Don’t Call A Meeting, When You Could Send an Email Instead

One of the powers of email is it allows quick and versatile communications. Team members can quickly digest and respond to messages on their schedule. This prevents having to book meetings that interrupt everyone’s work and schedules.

Four Easy Ways to Tell if a Meeting Should Have Been an Email

  1. Not all team members can attend
  2. The meeting was someone giving a monologue.
  3. The meeting was one long FYI.
  4. A meeting to read documents to a group…should have been an email

 Meetings are for conversations, debate, and decisions; not recitations, and announcements.


****Side Note***

Mandatory Meetings – Makes you feel like you’ve been subpoenaed to court right? There’s a reason for that.

The definition of mandatory according to the dictionary is: adj.1. Required or commanded by authority

Who has the authority or power to “mandate? Again, according to the dictionary, a government or body of law.

Consider replacing the word “mandatory” when sending your own emails; (particularly when requesting “mandatory meetings” from lower key groups like scouts or kids’ athletics), lest you too sound like a power mongering cupcake.  :0

frustrated employee

Considering Implementing an Employee-Recognition Program to Increase Productivity?

Assessing possible strategies to lead your team and bolster productivity?

Employee-recognition programs may be one you decide to pass on after reading the following data compiled by the Business News Daily:

bitcoin-cryptocurrency

Cryptocurrency and Blockchain – Part 1 of 5 Weekly Series

“Cryptocurrencies” or “Digital Currencies”are the newest currency built using an “open software” program called “blockchain”. “Altcoin” is an abbreviation for: alternative coin and is used to describe any cryptocurrency other than bitcoin.

Open software means the copyright holder provides the rights to study, change, and distribute the software to anyone for any purpose, allowing the software to be developed in a collaborative public manner.

The original developer of blockchain, Satoshi Nakamoto, is apparently a pseudonym, leaving the identity of the creator or creators unknown.

Whoever Satoshi Nakamoto is, this entity or person, “holds roughly 1 million bitcoin, worth approximately $18.6 billion based on recent prices. To add further to the mystery, it seems a minimal amount, if any, of this bitcoin has been moved/spent.” 


The reason for the creation of Bitcoin was the desire to create a monetary payment system that does not rely on third parties (like banks or governments) to process electronic payments. Instead it relies on the consensus of the nodes on the network.

“A node is any physical device within a network of other devices that’s able to send, receive, and/or forward information. The computer is the most the common node and is often called the computer node or internet node. Modems, switches, hubs, bridges, servers, and printers and digital wallets are also nodes.”


Features and purposes of different coins vary.

For example, Bitcoin isn’t fully anonymous. The ledger can be viewed by anyone and the flow of funds can be traced to and from different Bitcoin addresses, although there is no private information linking you to your Bitcoin address. Other coins have been developed to provide full anonymity.

For a full list of 40+ cryptocurrencies to date: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cryptocurrencies


Cryptocurrency is encrypted (hence crypto) blockchain. A block is a record of new transactions. Once each block/transaction is complete it’s added to the chain, creating a chain of blocks called: a blockchain. 

There are two locks/ keys on each segment/block of blockchain.

Keys / Locks

  1. With blockchain, what you have is a private key known only to you (basically just a super long password) to its address on the blockchain.
  2. Each account also has a public key, which lets other people send cryptocurrency to your account. With this key you can withdraw currency to spend, but if you lose the key there’s no way to get your money back.

Information on the blockchain is also publicly available. It’s decentralized, meaning it doesn’t rely on a single computer or server to function.Transactions are instantly visible to everyone.

In this way, blockchain is compared to a coded ledger that information about each and every transaction is saved, visible and trackable (personal info will be in code no one else can interpret).

As you can image… the more a bitcoin is passed around, the blockchain grows longer and longer, as no part of the code is ever deleted.

