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Video, PC Gaming And CRM Small Business
"Paul Johnston, President and CEO of Entellium, was a recent guest on The Small Business Trends Radio Show. Paul's interview was full of insights regarding the attributes of success and the parallels between gamers and sales reps. It was really insightful to hear of their findings with regards to the research they've conducted to develop their new small business software."

Blogs With Deep Roots - A Great Potential Use Of The Blogging Medium
"The text-based Internet seems to confirm that we will never again attain the vast capacity for memory retention reputed to our ancestors. Taken to an extreme, the Internet can tell you what your own name is if you ever chance to forget it. Yet, there is the very positive side of the Internet acting as an unprecedented repository for the memories and knowledge of generations of mankind."

Video, PC Gaming And CRM Small Business
"Paul Johnston, President and CEO of Entellium, was a recent guest on The Small Business Trends Radio Show. Paul's interview was full of insights regarding the attributes of success and the parallels between gamers and sales reps. It was really insightful to hear of their findings with regards to the research they've conducted to develop their new small business software."

Blogs With Deep Roots - A Great Potential Use Of The Blogging Medium
"The text-based Internet seems to confirm that we will never again attain the vast capacity for memory retention reputed to our ancestors. Taken to an extreme, the Internet can tell you what your own name is if you ever chance to forget it. Yet, there is the very positive side of the Internet acting as an unprecedented repository for the memories and knowledge of generations of mankind."

Who Needs Research for Successful Direct Mail Campaigns? You Do
businessknowhow.com - Testing is deciding how your direct mailings work. Research is deciding how your marketing WILL work. Here's an example of how research can prevent big losses.

9 Unseen Benefits From The New Web 2.0 Marketing Flavor!
sitepronews.com - Did you notice the sweeping changes happening on the online business scene? Web 2.0 Marketing is slowly taking control over the traditional means. It’s growing and Web 2.0 Marketing can’t be ignored anymore.

Click fraud101: the basics of prevention and detection
dmnews.com - Worldwide, advertisers last year spent $15 billion in pay-per-click advertisements. Pay-per-click helps companies of all sizes reach a national audience with a small initial investment. However, click fraud also happens.

What's Your Big Eyed Eel?
ducttapemarketing.com - Big companies thrive on big ideas - or at least they should. Small businesses, the ones that thrive, tap something else all together.

Are You a Referral Wimp?
advisortoday.com - You’ve avoided asking for referrals, for fear that you’ll come across as pushy or desperate—now’s the time to take action.

Strategies: Drawing lessons from Barry Bonds, baseball
usatoday.com - Here are my business lessons from the baseball season of 2007

10 Ways to Survive the Roller Coaster Income of Self-Employment
powerhomebiz.com - Income from a new business often comes in fits and starts, where money is here today and gone tomorrow. Here are strategies you can adopt to handle the fluctuations of self-employment income.

Raising prices, keeping customers
money.cnn.com - Many business owners believe a price increase will drive customers away. But those offering something unique may be surprised by their pricing power.

Building Better Category Pages
clickz.com - There's a section for abandon rates, or where people exited your Web site, in nearly every Web analytics package. Online retailers often believe people abandon their sites on a product level. Yet abandonment typically happens at the category-page level. Why?

Invoice Discounting - Small Business Guide
bytestart.co.uk - Unless you’ve got mortgage-free commercial premises or machinery, the biggest asset in your business is probably its sales ledger. Its value shouldn’t be underestimated. The money your business will bring in each month is actually a tool that can be used to make business life easier.

How To Network Like A Pro Online
forbes.com - Fact is, skill and grit only get you so far. "Networking is not even a question of 'Should I?' It's a lifeblood," says Susan RoAne, author of How to Work a Room. "As an entrepreneur, if you don't have a network, you will keep reinventing the wheel.”

Why Referral Marketing Works
entrepreneur.com - Think cold-calling is the most effective way to snag customers? Try referral marketing and catch a new batch of clients.

