The Best Free Software in 2008 - PC Magazine Review
July 16, 2008
My “love affair” with computers, gadgets and all kinds of computer software started about 12 years ago. Marketers would say that I am an “early adopter.” My address is definitely passed on from one marketer to another and someone keeps eye on my purchases as I get offers in the mail all the time. I recently realized that there is no need to purchase the latest software if you can get it for free.
People at PC Magazine did the math: If you bought popular applications instead of checking out their free counter-parts, at the manufacturers’ list prices you’d give up $5,183 and change! Why spend money when you can get what you need for free? But beware, sometimes you do get what you don’t pay for.
Find out what is on the list of the Best Free Software. Read more
Moving Or In Need Of Custom Packaging?
June 5, 2008
Problem: Anyone who has looked through ANY stock box catalogue knows that as the sizes get larger, the choices dwindle. Many times shippers are stuck buying a size box that costs more to ship because the length plus girth of the box goes above the lower limit of an OVERSIZE CATEGORY. If the box is too large for the product being shipped, so that the length, width or height could be reduced, there is a real possibility to reduce or even eliminate the oversize charges.
Solution: At Custom Packaging Options, they make the box to fit the product! And they make just the quantity you need. You won’t have to buy hundreds to get a custom size. They have done this for a furniture manufacturer who saves $18.00 in freight charges per box! Another customer, a local tannery, is saving $8.50 per bear rug that is shipped. And they use stronger material (44 ect rather than 32 ect) which eliminated the shipping damage she was experiencing with the weaker stock box, giving her additional savings and consumer confidence in her company.
Eight Rules To Remember When Calling Tech Support
May 19, 2008
No matter how well you know your computer, sooner or later, every small business owner is going to call tech support. Remember, what you say, and how you say it, are important factors in getting your problem solved. Here are some tips for efficient interactions with tech staff.
1. Do the obvious: Restart your computer. After restart, make sure you have no other programs opened, other than the one causing problems.
2. Check for system and program upgrades and install them.
3. Write down what operating system you are using and the name of version of the software you are using.
4. Clarify in your mind exactly what the problem is. Lots of things may concern you, but try to state the symptoms first. Remember that a simple statement is not the same as an empty statement. Do not contact tech support and say: It doesn’t work. This does not count as stating the problem. Do not attempt to make the tech support person ask 20 questions from you before he can even get to the point of the call. Less-than-patient tech support people may and will waste your time, too, and then nothing will be solved.
5. Remember that 99 percent of the time the problem is not with the computer or the program. The problem is most likely with the user. So, adopt a humble, business-like attitude, and treat your tech support person with respect.
6. Be open minded and patient. The support person likely will have several theories about solutions. Even if you have used the program or computer for years and never had this problem, try to be open to possible solutions the tech support person offers. You may have never had a problem with your CD drive, but it is possible that today is the day you are having one.
7. Offer context when relevant. If you just added new hardware to your computer, and your problem is with the computer, tell this to the tech support person. If you opened an email attachment, and now you are having problems, tell this to tech support.
8. Accusing tech support of incompetence doesn’t solve the problem.
What Do Small Business Owners and Triathletes Have In Common?
May 13, 2008
Six weeks after major surgery I finally started to train for my third upcoming Danskin triathlon in Seattle, Washington. While creating my training plan, It occurred to me that running a small business is like participating in a triathlon – you as a small business owner need to have some knowledge of all “events” - financial management, customer service and marketing, - or your business will not survive. You may not be good at all of them, but you have to build stamina to stay in competition and finish the race. All successful entrepreneurs I have ever known have had passion for their field. Just like triathletes, small business owners need passion to go out and compete no matter what the circumstances. Not all of us will win. Reaching the goals we have set for ourselves as small business owners, marketers or triathletes may bear bigger significance. Unfortunately I meet too many business owners each week who lack clear goals and desire to become better at what they do. At the same time, when we gain new insights, we become more confident at marketing our services.
“Everything can always be better. This game is fluid. It’s always changing, it’s always evolving. I could always hit the ball better, chip better, putt better, think better. You can get better tomorrow than you are today.”
-Tiger Woods
In addition, most successful individuals I know have created systems for every aspect of their lives. It may sound boring, but they stay on track without wasting energy on defeating chaos. They have streamlined their lives. I admire their productivity, therefore I am reading Getting Things Done by Dave Allen this week.
6 Reasons Why Small Businesses Should Not Have A Booth At Trade Shows
March 31, 2008
My kids love trade shows as they get to “touch and feel” new products and fill their bags with free candy, pens and stickers.
My small business customers at the same time are hesitant to sign up for trade shows this year. They turn to me for advice.
We talk about their experiences in the past and that’s how we came up with some reasons why small service oriented businesses should NOT attend trade shows.
