“If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.” - Milton Berle
http://socl.tk/AZ
Be different, remember the guy in all blue at the Heat vs. Spurs game, everyone else had on white, he stood out. Be creative and stand out.
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Monday, July 29, 2013
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Saturday, July 27, 2013
Friday, July 26, 2013
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Monday, July 22, 2013
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Saturday, July 20, 2013
Friday, July 19, 2013
Thursday, July 18, 2013
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Getting the Right Landmarks on Your Success Roadmap
Picture this: you’re heading off on a road trip to exciting – but unfamiliar – territory. Do you just set off on the open road and hope you eventually somehow reach your destination?�
While some adventurers might take this approach, most people start out a journey with a roadmap, complete with landmarks that help them identify they’re on the right track, whether it be roadside attractions or cities that are along the way from Point A to Point B. �
The same principle applies in life – and especially in sales, where success is determined by our ability to bring together skills, business processes, resources, and natural talents in order to help customers and contacts buy into our vision of value within whatever product or service we’re selling. �
Here are some benchmarking landmarks to include on your roadmap to the destination of success:
- The essentials – Your trip won’t go too far if you don’t include some gas stations and pit stops along the path, right? Similarly, it’s critical to focus on the essentials from the get-go. These would include any metrics and benchmarks that are reasonable to expect when looking at one’s skills and effectiveness. While the specifics will vary by industry and objective, they generally will include a strategy for growth, basic sales processes and systems, personal competencies, management practices, and skills development.
- Goals and objectives – If you think you’re driving to California and your passenger thinks you’re off to Calgary, there’s a problem. Sharing common goals and objectives helps everyone involved understand how to get to your overarching organizational vision. These goals and objectives should be specific and measurable, with intermediary expectations set along the way (i.e. quarterly performance goals of a certain dollar amount or number of sales conversions that will show progress toward the annual goal).
- Values and principles – What’s the purpose behind your journey? Undertaking a long trip to see a close friend or ailing relative will drive you with more meaning than traveling for an obligatory appointment. Likewise, these values and principles breathe life and heart into your sales journey. How do the two differ? Values are broad fundamental beliefs– things like acting with integrity, exceeding expectations, or serving the community. Principles are more a part of the everyday tactical business execution, like nurturing client relationships, knowing the competition, or proactively managing risks and promoting awards.
- Reward systems – Remember asking “are we there yet?!” on childhood road trips? The promise of a cookie or some other tangible reward at the next gas station can work wonders for encouraging patient behavior for a child. The same idea applies to adults in a sales environment. Acknowledgement for reaching a certain goal, exceeding performance expectations, or winning a competition gives team members an added boost that helps them drive on in their sales efforts. The best rewards are those that are outlined in advance, giving all team members something to work toward, and align closely with your overall business strategy.
�
Happy travels along your sales journey!�Learn more at www.yungentrepreneur.blogspot.com
http://socl.tk/AZ
Monday, July 15, 2013
Sunday, July 14, 2013
Saturday, July 13, 2013
Friday, July 12, 2013
Thursday, July 11, 2013
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
The Art of Creating Demand
How many times have you watched a late-night infomercial and had your initial skepticism turn into a desire to pick up the phone and call now? More often than not, demand is not sitting around, waiting for a supply to fill it – rather, demand is manufactured when a supply of a new product or service is created, and consumers are taught why they need this new thing. As sales pro Alen Majer put it, “There is no demand. Both the demand and the goods have to be manufactured. The public has always held fast to its old-fashioned discomforts, until the salesperson persuaded it to let go.”�
So how does a sales professional generate demand to accompany a new commodity? Here are some tips for interesting and convincing the public that your service or product is a must-have:�
- Know your customers – It’s vital to know your customers more than they know themselves – what drives them to action, what their needs are, what opportunities and threats they face. Remember that pain points often move people to action more than benefits, so be sure to articulate how your solution will alleviate a thorn in their side. This is especially true with new products, since their benefits may not be obvious to the customer (even though they are to you).
