Slowing Down in the Technological Age

            I love the week between Christmas and New Year’s.  I love it because I get to slow down.  I get to think.  I get to read.  And I get to write.

            For much of the year, technology drives my life.  And I’m not even as wired as many people.  I haven’t taken the plunge and purchased a tablet, although I do look longingly at them and think about it.  I do not have a smart phone, and I don’t look longingly at them.  But I have a PC and a laptop.  I receive and send text messages and email.  I keep up with social media both socially and for my job.  And I teach college classes online.  Technology drives my life.

            Yes, I know.  I am using technology by typing this using my word processor programming and by posting it online for you to read.  But this week, I am in the driver’s seat.  Technology is under my direction instead of dictating what I do and when.

            For the week between Christmas and New Year’s, I get to read for pleasure and for the love of knowledge than strictly for need or to meet the next deadline.  I get to hold a real live book and let me eyes glide over the pages instead of staring at a screen and making sure I blink enough and look away occasionally.  My eyes get a much needed break.

            I can ignore my cell phone and return calls when it’s convenient to me.  Hell, I can even turn off my cell phone or leave it behind for a while.  The same goes for emails because I can take time away from my office.

            So this week, I get to use technology for pleasure when I want, and I get to ignore it at my leisure.  I’m in the driver’s seat, and I’m slowing down and enjoying the scenery.

Network Solutions’ Website Builder Tool

            Recently, I had a client who wanted a site designed that he could makes changes himself.  He had already transferred his existing site to Network Solution (NS), and I promised that I could design his site NS’s features.  It was a new realm for me, but in spite of my trepidation because I had always designed sites myself from scratch, I threw myself into it.

            My first hurdle was making sure that I could design the new site without affecting the existing one.  Fortunately, the content management system (CMS) allows for this, so I felt a lot more free to experiment and learn what NS’s Website Builder Tool offers.

            First of all, it does help if you know HTML and Web development, but it’s not necessary.  It is necessary that you are not afraid of technology and taking chances.  You have to be willing to play around with things and start over if you make a big mistake along the way.  It’s part of the learning process.

            Although you have to select a template, and you are limited if you stick to free templates, once you have selected one, you have a lot of flexibility in changing colors, fonts, placement and much more.  You just have to make good use of each of the features and make sure you try more than one, so you find the most of efficient and best way to make the changes.  I do recommend staying away from CSS and using the Master Changes instead.  It is much simpler, and you are more likely to make the change you actually want.

            Overall, this has proven to be a good CMS, and I am willing to use it again for any clients who come my way and ask for the ability to manage their own site.  While it’s not as flexible as doing it yourself, it should work well for the majority of small business sites out there.

Is CMS the Only Way to Go in Web Design Services?

            I went to a very interesting workshop last Friday.  Of course, it was really a sales pitch for a Web design firm – yes, a competitor.  But it was really interesting and informative.  I know as a small Web design firm, I need to change my business model in order to compete with the changing market, but I have put some thought into one thing they said more than once:  We have to move into content management systems in order to remain competitive.

            Although more and more people are interested in the ability to change and add content to their sites themselves, there is still a big segment of small businesses who want someone else to do it, or they change their content so infrequently that they would rather pay someone else to do it.

            Who wouldn’t really benefit from CMS? 

Companies with static Web sites:  If a business’s Web site changes infrequently, the extra cost of a CMS may not be justified.  For instance, how well do you remember how to do something that you do infrequently?  I would be frustrating for someone who is not too tech savvy to go in and relearn each time how to change a site.  So if the site is really just an online brochure with contact information, a CMS isn’t an advantage.  I have one client who comes to me about once every 5 years and has me make a bunch of changes.  Someone else designed the site long ago, and they contract with me when they want to make changes.

Companies whose owner just isn’t interested in doing it himself:  Many of my clients just don’t want to have to worry about changing their Web sites and learning yet one more new thing.  They want to concentrate on growing their businesses and they don’t have the staff to delegate the job to.  Whatever their reasons, I respect them, and I value their business.

