Casual Articles - Internet and Businesses Online

Optimizing Marketing Dollars May Start in Sales: Is Your Sales Team Equipped For The New Environment
The majority of the return on your marketing dollars takes place in sales. Unfortunately, the average sales force is poorly equipped to perform in a changing lead generation environment. A recent study of marketing expenditures, by PricewaterhouseCoopers, showed a dramatic 39% shift to the Internet. This is an obvious response to consumers shifting a significant part of their buying experience to the Web. This is changing your sales force's environment.This of course begs the question, is your sales force equipped for the change? The

>Some people don't like the idea of a static format for a podcast -- they feel it conflicts with the idea of a podcast being "by the people, for the people." But a podcast can still be personal while being formatted -- and if you take a look at the top podcasts, almost all of them use a fairly steady format.

The other type of podcast format you need to decide upon is the style you'll use. For example, you could be very casual, or strictly business-like. Or somewhere in between.

Unless you know your audience extremely well, I'd suggest against sounding like you're all business. That's not to say you can't us

Prospecting Considerations for Business
I called an acquaintance the other day and offered to share with them a business opportunity I had recently become involved in. I mentioned I was looking for some partners and asked if he would be interested in having a look.He said he was interested.I made the appointment and showed up on the doorstep at the appointed time.My business associate and I were invited in to their living room, and after a few introductions and pleasantries, the wife excused herself and we introduced the business opportunity.Not all o

You may have a great topic for your podcast, and great content, but for a podcast to be its best, you should come up with a specific format for your show and, for the most part, stick to it.

There are many things that make up the format of a podcast. The two that I'll cover in this article are the parts, or segments that make up a podcast, and the style you decide upon.

Segments: If you listen to a radio show you'll often hear news at the top of the hour, then sports, then weather, back into music for a several minutes, then a commercial break, a listener's phone call, back into music, etc.

All of those parts combine to make up the show. And while podcasting gives you the freedom to do whatever you want, whenever you want, most people are more comfortable when they have an idea of what's going on -- in this case, I'm talking about your listeners.

Familiarity allows your listeners to not think about the format and just go with the content. And while you don't have to lock yourself into something really precise, it's a good idea to map out how your show will generally flow.

Here's how one of my latest podcasts is formatted:

Intro: This is prerecorded with some music and tells what the show is called, what it's about, and then introduces the host (me!).

Welcome and Teaser: A little bit of chit-chat from the host, and then a teaser about what topics will be covered in this episode of the podcast.

Current News: A look at the leading news and rumors from the past week including some editorial comments if needed.

Sponsor: If there's a paid sponsor of the show it's mentioned here, otherwise the sponsor position is used to promote a product as an affiliate.

Main Content: This is the "meat and potatoes" of the podcast and will vary depending on your podcast topic.

Online Resource: Tell about a resource online that's related to the main content and that the listeners will find useful or interesting.

Feedback: Answer questions from listeners and solicit feedback using email, recorded comment line, etc.

Outro: Usually prerecorded with some music, this is the final goodbye for this episode.

Every week I create a podcast using those segments. One big advantage for me, the podcast creator, is that I don't have to come up with something new each time -- I already have the format, all I have to do is fill in the blanks with the new content.

Some people don't like the idea of a static format for a podcast -- they feel it conflicts with the idea of a podcast being "by the people, for the people." But a podcast can still be personal while being formatted -- and if you take a look at the top podcasts, almost all of them use a fairly steady format.

The other type of podcast format you need to decide upon is the style you'll use. For example, you could be very casual, or strictly business-like. Or somewhere in between.

Unless you know your audience extremely well, I'd suggest against sounding like you're all business. That's not to say you can't use

Making Lemonade in Your Business Venture
The old saying of "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade." is good advice but not easy to do. As a business hits the bumps and bruises of the business highway, you want quick answers, and not platitudes.Any business will have its ups and downs, except maybe if you were in the oil industry. But do you wring your hands and cry tears while making everyone around you miserable? Absolutely not, and if you do, then you don't really belong in the business world. What you have to do is grab those lemons and let go of an

e parts combine to make up the show. And while podcasting gives you the freedom to do whatever you want, whenever you want, most people are more comfortable when they have an idea of what's going on -- in this case, I'm talking about your listeners.