- Look through your customer’s eyes – Closely related to the previous point, it’s important to go one step further and think of what results your customer’s looking to achieve. How will your solution help them progress from Point A to Point B? Why would they use your field’s solution in the first place? Never assume that this is obvious – the real answer often goes beyond what’s on the surface.
- Create value by focusing on results – When you understand what it is your customer seeks, you can then speak to that end goal by explaining to them your unique value proposition – why it is that your commodity will help them achieve their goals, not only in the generic industry sense but also in the brand-specific sense. Focus on any indicators or symptoms that show there’s a problem needing your solution. Often it’s those symptoms that your customer will notice more than the root issue.
- Begin sales conversions from the customer perspective – Remember the power of WIIFM: “What’s in it for me?” Lead with your customer’s problems, helping them understand what the problems are, what causes them, and then what consequences they’ll face if the problems go unsolved. When this is clear, then there’s no need to sell the benefits of your product or service – they’ll be obvious.
- Make your value concrete – Find a way to attach some sort of measurable benefit to your solution, whether it be a monetized value or a specific amount of time you’ll save your customer. Make clear the costs of changing as well as the costs of not changing – that provides a tangible perspective that will often motivate a customer to action. There’s a big difference between “This will save you time and money” and “Our customers finish the task 30% more quickly than with other solutions, reducing expenses by $3 million annually.”
Create a demand for you products and services here http://www.vitelmoney.com
http://socl.tk/AZ
The Art of Creating Demand
How many times have you watched a late-night infomercial and had your initial skepticism turn into a desire to pick up the phone and call now? More often than not, demand is not sitting around, waiting for a supply to fill it – rather, demand is manufactured when a supply of a new product or service is created, and consumers are taught why they need this new thing. As sales pro Alen Majer put it, “There is no demand. Both the demand and the goods have to be manufactured. The public has always held fast to its old-fashioned discomforts, until the salesperson persuaded it to let go.”�
So how does a sales professional generate demand to accompany a new commodity? Here are some tips for interesting and convincing the public that your service or product is a must-have:�
- Know your customers – It’s vital to know your customers more than they know themselves – what drives them to action, what their needs are, what opportunities and threats they face. Remember that pain points often move people to action more than benefits, so be sure to articulate how your solution will alleviate a thorn in their side. This is especially true with new products, since their benefits may not be obvious to the customer (even though they are to you).
- Look through your customer’s eyes – Closely related to the previous point, it’s important to go one step further and think of what results your customer’s looking to achieve. How will your solution help them progress from Point A to Point B? Why would they use your field’s solution in the first place? Never assume that this is obvious – the real answer often goes beyond what’s on the surface.
- Create value by focusing on results – When you understand what it is your customer seeks, you can then speak to that end goal by explaining to them your unique value proposition – why it is that your commodity will help them achieve their goals, not only in the generic industry sense but also in the brand-specific sense. Focus on any indicators or symptoms that show there’s a problem needing your solution. Often it’s those symptoms that your customer will notice more than the root issue.
- Begin sales conversions from the customer perspective – Remember the power of WIIFM: “What’s in it for me?” Lead with your customer’s problems, helping them understand what the problems are, what causes them, and then what consequences they’ll face if the problems go unsolved. When this is clear, then there’s no need to sell the benefits of your product or service – they’ll be obvious.
- Make your value concrete – Find a way to attach some sort of measurable benefit to your solution, whether it be a monetized value or a specific amount of time you’ll save your customer. Make clear the costs of changing as well as the costs of not changing – that provides a tangible perspective that will often motivate a customer to action. There’s a big difference between “This will save you time and money” and “Our customers finish the task 30% more quickly than with other solutions, reducing expenses by $3 million annually.”
