May 18, 2012

By Stephanie Faris

Smallbiztechnology specializes in bringing the latest tech news to help you run your office more efficiently. But overall efficiency is important to you as well. For that reason, Smallbiztechnology occasionally likes to offer tips on other aspects of your business.

For years, we’ve heard how color can impact mood. “Green rooms” backstage at TV talk shows are green for a reason, they say. The color promotes peace and relaxation. Giving your office space a complete makeover can re-energize your workers and impress visitors.

“The research on color and mood has been well-established over the past 30 years,” said Chris Ring, vice president of operations and training for ProTect Painters. “However, many business owners are unaware that they have the power to drive sales and increase employee retention just with a strategic use of paint.”

ProTect has come up with a few color schemes that could energize your office.

• Blue–While this area is generally avoided in restaurants and break areas, due to its alleged ability to zap a person’s appetite, ProTect says blue is a great color for productivity. The color blue is said to increase a person’s confidence, as well as instill feelings of tranquility. For this reason, blue is often used in office space.
• Red–This might make a good accent color, but red walls are to be avoided. Red incites anger in a person, which can definitely be an unwanted emotion in an office environment. However, in areas where accuracy is important, ProTect points out that the color can help those employees be more exact. ProTect advices using the color sparingly.
• Black–This accent color can be used as a symbol of power and elegance.
• White–Usually spotted somewhere in an office’s decor, whether in the walls or trim. White is popular because it is neutral, but it also lets in large amounts of light. This gives employees an overall feeling of well-being, but be careful. Using too much white can actually make workers less productive.
• Beige or off-white–Most office walls fall in this category. Many buildings choose this because it is neutral while not being overpowering. Both colors fall in the “brown” family, which makes them the colors of security and comfort. These, as you can imagine, are good feelings for workers to have in an office environment.

According to ProTect, there are a couple of colors to avoid, especially in work areas.

• Green–While the green room mentioned earlier is popular backstage at talk shows, feelings of tranquility and peace can be a bad thing in an office environment. While you don’t want your employees yelling at each other and fist-fighting, you also want them to stay awake. Green may be a possibility in common areas or lobbies, but it should be avoided in conference rooms and cubicles–basically, anywhere an employee might feel compelled to doze off.
• Yellow–ProTect states that workers are most likely to lose their tempers in a room this color. While it does increase concentration and boost metabolism, it might be best to save it for break rooms and restrooms.
• Pink–Pink is another peaceful color. If you have a reason to encourage relaxation in your employees, this might be the best color. According to ProTect, pink is the color many sports teams use for visiting team locker rooms because it zaps energy, so in many cases, it isn’t a wise color to use in your offices.

In general, painting your offices can give your workers a sense of excitement about coming to work. Just be careful that you choose the right colors, both for your walls and for trim and accents.

Like the image? We got it from BigStockPhoto.com

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Smallbiztechnologycom-SmbNewsAndInsight/~3/Flecllnq8O8/

May 18, 2012

By Stephanie Faris

Small Biz Technology’s workers are spread across the globe. With a video editor in Bulgaria, one web developer in the Phillippines and another in Canada, and writers in Pakistan, China, France, India, Croatia, and more, Ramon Ray has found that talent knows no physical boundaries. By opening up his workforce to those outside the U.S., Ray has been able to gain a wide range of ideas and insights that he might not have otherwise gotten.

“Small businesses can do more by going beyond their local borders and using national and international talent,” Ray says. “Although Elance is a great platform for finding talent, it’s also a great platform, possibly more importantly, for managing a relationships amongst parties that do not know each other and alleviating you of the need to issue 1099?s to vendors, as required by the IRS.”

Elance is one of several popular sites that allow freelancers to bid on jobs as posted by small businesses. Need a business card designed? Simply post your specs and watch the bids come in. This type of hiring, called ‘online contingency work,’ has taken off in the past year, with Elance reporting more than two million users from more than 150 countries around the world.

This global conglomeration of talent is unprecedented in any other platform. American businesses are finding that overseas workers can be employed for such jobs as web design and app development for far less than American workers would charge. And overseas employers are finding valuable American talent for needs like writing and admin support. Need a translater? Those can be found online as well.

