Are you a busy professional who wants to create a strong online presence?

Do you write articles to share your expertise, establish credibility and gain online visibility?

Do you blog for your business? Do you read business articles online?

How would you like to win a few cool prizes for business professionals online?

Bloggertone is teaming up with BizSugar to bring you the Sugartone Sweet Business Blogging Contest. This contest helps give your articles extra online visibility and rewards your social networking. The Sugartone Sweet Business Blogging Contest is an opportunity for you to win prizes to help you promote your business.

• It’s free to enter
• Anyone can join the competition including current Bloggertoners and BizSugar members!
• You’ll have lots of chances to win
• Prizes total $6921

Yes, that’s right:

$6921 In Prizes

How You Can Win These Prizes?

There’s more good news: there are 2 ways to win prizes.

#1 Do you write business articles? All you have to do is submit a business article to Bloggertone Between Monday March 15^th and Wednesday March 17^th – but there are a few guidelines you need to follow, so carefully read the Sugartone Guideline.

Click through on the banner to find out more.

All votes and comments for the articles will take place on BizSugar, the social bookmarking site for businesses.

#2 Do you like to read business articles? You too can also win prizes simply by voting and commenting  on the Sugartone articles posted on BizSugar.

Click through on the banner to find out more.

Guest Author

Greg Fry

I thought I’d share my favourite business tools I have used this year. I am amazed at how many amazing products for business are very inexpensive or often completely free. The only challenge is to find them in the first place.
Here are my top 5 business tools of 2009:
1. Animoto – Allows you to make really impressive videos. You can add text, photos, short video clips and music to the site. Within minutes a jumbled mess will be produced into a highly impressive video. Animoto is free for 30 second videos and as little as $30 a year for full length videos. Here is an example of an Animoto video I made this year.

2. Eyejot – Video email. I have found this a really useful tool to follow up with prospective clients I have met. It enables them to see me again and to hear how I may be able to help them.
This visual email is a powerful follow up after a busy night’s networking. Eyejot is easy to personalise with your own branding. Eyejot is free to use without branding. With branding it is as little as $29.99 per year. Here is an example of a video email.

3. Screenjelly – Allow you to record your computer screen and your voice. I have used this service to comment on cvs and tell them how and where their cv should be strengthened. Once you record your message just send it via email or twitter. Cost – Free

4. Tungle – A great application for the busy entrepreneur. Tungle makes scheduling meetings effortless and synchronises with both Outlook and Google. It makes it easy for staff and clients to see when you are available and set a meeting with you. Tungle is free to use.

5. WiseStamp is  a really nifty and free product that enables you to personalise your email signature. It works on Firefox. It seems to work with most email providers (Gmail ,Yahoo Mail ,AOL, Hotmail, Google Apps…) It is easy to customise. You can add social media buttons to your signature and even your photo.
Here is a sample of a signature or two on Wise Stamp looks:

Signature Template:

John Smith Your City, Country Mobile: +983-23832842 Email: John@wisestamp.com

Chat: Google Talk: John Skype: John MSN:

Greg Fry Careers Coach - fast track your career to success Tel. +353 872039855 Email. greg.fry@careerscoach.eu Web. www.careerscoach.ie Blog. http://wwwcareerscoacheu.blog.com

So what top tools have you used in 2009?

Which ones would you recommend and why?

Greg Fry has over 10 years Recruitment experience in the Irish and US markets. He holds a Diploma in Business and Life Coaching and a Marketing degree. He runs a company called Careers Coach and assists people with their career transition. In these challenging times Greg believes that in order to excel in life and business we need to think and act smarter than before. Today’s job seeker can find employment if they take a proactive approach. Areas that Greg specialises in include: Career Coaching, Career Guidance , Group Coaching courses (including - Finding Employment in challenging times) , Marketing yourself, Interview preparation and techniques, Self Improvement, CVs, Using Social media as a business tool, How to start your own business, Leadership skills.

Btb Guest Author

Cindy King

Most businesses would like to develop their markets and embrace the opportunity of developing internationally… but very few actually do anything about going global.  Part of the reason behind this lethargy is a lack of knowledge about their international market opportunities.  Some in-house international market research can provide you with the knowledge you need to move forward.

Let’s look at 7 mistakes in international market research that are keeping many businesses from developing their international markets to their full potential.

#1: You Don’t Research Your Own Client And Prospect Data Base Thoroughly

If you already have a few international clients spread out over the world you are should take advantage of this.  Your own data base on international clients is the most useful resource you have because it is the most relevant one to your own business.

Remember to dig through this thoroughly.  Look for any trends or trigger events concerning the sales you have already made that could help you develop effective strategies today.

#2: You Don’t Identify Where Your Competitors Are Overseas

It is a big mistake not to spend some time researching your competitor’s international penetration history and current international targets.  This information can give you a wealth of information for your own international markets.

Remember to spend time observing what your competitors are doing abroad.