            So while, I am moving towards offering sites using CMS, I will still continue to offer traditional Web design and maintenance for those clients who prefer I do it all for them.  After all, I’m a business owner who wants to stay viable and wants to have customers.  Customer service is what I offer.

Low Tech Has its Place in My Life

            I have to admit, I love gadgets.  And I wish I had the money to invest in a lot more of them, but I spend so much of my time looking at technology because of Web design and teaching online and my membership with the Carroll Technology Council, that I forget to mention low tech tools that are useful that and I simply won’t give up.

Whiteboards

            In our kitchen, I have a whiteboard next to the kitchen door where we write notes to ourselves, list grocery shopping items and the money owed our kids for the chores completed.  I used to clip lists to the refrigerator, but it started looking junky and disorganized, so I went to the whiteboard instead, and we have all been happy with it.  I used a whiteboard in my office too for the same sort of things.

Monthly Planner

            Now, my high tech friends make fun of me for this, but I still have a paper monthly planner that I lug around to meetings and refer to often in my office.  I do make use of Outlook’s calendar and tasks features especially for paying bills and other things I need to remember far into the future.  But I like the old fashioned paper calendar because it give me a visual cue for time – I have a better sense of time when I can see the whole month at once.  I also like how easy it is to erase or cross out a change.  And I love that I can take it anywhere or leave it behind.

Spiral Notebook

            Again, my tech savvy friends mock me, but I find inspiration in spiral notebooks. With a piece of paper, my creativity comes out.  I don’t concern myself so much with how many clicks to get where I want.  Instead, I can scribble, doodle, draw, cross out and just plain creative with a pencil or pen.  I write constantly.  Sometimes a computer will do, but other times, I find myself more peaceful and creative with paper.  That goes for graphic design as well.  My hand is so much more steady with a pencil than it will ever be with a mouse!

Business Card

            Yes, I know all the rage is electronic business cards, but there’s nothing wrong with old fashioned business cards.  One clear advantage that they have over any of their high tech cousins?  You can write on the back of a traditional business card and add any type of information you need on the spot for your new contact.

            None of these low tech tools cost me efficiency or slows me down.  They are all familiar and dear friends, and I haven’t yet found a high tech gadget that works better than any of these.

Google Cloud Print Is a Good Solution for Businesses on the Go

            A friend of mine who runs a landscaping business asked me an interesting question.  Much of their office work is done in their house by her – bookkeeping, billing, accounting… You get the picture.  Much of their business is run out of their shop where they keep most of their equipment.  It is also the place where their crew gathers before the work day begins.  Every morning, she and her husband give out the job assignments for the day, and their workers go out to the job sites and work.

            There are some mornings when she would like to skip going to the shop and give out the written job schedules remotely.  She wanted to know if there was a printer out there that would allow her to print from her computer or iPad at home to their shop.  She had found HP’s ePrint, and the idea was born.

            She was onto something, although as it stands, HP’s ePrint can’t do it alone.  ePrint will let one print from anywhere in the home from any electronic device.

            What she needed is Google Cloud Print.  Google has technology that allows you to print from anywhere with any device to your printer at home or at the office. 

            One of the interesting aspects is that you don’t even have to have the printer hooked up to a PC or laptop.  Google Cloud Print can work with a Cloud Ready printer – a printer that has the ability to connect directly to the Web without requiring a PC.  In fact on Google’s site, they give you a list of Cloud Ready Printers by HP, Kodak, Epson, Canon, Samsung, and FedEx.  The FedEx option is a whole other benefit.

            It looks like these days, there is a solution for just about any option a small business might come up with that won’t break the bank.

Is WordPress Good for Web Sites?

            Although WordPress was originally designed as an open source blogging tool, many companies are now using it as a CMS for their own Web sites.  CMS stands for content management system, and it’s a tool that allows a person to go in and manage the content of his Web site without necessarily having to know the language of Web design.  There are many good things about using WordPress.

            The number one reason that WordPress is so popular is that it is free.  It’s a quality CMS that really does not cost anything.  It also has a lot of support.