Elance predicts this type of hiring will grow in the coming years as workers look for ways to work independently while employers discover the many benefits of hiring a worker on a per-job basis. This is backed by the findings of it’s recently released Global Online Employment Report.  The top areas of demand on the site include business card design, marketing, branding, and lead generation. Technology drives many of the job postings on the site, mirroring the offline trend of employing automation to solve business issues. If a website can replace an employee, businesses are interested.

Traditionally, if a business wanted a website designed or a marketing campaign implemented, that business would have to pay a company an hourly fee to do the work. Online contingency work allows businesses to accept from a series of bids, viewing samples of work and choosing the worker they feel can do the job. But the best news is, online contingency work has opened business owners’ eyes to the wealth of talent available outside their own city limits.

Elance reports that Greece and Spain have benefited most from online work availability. Both countries have seen a more than 122 percent increase in earnings in the past year alone.

Like the image? We got it from BigStockPhoto.com

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Smallbiztechnologycom-SmbNewsAndInsight/~3/PlaK2ZabEE8/

May 18, 2012

By Carolyn – Admin

The Small Business Technology Tour 2011 visited five cities across the nation; Mountain View, Salt Lake City, Boston, Atlanta and Chicago.

If you weren’t able to attend last year, we wanted to share a taste of what you missed.

Check out this video clip below of Tyler Kiisel of AtTask, from his presentation on “Stop Selling:  Use Content, Incentives and Engagement To Boost Sales” in Salt Lake City.

You can also visit the Small Business Technology Tour website to view highlights from all the cities and see what’s to come for the 2012 tour!

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Smallbiztechnologycom-SmbNewsAndInsight/~3/pxifP-e-ZAs/

May 18, 2012

By Miguel Leiva-Gomez

It’s time to wake up and smell the coffee. The fact that you’re running Mac OS or Linux doesn’t make you totally immune to infections. A lot of users of these operating systems tout that their computers cannot get infected, but this could not have possibly been further from the truth. You can easily Google “Linux viruses” and see a whole list of viruses that have infected Linux systems in the past. Do the same for “Mac viruses.”

Any operating system with a viable Internet connection is vulnerable to an infection. The question is: Are you willing to risk your system’s integrity when things like the Flashback virus have been crawling around the Web?

The only reason Windows computers have been targeted by so many viruses is because so many people use them. Microsoft has a high market share on the personal computing market. Of course, Apple’s been gaining more ground lately, and we’ve been seeing reports of more vulnerabilities in their computers. The secret is in the application programming interface (API), which the operating system uses to communicate with hardware. Any program can be written to make use of an operating system’s API maliciously. Just invite a programmer to write a virus for an operating system, and he/she will write it without batting an eyelash.

With all that said, you need a solution nowadays that not only protects your computer, but also protects your entire browsing session, encrypting information that you type into a browser form and checking your computer for malware activity, preventing it from reaching you before you even have a chance to execute it.

Currently, one company offers such a solution that can give you all of these features for free. Hotspot Shield not only gives you a VPN with anonymous browsing and malware verification, but also gives you a dedicated network when you subscribe to their paid package.

Their product runs on Macs, Windows PCs, iOS, and Android. This means you have no reason to worry about compatibility and all the more reasons to quickly switch over to a more secure browsing environment! We hope to see more of these kinds of solutions pop up in the future.

Liked our image? We got it at BigStockPhoto.Com!

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Smallbiztechnologycom-SmbNewsAndInsight/~3/uFgS7ZqcGZU/

May 17, 2012

By Stephanie Faris

According to BusinessWeek, 70% of consumers consult online reviews before making a purchase. In an age where asking a friend or heading to Best Buy to ask the sales guy which laptop to buy has been replaced by Google searches, this is no surprise. What is a surprise is how little moderation review sites provide.

This is understandable. Review sites are meant to be open forums where consumers can express their personal experience with a product or service. Sites like Yelp, Angie’s List, and even Amazon require no verification when a person posts a review. Unfortunately, this leaves review sites open for corruption. Anyone can post a negative review of your small business, including your competitors, disgruntled employees, and the isolated unhappy customer taking out a bad day on you.