Article researched and copy written by Laughing Fox Designs, providing results driven website development and social media actions to start-ups, small businesses and mid-size companies.  ©2018 All Rights Reserved


Comments:

 
Hi there , 
I was reading your page here:
pivotalperformanceprocesses.com/blockchain-cryptocurrency-bitcoin-about/
and what you wrote about Bitcoin got me curious. 
I went online to do some more research, and among the vast ocean of
“bitcoin guides for beginners” and “bitcoin definitions” I found one
that stood out and made things very clear.
I think it’s quite complete and easy to understand, even for “dummies”
like me (it explains lots of technical words). 
I just wanted to suggest this guide as an addition to your page (They
say at the end that anyone can use the images they created, and I
think they would be a good fit on your page):
www.vpnmentor.com/blog/ultimate-guide-bitcoin/
I hope my contribution helps, 
Jane
How to Fix 8 Sales Strategy Errors

How to Fix 8 Sales Strategy Errors

Addressing these “big picture” errors ensures your company’s long term success.

Weird Stats: What We Do Online

Freaky Facts About All of Us

Apparently, we have no attention span, we decide company’s credibility based purely on web design, and we are really not into Groupon or discount programs.
More than a quarter of us don’t interact on our social media at all… we just watch… we LOVE to watch videos… but only 2-minute ones because well, that short attention span thing
… and more than 75% of us are watching Facebook videos without any sound on.

  • The average online shopper’s attention span is 8 seconds. B2B Marketing Insider
  • 75% of users base your entire company’s credibility on your website’s design. Veopix Design
  • Only 23% of social media users are registered users for “daily deals” services like Groupon. WishPond
  • 34% of social media users do not ever post, some are silent observers (those who just watch and absorb). Veopix Design
  • Approximately 40% of American people only hear about tweets through traditional mass media. WishPond
  • Video drives a 157% increase in organic traffic from SERPs. WordStream
  • 2 minute videos long get the most engagement. WordStream
  • 85% of Facebook videos are watched without sound. WordStream

freak power

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Article researched and copy written by Laughing Fox Designs, providing results driven website development and social media actions to start-ups, small businesses and mid-size companies.  ©2017 All Rights Reserved

Why Telemarketers Are Ringing Your Mobile Number

red phone

Did you know?

  1. It is illegal to make automated calls or send texts without your permission.
  2. Cold callers must put you on their “Do Not Call” list if you ask.

 


How You Ended Up on THE LIST

You Answered the Phone

Normally the phone rings and you inadvertently pick up.

In frustration you hear an automated message and slam down the phone.

Too late. You just verified your presence a live warm body capable of answering the phone.

Or, caught on a good day, you got a call to complete a “marketing survey” which would “only take a minute or two” but drug on till you ended up abruptly cutting off the call.

You just spoke to their “warm-up man”. Your name, phone number, information, and preferences are now in the marketing lead generation system and will be resold over and over again.

You are now a “hot” prospect.

 According to Yahoos Tony Levene of LoveMoney, if any time in your past you did the following, you are in their database:

 You Opted-In to Receiving Further Details from Third Parties

Of the total amount of data purchased, this constitutes 60%

You Signed Up for Emails, Newsletters, Or Joined a Campaign

40% of data originates from leads including tailor-made telemarketing campaigns, email bulletins, email campaigns and referrals.

A “Friend” Sold You Out to Get a Discount Or “Free Item”

When you next get a call you think is cold, it isn’t. It’s piping hot and most likely from one of the sources above.

Here are a few other things you may have done to land on the list:

You Ticked the Tricky Box

Those little boxes you’re asked to tick (or not tick) when you’re buying online or signing up to something?

Sometimes ticking means they will share your details with marketers.

Sometimes it means they won’t.

Other times you’re asked to tick two different boxes on the same page and one is a “can” tick but the other is a “can’t”.

You Replied to a Marketing Text

If the message was from a company you trust or a five-digit number, replying ‘STOP’ should have done the trick.

If it’s from anyone else ignore it.

Replying confirms your number is valid and your phone number is now in the marketing lead generation system and will be resold over and over again.

Next time block the call.