            One thing that users can do is change themes easily without changing or harming the content of their site.  That means that a small company can change the entire look of their site without having to go through a major overhaul.  Another thing that WordPress allows you to do is easily install plugins, so you can easily add more functionality to the site such as a directory or a slider graphic.

            One blogger, Don Campbell (http://www.expand2web.com/blog/why-use-wordpress-to-power-your-small-business-website/), feels that small businesses would do well to consider choosing WordPress as the CMS for their Web site. 

            The key as he sees it and I see it, is that companies can easily manage their content without having to learn and know HTML.  So if you have a company that is constantly offering new deals to customers, one person can go in and add the information, and all that’s needed is good content that is error free (that has nothing to do with Web design).  A person can literally type the content on their word processor, proof it, and then copy and paste it onto the site, hit a button and publish it.

            Of course, a company may still want a Web site designer to set it up, but the beauty is that once it is set up, someone in-house can do the updates and only call on the Web designer for more complex updates.

            If you have a need to update your site regularly, maybe WordPress is the way to go.  http://wordpress.com/

Meeting Customer Expectations

            How many of you take the time to figure out what a potential customer would anticipate if he hired your company? Have you taken the time to consider what the customer comes in expecting?

            This past spring, I went to my high school reunion.  It was better than I expected, and I actually had a great time seeing old classmates and trying to catch up.  Like many reunions, we had a photographer who took a class photograph and was selling us copies for $20 apiece.  I thought it was a little pricey, but I bought one.

            What was my expectation?  Well, I expected a clear glossy photograph of all of us.  I actually didn’t put any thought into it when I paid for it at the reunion, but for things like this, I did have an expectation because I had bought photos in this manner before.

            What did I get?  I got a photograph on 8.5 X 11 sheet of paper – matte finished.  It was obviously printed on an ink jet printer.  It wasn’t centered and in fact a little crooked.  Many of my classmates had an orange cast, and it was a little dark.

            I was deeply disappointed and felt like I had been ripped off.  Correction:  I had been ripped off.  This photographer didn’t meet my expectations, and I won’t be recommending her in the future.  I spoke with a few of my classmates, including one of the organizers, and they felt the same way.  They certainly won’t recommend her to anyone either.

            What did her product do for her business?  It did worse than absolutely nothing.  She actually damaged her business.  There are some 30 people who probably feel as I do about that photograph, and they won’t be recommending her to anyone.  In fact, they may even spread the word not to use her services.

            At some point in that small community, her business will dry up because she isn’t giving people what they expect when they purchase a photograph from her.  Sure she saved a couple of dollars per photograph, but she has damaged her reputation by being penny-wise and pound-foolish.

            So when you offer a product or service, take time to think like a customer and ask yourself if you were purchasing that exact same thing, what would you expect as a customer, and that is exactly what you should deliver.

Put Your Toe in with a One Page Site

            I am sure that many of you have been scared off from having a website.  Cost may be one thing that scares you away, but another may be that you just aren’t interested in the Internet.  After all, you have plenty of business as a brick and mortar business, and plenty of people know you exist.

            Let me assure you that you should have a Web presence.  Let me also say that you do not need more than a one page site if you truly have a brick and mortar business that depends more on referrals and your physical location.

            Think of your one page site as a one page brochure that tells a visitor who you are, what you do, where you are located and different ways to get in touch with you.  You can even see it as a complex business card that says more than your business name, name and phone number.

            For instance, maybe a customer of yours mentioned you to someone and gave a recommendation.  Maybe that person is one to check things on the Internet – everyone is different.  Or maybe that person lost the phone number but still remembered the name.  If you have a site, that person can find you and see your basic information as well as contact information.  The website works much like an ad in the Yellow Pages.

            Some people will say that they certainly do not want to get email.  That’s fine.  My dentist told me that he is totally against giving out emails.  He says that he has enough people cancel at the last minute by phone, and he doesn’t want them to use email as an excuse, and he just isn’t interested in dealing with email.  I can’t say I disagree with his philosophy when it comes to his practice.  If you too feel that way, still get a website.  Just don’t put your email address.  Instead list your phone number and office hours.  You still have given your visitors a way to contact you – your preferred way.