Just as businesses want fairness in reviews, customers want to know the reviews they are reading are from legitimate sources. A new service from online appointment scheduler Genbook aims to provide more dependable reviews. Called Genbook Verified Reviews, the service puts businesses in charge, allowing only verified customers to post reviews.

The process is simple. Your customers make appointments through Genbook, which e-mails them after the appointment is over to request a review. That review is then posted on Genbook and Facebook. Once the review is posted, it will begin appearing in search results.

Because all reviews are from verified customers of that business, consumers know the reviews they read on the site are authentic. You won’t have to worry about competitor games or disgruntled employees pretending to be customers. The reviews you see on Genbook are from customers who used the site for booking an appointment.

“We have over 500 reviews and an average five-star rating,” said Jim Lankes, owner, Divine™ Skin Spa in Scottsdale, AZ. “We work diligently to manage our online review presence, but review standards and filters on other sites have been frustrating in the past. Genbook has made the process easier and accelerated our local, web and social media presence.”

What about businesses that don’t require scheduled appointments? Restaurants, retail shops, and the like have no need for an online appointment scheduler, but they still want a way to point customers to a site where they can post reviews about the services they’ve received. Customer feedback management services, like SimpleFeedback.com, give you the tools you need to collect that feedback and post it on your company website, blogs, and more.

The key, experts say, is to encourage your loyal customers to leave feedback. Offer incentives for those who visit from review sites, like coupons or discounts. By encouraging these sites’ loyal users to give you a chance, you’ll be more likely to see a review on your business. Be aware, though, that encouraging customers to leave reviews opens you up to the occasional negative comment. No business is perfect all the time.

Review sites are becoming more important to the average consumer. But it’s so hard to control what customers put out there about your business. The one site you can control is your own, so be sure to encourage reviews on your own sites, as well.

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Smallbiztechnologycom-SmbNewsAndInsight/~3/i5tSZwT2JpA/

May 17, 2012

By Carolyn Crummey

Improving Economy Isn’t Helping the IT Services Industry

BlackEnterprise.com and Dell Launch ‘Small Business University’

Epson PowerLite X15 Projector

BrandMyMail Launches Premium Version

TicketLeap Launches Self-Service, Reserved Seating Option

OnForce Confidence Index Indicates Improving Economy Isn’t Helping the IT Services Industry  

- Study Also Reveals Eye-Opening Trends in Preferred Mobile Device Platforms for IT Service Businesses-

BOSTON – Despite positive economic indicators, the IT services industry is increasingly pessimistic about the current economic climate, but expects conditions to improve within the next six months, according to OnForce’s latest Confidence Index, released today. 

Half of professionals surveyed report that current economic conditions are having a negative impact on their business.  Interestingly, professionals surveyed are not as optimistic as they predicted they would be last October in OnForce’s  Q4 2011 index. In fact, the current and future positive perception has remained stagnant this quarter – with a current positive perception of 27 percent and a future positive perception of 40 percent. The overall Current Index stands at 39, though the Future Index stands at 60 – both down one point over last quarter. 

This quarterly OnForce Confidence Index reflects the opinion of more than 600 technology professionals nationwide who derive a substantial portion of their income from contract-based IT projects, including cloud computing, networking and vertical applications. These experts are on the front lines talking with customers and have a unique perspective on where the market is and where it is heading.

Signs of Economic Improvement Slow to Reach IT Service Industry

While certain economic indicators, such as the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the Consumer Confidence Index, show an improving economy since Q4 2011, there are several factors that may be hindering overall economic growth – and hitting independent field service businesses especially hard.

“Wall Street’s economic barometers report an improving economy, but for techs in the field, things look a little different,” said Peter Cannone, CEO of OnForce. “The sharp rise in gas prices is an immediate, direct and hard-hitting blow to independent field technicians on the road. Q1 is also historically the slowest quarter of the year for tech projects – especially in the retail sector. And the high national unemployment rate is showing clear signs of a jobless recovery in the U.S.”