Create a demand for you products and services here http://www.vitelmoney.com
http://socl.tk/AZ
The Scoop on Facebook Timelines
A lot of buzz has been generated in the social media sphere by Facebook’s announcement of its reimagined personal profiles: the Facebook Timeline. Facebook is touting Timeline as a way for its users to “tell your life story with a new kind of profile.”� It allows users to take the content they’ve added into Facebook over the years and present it in a highly personalized format, creating a mini-autobiography of sorts within the social networking sphere.�
Facebook Timelines sport a look that’s less social media and more scrapbook sentimentality, Facebook product chief Sam Lessin told VentureBeat.�
“We’d get out a big box of old pictures, flip through the photos and talk about them,” Lessin said. “We were watching test users reminisce over these things, and we tried to design with that in mind and create that experience.”�
The effort paid off. VentureBeat writer Jolie O’Dell summed up her first taste of Timeline thusly:�
Years-old memories flashed before me — old friends, old places, things I hadn’t thought about in ages. I got sucked back into the past the same way I would have in front of my mother’s old cedar chest, a trunk packed full of childhood tchotckes and pictures that holds our family’s history.�
This innocuous social web tool had just made a powerful and convincing bid for more than my information or my time. Facebook was grasping at my emotions by way of my memories, and it was doing a damn good job.�
With Timeline, Facebook is succeeding where so many other web companies have failed: It has created a technology with real emotional power.�
So what goes into the Timeline? Here’s an overview:
- Your Cover – Facebook Timelines are heavily visual, and that includes a dominant opening image. “Fill this wide, open space with a unique image that represents you best,” advises the Timeline About Page. “It’s the first thing people see when they visit your timeline.” The cover image does not replace the profile picture – rather, the profile picture sits in as a thumbnail in the foreground at the bottom of the cover image, tying together the concept that this image says something about the person in that profile pic.
- Your Stories – The next element down on the timeline is a place to “share and highlight your most memorable posts, photos, and life events,” the About page reads. “This is where you can tell your story from beginning, to middle, to now.” Users have the option to place a star by their favorite moments to make them widescreen. They also have the option to remove the ones they’d prefer to hide. Components in this section include friends, photos, places, likes, and wall posts.
- Your Apps – This section gets interactive, tying together the various platforms and technologies people use elsewhere online into one information-sharing zone. As the website describes it, “The movies you quote. The songs you have on repeat. The activities you love. Now there’s a new class of social apps that let you express who you are through all the things you do.” What’s included is up to the user’s preferences, but options include music via Spotify that friends can actually play, lists of books recently read via bookshelf apps like Kobo, movies watched on Netflix or Hulu, or runs made using Nike+ GPS.
To learn how to use facebook as a cash cow visit here http://www.vitelmoney.com
�
http://socl.tk/AZ
Making time for the ideal sales week
If you were to outline the ideal sales week, what would it look like? That’s a question S. Anthony Iannarino, president and chief sales officer of Solutions Staffing, tackled on his sales blog, and his insights were wonderful. Iannarino’s suggestions all center around the idea of blocking out time for the various activities that makes for sales success. When you work these activities into your week is up to your priorities and unique business model, but the ideas apply universally.�
Here are eight activities to make time for in your ideal sales week, in order of priority:
- Prospecting – Opening relationships that open opportunities is the most important activity a salesperson can undertake. Consequently, it deserves a high priority and requires proactive planning and scheduling. Where will you turn to meet prospects? Be sure to go beyond the obvious, easy sources. Know your target audience and then think of where they would congregate – both online and in person.
- Face-to-Face Sales Calls – There is no substituting good old-fashioned face time, especially when it comes to developing a clientele. In-person interaction provides the greatest opportunity for value creation and advancing your sales opportunity. “The quality of your results is the quality of your calendar as it pertains to appointments with your dream clients and clients,” Iannarino said. Start scheduling these meetings in advance, and keep at least a few scheduled a week or two out at a time.
- Nurturing Activity – “The best opportunities for producing killer sales results lie with your coldest non-opportunities, your dream clients who are presently using a competitor,” Iannarino said. Place your focus on a dream client whose business would put you to the top of the leader board.