 

 

Article researched and copy written by Laughing Fox Designs, providing results driven website development and social media actions to start-ups, small businesses and mid-size companies.  ©2017 All Rights Reserved

Cold Calling Sales Marketing

Revealing Stats About Interruption Marketing

In researching the statistic for “cold calling” this author ran into two reoccurring themes.
1. Auto dialers, call centers, CRM (Customer Relationship Management) companies and companies selling “leads” in form of our names and phone numbers – promoting cold calling that ran very optimistic and encouraging articles about the abundance of sales a company can make by cold calling.
2. Email generating companies – that posted very pessimistic views on the effects of cold calling, favoring of course… emailing customers.
Sorting through the rubble, certain facts were ascertained to be truthful.


screaming at phoneWith technology always with us in the form of a cell phone in every pocket or on top of every desk, Cold Calling is referred to as: Interruption Marketing or Outbound Telemarketing.

We are exposed to hundreds of ads per day, now we have one that demands, on our “personal device” that we pay attention solely to it and set aside our thoughts, disengage with our family, clients, or activities to focus on it.

From Charlie Cook’s “Marketing for Success”:

“Cold calling has a bad reputation. Most people find cold calls intrusive and obnoxious.”

  • Only 1% of cold calls result in meetings or appointments. Sales for Life
  • 90% of B2B decision makers don’t respond to cold sales.
  • 85% of prospects and customers are dissatisfied with their on-the-phone experience. —Salesforce.
  • Only 28% of people being cold called engage in conversations.
  • Cold calling dialers spend approximately 15% of their time leaving voicemails. —Ringlead
  • On average, it takes 8 follow-up calls to reach a cold called prospect.
  • Only 33% of a rep’s time on a call is spent actively selling. — CSO Insights
  • Reps who use social selling vs. cold calling are 50% more likely to meet or exceed their quota. —InsideSales
  • 75% of B2B decision makers routinely use social media in decision-making processes.
  • 84% of B2B decision makers start individual buying decision based on referrals.
  • 82% of prospects can be reached via social media. —Sergey Gusarov

Simple Sale Tracking ran a 2-week study and produced the following results:

“28% – totaling 1,774 calls, resulted in 19 – yes, that’s NINETEEN appointments out of a total of 6,264 cold calls made!
The success rate of cold calls to appointments is 0.3% (based on the average closing rate of 20%, that would equate to just under 4 sales, from 6,264 cold calls)
Now that you have heard the horrific numbers experienced during the study, here is the conclusion drawn from it.

Experienced salespeople can expect to spend 7.5 hours of cold calling to get ONE qualified appointment.  That’s an appointment – NOT a sale!”

Leaving you with these stats to make your own decisions as to marketing venues decisions, I will include the following quote that reflects a colorful, personal opinion, from An Entrepreneurs Life:

 “Being Good at B2B Cold Calling Is Like Being a Functional Drunk”.

If you decide to explore the venue of cold calling, there are available resources to help you through the murky waters, such as Marketing for Success who encourages you to: 

  • Get a prospect’s attention, ask permission, find out what they want and then give them what they asked for.
  • State your name and ask the prospect if they have a moment
  • If they’re busy, schedule a time to call back. This way you’ve got their permission to have the next conversation.
  • Summarize what they’ve told you about their needs and wants.

For a higher success rate, DuctTape Marketing, while discouraging cold calling in its article: “The Abusive Math of Cold Calling”  says,

“ …it’s generally abusive to both parties. When that same call is made with a referral, the rate jumps up to 40% and even much higher when that referral comes from within the company.”

They also offer tactics:

A referral into a prospect can come from one of three places

  1. Current Customers
  2. Your Network
  3. or a Strategic Partner

And suggest:

  1. Once you have a prospect list, connect with them in social networks like LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. When you do this, not only will they tell you a lot about what’s important to them and what their challenges and opportunities are, they’ll probably show you who their peers, friends and network members are. They may identify for you the best way to get to referred into them.
  2. Do this with your existing customers as well because it will make it easier to identify the ones that are influencers, who participates at a high level in social media, and who might be great candidate to refer you to your hot prospect list.”

 

Article researched and copy written by Laughing Fox Designs, providing results driven website development and social media actions to start-ups, small businesses and mid-size companies.  ©2017 All Rights Reserved

Harvard Business Review: MARKETING Advertising Analytics 2.0.