#3: You Don’t Research Industry Data Well Enough

Many unpleasant international blunders can be avoided with a little in-depth industry research.  Although this research is usually easy to find online, your particular industry might need some feedback from the relevant local advisers, the key is to know when to ask for help.

Remember to research the differences in industry standards and regulations on the foreign countries you are looking at and to get the right advice your business need.

#4: You Don’t Listen To What’s In The Press

Staying current on topics related to your international business development can help you avoid errors and it can also help you open doors. You need to stay up-to-date on what’s happening in your industry, the country and the area of the world you are interested in, in order to have the right conversations.

Remember to keep an eye on what is published in your own country and also in both the country and the region of the world you are focusing on.

#5: You Don’t Do Local SEO Research

Localized web research can provide you with some useful insights into local markets. This will give you a better idea of who your real competitors are in these countries.

Remember to check out the most popular local search engines and do keyword research in those countries.

#6: You Don’t Go Beyond Online Research

Online research is great, but it can only take you so far. You need to get information from good local sources too.

Remember to make contacts within your local foreign markets.  Instead of spending most of your time with online research, as soon as you have identified the names of the players and possible trends, reverse this trend and spend more time networking with the right players in your local target market.

#7: You Don’t Talk To People In Your International Markets

Business is carried out between people all over the world.  If there is one thing you should do, it is to pick up the phone and connect with people.  You might need to call and reach out to different people continually for several weeks or a few months.  You might need to improve your cross-cultural communication skills to get more out of these calls. But reaching out and connecting with local people will always help you to develop your business internationally.

Remember the value of speaking to the right people in your international markets.

Spend Time On International Market Research

When looking at the 7 mistakes above, it is obvious that the biggest mistake of all is not spending enough time on international market research.  This is why it is a good idea to allocate time every day to combine international networking with international market research activities.  All you need is to include this into your daily routines. It usually only takes a couple of months before most businesses get a very good idea of what they need to do next and how to go about doing it.

Do you want to get international clients?  What are you doing about it?
What other mistakes do you think people make in researching which markets to develop?

Cindy King is a cross-cultural marketer and international sales strategist who specializes in social media marketing. She is the Managing Editor of Social Media Examiner. Follow Cindy on Twitter @CindyKing or visit her Facebook Fan Page

It’s been a while since I blogged on here, because for the last while I have devoted nearly all my energies into Bloggertone. It’s been a learning curve for me but one that I have enjoyed and so far so good.

Before I report on the progress made, let me again thank Fred and Facundo from Channelship. The guys are simply awesome professionals and are an absolute pleasure to work with. They come with my highest recommendation.

Bloggertone went live on Friday the 23^rd of October, The countdown to the site launch was held on Twitter with the site going live @ 2pm GMT.

A Right Old #Twineup!

With spirits already high with the success of the launch two inspired ladies @miriamahern and @whatswhat_sian came up with an entirely novel way to celebrate that evening.

Miriam’s explanation:

“It’s just like that - a spontaneous party -don’t need to go anywhere. From the comfort of where-ever you are simply grab your favourite beverage, sit in front of your favourite Twitter client (mine is TweetDeck) and run a search for “#twineup” . Everyone from everywhere is welcome. Join in the conversation and meet some great people”

Congrats and thanks to Miriam & Sian, because it was an absolutely roaring success with #twineup taking over (modestly) part of the Irish twittersphere on Friday night - mentions on radio stations ( think it was 98 FM, but let’s leave stations in plural anyway) soon ensued with many people describing it as the best fun they had on Twitter - well EVER!

So Far So Good

According to Alexa, Bloggertone’s traffic rank for the first 7 days was 154528. In many respects, what was even nicer to see was that people were spending on average over 8 mins on the site visiting over 7 pages. The Social Media buzz was also working with Linkedin, Twitter & Facebook sending lots of visitors.

Many Quality Posts

The quality of the posts has been excellent so far, a few of my personal favourites include:

“Rural Business, The Good, The Bad and The Ugly” by Elaine Rogers

“LinkedIn for Jobseekers, Do you Dance” by Paul Mullan

“Competitive intelligence gathering for international markets” by Una Coleman

What’s Up Next?

The PR for the site is just about the start, we wanted to wait until we had something to show people.  An international blogging and social media expert has just joined the Bloggertone gang. Details to follow but I have little doubt that this person will help immensely to make the site a valuable and popular business resource. If you are interested in contributing to Bloggertone and becoming one of our featured bloggers, please apply here.

So all in all a pretty good start then, lots more to do and I may need to get back to the day job soon

In part one, I talked about the second Sales Leadership Ireland meet up on Monday and the wonderful dialogue that resulted…….So on to Tuesday.

Tuesday: The International Partnership – International Success for Tech Companies.

These were two events (morning and afternoon) organised by myself, Donagh Kiernan of Maidsfield Associates and Dave Brock of Partners of Excellence to kick off our three-way International Partnership.

