Producitivity-Boosting Tools ---and Bermuda!
3 Productivity (and Sales-Buidling) Tools
By Terry L. Brock
Note: To see a video-version of this article go to:
http://www.terrybrock.com/articles/BermudaProductivityTools.htm
Enjoy the article (below) as well!
-Terry
I’m always on the lookout for tools that you can use to boost productivity in your small business. This week I have three tools that can help you increase productivity and even boost sales.
DYMO Desktop Mailing Solution
Often in small business you have to mail packages and it can be a hassle. How much is the proper amount of postage? What is the best way to print the label? DYMO has introduced their Desktop Mailing Solution as a solution to handle these and other challenges of a small business.
You can print labels for your office and for postage. If you choose to create a label to identify something in your office, you can print just the label you need with this unit. This saves turning on the computer and fiddling with extensive label-generating steps in your word processing software.
I found that the unit did well with postage as it printed the postage. Where the unit shines is that it requires no monthly fees. For a small business that sends mail occasionally, this is very helpful. Because it ties into the Internet, you can get the exact amount of postage up to five pounds with the accompanying scale.
Setup was a hassle. The unit came with a lot of cords and it took a while to figure out which cords go where. It was confusing as we installed the software since it required us to have the software installed before plugging it into the USB, then the message said the USB had to be installed before the software was loaded! This circular logic seemed confusing at first, but after a few reboots, it was up and running.
Once we got past installation, the unit performed magnificently. It printed address labels quickly and neatly. For a professional look, you can’t do better.
Bottom line for me: Once you get it set up and running, this is a good postage-generating tool if you like to have professional-looking postage. You can print 55 labels a minute in over 44 label styles. For mass mailing of good old-fashioned postage (often very effective in a “too-much-email” world) this can be very helpful for the small business.
DYMO Desktop Mailing Solution - $229.99, www.DYMO.com
DYMO LetraTag LT-100T
Another more inexpensive solution for generating labels is the DYMO LetraTag. This unit is very cost-effective and easy to use. I opened the package and looked at it. I saw the printing cartridge and plugged it in without hassle in about 5 seconds. The unit uses 4 AA batteries or electricity.
In my test, I was able to generate a professional-looking label in about 60 seconds. I needed some assistance to generate a “dot” to print out a web address. It would be nice if it were on the keyboard so I called their tech assistance. In about 20 seconds I was speaking to a very helpful technician who told me how to do it (using the Insert key, scrolling through several symbols till I got to the “dot.”).
I was thinking it would be nice if they had some kind of manual. A few minutes later I was embarrassed that one was included in the package I received but I had misplaced it. However, my embarrassment was erased as I realized I really didn’t need a manual at all with this easy-to-use unit. For the price, and for what it can do for you to get organized and have professional labels, you won’t go wrong with this productivity-boosting tool.
DYMO LetraTag LT-100T - $29.95 for Professional Unit, www.DYMO.com
Get Organized (And Boost Sales!)
Keeping track of people and getting your marketing organized are keys to relationship marketing. One tool that has done that well in the past is the CardScan business card scanner.
I’ve used one in the past and the performance was good. However, with the new version and version 8 of the software, I was blown away by its efficiency and ease of operation.
Remember, I’m a jaded journalist who has seen lots of stuff. However, this tool impressed even this hardened journalist who views new products with a skeptical eye.
Just yesterday I came back from a conference where I was speaking with a handful of business cards. I plugged in the CardScan and within about 10 seconds the software was on the screen, I was scanning cards and entering them into my database. I checked each to correct for inevitable mistakes. You will need to do some editing because business cards are different. The more “creative” the approach on the business card, the less standard it is and the more editing you’ll need to do. However, the bottom line is that it is much faster using CardScan than using the fastest typist you can find.
I was able to transfer all the cards from this convention over to Outlook quickly with only a few keystrokes. I then sent a “Good to meet you” email message to all those people quickly. On top of that, CardScan’s software kept an image of the original business card as a graphic so I could quickly click on that JPG graphic in Outlook to see the card. Nice.
This can not only get you more organized, but in a business world where relationships matter most, this is not just a good product to have---it is a necessity! I now find myself longing to go to more conventions to meet more people and get more business cards!
CardScan 800c, www.cardscan.com, $259.99
________________________________________
Terry Brock is a marketing coach and regular columnist for The Wholesaler who helps businesses 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 © 2007, Terry Brock, All Rights Reserved Internationally. No portion may be reprinted or used in any way without prior written permission.