- No measurable return on investment. You pay for the booth, spend time setting it up and talking to trade show attendees, give away hundreds or thousands of key chains and calendars with your company name on them and talk to hundreds of people. Weeks and months later you can’t tell whether you have any leads, prospects or clients resulting from attending the show. Was it really worth the effort?
- The only people stopping at your booth are your current customers or little children taking candy out of your candy dish. You don’t have to pay a lot of money to see your current customers, you could take them out to lunch or send them a present.
- Major networking events take place off the trade show floor behind closed doors and you have no access to them. This is a continuing trend, take notice!
- You will play catch up for 2 weeks (also think of lost income) after leaving your office for 3-4 days to attend the trade show. You may miss some opportunities and important phone calls while attending the trade show.
- Your competitors’ booths with bells and whistles indicate that their marketing budgets are substantially larger than yours. Unless you target a niche market and have a very good marketing strategy, you will not get noticed.
- Don’t go if you don’t enjoy socializing. Networking is the primary reason why many small business owners attend trade shows year by year. In my opinion, trade shows are most beneficial for small retail businesses and manufacturing businesses showcasing their new products.
Free Online Office in Less Than A Day
January 30, 2008
If you are like many other busy small business owners, you wear many hats and may easily find yourself in a situation where you need to leave your primary place of business during a busy season to attend a weeklong training in another state or help out a sick family member who lives 500 miles away. Small business owners often don’t have corporate Intranets set up, but they need access to certain files from remote locations in order to finish a project or collaborate with other team members while travelling. It can be complicated to call the home office and stay on top of all projects. It is often a hassle to keep sending large files back and forth. What alternatives do busy professionals have?
Anyone can set up a free online workspace for ongoing projects at BlueTie . You can customize your workplace, upload your files, contacts, calendar, and create to-do lists. A free account lets you have 20 users and as an administrator you can grant access and deny access if necessary. And you can access your online workspace from any place with an Internet connection. Don’t like the interface of BlueTie? There are other free options out there, such as Basecamp. With a free account, you can work on one project and give access to team members and clients. Customization is limited, but isn’t a workspace mainly for getting the job done? Still not satisfied? Try Wrike. It is built with the understanding that e-mail collaboration is crucial to completion of most projects. All members of your team get e-mail notifications about changes posted to your projects. I like their Timeline feature, it is easy to track the progress of any project. In need of more features? You can test drive WebEx Office by signing up for a free trial.
HyperOffice offers a Pay As You Go option that you can choose after your free trial expires. HyperOffice may also be an affordable alternative to Microsoft Exchange and SharePoint.
Google Docs (formerly Google Docs & Spreadsheets) makes it possible for several users to view or edit a presentation online. Users can create a presentation from scratch or import and share an existing PowerPoint presentation. During a web-based presentation, participants have a chat room to the right side of the presentation slides. Participants need a Google account. Streaming audio or video and screen sharing features are not available.
Some of us like to travel everywhere with our laptops and wireless cards. It is possible to send and receive faxes as well as make phone calls from your laptop when you sign up for RingCentral. A free trial is available.
Need to schedule a conference call with several participants while travelling? Try freeconference.com. Their “Web-Scheduled Standard” and “Reservationless Standard” conferencing services are free, but Toll-Free (800) Dial-in Numbers are not provided. Most callers should expect to dial a long distance number to access conference bridges therefore should expect to pay domestic long distance rates charged by each caller’s long distance carrier for the length of time they are on the call.
Don’t let technology enslave you, let it free you up to work wherever you would like.
Best Assistant Ever – BlackBerry.
January 27, 2008
My customers ask often – how are you able to respond to my emails so quickly?
How do you stay on top of things? After all, you have your business, 3 children and plenty of errands to run. The answer is simple – my BlackBerry. I can use the idle time while waiting in line or sitting at the airport to respond to my emails. I can browse the Internet and get answers to any questions that require research. I may be cooking my breakfast, but I know when my customer needs my help because my BlackBerry is buzzing. I can also log on to my online office and get the files I need to forward to my customer. I can even do some bookkeeping online with my BlackBerry. And my nimble assistant Ms. BlackBerry does not ask for much: I pay my monthly bill to Verizon Wireless and keep her charged, that’s all. No office space, paychecks or training required.
Good customer service is important
September 25, 2007
What makes a customer come back to buy from the same company again and again? A survey by USA Today and Genesys Telecommunications Lab sheds some light on the subject. Their findings:
Good customer service was cited as their reason for buying again from the same company by 48 percent of those interviewed.
Product quality ranked second with 37 percent of buyers giving quality as their reason for coming back.
Surprisingly, price was named by only 13 percent of return buyers.
A product’s brand name or reputation was named by only 2 percent.