Greetings from Sydney, Australia---and an important message for you

I made it! I'm finally here in Sydney and have learned some good lessons. You can see this one particular lesson coming through over and over.

See the inside bathroom of Qantas First Class (!). See the bathroom at a hotel in Sydney! See Jim and Naomi Rhode.

OK, so I pack a lot in here. But you'll be able to learn a lot and have some fun too. Please be patient with the video as it can take a while to download all 8 minutes (even streaming).

Here's the link you'll need:

http://www.terrybrock.com/videotemplate/RTW-RollwithPunches.htm

I look forward to hearing from you.

That link again is:

http://www.terrybrock.com/videotemplate/RTW-RollwithPunches.htm

Cheers, mate, from Sydney!

Terry

Marketing Lesson-How to Serve Customers Better

A Lesson I Learned about How To Serve Customers Better

My Round-the-World adventure continues. First stop was in Tampa staying at Saddlebrook. They were packed that day. They didn't have a room at 11:30 am when I checked in. However, I had to wait till 2:30 pm to get something. However, I learned some good lessons.

Watch the video and read about lessons learned at:


http://www.terrybrock.com/videotemplate/WaitingandLearning.htm

The adventure continues. Remember, as I travel around the world, I'll be sending you messages and lessons of Marketing and Best Business Practices. Continue to watch my Blog and read up on all this. I want to make this a learning and enjoyable experience for you.

Don't forget that video link is:

http://www.terrybrock.com/videotemplate/WaitingandLearning.htm

I look forward to your comments. terry@terrybrock.com

Terry

Video 1 of Round The World Trip

I'm going around the world and you get to join me. I'm heading around the world and I'll be looking for best practices and great marketing ideas that you and use in your business. And of course, you know that Terry Brock will be using video and the Net to communicate this with you.

The first installment is before I even leave to let you know about equipment that I'll use as I go. This is the type of equipment that you need in your business to communicate real-time, right now as it happens with your own clients.

You can check out the video at:

http://www.terrybrock.com/videotemplate/RTW-01.htm

I look forward to hearing from you.

All the best,

Terry
terry@terrybrock.com
www.terrybrock.com

Tools for Mobile Professionals

When you’re on the road, you need all the advantage you can get. You know what it is like. The smaller, lighter and more powerful the device you have, the more you are able to get done what needs to be done.

This week we’ll look at that tools that can be helpful for you as you bounce around getting business and getting business done.

PocketSurfer From Datawind

Checking e-mail has become a necessity for today’s mobile professional. You want to know what is going on and you want to get it now. Datawind has a device called the PocketSurfer that allows you to use your regular cell phone for making connections to the Net and to check email.

The beauty of the PocketSurfer is that it uses your regular cell phone. You will use minutes from that but if you have no other connection option it can be quite helpful. The unit is about ½” thick and displays full VGA (640 pixels) across. The keyboard is small, as it has to be so it fits into a coat pocket or purse. Not quite as functional as a full-size computer keyboard, it is bigger than the Treo 650 or 700 or the Blackberry units.

The unit claims to draw web pages at 5-7 seconds and my experience was that this was usually true but some more complex sites required 10 seconds --- still not bad. The challenge was getting used to the interface for me. I was finally able to get connection to my web host for website review. However, it seemed cumbersome and took some skill initially.

The price on the unit will start around $199 plus you’ll pay $9.99 each month for service. You also have the option of $299 for unlimited lifetime Datawind service which is obviously the better choice. You’ll still incur charges on your cell phone at normal cell phone usage rates.

This is a good solution if you are wedded to your cell phone and need to keep it. However, for many business travelers today the Blackberry units and the Palm Treo units can offer similar, if not better functionality.

http://www.datawind.com/, Prices start at US$199 plus $9.99/month for service


iGo everywhere130 Power Adapter

Devices have plugs and need electrical adapters. That can be a problem for someone carrying a lot of electronic devices like computers, phone chargers, MP3 players and more. The theory behind the iGo everywhere130 is that you can carry one adapter with multiple tips that work with all your devices.

