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

Una Coleman

Changes are a coming…

You don’t have to be a marketing expert anymore to put an ezine together or blast your prospects with an e-marketing campaign or a cool survey.  They are all great ways to engage with your customers and Web 2.0 has given us fantastic, easy to use tools.  However, there is a downside to having access to this functionality at the click of our fingertips: Mail Overload.  We all get them – newsletters with nothing to say (or, too much to say), service offerings that have no relevance to our businesses, no personalisation, or the one that for me guarantees a send to blocked emails, “Dear Coleman”.  The sender hasn’t bothered to check my name: so much for customer care.  That’s why I say you don’t have to be a marketing expert…  Need I say more!

Outbound – email marketing

Unfortunately, the down-side is that our email is rapidly becoming our most protected piece of personal data.  We tweet intimate (and inane) details of our personal lives, we post personal and family pictures on Facebook, we upload embarrassing videos on YouTube, all for the world to see.  But, we hold control of our emails sacrosanct: we are becoming ever more intolerant of interruption based or outbound marketing.

This desire to be in control and decide with whom we wish to correspond is driving inbound and permission based marketing.  Equally, it is driving ever more stringent data-protection rules.  Warning: DON’T FALL FOUL OF DATA PROTECTION LEGISATION

Outbound – tele and direct marketing

And it’s not just email marketing: regulation also applies to direct marketing and telemarketing.  New EU regulation is coming into place the end of this year.  You need to ensure you are familiar with the local legislation in each of the countries you operate.

From October 2009, an amendment to the Dutch Telecommunications Act has come into force establishing new rules for business to business email marketing. Primarily, prior consent must be obtained from the receiver if his/her email address is to be used for future commercial purposes.  If you have an existing newsletter with Dutch email addresses you MUST obtain their consent before sending another newsletter.  You may send an email under separate cover instructing them to “opt in” to continuing to receive your newsletter by replying to that email. Without a confirmation to that email, you are prohibited by law to email that person again.  You have until the end of December to ge that consent.  There are nuances to the legislation and of course, where an established relationship exists as a result of the sale of goods and services permission is deemed to exist.

Opt in email marketing legislation

The amended to the Dutch Telecommunications Act is extreme but likely to set the standard for the future.

In addition to B2B email marketing, there are new and severe restrictions on outbound telemarketing activity.

All telemarketers MUST offer a do not call to prospects and register that number, as part of the call script.

Fines and penalties

In the case of the Netherlands, OPTA (www2.opta.nl/asp/en)  is the supervisory authority. The can impose stiff  fines up to € 450.000 in the case of telemarketing offences, or can go as far as temporarily closing down an organisation involved in outbound  telemarketing

UK email rules are currently based on 2003 legislation.  It is similar but not as restrictive as the Netherlands.  Permission is required for “cold” emailing. You can continue to email exiting clients, without requesting permission, as long as the products and services you are offering are similar.  If you are offering something new, then you need permission: http://www.ico.gov.uk/for_organisations/topic_specific_guides/marketing.aspx

This ever more restrictive legislation requires us to be more active and creative with our inbound, permission based marketing.  Websites must radically change from static brochureware to engaging information gateways that help build your brand and draw your prospects back.

What are your thoughts?  Will this make our task more difficult or will it make us more creative.  I’d love to hear your comments.

Una Coleman is an International Strategy and Marketing Consultant with over 20 years experience in marketing and strategy and international operations both in the US and Europe. Broad functional experience in: Marketing and Communications Strategic and Financial analytics including Business Case Development Consulting and Operational management Client Relationship Management Deep financial services sector knowledge. Worked in organisations ranging from technology start-ups, fast-paced direct marketing agency to large corporates. Member of Enterprise Ireland Mentor Panel Member of IIA (Irish Internet Association) International Strategy Working Group

People have requested that I give them a quick peek at the new www.bloggertone.com website - the site will be launching very soon!

Bloggertone is a new space that allows people in business to access and share useful business information and opinions, constantly updated by the collaborative effort of selected business bloggers………. Here is a screenshot of the new platform.

Bloggertone has 10 sections that a blogger can post under, they are:

1. Talking Leadership
2. Transforming Your Business
3. Managing Money
4. People Matters
5. Technology & Web 2.0
6. Marketing Ideas
7. Growing Sales
8. Going International
9. Work/Life Balance
10. What’s Happening?

Functionalities will include author pages for the bloggers, voting, post ratings, and the usual social media sharing widgets (share this, tweet this, facebook connect, etc). Ultimately, the site encourages a conversation, so readers are encouraged to comment and most commented posts will make it to the homepage too.