 

BlackEnterprise.com and Dell Launch ‘Small Business University’

Free Eight-week Education Course Offers Expert Guidance to Entrepreneurs Looking to Start and Grow Small Businesses,With Chances to Win a Total Prize Value Of Over $50,000

New York, NY — BLACK ENTERPRISE, the leading small business resource for African Americans, along with Dell, a worldwide provider of innovative technology and business solutions, announced the launch of the Black Enterprise Small Business University Powered by Dell, an eight-week, online video course offering expert advice to entrepreneurs looking to start and grow profitable small businesses. Housed exclusively atwww.blackenterprise.com/sbu, the Small Business University includes customized gamification features that allow registrants to compete for a total of more than $50,000 in cash and prizes throughout the program. Small Business University registrants are eligible to win a grand prize package that includes $5,000 in cash, a $10,000 Dell Office Setup, a free one-on-one consultation with a small business development expert, a profile in BLACK ENTERPRISE magazine and 1-year gift subscription to the publication. A runner-up prize of a $6,000 Dell Office Setup, a free one-on-one consultation with a small business development expert, a profile on BlackEnterprise.com, and 1-year gift subscription to BLACK ENTERPRISE magazine will also be awarded.

Registration for Small Business University launched on Monday, April 16^th powered by Janrain, a leading user management platform for the social web.  The sites gamification features will be powered by Bunchball, a leader in engaging users by applying the same principles that inspire people to play games – achievements, status, and rewards – to websites and other online experiences.

Kicking off on Monday, April 30th with “Your Small Business Checklist: What Every Business Needs to Get Started,” the Black Enterprise Small Business University Powered by Dell aims to assist entrepreneurs in three different stages of business development: the aspiring start-up, the part-time entrepreneur, and those with an already established enterprise. The eight-week course will consist of three original tutorials per week featuring a team of rotating business, marketing and technology all-stars including ‘SmallBizLady’ Melinda Emerson, Buzz Marketing Group CEO Tina Wells, Young Entrepreneurs Council founder Scott Gerber, ‘The Money Coach’ and personal finance expert Lynnette Khalfani-Cox, SocialPeople.tv Founder James Andrews, digital lifestyle expert Mario Armstrong, Mel Parker, DellVice President and General Manager, Consumer, Small Office and Member Loyalty, North America, and many more. In addition, our experts, along with the award-winning BLACK ENTERPRISE editorial team, will be available across all Black Enterprise social media platforms including Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Google+ and Pinterest to connect directly with participants, answer questions, and provide additional resources.

“Black Enterprise remains as committed as ever to our core mission of encouraging minority entrepreneurship,” said Black Enterprise President CEO Earl “Butch” Graves Jr. “The path to entrepreneurship can be a difficult one to navigate, and many get lost along the way.  With the enthusiastic support of Dell, a company which has set the bar in helping small business excel through innovative and practical technology solutions, services and support, we’re able to share the vital lessons of our Small Business University by way of a virtual classroom. We’re excited to partner with Dell on this opportunity to assist our audience in achieving their dream of starting a new business or taking their existing enterprise to the next level.”

For a steady stream of additional information, tools and resources regarding small business success, be sure to visit www.blackenterprise.com and to follow the conversion on Twitter @BlackEnterprise using Hashtag #SmallBizU.

Epson PowerLite X15 Projector Delivers Brilliant Images and Future-Ready Connectivity at an Affordable Price

- At $599, PowerLite X15 Delivers 3,000 Lumens and XGA Resolution for Small to Medium-Sized Classrooms and Conference Rooms-

LONG BEACH, Calif.– Epson America, the number-one selling projector brand worldwide, introduced the EPSON^® PowerLite^® X15, delivering bright images and advanced connectivity to small- and medium-sized classrooms and conference rooms for $599*. Replacing the popular PowerLite 92, this new projector offers 3,000 lumens color and white light output², XGA resolution and advanced connectivity for today’s budget conscious schools and small businesses.

The PowerLite X15 delivers an advanced feature set, including HDMI digital connectivity to connect to the latest devices for high-quality video and digital audio. The projector also features USB Plug ‘n Play for instantly projecting video and audio from a PC or Mac^® computer via a USB connection. In addition, the projector offers easy setup with Easy-Slide technology, an intuitive horizontal keystone adjustment slide control bar that allows teachers to place the projector off-center from the screen and easily make the necessary horizontal image adjustments with the touch of a finger.