Looking for a New Way to Woo Customers? Try Birthday Presents
inc.com - Everyone likes presents on their birthday -- including your customers. Creating a "birthday club" could ensure that you have many happy returning customers.

eBay's PayPal Promises Fix to Shipping Glitch
auctionbytes.com - PayPal said it will soon have a fix to a problem first noted in the AuctionBytes blog on September 8. The PayPal database glitch, according to the company, is limited to a very small number of eBay purchases and is presenting eBay sellers with the wrong shipping information.

eBay Watch: iPhone Widget Updates for Auctioneers
EBay's Seller Experience team announced several improvements to the way vendors list items on the auction site, and just in time for the holiday prep season. Starting with the Sell Your Item (SYI) form, eBay finally recognized that novice sellers can be rather confused by the options, and more experienced sellers just want the basics.

Sharing on a Wi-Fi Network Using Windows Vista
smallbusinesscomputing.com - In Part 1, we covered network connectivity tasks using the new Windows Vista. Today, we'll discuss the differences of sharing from Windows XP. Although setting up shared resources in Vista is similar to what you may be used to in Windows XP, it can be a bit confusing at first. Therefore, I'll show you step-by-step how to perform common network sharing tasks and configurations.

Find Your Marketing Strength Part 1
smallbusinessbrief.com - There are hundreds of different ways to market your business both online and offline. While it's good in the beginning to test out various types of marketing, you'll eventually going to want to focus on how you market best.

5 Mistakes to Avoid When Writing an Online Sales Page
smallbusinessbrief.com - Your sales page is vital to the success of your internet marketing business but how do you get the best results from it and what mistakes should you avoid when writing your sales page?

HP Serves 'Shorty' to Small Business
smallbusinesscomputing.com - The small business market sure is getting some love this week. First Dell announced its more affordable storage solution for smaller businesses, and now HP is getting in the game with a new all-in-one server.

12 Simple Steps Business Owners Can Take to Avoid Burnout
sitepronews.com - Many people experience burnout at some point in their lives. Business owners and the self-employed are even more likely to fall prey to burnout because the buck stops with them. If you feel as if you’re starting to burn out here are some things you can do to avoid it.

How To Make Web-Advertising Worth Watching
sitepronews.com -Businesses that want to succeed on the Web must learn how to turn their commercial message into content as a seamless entertaining presentation.

Sweet Desktop Deals
pcmag.com - If you're willing to pay a bit more than bargain-basement prices, you can get a PC that will handle multimedia tasks plus a bit of 3D gaming. We have three desktops that are worth that little extra.

Ten Ways to Find Inspiration
advisortoday.com - Your next marketing strategy should be a creative team effort from start to finish.

Entrepreneurship: Direct Mail Isn't Dead Yet
fastcompany.com - A new service called Leadstash is boasting that it can make professional-quality direct mail campaigns that are financially feasible for even the smallest of small businesses.

Getting Effective Publicity for Less
wsj.com - My wife has done a wonderful job marketing her business in the Midwest and now travels to multiple trade shows per year. Recently, we were told we need a publicist. Are there less expensive ways to spread the word or is a publicist the way to go?

There's No Excuse for Trust Abuse
clickz.com - If recipients don't trust you as an e-mail sender, they'll be more likely to report you as a spammer to their ISP. If the ISPs get enough complaints, they'll either block your e-mail or route it to the bulk folder instead of the inbox. That damages your reputation and hurts your ability to get e-mail delivered correctly.

Online Advertising Outdoes Other Mediums
internetnews.com - Even amid rising concerns over near-term economic growth and consumer spending, Internet display advertising expenditures from January to June this year grew to $5.6 million, up 17.7 percent from the same period a year ago, according to a report from TNS Media Intelligence.

eBay Says Seller Changes Are Coming this Fall
auctionbytes.com - eBay posted an announcement to sellers stating that, with all the work being done to make eBay a better place for buyers, there is a lot of "great new stuff" for sellers as well.

The warning signs your business plan is unrealistic
bytestart.co.uk - As you start up your business, the need for a well thought through business plan is clear.

Make The Clothes, Outsource The Retailing
forbes.com - When brothers Shep and Ian Murray decided to expand distribution of their preppy, nautical-themed apparel, they didn't know the first thing about running a retail store. That's why they let their competitors do it for them--and have been making decent waves ever since.

Turning to Plan B
entrepreneur.com - Sometimes even the best business ideas need some adjustments--or a complete overhaul.