            Don’t turn your back on new technologies that come up in the business world.  You need to accept them, but you can accept them on your terms.  Consider a simple Web presence for your business.  You never know how a small investment can benefit you in the future!

Aggregators Help Manage Your Social Media

            Aggregators for social networking have been one of the best things I’ve learned about in the last year.  These services allow you to schedule content to your social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.  For a small business owner, this is a powerful tool that allows a person to manage her time much more efficiently.

            Although there are many out there, the one that I have used is Hootsuite (http://hootsuite.com). After setting up an account, I then let Hootsuite access my various social networking sites/accounts.  Once I had that accomplished, I could simply go into Hootsuite, type in my messages and links, and tell it which social networking sites the information should go to.  Then I picked the dates and times when my information would post.

            What is nice about Hootsuite besides its ease of use, is that its free version allows you to put your toe in the water and test the aggregator, so you get a feel for what it can do for you.

            Using a social networking aggregator has improved my productivity tremendously.  Now, I can choose to work on my social media postings once a week or once a month.  Occasionally, I do have to go in and post something that came up unexpectedly, but for the most part, I can work more efficiently, putting a batch of time into social media instead a portion of my time every day.

            Here are some popular ones according to InventorSpot:

1.      Microsoft’s Spindex

2.      Convo Track (helps tracks comments on blogs)

3.      YackTrack (helps monitor social media)

4.      FlavorsMe

5.      Social Radar

6.      Hootsuite

7.      Netvibes

8.      Profilactic (helps protect online identity)

9.      Flock (through its web browser)

Whatever one you choose, you will find that you use your time more efficiently.  It’s one of the best things that I can recommend to anyone venturing out into social media marketing.

Let me know which aggregator you use and why!

Get a Website

            It surprises me how many people don’t have a website for their business.  I know that there are many successful businesses that do not have sites, but in general, in this electronic, Web 2.0 age, businesses need a site.

            Ask yourself a few questions.  When was the last time you used a phone book to look up a number?  Where do you look when you want to learn more about a business?  Where do you go when you want to find directions of a business?

            Chances are that you answered the Internet.  More and more, the Internet is becoming part of our daily life whether you use a PC, tablet or phone.  If you are using those devices a lot, don’t you think others are as well?

            If you are worried about making a big investment, don’t be.  You don’t have to have a fancy website with many pages.  You can even have just a simple page with your logo, a description, address and contact information.

This is what I want you to really agree to:

·         You need a site.

·         You need it to look professional.

·         And you need it to have at least the information necessary for visitors to find you or contact you.

You are missing valuable leads without it.

Juggling Time

            When you run a small business and you find yourself very busy, time flies by, and at some point some things get lost in the time shuffle.  Look at this blog for instance.  I managed to miss the whole month of February with my blog.  Well, it’s time to adjust and manage my time more effectively than just putting out fires.

            I wish I could offer you a special magic wand you could wave to get more hours in a day to get things done.  Here are my tips:

·         Don’t give up your sleep.  Once in a while working long hours to meet a deadline is okay, but on a daily basis, choose to get the sleep you need.  You work much more efficiently when you have rested then if you have skimped on sleep.  Keep your productivity up.

·         Know when to say no.  No small business owner wants to turn away business.  It’s just not smart.  Or is it?  If you are overwhelmed with projects and deadlines and another inquiry comes your way, unless it’s some absolutely opportunity of a lifetime, be honest with your prospective client.  Tell them the truth – that you are booked up and can’t get to their needs until ….  The honesty matters.  What good is taking on yet another project when you know you can’t complete it on time?  You stress and disappoint yourself and you tarnish your reputation.

·         Break down projects and goals into manageable chunks.  Look at what you have to do and see if you can break down larger tasks into manageable chunks and plan them along with the daily smaller tasks that you handle.  This does require some organization skills.  At least then you are making progress in a number of areas and managing your time more wisely.

·         Take breaks throughout your day.  This goes with sleep.  Don’t skip meals, and force yourself to get up and walk away for a few minutes.  That 5 or 10 minute break every hour or so will refresh your mind and allow you to regain focus again.  Remember, people on average can only keep sustained attention to a task for blocks of 20 minutes or so.  You can refocus again, but keep in mind that short breaks are healthy and boost productivity.