The EPSON PowerLite X15 offers several convenient setup and operation features including: 

• Setup Flexibility: ⁺30 degree horizontal keystone slide and automatic vertical keystone correction provides easy and convenient setup in virtually any classroom setting; Quick Corner^® allows the four corners of an image to be moved independently for a perfectly rectangular image; 1.2x optical zoom provides flexibility to suit the space without sacrificing image quality
  
• Extended Lamp Life: Using Epson’s exclusive E-TORL^® lamp technology, the lamp life can last up to 5,000 hours³ in economy mode, helping to maximize presentation time
  
• Convenient Control: Direct Power On and Off allows for an installed projector to be powered on and off with a flip of a wall switch; Instant On and Instant Off^® enables presenters to avoid delays when starting and finishing presentations and be up and running in only five seconds; A/V Mute Slide instantly turns off the sound and images to create a quick pause in the presentation, conserving lamp life and energy and helping to save costs
  
• Advanced Connectivity: Connect directly to the EPSON DC-06 document camera for added versatility via USB or multiple computers via the two VGA ports; audio out and monitor out ports connect to external speakers and monitors for enhanced sound and presenting ease; RS-232c support offers connection to an AV control device
  
• Closed Captioning: Built-in closed captioning decoder makes presentations accessible to students with hearing impairments at no added cost and helps meet ADA section 508 compliance
  
• 3LCD Technology: Features the latest 3LCD, 3-chip technology to deliver amazing, true-to-life color and detail for powerful presentations; 3LCD technology provides an energy-efficient light engine which efficiently uses available lamp light to create stunning images; in contrast to 1-chip DLP technology, 3LCD requires, on average, 25 percent less electricity per lumen of brightness
  

BrandMyMail Launches Premium Version for Active Power Users to Easily Integrate Dynamic Social Media Content into Messages

-  Allows Integration of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, Blog and RSS Content Plugins Directly into Multiple Email Platform Messages Including Gmail, Yahoo!, and Outlook -

FUNCHAL, PORTUGAL – BrandMyMail, a web-based platform that seamlessly integrates social media content with a customer’s email messages, announced today the launch of its Premium service that provides users with advanced features at a nominal annual cost.

The Premium level extends the BrandMyMail basic service beyond Gmail through the use of a custom SMTP mail server which allows Yahoo!, Hotmail, and Outlook users the ability to send dynamic BrandMyMail messages. A variety of content sources including Facebook statuses, Twitter feeds, dynamic content from YouTube and Flickr, and blog posts from services including WordPress and Tumblr, can be integrated into the user’s email.

Premium users can integrate plugins from eBay and LinkedIn, in addition to the multiple basic plugins available with the Basic account. With the Premium service, BrandMyMail provides a web service API that can be used with systems beyond email, including enterprise resource planning (ERP) or customer relationship management (CRM) solutions.

Various account statistics are available to Premium level users, including total counts of emails sent in the year and month, and message-specific statistics such as click rate percentages and open rates for plug-ins. Multiple templates are also available, which allow Premium users to build custom email configurations for different addresses.

“We are very pleased to launch our Premium service, which provides users with a host of new features that makes BrandMyMail a powerful messaging platform, said Limor Schweitzer, Co-Founder of BrandMyMail. “It’s an ideal solution for power users and small businesses that want to selectively promote their own branding and social content through every email communication. The service is now compatible with other email services beyond Gmail and can even be integrated into CRM and ERP systems, making it a complete platform service that boasts many practical applications.”

Pricing for the Premium BrandMyMail service is set at $39 per year. For more information about the enhanced Premium features, visit www.brandmymail.com.

TicketLeap Launches Self-Service, Reserved Seating Option for Event Organizers

- Industry-First Feature Allows Instant Customization of the Ticketing Experience-

Philadelphia, PA –Selling tickets to live events just got easier, as TicketLeap today unveiled its new self-service, reserved seating feature. TicketLeap is the first company to offer this capability, enabling live event organizers to design their venue space, build a seating chart, and set different ticket prices all within its platform. Event-goers can also view seating options and select their ticketing preferences when purchasing tickets to an event.