How to Hire an Ad Agency
businessweek.com - Our columnist offers 10 guiding principles to consider the next time you're looking for an advertising agency.

eBiz News: Lacking Content Means Losing Sales
ecommerce-guide.com - This week in e-commerce news, ShopLocal.com introduces community features, research emphasizes the important role quality marketing copy plays in purchasing decisions and NetSuite launches a program for service-based e-tailers. Plus, former foes ChannelAdvisor and Marketworks join forces and osCommerce makes its debut in the book-publishing world.

Seagate Says: OneTouch 4 Offers More Than Gigabytes
smallbusinesscomputing.com - Seagate, owners of Maxtor brand external storage drives, recently released the next generation of the OneTouch family. And while previous iterations offered vast capacities and simplified data backup capabilities, Seagate says this round of drives does more to protect your data.

Using Ads Metrics To Boost Your Site's Ratings
smallbusinessbrief.com - The idea of using ads metrics to boost your site's ratings is nothing new, as this is the very reason that ads metrics were designed and put into use. Studying web analytics software and ads metrics can help the user understand what is bringing visitors to his site and how to improve their existing sites exposure and ability to attract visitors.

Your eBay Lifeblood: Customer Service
smallbusinessbrief.com - So, you've put up your eBay listings and now it's time to sit back and let the cash flow grow. Sorry, being a successful seller on eBay isn't that easy. Selling merchandise on eBay is a business. While your choice of product is fundamental to the success of that business, customer service can be the make or break factor. eBay is an open, easily accessed community based website, sellers who don't attend to their customer base may find that they quickly no longer have a customer base.

Call-Killing Phrases
smallbusinessbrief.com - How often have you started a call to a friend, family member or business associate with the phrase, "How are you?" I'm willing to bet the answer is a lot. I know I say it frequently. It's commonly used as a greeting, as a "hello."

Online Tools Give Home-Based Firms Office-Style Services
wsj.com - Last year, Dave Novak sold $1.2 million of luxury steam-shower and bath equipment, importing wares from China and reselling systems for $2,500 to $4,000 apiece under his own brands, like American Steam and Rockstar. And he did it from his 20-month-old son's bedroom in Fort Wayne, Ind.

Passion to be the best leads to success in life, work
bizjournals.com - It all boils down to the same thing: A business either sells products and services or both, with an outside sales force or an inside sales force.

Entrepreneurial Quotes To Inspire and Inform You
smallbiztrends.com - Going to a good conference can inspire and re-energize you. That’s the way I feel after returning from the recent Inc 500 conference. I’d like to share some notable quotes and “sound bites” on the topic of customers, employees, operations and competition, that I heard from speakers and attendees at the conference. Perhaps these quotes will inspire and energize you, too.

Trade PPC Management Frustration for Automation
ecommerce-guide.com - Managing a successful pay-per-click campaign takes a lot of time, you have to crunch numbers to be sure you're not overpaying and continually adjust keyword bidding. If you don't, you can wind up losing money, and yet for most small online business owners, it's difficult to devote enough hours to the task. Hiring someone to do it for you can be costly and means you may have less control over your marketing efforts. For those e-tailers who need a solution to this problem, SEM-in-a-Box Basic from Adapt Technologies, Inc. is worth considering.

Dell Throws Small Business a Storage Line
smallbusinesscomputing.com - Saying that the small to medium-sized business market has been "underserved," Dell today introduced a new storage system especially for the sector.

Factoring - Small Business Guide
bytestart.co.uk - The lifeblood of any business is cash. You need a good cash flow to keep your business viable. In some ways it’s more important than turning a profit – it’s not unheard of for profitable businesses to go under, just because they ran out of cash.

How Can I Find a Manufacturer?
entrepreneur.com - Finding the right manufacturer isn't a one-step process. Instead, networking in your industry will help you find the best fit.

Explaining What You Sell
businessweek.com - The products you sell or the company you represent may not be familiar to a prospective client. Consider these tips on how to get your message across

All in the Family Business
smallbusinesscomputing.com - Plenty of variables affect how, when and why family-owned small businesses invest in technology. However a survey commissioned by Microsoft and conducted by KRC Research shows that in family businesses with multiple generations, age and attitude toward technology are the main points of friction.

How to Sell Your Invention
businessweek.com - Deciding how to bring your revolutionary new product to market is a challenge. Here are some basics to set you on the right road.