And don’t’ lose heart if you have fallen off the wagon and gotten behind.  Start again and keep at it.  I have.  You will see weekly posts for all of March, and my goal is to keep it up for the rest of the year.

Free Video Software

            In addition to web designing, I teach a few college courses online.  One thing that I wanted to offer my students this semester was some lectures in audio.  Although I have a webcam, I am not too comfortable recording myself in front of a camera.  I bet most of you are the same.  So I went in search of some software that I could download for free to use for my online classes where it would capture what I was doing on my computer and my voice rather than me.

            Of course, there are many good ones to purchase, but finding a good one that’s free takes a little more time. 

            One of the professors at my campus recommends Jing.  This can be downloaded at http://download.cnet.com/Jing/3000-13633_4-10744274.html .  It is pretty good software that’s very easy to use.  It’s intuitive and simple.  It’s easy to record and delete until you get it right.  The free version records everything in Shockwave (SWF).  In addition, you are limited to five minute clips – in most instances, you would not want to record long clips anyway.  The professional version allows many other formats including WAV and MP3.  They charge $14.95 per year which isn’t bad and allows you to discontinue.  Since there was the time and format limit for Jing Free, I kept searching.

One I found that I like a lot is Debut Video Capture Software by NCH Software at http://www.nchsoftware.com/capture/index.html.  This gave me automatically the format choices that work best for me.  If I choose to purchase the software is a flat $39.95(for Jan 2012 – then $60) .  Jing Pro would equal that cost in a little more than 2.5 years (4 years for regular price).  Although I haven’t done it yet, I wanted the ability to edit clips in Windows Movie Maker, and Debut allows that with the formats it offers.  Although it’s a little more complicated to use, it’s still relatively simple, and the ability to re-record is as easy as it is for Jing.

I stopped searching once I found Debut because it does all that I want.  So far, I have used it as a tutorial for different portions of online class.  The professor who inspired me to download and try the software, recommended having online video/audio tutorials.  He said that for him it reduced student questions from twenty per class at the beginning of the semester to about two.  That was a good enough reason for me to try!

If my skill level and use go up, I plan to purchase the full version.

Let me know if you have searched and found any free video capture software that you would or would not recommend.

Closing the Deal When You’re not a Salesperson

I am not a salesperson.  It’s funny.  I’m an entrepreneur, and I need to sell myself and my services, yet I am not a salesperson.  I’ve read articles about how to close deals, and while some of the advice may be good, it just doesn’t fit me.

I am good with the networking portion of sales.  I love to go out and meet people, and while I’m a little shy and reserved, I can get myself to go up to someone and say hi and introduce myself.  I’m also a pretty good listener.  I don’t mind a bit listening to someone, and I find most people quite interesting.  Networking fits me.

The most successful approach for me hasn’t the often top quoted tactics like creating a sense of urgency or using the threat of competition or preparing late breaking news. 

The first thing I learned early on was to adjust my business from what I initially thought it was.  I originally thought of myself as helping people market their businesses, but soon, I discovered that I was better at certain components of marketing.  I quickly adjusted my business to web design and web promotion as well as desktop publishing services.  My talents really were in certain segments rather than in the broad spectrum of marketing.

The next thing I learned was that I really offered value in a particular niche.  Most larger companies were attracted to larger web design firms.  They barely gave me a nod.  Of course, I could have made the choice to aim big and adjust my strategy to lure them, but instead I saw a need.  I realized that the larger web design firms were out of the league of small new businesses just starting up.  Many new businesses were scared by quotes of thousands of dollars for a web site.  I saw my niche, and I began selling myself as a professional solution for small businesses just starting up.  I found that I like that approach better too.  I liked helping people succeed.

How do I close a deal?

I listen to the customer.  I find that listening to what a customer has to say matters.  Don’t try to put words in their mouths, but do try to ask questions when they are unclear to you.  Also, if they seem confused about what they want (many often are), try to offer them options and ideas based on what they are telling you.  It’s a juggling act to not over or under sell.

