Monthly Archives: January 2011

Dilbert is Getting Serious About The Deficit

Posted on January 31, 2011 by --Jeff Yablon/The Answer Guy-- Business Change & SEO Consultant — 3 Comments ↓

Either I’m really easily entertained, or Dilbert’s Scott Adams is a very smart guy.

I repeat the words of Mr. Adams every now and again, most recently a couple of months ago when the creator and author of the world’s most spot-on comic strip shared his opinion on how to fix the budget deficit.

In case you aren’t familiar with his back-story, Dilbert’s creator isn’t just a comic strip author. Before becoming one of the rich and famous he so often criticizes, Scott Adams was a well-educated cubicle dweller. The dude understands business and what works (and doesn’t work) about it.

Scott Adam’ latest proposal to fix the economy and budget deficit is to give the rich extra rights. Extra votes in [something constitutionally acceptable]. Essentially, make the rich preferred stockholders in this company we call the US of A.

It’s a wacky idea, right? Except it just might work. ... READ MORE of this article, Dilbert is Getting Serious About The Deficit from Answer Guy Central, your Business Change, SEO Consulting / Search Engine Optimization & Computer Support Source by Clicking Here (317 words, estimated 1:16 mins reading time)

Tagged with: "scott adams", business change, capitalism, dilbert, socialism, taxes
Posted in business change

Like Angry Birds, Runkeeper Goes Free. But It’s Not The Same

Posted on January 28, 2011 by --Jeff Yablon/The Answer Guy-- Business Change & SEO Consultant — No Comments ↓

Welcome to the Internet. Everything’s Free!

OK, so almost nothing is free. When we made a “Hire Us for Free” offer at Answer Guy Central, there were strings attached. They were minor, but they were strings nonetheless. When Angry Birds became free, a lot of people got to watch a LOT of advertisements. That’s not really “free”, either.

Now, a fitness-tracking App called Runkeeper is free. But you’ll find that only the most basic features are actually free. Runkeeper is making a big deal about how it’s their “Pro” model that’s become free, implying that it’s the good version of their service (there was always just plain “Runkeeper”, for free). But hey . . . you need Runkeeper Elite if you want the good stuff.

Can you say “Bait and Switch“? ... READ MORE of this article, Like Angry Birds, Runkeeper Goes Free. But It’s Not The Same from Answer Guy Central, your Business Change, SEO Consulting / Search Engine Optimization & Computer Support Source by Clicking Here (453 words, 1 image, estimated 1:49 mins reading time)

Tagged with: "customer service", "pay what you wish", angry birds, bait-and-switch, business change, hire us for free, runkeeper
Posted in business change, Customer Service

Is Business Blogging Dying? The Answer is “Maybe”

Posted on January 27, 2011 by --Jeff Yablon/The Answer Guy-- Business Change & SEO Consultant — No Comments ↓

I’ve told you before about the client who asked me if the world has too many blogs. I’ve pointed out that kids hardly blog at all. And I’ve given my opinion: if you have nothing to say you should stop blogging.

You have something to say.

Yesterday I came across an article that I found intriguing enough to comment on. And if you read the information and examine the graphs in this well thought out piece you might conclude that business blogging is over.

What I pointed out was this:

First, there’s myriad anecdotal AND structured-study evidence that blogging is in fact dying. In context, this is a function of a couple of things:

1) People started blogging and got bored
2) People start blogs and don’t see the results they’re after

So let’s be clear about something: ... READ MORE of this article, Is Business Blogging Dying? The Answer is “Maybe” from Answer Guy Central, your Business Change, SEO Consulting / Search Engine Optimization & Computer Support Source by Clicking Here (270 words, estimated 1:05 mins reading time)

Tagged with: "customer service", "search engine optimization", blogging, business change, SEO
Posted in business change, Customer Service, Search Engine Optimization SEO

Perception is Reality. Does That Make Groupon a Gift Card?

Posted on January 26, 2011 by --Jeff Yablon/The Answer Guy-- Business Change & SEO Consultant — No Comments ↓

Is Groupon in the Gift Card Business? Do they sell Coupons? Maybe Groupon is trafficking in Gift Cards.

Do you care which discount-providing item Groupon sells? To my dismay, some people are starting to debate the idea, apparently with the goal of compelling Groupon to make the amazing deals they offers never expire.

Talk about Perception Being Reality (and I have, several times; my most recent “Perception is Reality” post is here)!

If you’ve somehow missed it, even among the recent news that they had turned down an offer to be acquired by Google for $6 Billion, Groupon is a website offering some pretty amazing deals each day. The discounts are huge, the deals expire, and so does your window to use the deals, which you pay for before you use them. It’s “like” buying a gift card. ... READ MORE of this article, Perception is Reality. Does That Make Groupon a Gift Card? from Answer Guy Central, your Business Change, SEO Consulting / Search Engine Optimization & Computer Support Source by Clicking Here (548 words, estimated 2:12 mins reading time)

Tagged with: "customer service", "perception is reality", business change, discounts, groupon
Posted in Customer Service

HubSpot, Mental Health Days, and Search Engine Optimization

Posted on January 25, 2011 by --Jeff Yablon/The Answer Guy-- Business Change & SEO Consultant — No Comments ↓

In the natural course of doing business, somewhere along the line we’ve become one of the go-to consulting companies for businesses looking to move away from Hubspot. That probably had something to do with my commentary on how great Hubspot is but that you still shouldn’t use it.

