media Recruitment Test

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 21:30:13 GMT

clipped by: lori763
clipper's remarks: In today's economic climate, this subject is worth another consideration.

Clip Source: mashable.com

Do You Pass the Social Media Recruitment Test?

With the emergence of social media sites like LinkedIn (), Facebook (), and Twitter (), and their user bases growing by the millions, one would think that a headhunter’s job just got much easier. I mean let’s face it; nowadays we can find anybody whether it’s on one of these social networking sites, on a blog, discussion board, alumni list or via true and tried headhunting techniques.

So in today’s world of information overload where talent is literally available by the truckloads, I thought it would be relevant to write a post about how we evaluate a candidate’s social media footprint to determine (when all else is equal) which candidates we would contact and which ones get left by the wayside. I posed the following question to make it simple:

Tags: social media recruitment, social media job screening

How our Brains Respond to Social Media

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 16:33:58 GMT

clipped by: lori763
clipper's remarks: Fascinating article.

Clip Source: www.slate.com

SeekingHow the brain hard-wires us to love Google, Twitter, and texting. And why that's dangerous.

We actually resemble nothing so much as those legendary lab rats that endlessly pressed a lever to give themselves a little electrical jolt to the brain. While we tap, tap away at our search engines, it appears we are stimulating the same system in our brains that scientists accidentally discovered more than 50 years ago when probing rat skulls.

For humans, this desire to search is not just about fulfilling our physical needs. Panksepp says that humans can get just as excited about abstract rewards as tangible ones. He says that when we get thrilled about the world of ideas, about making intellectual connections, about divining meaning, it is the seeking circuits that are firing.

Tags: social media, social networking

Tropical Storm Claudette threatens Gulf Coast

Sun, 16 Aug 2009 22:05:30 GMT

clipped by: lori763
clipper's remarks: This one came on fast...pretty stormy out there even in SWFL

Clip Source: www.reuters.com

Tropical Storm Claudette threatens Gulf Coast

MIAMI (Reuters) - Tropical Storm Claudette, the third of the Atlantic hurricane season, formed on Sunday in the Gulf of Mexico east of the heaviest concentration of U.S. energy platforms, as two other storms, Ana and Bill, raced across the Atlantic.

The six-month season got off to a slow start with no storms in the first 2-1/2 months but exploded this weekend as three tropical storms formed in just over a day.

The new system was expected to move ashore in the Florida panhandle, although at least one computer model showed it tracking farther west and hitting land near Mobile, Alabama. The greatest number of offshore oil and gas rigs span the coast from the mouth of Mobile Bay to Texas.

Claudette had sustained winds of 40 miles per hour (63 kilometers per hour) and was located about 200 miles southeast of Pensacola, Florida, at 11 a.m. EDT (1500 GMT), the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

Tags: tropical storm claudette

Future Trends in Advertising

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 17:59:24 GMT

clipped by: lori763
clipper's remarks: "...shared interests rather than geography will steer advertising in the future".

Clip Source: www.webatsimon.com

Ad Futurists Hint at Most Effective Forms of Advertising

Today’s ad industry scarcely resembles that of even one year ago. The explosive growth of social media and interactive tools has forever altered the advertising landscape.

Still, with these dramatic changes, it is important to note that two key advertising industry mainstays endure—the appeal of emotion in advertising and the importance of a solid strategy prior to selecting media tactics.

The future also holds great promise for screen-based media – television and video available on buses, gas stations, grocery stores, as well as in the home—as it take on unprecedented importance to advertisers and consumers alike. Ironically, it seems as though the only constant in advertising is change—get ready for an exciting future!

Tags: social media and advertising, future trends in advertising