5 Warning Signs of a Scam Business
smallbusinessbrief.com - For years now the rush has been on to mine the Internet and find "gold." Just like miners in the old U.S. west, people flock to the Web hoping to strike it rich. Is it possible? Sure it is! However, those miners of old had to watch out for "fool's gold." You -in the days of the Internet - have to watch out for scam businesses.

Are You Chasing Away Your Visitors?
smallbusinessbrief.com - To keep your visitors coming back, the main goals of your website are for visitor participation and benefits. Provide an interesting, beneficial and useful website and they will come back! If your site is annoying you can be sure they will find another site to visit, never to come back to yours.

Don't Write That Proposal Until You Ask The 'Magic Question"
smallbusinessbrief.com - Have you ever had a potential client ask you to write a proposal or give a presentation only to respond with "Thank you for doing this and we'll get back to you at some time in the future if we decide to do something"? All that wasted time for nothing.

Tightrope: Optimism needs to be coupled with action
usatoday.com - It is not easy to remain upbeat and optimistic when you are under pressure. Generally when we are under pressure we lose confidence and have periodic bouts of doubt in both ourselves and our endeavors. A good, workable marketing plan will become a map toward increased business. It will put your mind at ease and afford you the luxury to actually enjoy an optimistic attitude.

It's Greek to Me: Behavioral Targeting the Ancient Way
clickz.com - With both advertising and the oracle, success lies in the message. The Pythia would provide cryptic messages from which seekers draw their own conclusions. If you asked, "Which path should I take?" the reply would be something like, "You will take the path that is open." In this manner, the Pythia was never wrong and seekers would feel the message was tailored specifically for them.

Banner Advertising - The Importance Of Ad Placement In Increasing Web Site Traffic
smallbusinessbrief.com - Increasing web site traffic can be done effectively and somewhat inexpensively through online marketing methods like banner advertising. The key to successful banner advertising is to learn and understand the most effective methods and track what produces the best results and directs the most useful web site traffic to your web site.

Business Proposal Follow-Up Tips
morebusiness.com - A business proposal is one of the most effective ways of communicating with your clients and informing them about the various services you can provide to help them with their business needs. Your business proposal demonstrates your abilities, expertise, and the level of service clients can expect when dealing with you.

6 Ways to Convey Quality
entrepreneur.com - It's not enough to say you have a quality product. Gain your customers' trust by upholding high standards.

Studying Your Competitors
inc.com - Looking for new ideas to keep your store fresh and dynamic? Time to go shopping.

Make Some Noise
businessweek.com - How web 2.0 tools can help you communicate with customers more effectively.

Small Business Banking - The Basics
bytestart.co.uk - Whether you are just starting out, or have been trading for years, every business needs good business banking. This article looks at some of the key things you should look out for when choosing a business bank account, based on the experiences of the Bytestart team. You can also read more detailed tips on how to choose a small business bank account.

25 Metrics to Prove Marketing Drives Sales
marketingprofs.com - Driving sales is what B2B marketing is all about. Although the precise roles and responsibilities of Marketing may differ from company to company, your marching orders are the same: Help Sales produce more with less.

The Basics of Web Site Navigation
allbusiness.com - Your Web site is simply a means of providing access to information. As such, the single most important aspect of any site is its navigation. Bad navigation leaves the user confused, stranded, and frustrated. And in the long run that leaves your site with less repeat traffic.

Six Essentials for Networking
businessknowhow.com - Networking is about creating an extended family. It's about developing connections, caring about people, increasing the size of your "tribe." Most of all, networking is not the awkward social ritual many of us think it is--networking is actually FUN!

Twenty Ways to Motivate Yourself
nfib.com - You've probably learned how to motivate your small-business employees and other people in your work and personal life. But sometimes, the one who may need the most motivation is you.

Why So Many Want to Create Facebook Applications
wsj.com - Another online gold rush is on. Entrepreneurs are scrambling to create small software programs for Facebook Inc.'s social-networking site and grab footholds in its emerging economy.

Why Self Employment?
powerhomebiz.com - Self-employed people are working longer hours and weeks than ever in their own business. The difference is they are doing work they truly enjoy, and are getting paid for it!