Yesterday I took a mental health day. While most of us can’t take them too often, I’m a big proponent of the occasional day devoted to doing nothing more than clearing your head. Many times it’s where business change comes from; Bill Gates is a famous proponent of downtime, so who am I to argue?

In the midst of my reflection, I came across a comment on that Hubspot posting I mentioned above. Someone had said, simply, that the work we do backing companies out of Hubspot seemed like the kind of thing people would pay for. It made me go back and read the Hubspot post. And I noticed something. ... READ MORE of this article, HubSpot, Mental Health Days, and Search Engine Optimization from Answer Guy Central, your Business Change, SEO Consulting / Search Engine Optimization & Computer Support Source by Clicking Here (495 words, estimated 1:59 mins reading time)

Tagged with: "search engine optimization", Bill Gates, business change, hubspot, Mental Health Day
Posted in business change, Search Engine Optimization SEO

Perception is Reality. So What’s The New York Times Worth?

Posted on January 21, 2011 by --Jeff Yablon/The Answer Guy-- Business Change & SEO Consultant — No Comments ↓

The paywall is up at the New York Times On-line. Or at least it’s about to be.

While some of this is still conjecture, the little graphic (pulled from a loading instance of The New York Times’ Website, by the way) at the top of this post says it all; The New York Times is counting how many pages you view at their web site. Why? Because soon The New York Times website isn’t going to be free.

We’ve know since last spring that the Times was going to start charging for access to their website. The only questions were how much, and for what. If they can pull it off without losing readership, I applaud them; business change isn’t always about what freeloaders (umm . . . like me . . .) want. The issue is the perception and reality of what’s happening; after all, perception is reality. ... READ MORE of this article, Perception is Reality. So What’s The New York Times Worth? from Answer Guy Central, your Business Change, SEO Consulting / Search Engine Optimization & Computer Support Source by Clicking Here (398 words, 1 image, estimated 1:36 mins reading time)

Tagged with: "perception is reality", "search engine optimization", business change, New York Times
Posted in business change, Search Engine Optimization SEO

NOFOLLOW: The Bane of Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Posted on January 17, 2011 by --Jeff Yablon/The Answer Guy-- Business Change & SEO Consultant — No Comments ↓

At the end of 2009 I told the story of C|Net’s Managing Editor asking me to keep reading his company’s stuff, keep commenting, but not seek attribution. I called him out for that ridiculous request both because I knew his motivation was to hamper my Search Engine Optimization efforts and out of indignation. Honestly, it was mostly about the latter.

Imagine asking someone to an event, putting them up on stage with a microphone, having them express their opinion, but not allowing them to identify themselves. Same thing. Ridiculous.

As an SEO Consultant, I advice businesses on how to get past policies designed to hamper their Search Engine Optimization efforts. And let’s be frank: that’s what C|Net was after. They don’t want readers’ SEO juice to compete with their Search Engine Optimization efforts.

That’s people sabotaging other people’s SEO. What about the computerized element? ... READ MORE of this article, NOFOLLOW: The Bane of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) from Answer Guy Central, your Business Change, SEO Consulting / Search Engine Optimization & Computer Support Source by Clicking Here (585 words, estimated 2:20 mins reading time)

Tagged with: "search engine optimization", "what is spam", coopetition, nofollow, SEO
Posted in Search Engine Optimization SEO

“The Julien Smith Model” & Customer Service

Posted on January 14, 2011 by --Jeff Yablon/The Answer Guy-- Business Change & SEO Consultant — No Comments ↓

One more run at the wisdom of Julien Smith: Our final “Julien Smith is brilliant” angle? Customer Service.

Last week I wrote about Julien Smith’s common-sense diet plan. Based on a few simple ideas, it’s a great place to start if you need to lose a few pounds. Take a look; I said it then and I’ll repeat it now: Julien Smith Rocks.

I promised then to apply what I’ve coined “The Julien Smith Model” to Business Change, Customer Service, and Search Engine Optimization. We’ve already covered Search Engine Optimization and Business Change, so let’s move on to how The Julien Smith Model applies to Customer Service.

Let’s repeat the steps in The Julien Smith Model: ... READ MORE of this article, “The Julien Smith Model” & Customer Service from Answer Guy Central, your Business Change, SEO Consulting / Search Engine Optimization & Computer Support Source by Clicking Here (565 words, estimated 2:16 mins reading time)

Cut pollutants
Be consistent
Break up that consistency (and the accompanying monotony)—not for the sake of breaking it but because it’s how you shock your body into alertness

Tagged with: "customer service", "the customer is always right", julien smith
Posted in Customer Service

PROOF That Older People Are Smarter Than Younger People

Posted on January 13, 2011 by --Jeff Yablon/The Answer Guy-- Business Change & SEO Consultant — No Comments ↓

Want Proof that Older People Are Smarter Than Younger People? Just read this article from The New York Times.

