News
Sunday, October 11, 2009
I work 365 days a year without Vacations. I need attention TOO!
We all like to think of ourselves as the hardest, most dedicated worker of the business. This is probably true in a lot of ways, but actually your computer is!, what gets done if your computer, server, or other aspects to your network are malfunctioning? Not very much!. The trend during the financial situation is to take care of the aging hardware and software, and only replace if absolutely necessary. So our old friendly computer employee needs to be checked up on to make sure they are given every opportunity to make it through these times until you can retire them, or move them to less critical functions in the company. Computer or person, we can get viruses; computers can get malware, spyware, and hardware issues. This will slow productivity of yourself and employee’s if you have them. This is why a checkup is necessary to make sure that none of this is causing a slow down, and also check updates, and evaluate whether it will be cost effective to upgrade items like memory as an example to give your computer, or computers an extended business life.
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Sell More by Saying Less
Sell More by Saying Less
In a world awash in information, it’s more important than ever to get straight to the point
By Carmine Gallo
NewsWeek Magazine
When selling, the fastest way to turn off a potential customer is to talk for too long. I once asked New York real estate queen Barbara Corcoran, founder of the Corcoran Group for public speaking advice I could share with my clients. Her response: “Nobody is as interested in you as you think they are.” Harsh, perhaps, but she has a point. As information continues to overload us, it’s more important than ever to be succinct. I often recommend that business owners practice describing their product or service in 140 characters (about 20 words) or less, the length of a message on Twitter. Try it yourself, then check out attempts by fellow readers.
Remember, sales prospects don’t normally have the time to listen to your life story. You need to state your case and move on. If they’re interested in learning more, they’ll let you know. Here are several areas where it pays to keep it short.
In blogs. People read a page on a Web site more slowly than a printed page. So you might want to reconsider your 7,000 word treatise and replace it with a 700-word essay that includes just the key points. Better yet, offer an even shorter post with a few findings and a link to the full piece.
In e-mail. As a journalist, I received a ton of unsolicited pitches from public relations professionals. Many e-mails would contain great ideas but were so long and convoluted that I had to work too hard to figure out the story. Every journalist I know shares the same frustration. The most effective e-mails get right to the point.
In presentations. Some of the most noteworthy speeches in contemporary history (JFK’s inaugural address, Martin Luther King Jr.‘s “I Have a Dream” speech, and Barack Obama’s 2004 keynote at the Democratic National Convention) were under 20 minutes. Ask whether or not you really need 70 minutes for your next big event. A well-crafted presentation should last no more than 20 minutes.
At events. My wife and I were in the food line at a Chamber of Commerce mixer when we asked the man behind us what his company did. We knew were in trouble when he responded, “That’s a good question. Where should I start?” There were six people ahead of us but by the time our turn came five minutes later, I still didn’t know what this man did, apart from something related to wireless something.
The next time you’re trying to sell someone your product or service, try to do so in 30 seconds or less. Then gauge your listeners’ reaction to see if they want to learn more. Be specific. Don’t waste those 30 seconds with meaningless buzzwords like “best of breed” and “solutions.” Earlier this month, 30 startups presented to a group of investors at an event called Launch Silicon Valley. Lumiette was voted one of the companies “most likely to succeed.” Its elevator pitch was specific—it manufactures and distributes energy-efficient flat-panel lamps. In one sentence you learn that it makes a physical product (not a service) and you learn specifically about the type of product it makes.
There’s power in brevity. As a rule, keep it short.
http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/jun2009/sb20090616_017396.htm
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Tuesday, September 08, 2009
Ben Gay III
Lawton Networks, Inc.
Customer Corner
Ben Gay III
BFG & Associates
Ben Gay III has been called a living legend in the sales world.Now in his 43nd year of professional selling, he has been the #1 salesperson in every organization in which he has worked.
At age 27 he was president of what was then the world’s largest direct sales/network marketing company, having been personally trained by fellow sales legends J. Douglas Edwards, Dr. Napoleon Hill, Earl Nightingale, William Penn Patrick, and many other sales giants.One of the most famous, popular and powerful sales trainers in the world, Ben now writes/publishes/produces “The Closers” series of
books/audios/videos/newsletters/teletrainings/live seminars
. . . a series that is considered to be “The Foundation of Professional
Selling.”
Ben was the founder and is the current Executive Director of The National Association of Professional Salespeople!
WHEN HE WAS JUST 18, BEN WAS THE #1 SALESPERSON AT MACY’S/ATLANTA . . . AS WELL AS THE YOUNGEST BUYER IN MACY’S THEN 100 YEAR HISTORY!
. . . HE WAS THE #1 SALESPERSON IN A LARGE ORGANIZATION OF MANUFACTURERS’ REPRESENTATIVES. . . #1 IN THE LEADING FOOD BROKERAGE OPERATION
IN THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES. . . #1 IN THE LARGEST DIRECT SALES/NETWORK
MARKETING COMPANY IN THE WORLD AT THE TIME. . . #1 IN A THEN 50 YEAR OLD INTERNATIONALMANAGEMENT CONSULTING FIRM. . . #1 IN YET ANOTHER INTERNATIONAL DIRECT SALES COMPANY IN FACT, BEN GAY HAS BEEN THE #1 SALESPERSON IN
EVERY ORGANIZATION WITH WHICH HE’S EVER BEEN ASSOCIATED!
AND, THROUGH HIS COACHING, CONSULTING, BOOKS, AUDIO PROGRAMS, VIDEO PROGRAMS, NEWSLETTERS, TELETRAINING SESSIONS, SPEECHES & SEMINARS, BEN HAS HELPED TRAIN- - DIRECTLY AND INDIRECTLY – - LITERALLY MILLIONS OF OTHER PROFESSIONAL SALESPEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD!
