It’s a small business change that can control your success selling to small businesses. For that matter, it can effect your success with large businesses, too.
Target, or Partner?
I was speaking with a client yesterday. One of the things we handle for him is sales. We prospect for him peripherally, but specifically we do his “closing”; prospects come in, and we uncover needs and decide what to sell them. We do that for his existing clients on the upsell side of things, too. ... READ MORE of Partner, or Target? at Answer Guy Central, your Influency and Integrated Marketing Source By Clicking Here (501 words, 1 image, estimated 2:00 mins reading time)
We all have people whose every word we follow, hanging on to each and ever utterance out of our personal gurus’ mouths as though they were . . . well . . . gurus.
Much to my surprise, even I have a few followers who look to me like a seer of some sort. I’ve never been comfortable with that; I remember when I was doing TV and radio as The Computer Answer Guy and the occasional fan would contact me gushing compliments my reaction usually ran along the lines of mumbling “it’s just what I do . . . ” ... READ MORE of The Smartest Man In Business Today at Answer Guy Central, your Influency and Integrated Marketing Source By Clicking Here (981 words, 1 image, estimated 3:55 mins reading time)
You’d think that I’d write here about Bill Gates on a regular basis. You’d be wrong. Oh sure, I’ve written about Microsoft and their evolution from a software company to one that invents battery technology, and I’ve told you about Gate’s buddy Warren Buffett needing a new television, but Mr. Microsoft just doesn’t get much attention here.
Last week, Malcolm Gladwell showed me why that is: Bill Gates the businessman just isn’t very interesting . . . or even very important. Bill Gates the philanthropist, on the other hand, will be a man in whose honor statues are erected. ... READ MORE of Bill Gates, You’re No Bill Gates (or Steve Jobs) — Gladwell at Answer Guy Central, your Influency and Integrated Marketing Source By Clicking Here (364 words, estimated 1:27 mins reading time)
Our Tag Cloud as of May 29 2012
Do you ever wonder what’s really important to people you speak with, or whose words you read?
The subject of authenticity is one that gets tossed around quite a bit, and on the Internet, where we’re bombarded with opinion after opinion from a plethora of sources who’ve earned various amounts of our trust in differing ways, it’s becoming an ever-hotter topic.
Who can you trust? ... READ MORE of Authenticity: It’s practically become ‘The A Word’ at Answer Guy Central, your Influency and Integrated Marketing Source By Clicking Here (1018 words, 1 image, estimated 4:04 mins reading time)
A short time after I started using a Droid, I found myself in the middle of a “what’s the real-world impact of the decisions I make?” conversation. I’ve always looked a technology as a means to an end, and while I know about the latest and greatest toys before most people I rarely own them early; I prefer to stay off that bleeding edge. ... READ MORE of eReaders: Kindle, NOOK Make Business Change—Business Chaos at Answer Guy Central, your Influency and Integrated Marketing Source By Clicking Here (508 words, 1 image, estimated 2:02 mins reading time)
I’m a big fan of “thinking different“. Whether it’s trivial stuff or big earth-shattering shifts, thinking differently is a business change that pays off. Often, you don’t know how that will look until it happens, but if I can get you to “think different“, you’ll thank me. I promise.
Sometimes thinking different can be a stretch, like looking at The National Football League as an example of socialism. But dig inside and you’ll see the wisdom and benefit that can come from something as simple as looking at things in new ways. Business Change? Yes, please! ... READ MORE of New Ideas About Hiring The Right People, from Harvard! at Answer Guy Central, your Influency and Integrated Marketing Source By Clicking Here (417 words, estimated 1:40 mins reading time)
... READ MORE of Virtual VIP Changes Archive, March 2012 at Answer Guy Central, your Influency and Integrated Marketing Source By Clicking Here (416 words, 1 image, estimated 1:40 mins reading time)
If you’ve been looking for an excuse to consume a liquid lunch, you needn’t look any further than fruit flies. New research on the little pests confirms something that scientific findings have shown many times: in moderation, alcohol is good for you.
When Steve Jobs and Apple told us to “think different” all those years ago, I guess they were on to something. ... READ MORE of Fruit Flies, Steve Jobs, “Think Different” Business Change at Answer Guy Central, your Influency and Integrated Marketing Source By Clicking Here (221 words, estimated 53 secs reading time)
Why is is so hard, the more we communicate, to actually say anything?
Even more: if you do manage to say something why does social networking make it so easy for people to apply the wrong context to what you say—or apply no context at all?
Last night, Brian Clark, a Search Engine Optimization consultant of some reputation, tweeted a couple of times. He was complaining—I think— about people taking his words out of context: ... READ MORE of Context, Authenticity, Social Networking at Answer Guy Central, your Influency and Integrated Marketing Source By Clicking Here (330 words, estimated 1:19 mins reading time)
I’ve mentioned Chris Brogan here quite a few times. Sometimes, I praise him. More often, I call Mr. Brogan out for being disingenuous, or inauthentic. Once, I suggested Chris wasn’t very smart, which he didn’t care for (although I think he missed the context of my commentary).
Today, I come not to bury Chris Brogan, but to praise him. ... READ MORE of In Praise of Chris Brogan and Video Production Values at Answer Guy Central, your Influency and Integrated Marketing Source By Clicking Here (391 words, estimated 1:34 mins reading time)
If you’ve never been to The Apple Store on Fifth Avenue in New York City, you’re missing something that can only be called “impressive”. Empty, this place is beautiful. Full of people, as it typically is even in the middle of the night (Apple keeps this store open 24 hours a day), it’s amazing. And loud. And a little intimidating.
And for the first time, I noticed last night, incredibly badly run. If Steve Jobs was still with us, he’d be appalled. ... READ MORE of Customer Service Done Wrong: Apple Personal Pickup at Answer Guy Central, your Influency and Integrated Marketing Source By Clicking Here (803 words, 2 images, estimated 3:13 mins reading time)
Ever notice you almost never hear about marketing and Microsoft? The reason is simple: Microsoft doesn’t need to “sell” anything. Businesses and people buy Windows because it’s Windows, buy Microsoft Office for the same reason, and then … well, that’s it. Does Microsoft even have a marketing department?
Addressing this needs to be business change job #1 at Microsoft. The Windows brand has plenty of life left in it, but that’s mostly a corporate thing; real people are defecting to Apple Macintosh in droves, and even dumping “computers” altogether in favor of tablets and SmartPhones. And even in that corporate market the Office brand is in trouble; Google Docs and other free on-line services are just fine for most people and businesses, thank you very much. ... READ MORE of We Don’t Need No Stinking Marketing (Windows Phone 7.5) at Answer Guy Central, your Influency and Integrated Marketing Source By Clicking Here (425 words, estimated 1:42 mins reading time)
Any second now, Apple’s iPhone 4S is going to be “real”. October 14 is the official launch date for the latest version of iPhone, and once it’s “out” people will be walking around talking to their phones, giving us all something new to be frustrated by and driving a new wedge between manners and technology.
As I told you when Steve Jobs left us last week, I’m actually considering moving from my nearly-two-year old Droid to an iPhone. And I like Android. A lot. And my issues with Apple are huge. The new iPhone is that good. ... READ MORE of Google Worries. (Siri on iPhone 4S NOT a Virtual Assistant) at Answer Guy Central, your Influency and Integrated Marketing Source By Clicking Here (518 words, estimated 2:04 mins reading time)
