http://computer.howstuffworks.com/search-engine-optimization.htm
I found a short and concise explaination of SEO which I think is a good basic introduction for non-techies; it at least arms you with the terminology you might use when engaging with an SEO or Web Design company.
Twitter It!Well according to an article I read recently it is. The article in question was about the hotel industry and was demonstrating that increased capacity through lower rates was actually earning less income than lower capacity at higher rates; i.e. keep rates the same of even raise them a bit!
When the economy is weak, this seems counter productive, and it does depend on the industry in question. For example, brands like BMW or Mercedes add free goodies to the list price of some of their vehicles, a perk they can remove very easily, whereas if they lowered the price of their cars, it would erode their brand value and also destroy the second hand market for their cars.
It’s a bit more difficult for Retailers of FMCG’s such as Tesco or even the local grocers; there, you do see price wars between the big players such as Tesco, Asda, Sainsburys, but eventually this can only go so far unless they start giving stuff away for free; two for one offers are good, but ultimately it’s about customer service and quality.
Twitter It!I came across a webinar from a sales consultancy in the US which announced that Cold Calling was dead and went on to explain what had replaced it.
It looked interesting; I have cold called many times in my career and it’s an activity that I have always regarded as absolutely necessary in the sales process unless you work for a company that is in the happy position of attracting large volumes of (inbound) enquiries.
Cold calling is not what most people would regard as an enjoyable activity unless (again) you work for a company that offers products and services which result in a high ratio of sales to calls.
So the assertion in the title intrigued me. Is there really another way? I decided to invest 60 minutes of my time on a Saturday night to view the webinar and learn.
What I found was in fact that cold calling was not dead, but it was replaced by “intelligent” cold calling. There are a number of tools available which help salespeople identify prospects which fit the profile of prospect you are looking for, identify the buyers in the prospect organisation, help you generate edocuments which you send to the buyer, and alert you when the buyer has looked at your edocument; the idea being you call the buyer when his or her level of interest is at their highest. And if they are not interested, you don’t waste valuable time calling, but move on.
Apparently this process and use of these tools has helped companies which adopt this method significantly increase their sales, so said the company selling this methodology.
This type of intelligent cold calling in my opinion is not new, but the tools available, and the availability and combination of Linkedin profiles, RSS feeds, and access to databases such as Hoovers and Dunn & Bradstreet has made the process much more efficient.
I think intuitively this process is more suited to big-ticket sales because of the investment in time required per call. Can it be applied to high volume businesses such as Nuage? If anyone has an opinion I would be very interested to learn about it.
Twitter It!The answer is – they don’t. At least they don’t buy “the Cloud” per se; they buy a solution that solves a problem and this may involve the delivery of services from a hosted platform via the internet.
I believe in 12 months the term will be ubiquitous not with the way the services are delivered, but the benefits it brings, just as a hoover is not known necessarily for its inner workings (although people know it sucks dirt) but the fact that it helps keep their carpets clean.
Twitter It!I read my newspaper tonight as if I was digesting it twitter style. What I saw in the paper were short headlines that tried to capture my attention. Detail was immediately available should I want to read more. I don’t know what percent of the paper I read every day, but I reckon its 20%, although I capture a lot of headlines. Additionaly, the newspaper has some reputation “Britain’s best selling quality daily newspaper”… so I kind of trust that they are not wasting my time.
I then read the local village magazine. Again it was headlines, however I probably read 50% as it feels more relavent.
Then I looked at the local politicians rag – “south cambs focus” or something like that and I actually read most of it as it deals with issues very close to home and I like to see if our politicians are making a difference.
This does not mean I am not a global thinker. I am. I guess what needs to start forming in twitter is trusted sources, trusted lists? And then there to be some content behind the “headline” in case I wish to drill in.
I don’t want to know if people are going out for the day unless I really know them. Then they will be on my “friends I know list”.
So in summary, lists are part of the answer. Linking to further context / content is king. I think twitter will either survive or will evolve in to something else. Either way, it’s a catalyst for change. Change doesn’t always bring money.
Twitter It!Twitter have recently launched lists. I’m still working out how best to use them. below are some useful links that I’ve found..
Link to some twitter lists …
http://www.businessinsider.com/the-list-of-twitter-lists-you-should-follow-2009-10
and here is a link on how to use twitter lists …
http://mashable.com/2009/11/02/twitter-lists-guide/
Twitter It!If you want to do a mail merge from Zoho CRM, follow the simple steps outlined on this page: http://blogs.zoho.com/general/mail-merge-with-zoho-crm
It is very straightforward to setup, and once you have a mail merge template, you can use it over and over.
Twitter It!One thing that continues to impress me about Cambridge is the diversity of ideas. There is clearly a bio-tech leaning, however there are also other very good non-bio companies in the mix.
One of the challenges with the current IT support companies in Cambridge is that they offer a certain set of services, however many companies in Cambridge are looking for a wide range of skills in IT. Being in IT is a bit like being a doctor – you are expected to know about every ailment. This is where Nuage can help – we are like the GP for small businesses in Cambridge when it comes to IT – we have a good understanding of what small businesses in Cambridge are looking for in terms of IT and we cover the spectrum which we think that Cambridge Bio-tech, Business park and small companies are looking for:
If you want to learn more, then please visit our website: http://nuage-it.com or contact us here.
Twitter It!We have just moved one of our clients in to their new offices in Riverside on Granta Park in Cambridge. Breathe did the fit out and we did the IT side.
High level list of “things” we did:
All in all a fairly stress free move. The only challenge was waiting for BT to “enable” the broadband connection.
One questions remains: I’m confused why we can build brilliant Bio-Tech research facilities in Cambridge without whopping great Internet connection speeds.
Twitter It!