This new feature builds on TicketLeap’s core service of providing event organizers with a robust ticketing platform that allows them to control the entire event lifecycle – from customizable event pages, to pre-event sales and marketing, to at-the-door check-ins – without having to worry about expensive box office point-of-sales equipment or unneeded complexity.

With the new self-service, reserved seating feature, event organizers can:

• • Seating charts and rows of seats that can be color-coded based on section and ranked by desirability on a 1-10 scale.
    
  • Objects, including a multitude of icons, stages, sports fields and more, to create a more accurate physical representation of the venue’s layout.
    
• Offer handicapped seating: For any wheelchair accessible or closed caption support seating needs.
  
• Save venue creation for future use: Once a venue is created, it will be saved on the TicketLeap platform as an option for all future events.
  

To use the self-service, reserved seating feature, visit http://ticketleap.com/ and create an event. Once your event has been created, click on the tab “Manage” and select “Seating Charts” from the dropdown list. For more detailed instructions on how to use this feature, check out this post on the TicketLeap blog.

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Smallbiztechnologycom-SmbNewsAndInsight/~3/6CHirEIf8LY/

May 17, 2012

By Carolyn Crummey

The Small Business Technology Tour 2011 visited five cities across the nation; Mountain View, Salt Lake City, Boston, Atlanta and Chicago.

If you weren’t able to attend last year, we wanted to share a taste of what you missed.

Check out this video clip below of Tyler Garns, VP of Marketing at Infusionsoft, from his presentation on “How To Use Online Marketing To Date Your Leads and Marry Your Customers”.

You can also visit the Small Business Technology Tour website to view highlights from all the cities and see what’s to come for the 2012 tour!

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Smallbiztechnologycom-SmbNewsAndInsight/~3/1-TTZTQhofY/

May 17, 2012

By Miguel Leiva-Gomez

The Cloud is a beautiful thing. It serves us with tons of off-site utilities we would otherwise pay barrels of money to have on-site. What would we do without it? That’s an easy answer: We’d still be back in the stone age of business, tipping our hats to the much larger enterprises who overtake us and absorb our client base. The Cloud gives you power, but do you really understand that power?

Here’s the problem: Cloud technology has advanced so much that most people didn’t have the time to understand one technology before another one just popped up right out of the blue. What are we to do with such enormous change? It’s time we got our facts straight about Cloud-based backup solutions.

Cloud backup is one of the oldest off-site technologies to hit the market, and even after many years running, people still don’t fully understand what they can and cannot do with it, or what they should do to make sure it works for them. CrashPlan, a company that offers Cloud-based secure backups for a number of residences and businesses, has felt the need to debunk the following six major myths about Cloud backup:

Myth #1:  Backup is like syncing a device? Actually, it’s not. While a sync might place data from one device onto another platform, it’s not like a backup, which keeps archived records of changes made to a particular piece of data. A sync doesn’t keep older versions of files, making it difficult or impossible to recover the original version.

Myth #2:  All online backups work pretty much the same. This is a very common misconception stemmed from the oversimplification of the backup process. When you back up a file, it can be anything from a simple drop-off of the copy to a new location to the complexity of a fully 256-bit AES-encrypted data storage solution that protects your data from leakage, both internally and externally. Choose your backup provider carefully! Try going for a “Zero-Knowledge” policy.

Myth #3:  The initial backup process is time-consuming. While this is true (even in cases where the backup solution compresses data before storage), you’d bet your bippy that there are companies that will let you send over a drive that you want backed up so they can mirror it. Just like you, online backup firms hate to waste time!

Myth #4:  It takes a gruesomely long time to retrieve data. Just like the last point, this is also partly true. Many companies will give you a slower downstream to help minimize the impact of your retrieval on their servers. Some companies, however, allow you to get your files mailed to you quickly for a small fee.

Myth #5:  Online backup can be costly. Many companies ask for a “per-computer” rate of around $5 with a data cap in their basic plans. Don’t forget, though, that there are also companies that let you back up an unlimited amount of data for just $6 per month per household.