That is the theory but in practice it seems a bit cumbersome. I tried powering my laptop and for whatever reason it only worked for about 30 seconds and then stopped. Another disadvantage is that you can only power one laptop and another smaller device. If you have more than a few devices like MP3 player, camcorder, cell phone and others with your laptop, you will have to charge them separately. It might be more practical to carry a lightweight multiple outlet power strip with your regular adapters.

This can be helpful if you need to charge only two devices and might save some weight if you have very heavy adapters. For future releases, I’d like to see more than one other option in addition to the laptop for power. It’s a good theory and just needs to be tweaked and taken to the next level for practical use while on the road.

www.igo.com, $149.99 for unit evaluated, additional cost may apply for additional tips

Du@lphone For Skype And Regular Calls

Skype is a service provided free for Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP). It allows you to make free calls to other Skype users world-wide and call regular phone lines for reduced cost worldwide. In the past if you wanted to use Skype and then switch over to regular calls you had to change phones. With the Du@lphone that has changed.

The Du@lphone is a portable handset that connects to a USB port on your computer. When I tried it in my office, I was amazed at the quality of the call and the simplicity of hooking it up. We were able to switch from regular phone calls (usuing a connection to our landline phone) and with the push of one button we switched over to Skype.

This provided much-needed mobility (up to 1,000 feet is claimed and I had success in the few hundred feet I tried). A headset was not provided in my unit but the unit worked fine when I plugged in a regular telephone headset.

The price is $139.99, which seems a bit high for a cordless phone. However, for the convenience of using both Skype and regular landline calls, it can be a boost to productivity. .

I was not able to get it to work with the Skype add-on called Pamela. I do a lot of recording over Skype and the Du@lphone wouldn’t let me record. Also, if you’re using the video capability of Skype 2.0, you’ll have to, obviously, be near the camera in order to fully utilize video.

In sum, this is a very nice addition for the office that is using Skype. Get a headset and prepare to save a lot of money as you use Skype.

Du@lphone, http://www.dualphone-us.com/, $139.99
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Terry Brock is a marketing coach who helps business owners market more effectively leveraging technology. He shows busy professionals how to squeeze more out of their busy days using the right rules and tools. He can be reached at 407-363-0505, by e-mail at terry@terrybrock.com or through his website at www.terrybrock.com.

Copyright © 2006, Terry Brock, All Rights Reserved Internationally. No portion may be reprinted or used in any way without prior written permission. Permission granted to Business Journals to use in regular publications.

Blog or Ezine??? Which is Best

Which is the better way to grow your business, a Blog or an Ezine?

As an entreprenuer and salesperson you want to attract customers that are key prospects for you. You want to get the maximum favorable attention without bothering people and turning them off to what you have.

In the past, we receommended using an Ezine (e-mail magazine) to stay in touch. However the problem came in that lots and lots of others did the same thing. Because it was free, there were a lot of them (remember that ole' law of supply and demand?).

Today we're swamped with so many good Ezines (forget about all the junk e-mail for a moment) we just don't have time to read it all. Besides, once you have sent the Ezine, unless you also post it on your website, no one sees it.

Enter the Blog. Your Blog can retain the information so people can read several of your articles---when they have the time. They can also comment, if you choose to let them. You can include audio and pictures on your blog (your choice but for their benefit).

So, are Ezines dead? No, we still send them out. I recommend putting the bulk of your content on your Blog. That way it is longer-lasting. It also can be picked up by the search engines to get you more attention. You can (and should) always have a link for people to get back to your main website. Use the Ezine to drive traffic to your updated, fresh, current Blog.

That one-two combination can work marketing wonders for you.

Terry Brock is an internationally recognized professional speaker and marketing coach. He helps businesses grow their profits through the time-honored principles of relationship marketing. He can be reached at terry@terrybrock.com or by visitng his website at www.terrybrock.com.

All Japanese in Top 10 Cars....

American Cars: What Goes Around…

By Terry Brock

Did you see what Consumers Reports announced the other day? They are one of, if not the most respected, independent evaluator of new products. Consumers have grown to trust them for their objectivity and candor.

