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Showing posts from November 17, 2013

Apple vs. Competition For The Perfect Small Business Tool--Gadget Guy's Take

  In one word: Seamless   seam·less ˈsÄ“mlis/ adjective 1 . (of a fabric or surface) smooth and without seams or obvious joins. "seamless stockings" Let me preface this post by admitting upfront a couple of things: I'm not a geek in the true sense of the word. I came from a rock n roll background (more on this in another post)--and worked with classical,  smooth jazz and newstalk radio stations for thirty-two years. I was the audio-visual guy in junior high--delivering projectors, tape recorders to classrooms, etc--so I've always had an interest in "gadgets". My first one was an Archer walkie-talkie and my second was a Science Fair crystal radio set. I then had a Science Fair weather station. I'm not employed by or paid by Apple, Samsung, Google, etc or any tech company, blog or magazine.  I'm just offering a semi-tech guy's opinion of how Apple & Samsung stand up to each other after having owned

10 Ways To..Go Ahead And Make Your Day!

When I started in radio sales..I'd go through days of not knowing if I'd make a sale, an appointment, etc. Those were the day's the my sales manager would tell me to go  write a commercial to play as a "spec ad" for a prospect. He knew that if I could engage my creative side--I would refocus my thoughts and feel productive to keep me from getting down. He was right. And if I had a particularly creative idea--I would get excited and energized. That taught me a great lesson throughout my career--when down--think creatively.  More importantly--do something creative--writing, painting, singing, etc.  And it doesn't have to be complicated. There are simple ways to make your day! Check out some neat ones Kevin Daum came up with from Inc. magazine: Here are 10 suggestions on how to make your day! Sometimes people get in a rut. The hours drag on, boredom making you feel like you are slogging through mud. Don't let the offic

Arrogance & Pride, Your Business' Worst Enemy.

"In the twinkling of an eye, Nebuchadnezzar became a raving maniac. With wild shrieks he rushed from the room and down the staircase as the crown of gold toppled from his head. Across the tiled floor of the throne room he raced, tearing from his body his regal robes and scattering them as he went. Through the doors and down the corridors he ran bellowing like a wounded bull while the palace retainers stood by in consternation. Nebuchadnezzar,  the proud and dignified monarch of the greatest empires of ancient times, was running down the street of his capital city, stripped, stark naked" — Campbell, Donald K., Daniel: DecoderBooks, 1979, p. 51. It's a sad commentary today when we see publicly elected officials, businesspersons, sports stars, Hollywood stars all put on a public display of Arrogance 101. In their fifteen seconds of fame--it's all or nothing as self-absorbed individuals seem unaffected by their behaviors. The latest to draw attention is Rob Ford--To

The Day The Business Died.

Throughout my career in radio advertising--particularly in the first decade, I would notice a phenomena among many new businesses I prospected. I would usually meet with them after a call came in wanting radio advertising rates. They were typically excited to be launching a new retail business and things were usually buzzing with a spouse moving things, etc. They would ask me about my radio station, what businesses were advertising with us, their successes, etc. I would put together a proposal  and "spec" radio ad (which usually they would like), then we'd talk about when they would like to start. Unfortunately, in most cases--they would want to think about it and have me follow up next week or two. Invariably, I would see a newspaper ad over the weekend of their grand opening, etc. Several weeks later--when I'd get back with them, they would tell me that they wanted to wait, see how their newspaper was doing, had to spend the money on a yellow page ad,