The site is currently still been developed by my parthners in crime on this project - Fred and Facundo of Dublin web agency, Channelship. If you fancy becoming a featured blogger and contributing content to this unique new online space - why not contect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter.

There is a revolution taking place……We are witnessing the greatest shift since the industrial revolution but at a pace that we can only struggle to appreciate.

• Technology and specifically Social Media technologies are advancing at an exponential rate.
• The growth of users of social media has followed a similar path – for example, Facebook now has 1000000 Irish users.
• Further applications (technologies) are constantly been developed off the back of the original idea.

Read between the lines and you begin to realise that “the hierarchical nature of our society is beginning to crumple”

• The concept of ownership as we previously understood it now no longer applies e.g. music industry.
• The “normal Joe” now has the resource and facility to reach out and influence the collective.
• Organisations can no longer control the message (idea); engagement is the only way to now exert influence.

Power is very quickly been transferred to the individual and the collective……..The smartest individuals (Obama) and organizations are learning to embrace rather than fight this tide.

Where does Ireland presently sit in the new world?

• We are 18-24 months behind in terms of our learning.
• We are currently still debating “which tools” rather than “what opportunities exist” for us. We need to GET REAL.

So what realizations do we need to make?

• The tool (technology) does what it says on the tin.
• The real conversation should be about the effectiveness of the person, organization, country or tribe using these tools.
• We are a small country; we should be able to move fast.
• There exists very real potential for Ireland Inc around “Global Irish” and “Smart Economy”
• There will no prize for second place, to truly benefit we have to become the Global Leader - a “Silicon Valley” approach.
• The future is now, time is running out. SPEED is King

So here it is, the NEW GAME… #IrelandInc #SmartEconomy #GlobalIrish #SocialMedia - Let’s start to Join the dots?

Confidence in Action is a company specifically formed to address the problems and questions individuals and businesses have about their current situation in these challenging times. The company will run a series of nationwide recovery forums, the first of which takes place on Thursday 10th September in the Burlington Hotel, Dublin from 8am to 8pm.

Co-founders of Confidence in Action, Helen Fahy and Mary Jennings both from business consulting backgrounds, formed the company after an original idea about a redundancy event evolved into something more encompassing and holistic.

The nationwide recovery forums, entitled “Routes to Recovery” will offer practical solutions to current issues like reducing overheads, pension security & maximisation, job opportunities, re-skilling, start ups, as well as offering some alternative advice on stress and time management, relaxation therapies and business coaching. The forums will feature a host of guest speakers, agencies and companies from a wide range of sectors including economists, retailers, financial advisors, educational institutes, entrepreneurs and television and radio personalities.

Speaking about Confidence in Action, Helen Fahy said, “Our philosophy is to provide direction for positive change. We see Confidence in Action as a vehicle for development, to provide people and businesses with the skills, knowledge and abilities to be confident, to motivate and to increase self-awareness in these extraordinary times. We are encouraging people to take the initiative and figure out their next step.”

Commenting on the reason behind these recovery forums Mary Jennings said “The key theme is solidarity, raising awareness that you are not alone; there are people in the same situation as you. Everyone has fears, stresses and questions that are personal to them – why not house, under one roof an event that covers all areas and offers practical advice and solutions to current issues”.

Reading today’s Irish times, Michael O Regan’s piece about Mary Robinson’s speech at the annual commemoration of the death of Michael Collins really stood out for me.

“Mrs Robinson believes we need “a vision of ourselves” and “the lack of one lies at the heart of the crises we face. We need to listen to everyone who has something to contribute; yes the business sector and the financial experts, but also the social entrepreneurs and innovators, the teachers who educate our children, social workers and activists … and those who have been marginalised in the past. We should also listen to our creative artists”

It is well worth a read and got me thinking.

Mary Robinson is entirely right, crisis creates opportunity. This is applicable to us as individuals, as business owners and collectively as a society and a country.

It is our ability to take this opportunity that ultimately decides our effectiveness in dealing with a crisis.

It could easily be argued that a crisis actually creates even more opportunity, because it forces us to look at a problem in entirely new ways. We will hopefully endeavour to find new solutions to old problems.

So what if, we decided to look upon these same problems as a blessing rather than a curse?

What if we decided to focus on the opportunity rather than the problem?

What impact might that have on how we would go about solving these problems?

And would the solutions that we find be the same as the ones we are finding now?

Isn’t it a least worth some thought?

Btb Guest Author

Miriam Ahern

SOLE-TRADERS and smaller businesses are the most vulnerable potential victims of the expected swine-flu pandemic.