Well, it seems they released their top 10 preferred cars and they were ALL Japanese cars. Not one American car made it to the top ten. Ugh! Visitors 10 Home 0.

Do you think that Detroit's problems have anything to do with the quality they are turning out vis a vis the competition??? Do you think there might be a slight correlation between the quality of the product that is consistently turned out and the sales of a company? Somehow I think there could be a link!

I grew up in Michigan and worked for union-run companies as I worked my way through undergraduate school. I never heard anyone in the union talking about how to make better quality products or improve the company. The company was viewed as the enemy. All the unions seemed to want was more and more from the company. Well, that mentality will eventually come back to bite you --- big time. The open hostility between management and labor spilled over regularly. It seemed that the biggest talk in the lunch room, on breaks and even on the job itself was one of anti-company bantering and accepting the union as the only way to “fight” the company. Gee, I didn’t know that “fighting” was supposed to be part of the workplace environment.

Don’t get me wrong. The problem with the American auto companies in Detroit (we’re down to only two now) is not exclusive to unions. Management has done plenty to irritate the workers. Decisions that continue to hurt consumers with higher and higher prices along with poor quality only contribute to a miserable atmosphere.

Ford and GM are sucking wind now. The Wall Street Journal ran an article recently that the biggest cost was paying workers that don't work. That's right---they don't work and they still get paid. What kind of an incentive is that? It doesn’t take a lot of thinking to realize that those that aren’t working---and still getting paid--- have little incentive to go back to work. Bass fishing and deer hunting can take up a lot of time these days.

And don’t forget that management drawing huge salaries doesn’t sit well with others looking at what is going on there. They see management getting tidy little sums for salaries while the company is going farther and farther towards bankruptcy.

The old street saying of “What goes around, comes around” seems to apply here. The marketplace has a way of correcting egregious errors. Oh, you can slide a wee bit if you've peddled hard previously. However, eventually things have a way of working out. Economists call this "moving to equilibrium" and it means a lot for you and me also.

How are you doing these days on the quality side of your product or service? Are you slacking off on quality? How are your customers seeing you and your services? It is in the nitty-gritty day-to-day work that it matters. In a service business it is very tough because you are only as good as your last customer encounter. You have to continually improve, tweak, learn and work hard to encourage customers to do business with you.

Also, in all fairness, there are many good management people (they called them “company people” when I worked in the union) and many good employees in unions. My experience was that most of the people really were honest, hard-working people. However, the negative downward spiral has gone on for way too long.

The solution is to grab the Chevrolet by the bumper (so to speak) and turn it around. Several things have to be done and many people much smarter than me have proposed options. A sense of serving the customer, going the extra mile and teamwork are critical to make it happen.

It wouldn’t hurt to take some field trips down the road to Ohio, Tennessee and other places where Toyota, Honda and Mercedes are building the quality cars that Consumers Reports raves about. The atmosphere and attitude has to be changed before any of the other tactics will work.

But it can be done!

Come on, Detroit! You have done very well in the past. You can do it again. Stop the fighting and work together to produce quality, rock-solid vehicles that last a long time. I remember a Merl Haggard song from a while back about making “a Ford and a Chevy to last for 10 years, like they should.” Forget this planned obsolescence and 2 year life. Daimler-Chrysler faces similar challenges and has produced some very high quality cars (think 300C). Ford and GM also have some notable good cars. So, get with the program folks! You can do it. Make us proud of you again!

I hope that GM and Ford come out of this slump. The way to do it? Hard work, living in the real world and playing by market rules. Come on, folks! You can do it. Get back into reality and produce some outstanding quality cars again!

And for the rest of us, we’ll use this as a motivation to redouble our efforts for quality and customer service.


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Terry Brock is a marketing coach who helps business owners market more effectively leveraging technology. He shows busy professionals how to squeeze more out of their busy days using the right rules and tools. He can be reached at 407-363-0505, by e-mail at terry@terrybrock.com or through his website at www.terrybrock.com.

Copyright © 2006, Terry Brock, All Rights Reserved Internationally. No portion may be reprinted or used in any way without prior written permission.