Myth #6:  I only need an online backup solution. While online backup is awesome, don’t underestimate the power of hard media. Keep an extra hard drive at hand with a mirrored copy of everything on your computer. You won’t regret it! Together with an online backup, even a fire can’t stop you!

Hopefully, these six points will clear something up for you in the end and help you consider getting a backup solution. Cloud-based online backup solutions are paramount for protecting data coming from your home, your employees and your office.

Liked our image? We got it at BigStockPhoto.Com!

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Smallbiztechnologycom-SmbNewsAndInsight/~3/8TbFA1w_Fkg/

May 16, 2012

By Miguel Leiva-Gomez

Email was a wonderful invention, perhaps more so in the 1990s than it is today. Today, even the average Joe finds himself troubled by having to respond to emails. The average business owner is hit the hardest, though, with an average of 112 emails sent and received per day. If you’re one of those people that keeps getting flooded by emails, aside from the occasional spam, you’re in for a tough awakening, starting with one question: How many hours per day do you spend actually reading and replying to emails you receive?

If you take the time to think about it, the number can be quite astounding, even if that number turns out to be only an hour per day. The truth is that, even if you don’t spend that much time today responding to emails, you might turn into the average business owner who spends one quarter of his/her entire work day replying to emails.

Why do emails take so long? There are four simple reasons:

• Reading takes longer than listening to a conversation would take.
• Emails sometimes can be longer than one paragraph.
• Typing takes longer than speaking does.
• You must think about how to express yourself, given the lack of body language and voice tone.

What if you could find an alternative to email that could drive you and your employees to faster communication and collaboration? Let’s have a look at a few ways you could replace email, or at least save time with emails, within your business’ IT infrastructure:

• Instant messaging – Want to send something short to someone? Why not message the person? A little beep will sound and the person will reply very quickly without having to log in to an email interface.
• Use the phone! - We’ve gotten so used to the digital age that we’ve allowed our phones to sit on our offices and collect dust! It’s time to pick up the receiver and make a quick call. As long as you don’t let it turn into a life story, you’ll be finishing that conversation before you typed your first two sentences in an otherwise boring email.
• Use solutions like Gmail’s important messages filter – Gmail has come up with a way to filter messages by their importance. It intelligently figures out what you consider important and puts it at the top of your pile in the inbox. Outlook also allows you to flag messages as important.
• Be brief – It might come off as rude, but writing a short email can save a ton of time. This should be a no-brainer, but the numbers are startling when you count how many emails you receive that contain more than 100 words. Encourage your employees to use the same convention when contacting you, and you’re set for shorter emails at least within your internal operations.
• Set time frames – Answering an email as soon as it comes in eats up time throughout your day. Try setting a small window of time that feels comfortable for you in which you’d answer your emails. This also helps with keeping emails short, as previously mentioned.

The majority of this information is thanks to CEO Heinan Landa of Optimal Networks, a company that specializes in providing network and computer support to SMBs.

Remember not to allow your inbox to control your work time. Take control of your inbox, instead!

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Smallbiztechnologycom-SmbNewsAndInsight/~3/SRh8x9V1szQ/

May 16, 2012

By Carolyn Crummey

The 7th Annual Small Business Summit (http://www.smallbiztechsummit.com) may be over but the insight and wisdom is still here!  Check out all of our videos on the Summit video page at http://www.smallbiztechsummit.com/2012_videos.php .

In the session, ‘Inner Game of Prospecting: How to Overcome Sales Call Reluctance Tools for Sales Success’, attendees were told how to sell more and and shown some of the top tools to help boost sales.

Speakers of this session included:

Connie Kadansky, Exceptional Sales Performance

Shannon Duffy, Salesforce.com

A big thanks to Dell for being a major sponsor of the Summit.  For more information on how Dell can help your business move to the cloud, see this link:  http://www.dellcloudapplications.com and for information on Dell’s tech tools for your small business, see this link:  http://www.dell.com/smalloffice.

You can see the full video from the Summit below:

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Smallbiztechnologycom-SmbNewsAndInsight/~3/IO389-WmFFk/