* * * * * * * * *
WHILE ALL OF THAT WOULD HAVE KEPT MOST PEOPLE BUSY, HE’S ALSO AUTHORED 12 BOOKS ON THE SUBJECTS OF SELLING AND LIVING SUCCESSFULLY . . . WHILE “GHOST
WRITING” ANOTHER DOZEN OR SO FOR OTHER SALES TRAINERS/SPEAKERS/SEMINAR LEADERS.IN FACT, IT’S BEEN SAID THAT, IF YOU’RE REALLY IN PROFESSIONAL SELLING, YOU HAVE AT LEAST ONE OF BEN GAY’S SALES TRAINING BOOKS IN YOUR PERSONAL LIBRARY
. . . WHETHER YOU KNOW IT OR NOT!
BEN ALSO WRITES A NEWSLETTER – “THE CLOSERS UPDATE” - THAT’S BEEN CALLED “THE VOICE OF PROFESSIONAL SELLING.” HE CREATED AND TAUGHT THE FAMOUS “PEOPLE BUILDERS” PROGRAM FOR THE INMATES AND STAFF AT CALIFORNIA’S INFAMOUS SAN QUENTIN STATE PRISON.
HE WAS NICKNAMED “THE ATTITUDE COACH” FOR THE APOLLO 15, 16 & 17 ASTRONAUTS BY COL. JAMES ERWIN, COMMANDER OF APOLLO 15.
THEN, IN 1976, BEN LAUNCHED THE “800 NUMBER INDUSTRY” BY FOUNDING “THE NATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS CENTER” . . . AS YOU PROBABLY KNOW, THAT STARTED A
BUSINESS REVOLUTION THAT TOTALLY CHANGED THE WAY WE ALL SHOP AND COMMUNICATE! AND BEN GAY WAS THE FOUNDER AND IS THE CURRENT
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONAL SALESPEOPLE. OVER THE PAST 44 YEARS - - WHILE CONTINUING HIS OWN
DAILY PERSONAL SALES PRODUCTION – - BEN HAS SHARED HIS KNOWLEDGE WITH SALESPEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD THROUGH HIS SALES TRAINING MATERIAL, SPEECHES &
SEMINARS, AND HIS COUNTLESS TV & RADIO APPEARANCES!
For additional information on Ben Gay, please go to:
http://WWW.bfg3.com
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Why focus on your website?
Marketing Information $$$$$$$
By Bill Chambers
These days, everyone is online searching for information. They look up product information, compare companies and then make their decisions based on this research. Is your company being researched online? Are people checking out your services online or comparing your products to your competitors? If you answered no to either of these questions read on!
Do you run print advertisements or radio spots to bring in customers? Consider the costs involved. A typical 3 month radio spot can cost $5,000 to $10,000 and are only good during that time frame. Print advertisements are also very expensive and are only good for the lifespan of the publication and we all know what happens to those postcards and brochures you mail out. They end up in the trash! Websites are very cost effective when compared to traditional advertising. A website can cost anywhere from $500.00 to $5,000.00 based on your needs. They are easily updated and cost effective. Yearly fees are generally less than a few hundred dollars.
A website can be as simple as a brochure or as complicated as a complete online store. What you need to be competitive is where we come in! Lawton Networks, Inc. offers full service web design and development. From consultation to deployment, we will work with you to take your brand online. We pride ourselves in developing beautiful, modern and globally accessible websites using the latest techniques and standards. We take the time to talk to you about your needs and then put together the perfect solution. We can also help you market your new website so that people can find it.
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Virtual Server “Whats that?”
Is Virtual Server Right Your Business?
A virtual server in a nut shell is the ability to have multiple individual server operating systems running on one physical hardware server. The days of a room full of servers are numbered for alot of business’s where it makes sense. Business’s that have multiple servers now, or are moving onto programs that will require their own server are thinking of ways to reduce cost and space. This makes virtual servers sound very attractive, and it can be. It is a very exciting technology as long as you understand the advantages and challenges you may run into.
Businesses cannot keep moving when they need space, same for server rooms. With Virtual servers as your business needs change you are able to install a single hardware source to operate multiple server guests inside it. Consideration for this technology can have its challenges also. With all the servers being in one hardware device you can run a risk of access to critical data if the hardware goes offline, which possibly would have been available in a traditional server environment. On the other hand, with the correct redundancy in place, a Virtual Server recovery is a much faster and has safety factors built in to reduce the return to full operation in much less time.
Ultimately it gets down to your needs and your budget as your business changes. This is why it is important to have the facts before moving forward in the changing server environment. Lawton Networks, Inc. will be there to step you through the options available to make your business network, work for you.
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Tuesday, August 04, 2009
What Data Can Your BUSINESS AFFORD to LOSE ?
I am thinking NONE is the right answer.
I know this sounds like a non question, but it is a real fact that many business’s neglect to have adequate or up to date backup procedures in place. I have had many customers state if it is not automated, they will just not do it. Do you have the right backup for your particular Server or Workstations ? Do you know how to check if it is working right? Are you getting an automated message alert? You should know the answers to all these questions, or at least have the confidence that it is working and tested.
With the advancment in hardware and software there are more options then ever. Onsite backup and offsite backups, which one to use? My recommendation would be a mix of both, let me tell you why. Local backups will give you the speed of a faster recovery, but the online\offsite backup will give you the security in case of natural disaster, fire, and theft. A local backup will not do you any good if it is burned, drowned, or stolen.
Lawton Networks does offer a Offsite\Online\local, backup solution that is tier 1 complient and meets HIPPA regulations. We can backup both, Servers and Workstations. This includes Windows servers, Exchange, SQL, and Mac. We also support and install many other onsite backup solutions like Symantec products. We look forward to assisting you with your data storage requirements.
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