The iPhone Reaches Out to the PC
smallbusinesscomputing.com - Is the iPhone a serious device for business? Apple isn't marketing it that way, but a growing chorus of companies is working to make the device more appealing to business people. The latest is WebEx.

Create Winning eBay Auction Titles
smallbusinessbrief.com - It’s probably fair to say that one of the key reasons why many auctions end unsuccessfully on eBay is because people have got their auction title WRONG.

How To Create Offers People Act On
smallbusinessbrief.com - A marketing issue that baffles and frustrates many small business owners is when they make an offer to sample a product or service they sell and there are no takers.

Small Biz Talks Big
pcmag.com - These PBX appliances link external phone service with your data network, making your small business look like a Fortune 500 operation.

Street Smarts: Free At Last
inc.com - There's nothing like getting rid of those personal guarantees.

Improve Web Site Functionality with Cascading Style Sheets
allbusiness.com - As the Web becomes increasingly complex, basic HTML is mostly used as a text formatting tool. Now a far more elegant, flexible, and attractive Web-building language has begun to assert itself. It's called Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), and, although it may take you a while to learn, its advantages are numerous.

Your core values, your vision, your mission statement - needs to put a huge emphasis on the customer
businesstoolchest.com - Your core values, your vision, your mission statement - whatever it is that is at the heart of your company - needs to put a huge emphasis on the customer.

Forum Discussions and Getting Traffic for Your Business
devshed.com - Participating in discussion forums can mean profit for your business.How so? Any business with a website aims for traffic. The more people visit your business website the more chances you have of making more sales and acquiring new customers. Granted, not everyone who visits your website will make a purchase. But it’s not just about making a sale. Name recognition is just as important for a business.

Hire My Mom
entrepreneur.com - Learn more about a resource that brings together businesses and qualified mom professionals wanting to work from home.

From Home Kitchen to Whole Foods
businessweek.com - BusinessWeek chats with two young entrepreneurs who aim to 'Feed' the masses quality organic granola.

How to Find Balance In Your Work At Home Career And Your Personal Life
smallbusinessbrief.com - Work at home moms face challenges that are very unique. The decision to work outside the home or stay with your children is difficult, with each option having advantages and disadvantages.

Segmenting and Targeting to Improve the Bottom Line
clickz.com - It's rare to encounter people completely happy with their e-mail marketing results. Many marketers hope to get more from their e-mail marketing program, but they have a problem. Some have so many different goals for each send, that no e-mail, no matter how great, can ever accomplish them all.

Exchanging Services for Advertising
ducttapemarketing.com - Large advertisers have been doing it for years - buy our product and get a free t-shirt to wear around and help spread the word about our company. I love this type of grass roots promotion and I think small businesses underestimate how a well run promotion involving every customer can turn into a flood of buzz and referrals.

Ask an Expert: 100% financing is 100% trouble for a start-up
usatoday.com - David my friend, you are about to make the No 1 mistake someone can make when starting a new business. No, not the No. 2 mistake, or even the No 3 mistake. We are talking about the granddaddy of mistakes, the big enchilada, el Numero Uno.

Drawbacks of a Home Business
powerhomebiz.com - While a home business can give you the flexibility and income you want, it also presents obstacles. Here are the five top drawbacks of a home business operation.

New Business Ideas: Food On The Go
smallbiztrends.com - Smart entrepreneurs around the world have come up with unique solutions for busy consumers who want to spend as little time as possible on food and beverages, leaving them with more time for their other activities.

Networking workshops for small businesses
bytestart.co.uk - With more than 60% of small business owners finding networking events an important way to build up useful contacts for their business, Barclays has announced a series of networking workships to help business owners increase their profits and improve their marketing. The workshops run during September and November across the UK.

Fashionistas Showcase and Sell at Social Shopping Site
ecommerce-guide.com - Independent designers and fashionistas who want to capitalize on social commerce and are looking for an easy way to increase their online sales now have a new option: OURthreads.com. Launched today, the community site lets members buy, sell or trade items from their customized virtual closets.

HP Offers Notebooks and Expands Total Care Services
smallbusinesscomputing.com - The folks at HP have certainly been busy what with recently announcing new iPAQS and printers, but they're still not finished. The latest news concerns notebooks aimed at the small business market, new small business training resources and additions to its Total Care services.