I offer some free advice.  This can be a double edged sword.  But I find that if I offer some little bit of advice, I do two things:  I build trust, and I show my knowledge in the field.  It can work against you because they make take your advice and not engage your services.  Other times, it will lead the customer back to you after they have found that others did not do the same for them.  They learned that you can be trusted.

I bow out gracefully when they’re asking for more than I can do.  The biggest no-no in business is promising something you cannot deliver.  There are simply some projects that are too big for me or too complex.  I keep my name intact by bowing out gracefully when they are asking for something I’m not sure I can deliver.  At those times, I refer them to my competition (companies I trust and I know can do what I can’t).  That has gone a long way in keeping my name good in the business community, and interestingly, some of my competition has actually outsourced to me because of this.  Remember, competition doesn’t mean adversary.

I thank the potential customer whether I get the sales or not.  Be a good loser.  After all, if their first choice doesn’t work out, maybe they will come back to you.  Some of my clients have come to me after they found they didn’t like their first choice.

I may not have the highest sales, but I have a business that continues and grows.  You can have skyrocketing sales in your first year, but what really matters is building relationship and a sustainable business.  You want your name to survive, so build your sales carefully.  Find a way to make sales work for your personality.

Your Facebook Profile and You

Yes, we’ve all heard how important it is to keep your Facebook profile clean.  Yes, we’ve been told that what you post on Facebook can have far-reaching consequences, but let me give you some examples both good and bad.

Here are some of the good besides connecting with old friends:

One friend of mine was getting out of car racing (hobbiest).  He posted that he was selling his car and included a photo of it.  If I remember correctly, it was snapped up in less than two hours.  He sold something quickly, and people know that he is a racecar enthusiast.  Good.

Facebook can be used to help you find a job.  Keep in mind that you may not want to do that is you are already employed and any of your bosses or co-workers are friends with you on Facebook.  But if that’s not an issue and especially if you are unemployed, use Facebook to your advantage.  Make sure people know what type of job you are looking for and where you’re willing to work (geographic area).  More and more people are getting leads and landing jobs that way.

Here are some of the bad:

From Time Techland: 

According to a report The Guardian, Facebook is partly responsible for the sacking of at least two police officers over the past four years. It’s also let to seven resignations and 150 officers facing disciplinary action after posting inappropriate pictures or comments. An official review into police corruption found there was “significant blurring” between officers’ professional and private lives on social media, and that it was potentially damaging to the reputation of the police force in general. According to Roger Baker, who led the investigation, “Social networking is seen as a risk by all forces and authorities, but there are limited or inconsistent policies around what is acceptable, what you should do [and] what you shouldn’t do.”

From Time Techland: 

Also under fire: Facebook and marriage, lacking “consistent policies around what is acceptable.” A new study by Divorce Online discovered that 33% of divorces in 2011 implicate Facebook in some way, a significant rise from 2009′s 13%. Reasons cited incude: users making inappropriate comments or messages to members of the opposite sex, and users making unpleasant messages or comments about their spouse and Facebook friends reporting on a spouse’s behavior. Mark Keenan, a spokesman for Divorce Online, suggested that Facebook’s increased importance as a communication tool was behind the rise, saying that “If someone wants to have an affair or flirt with the opposite sex, then it’s the easiest place to do it.” (It’s certainly the most common social network: Twitter was referenced as a reason in only 20 out of the 5,000 divorce petitions surveyed, perhaps illustrating how difficult it is to flirt with 140 characters or less.)

From CBSMoney Watch:  They mention five ways to get fired using Facebook at  http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505125_162-47540281/facebook--your-job-5-ways-to-get-fired/.  The bottom line is that you need to treat Facebook like it is public space and act accordingly.  Would you streak on a public street?  No?  Then don’t streak on Facebook.  You get the picture.

            I’ve seen plenty of my friends post things that really surprised me, and I’m not even part of the riskier demographic who are known for riskier online behavior.  I can’t really put them here, because this too is a public place, and I am careful about what I post – you just have to be.