Turns out that younger people, given to choose between pizza, sex, or a good old fashioned “atta boy!” will take . . . the atta boy.

OK, so that doesn’t prove anything about age, per se. But it speaks volumes about the mind set of the so-called “Generation Me”. These young people are so caught up in their egos and self-esteem that a pat on the head actually feels better to them than food, or even sex!

I have nowhere else to go with this, except to remind you that there’s a reason you hire The Answer Guy to do your Search Engine Optimization, manage your business change, and handle all the other business issues we run for our clients. ... READ MORE of this article, PROOF That Older People Are Smarter Than Younger People from Answer Guy Central, your Business Change, SEO Consulting / Search Engine Optimization & Computer Support Source by Clicking Here (162 words, estimated 39 secs reading time)

Tagged with: "search engine optimization", older people, sex, younger people
Posted in Search Engine Optimization SEO

Setting Expectations: The Key To Great Customer Service

Posted on January 12, 2011 by --Jeff Yablon/The Answer Guy-- Business Change & SEO Consultant — No Comments ↓

Have you ever had a customer service representative, immediately after doing the opposite, speak the words “I hope I’ve provide you outstanding customer service today” as your contact with them ended?

Of course you have. Not actually providing customer service and calling it customer service seems to have become the standard in that endeavor. And that’s a problem. When your customers expect something and you provide something else, you’re sabotaging your business.

Before I begin this rant, let’s be clear that if your customer leads himself to believe something that you haven’t offered, it isn’t your fault. At that point customer service can consist of salving your customer’s wounds. But when you state your intentions, fail to follow up on them, and smile, you’ve misaligned your expectations and your customer’s. It’s the opposite of customer service. You’d be better off saying “buy something from me, and then you’re on your own”; it’ll save time and end up in the same place. ... READ MORE of this article, Setting Expectations: The Key To Great Customer Service from Answer Guy Central, your Business Change, SEO Consulting / Search Engine Optimization & Computer Support Source by Clicking Here (586 words, 1 image, estimated 2:21 mins reading time)

Tagged with: "customer service", motorola
Posted in Customer Service

“The Julien Smith Model” & Business Change

Posted on January 11, 2011 by --Jeff Yablon/The Answer Guy-- Business Change & SEO Consultant — No Comments ↓

Let’s continue the Julien Smith love-fest. Today’s “Julien Smith is brilliant” angle? Business Change.

Last week I told you about Julien Smith’s common-sense diet plan. It’s based on a few very simple ideas, and if you need to lose a few pounds I think you want to take a look. I said it then and I’ll repeat it now: Julien Smith Rocks.

I promised then to apply what I’ve coined “The Julien Smith Model” to Business Change, Customer Service, and Search Engine Optimization. We’ve already covered Search Engine Optimization, and today at Answer Guy Central, we’ll move on to how The Julien Smith Model applies to Business Change.

Let’s repeat the steps in The Julien Smith Model: ... READ MORE of this article, “The Julien Smith Model” & Business Change from Answer Guy Central, your Business Change, SEO Consulting / Search Engine Optimization & Computer Support Source by Clicking Here (559 words, estimated 2:14 mins reading time)

Cut pollutants
Be consistent
Break up that consistency (and the accompanying monotony)—not for the sake of breaking it but because it’s how you shock your body into alertness

Tagged with: "business change", julien smith
Posted in business change, Customer Service, Search Engine Optimization SEO

Are Really Smart People Just Like You And Me?

Posted on January 10, 2011 by --Jeff Yablon/The Answer Guy-- Business Change & SEO Consultant — No Comments ↓

OK, the answer’s obvious, right? You are a smart person, so there’s no difference at all. Me, though, maybe you aren’t so sure about.

Ben Horowitz isn’t so sure smart people make the best employees. Or more to the point, the very successful venture capitalist has a few words to say about what makes some smart people into bad employees. Which sounds pretty un-smart to me. How can great intelligence and a bad attitude even go together?

Ben breaks it all down into three basic issues. Smart people who turn out to be bad employees are either:

Angry
Weird
or Just Plain Bad

You know: no different than when less-than-brilliant people are bad employees.

I haven’t spoken about intelligence in a while. My post on Older People versus Younger People is one that still gets its fair share of hits, sixteen months later. A piece I wrote a few months back on the differences and similarities between Mark Zuckerberg and Henry Blodget and each man’s intelligence stills pulls, too. ... READ MORE of this article, Are Really Smart People Just Like You And Me? from Answer Guy Central, your Business Change, SEO Consulting / Search Engine Optimization & Computer Support Source by Clicking Here (416 words, estimated 1:40 mins reading time)

Tagged with: "search engine optimization", ben horowitz, henry blodget, intelligence, mark zuckerberg, SEO, venture capital
Posted in Search Engine Optimization SEO