There’s a lot of information about at the moment on how enterprises should prepare themselves to weather a global swine flu outbreak should the current situation worsen. Most of this is aimed at large organisations rather than the sole-trader who could suffer much more.

Among the challenges all businesses may face, in addition to high rates of absenteeism, are; disruption to supply chains and business travel; infection control amongst employees; sudden drops or increases in supply of and demand for goods and services; as well as strain on human resources, insurance and cash flow.

Here are key steps that sole-traders and micro-business leaders can take right now so they are not caught off their guard.

Be Cautious

Let’s face it –sole-traders just don’t have the resources that medium and larger companies have at their disposal if there’s a flu pandemic. If they catch swine-flu, the impact on their business will be significant and immediate. What they can do, however, is to take every precaution they can against catching flu in the first case. Here are some guidelines:

Do:

• Carry your own personal dispenser of hand sanitizer in your pocket. Use it frequently when you are out and about and immediately before entering and upon leaving clients’ premises.
• Bring your own pens or calculators with you for your personal use at appointments and meetings.
• Keep your own workspace, belongings and car hygienically clean (i.e. regularly disinfected). Keep a pack of antiseptic wipes in your car.
• Limit your personal appearances to when it’s mission-critical. Avoid any unnecessary business travel and meetings.
• Be subtle but maintain adequate personal space around you at public gatherings and at meetings.
• Talk to other sole-traders or small business owners who have already dealt with the effects of swine flu and learn from their experience.
• Organise to get swine and winter flu vaccinations from your GP as soon as they are available.

Don’t:

• Travel on public transport during rush hour when trains, busses and trams are packed.
• Handle objects, books, papers and brochures in public waiting areas.
• Panic or over-react. Keep yourself informed so that you can tell the difference between someone with seasonal hay-fever and someone with real flu-symptoms!
• Keep working if you think you have swine flu. You have a responsibility to those around you to act sensibly.

Be Prepared

What if your prevention efforts fail and you fall victim to the dreaded swine flu? First of all, let’s get this whole issue into context. The chances are that, unless you are extremely unlucky, you will only be unable to work for 1-2 weeks maximum. Once you get over your flu, that’s it for your business. You are unlikely to catch a second dose: unlike larger organizations, which will probably have to weather ‘waves’ of outbreaks throughout the winter.

The aims of your contingency planning should be that while you are tending to your own welfare, your business continues; your assets are secure; and your cash-flow is protected. The key is to identify your main vulnerabilities. Ask yourself the following questions:

• What are the core functions that are critical to your business continuity?
• What supplies or materials are essential to producing your goods or delivering your services?
• What can you do if there is a sudden increase or decrease in demand for your products or services during a pandemic?
• What are the fundamental roles or processes that you alone execute?
• What’s your economic exposure to swine flu?
• What will be the impact if you are out of action for a couple of weeks?
• How can you reduce the risk of critical business functions being interrupted?

Here are just some contingencies that you might consider:

Buddy-up with a few trusted business colleagues. Explore and plan ways in which you could keep each-others’ businesses ticking over in the event of a temporary incapacity. Each should keep a copy of the others’ contingency plans.

Set up an emergency file. Keep a list of key business contact details. Keep accurate process notes for any business-critical procedures or functions.

If you have a service or customer-facing business, explore the possibility of increasing the amount of online transactions as well as self-service options for customers.

Review your IT setup and if possible enhance it so that you can control your amount of face-to-face contact. Use video-links and tele-conferencing to maintain essential contact with your business community.

If you and your partner are both working and you have childcare arrangements that could break down in a pandemic, work out a plan (in advance) with a few other parents whereby one parent stays home one day with all the children so each parent misses only a single day each week.

Let your customers and suppliers know that you are prepared and what your contingency arrangements are.

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Miriam Ahern is the founder and managing partner of Align Management Solutions – a consultancy specialising in organisational change and development. She also manages LINK! - Dublin City Enterprise Board’s Network for Start-up Businesses. Miriam is a regular contributor in the national media on issues relating to business management and human resources. She is a Certified Management Consultant and a Fellow of the Institute of Management Consultants and Advisers.

Mobile: + 353 86 234 2789

Office:  + 353 1 412 5890

Follow Miriam on Twitter

LinkedIn

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Today’s News:

I would like to add my voice to Jonathan’s and the rest of the TSE team in extending my very best wishes to TSE colleague, Steve Martinez. Steve is recovering after seven and half hours of “aorti dissection” surgery. Our thoughts are with Steve, his wife Sally, and his family, may he make a full and speeedy recovery.