First up on the day was Kevin O Leary, CEO of QUMAS, an Irish company that provides compliance management software to the world’s leading blue chip companies. Kevin is an inspiring and charismatic presenter, and his story is one of continued success.

As part of his unique and engaging presentation, Kevin waked us through the actual pipeline of the business. He talked about why hiring a capable and analytical sales manager was a critical component of their success.

QUMAS have grown their business substantially in a very short space of time through strategic global partnerships. It’s a wonderful success story and Kevin was very kind in sharing his insights and learning with us, an entirely captivated audience throughout.

Next up was Donagh Kiernan who has worked closely with Kevin over the years in identifying the right fit International partners. Taking us through his step by step process, he talked about how he researches and creates the ecosystem of the particular market. While Donagh’s methods may be scientific, he stressed why instinct is still an important factor in arriving at a decision. It was an insightful presentation from Donagh that complimented Kevin’s earlier delivery.

Our third and final presentation was from Dave Brock, this would be Dave’s second of three presentations in only two days. Dave brought a truly global perspective, his IBM background, his experience as an investor in software companies and his huge consulting experience with his firm Partners in Excellence.

Dave has worked with the virtually every player of the global tech landscape, his experience shining through as he talked about the different strategies he implemented over the years. He talked about how it is possible for a big company to love a smaller one to death, the pesky details that can wreck International relationships and which strategy you employ really depends on a great many factors.

All three presentations were interoperable in nature and the questions and dialogue from those that attended was intelligent and though provoking. The Irish tech sector appears to me to be in many good hands.

Because of the level of interest in this event, we had to run an additional session in the afternoon. This proved equally engaging but more on that in part three.

The international business landscape is a scary place but for the vast majority of Irish businesses it sooner or later becomes the only place. Let us make no mistake, the speed at which our economy recovers is tied in no small way to us regaining our abilities to successfully internationalise our products and services.

International investment will continue because we offer competitive corporate taxation, an English speaking and skilled workforce and a gateway into Europe.

We previously have enjoyed massive US backing but with so many emerging economies, huge new markets and globalisation, we cannot seriously expect this to continue.

Ireland is entering a brave new world, one with massive potential but one where global competition is fierce.

The new kingpin on this global block is called Speed. The pace at which opportunities will arise and be taken will be breath taking. Learning from mistakes is allowed so long as they are not your mistakes. It is about getting things done rather than talking about doing it. We are entering into an end game where results matter more than theory.

So what defining abilities will Irish businesses need to successfully internationalise?

My good friend Dave Brock talks about 4 and I agree.

Capability

Process

Capacity

Experience

Ok, these may mean slightly different things to an individual business but take away any one and the result is the same. You could say mistakes and to a large extend you would be right but the real killer in my opinion is pace or indeed lack of.

Waiting around to get it right means you risk losing the opportunity altogether.

The major advantage smaller businesses have over larger businesses is in their ability to make decisions and change quickly.

This principle could be equally well applied to countries and their respective economies. There is no reason why Ireland shouldn’t possess the ability to move fast. In fact, in my opinion a pair of fleeting feet should become a cornerstone in which our new economy is built.

With this is mind, I invite you to our Irish Software Internationalisation Events on the 29^th of Sept morning and afternoon. These are about giving Irish businesses the Capability, Process, Capacity, and Experience to Internationalise. It’s about results, it’s about speed…………Prepare to put the boot down.

Btb Guest Author

Dave Brock

If your partners are not adding value and improving the total value proposition to the customers, they are adding cost — detracting from your value proposition and competitiveness.

There are many ways partners might add value: relationships with customers is one area. Skills and capabilities that complement yours–for example implementation, installation of your products, local support, the ability to integrate complementary products for a richer solution, and others all represent potential value they might provide.

When building a channel that complements and enhances the total value of your offerings, make sure you understand one other element of value. What is the value that you provide your partners? If you are not providing them value, it is very unlikely the relationship will produce results. A way to think about this is illustrated below.

The decision to use partners should be driven primarily by filling gaps in your value proposition. If your partners add value in reaching your customers, and you add value to them, you will probably have an effective, efficient and high performing channel–creating great results for your mutual customers as well as for each other.

Partners In EXCELLENCE is the recognized leader in helping organizations develop and communicate differentiated value propositions. We are also recognized for our expertise in developing and implementing high impact partnering and channel strategies.

If you need to sharpen your tools, processes, thinking, and skills in value propositions, look at our Value Proposition Solutions, follow the link. For a copy of our free Value Proposition eBook, follow the link.

For our eBook, Partnering for Profitability, follow the link.

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Dave Brock works with organizations to help them achieve the highest levels of performance excellence. He helps them identify and execute new business, sales, marketing and customer service strategies. His goal is to have a profound difference on the lives and results produced by his clients. Dave is the founder and CEO of Partners in EXCELLENCE, a leading business consulting company. He has held executive roles in IBM, Tektronix, and other large technology companies. He is an investor, advisor, and director of several high technology start-up companies.

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Over at TSE

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