Don't know what to blog about today? Well, Lisa Barone has come up with a solution. In a post for Small Business Trends, she identifies 104 topics covering your industry, your business, your customers, going social, and getting to know you. The focus is small...
I’m taking a page from Chris Brogan this year. He annually identifies “three words that I use as guidance for how I should conduct my efforts in the year to come.” My three words for 2010: incubate, endorphins, and endurance. I’m going to use them, hopefully wisely,...
I was talking with a representative from Sales Genie at a conference recently, and our conversation turned to the roots of list making. My first prospecting list, in the days before information was online, was a labor of much labor. Having identified my target...
In this age of instant everything, planning seems to be getting a bad rap. But make no mistake: planning matters. Here are my five tips for jumpstarting your business in 2010: 1. Assess your financial health. Before you can set goals for the new year, it is useful to...
I've been on a rulemaking binge lately, and I'm loving it. And you just might be surprised how a few little rules can simplify your business life. I'm talking about Outlook Rules. While lots of people have Inbox Zero goals, that doesn't work for me. But having 150...
We're getting to that time of year when holiday cards start rolling in. And every year I notice the same thing: lots of cards, very little personalization. Sometimes it's a generic "Seasons Greetings" e-mail blind copied to who knows how many people (no effort);...
My latest IABC Independent Thinking business column is out, and the focus is on how we see ourselves and the shifting terminologies that we use to define ourselves and our businesses and the way we want our clients, customers and prospects to think of us. There were...
My first podcast is out! I was interviewed by IABC's Natasha Nicholson for CW Radio, and the topic is lessons learned in 20 years of business. The premise: the fundamentals of running a business haven't changed in the last 20 years, but pretty much everything else...
Do you multitask at the expense of those around you? It used to be "put down the pen." Now perhaps it is more aptly "turn away from the computer screen" with its data streams, non-stop e-mail, and multiple tab browsers. Or turning off the smartphone. Whatever your...
Eleven months. Eleven months, which equals a cautionary tale about good intentions. As in mine, and my time and ability to brand a Web site. When I migrated SteigmanCommunications.com onto a self-hosted WordPress platform in January (or, more accurately, when my...