By Terry L. Brock
Note: To see a video-version of this article go to:
http://www.terrybrock.com/articles/BermudaProductivityTools.htm
Enjoy the article (below) as well!
-Terry
I’m always on the lookout for tools that you can use to boost productivity in your small business. This week I have three tools that can help you increase productivity and even boost sales.
DYMO Desktop Mailing Solution
Often in small business you have to mail packages and it can be a hassle. How much is the proper amount of postage? What is the best way to print the label? DYMO has introduced their Desktop Mailing Solution as a solution to handle these and other challenges of a small business.
You can print labels for your office and for postage. If you choose to create a label to identify something in your office, you can print just the label you need with this unit. This saves turning on the computer and fiddling with extensive label-generating steps in your word processing software.
I found that the unit did well with postage as it printed the postage. Where the unit shines is that it requires no monthly fees. For a small business that sends mail occasionally, this is very helpful. Because it ties into the Internet, you can get the exact amount of postage up to five pounds with the accompanying scale.
Setup was a hassle. The unit came with a lot of cords and it took a while to figure out which cords go where. It was confusing as we installed the software since it required us to have the software installed before plugging it into the USB, then the message said the USB had to be installed before the software was loaded! This circular logic seemed confusing at first, but after a few reboots, it was up and running.
Once we got past installation, the unit performed magnificently. It printed address labels quickly and neatly. For a professional look, you can’t do better.
Bottom line for me: Once you get it set up and running, this is a good postage-generating tool if you like to have professional-looking postage. You can print 55 labels a minute in over 44 label styles. For mass mailing of good old-fashioned postage (often very effective in a “too-much-email” world) this can be very helpful for the small business.
DYMO Desktop Mailing Solution - $229.99, www.DYMO.com
DYMO LetraTag LT-100T
Another more inexpensive solution for generating labels is the DYMO LetraTag. This unit is very cost-effective and easy to use. I opened the package and looked at it. I saw the printing cartridge and plugged it in without hassle in about 5 seconds. The unit uses 4 AA batteries or electricity.
In my test, I was able to generate a professional-looking label in about 60 seconds. I needed some assistance to generate a “dot” to print out a web address. It would be nice if it were on the keyboard so I called their tech assistance. In about 20 seconds I was speaking to a very helpful technician who told me how to do it (using the Insert key, scrolling through several symbols till I got to the “dot.”).
I was thinking it would be nice if they had some kind of manual. A few minutes later I was embarrassed that one was included in the package I received but I had misplaced it. However, my embarrassment was erased as I realized I really didn’t need a manual at all with this easy-to-use unit. For the price, and for what it can do for you to get organized and have professional labels, you won’t go wrong with this productivity-boosting tool.
DYMO LetraTag LT-100T - $29.95 for Professional Unit, www.DYMO.com
Get Organized (And Boost Sales!)
Keeping track of people and getting your marketing organized are keys to relationship marketing. One tool that has done that well in the past is the CardScan business card scanner.
I’ve used one in the past and the performance was good. However, with the new version and version 8 of the software, I was blown away by its efficiency and ease of operation.
Remember, I’m a jaded journalist who has seen lots of stuff. However, this tool impressed even this hardened journalist who views new products with a skeptical eye.
Just yesterday I came back from a conference where I was speaking with a handful of business cards. I plugged in the CardScan and within about 10 seconds the software was on the screen, I was scanning cards and entering them into my database. I checked each to correct for inevitable mistakes. You will need to do some editing because business cards are different. The more “creative” the approach on the business card, the less standard it is and the more editing you’ll need to do. However, the bottom line is that it is much faster using CardScan than using the fastest typist you can find.
I was able to transfer all the cards from this convention over to Outlook quickly with only a few keystrokes. I then sent a “Good to meet you” email message to all those people quickly. On top of that, CardScan’s software kept an image of the original business card as a graphic so I could quickly click on that JPG graphic in Outlook to see the card. Nice.
This can not only get you more organized, but in a business world where relationships matter most, this is not just a good product to have---it is a necessity! I now find myself longing to go to more conventions to meet more people and get more business cards!
CardScan 800c, www.cardscan.com, $259.99
________________________________________
Terry Brock is a marketing coach and regular columnist for The Wholesaler who helps businesses 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 © 2007, Terry Brock, All Rights Reserved Internationally. No portion may be reprinted or used in any way without prior written permission.
posted by Terry Brock @ Saturday, March 03, 2007
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