- Sales Call Preparation – Sales calls are not a time to “wing it” or play things by ear! Do your homework first, researching the client’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. What can you offer to them that will solve their problems? Remember, focusing on benefits is far more effective than drilling into your product’s features. Make solving their pain points your top pitch.
- Follow-up Activities – The trust that underlies all relationships (especially in business) is built on a foundation of commitments kept. Even the most effective sales calls may fall flat with results if no follow-up work is done, so be sure to do what you say you’ll do, from emailing along an article that would be a value-add for your client to checking the stock of their favorite product. As you’re drumming up new business, don’t neglect to reach out to current clients and contacts with phone calls or thank-you cards.
- Voicemail and Email Responses – In today’s always-connected communications climate, responding to emails and voicemails can be a never-ending task. Iannarino suggests blocking out a couple of set times (i.e. 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.) to respond to incoming communications, rather than breaking to do so constantly throughout the day.
- Update Sales Force Automation – Customer relationship management is critical, and a number of automation software options can make it a breeze – as long as you use it. Don’t let too much time pass between updates, or else important information can fall through the cracks. “The best time to do this is with the last half hour of the day, while the conversations and ideas are fresh in your mind,” Iannarino said. He recommends spending a half hour each day to input notes from sales calls, new contact information, action items, and pipeline progress.
- Personal Improvement – Of all the investments you can make, investing time in yourself pays off the most long-lasting dividends. Make an effort to always be honing your abilities and advancing education, whether it be listening to an audiobook while driving between sales calls or reading a chapter a night of a book that will help your professional development. Remember to expand beyond “sales” titles, too. That professional development can come most effectively in strengthening people skills, not just sales techniques.
To learn more about effective selling techniques visit http://www,vitelmoney.com
http://socl.tk/AZ
Monday, July 8, 2013
Blogging to Opportunities
In today’s world of social media, it seems like everyone and their dog has a blog. (No, really – I’ve seen “dog blogs”!) However, blogging can and should be valued as a platform for differentiating yourself from peers and competitors. Not only is it a space to opine, but it’s also a way to find and create opportunities you never knew existed. Here are a few ways that blogging could lead you to bigger and better things:�
- Build a personal brand – A blog provides a platform in which you can share your personal passion and expertise, whether that be related to your profession or not. Some hobby bloggers have gained such followings that they’ve made blogging a lucrative full-time gig, like Ree Drummond, aka The Pioneer Woman. Ree’s quirky personality and killer recipes made so many fans that she’s gained sponsors, national exposure on morning shows, and even her own series on The Food Network, not to mention publishing a cookbook. Her success is one in a million, but it showcases how much people connect with passion and stories, no matter in what specific area. If you’re an avid golfer, tell some of the experience that stand out from your time on the course. Draw analogies between your golf game and business or life in general. Help your personality shine through. Many bloggers have made their way to the corporate speaking circuit or the realm of consulting.
- Increase your network – One of the interesting dynamics of today’s online world is that perfect strangers can find one another by connecting over content, whether it be vigilance over car-seat safety or a shared interest in bird-watching. Place relevant, engaging content in the blogosphere, and then take the time to find bloggers with a shared passion. If you comment on their blogs and engage in a conversation – not merely trying to direct traffic to your own blog – then you will be able to find like-minded online friends. Increased connections up your chances of professional opportunities, either from focusing your blogging energy on a professionally relevant issue or by making new friends who might know someone with the ability to get you to the job you need.
- Keep current on what’s hot (or not) – Blogging can be a great way to learn what connects with people. See what people are talking about in the blogosphere, and notice what posts you write draw the most comments and debate. Don’t shy away from being a little controversial. Don’t purposefully incite a fight, either – but if you have strong opinions on a particular subject, be bold in stating them. Listen openly to those who counter, and respond thoughtfully. Not only will everyone benefit from a reasoned discussion, but it will also help frame you as an individual who is willing to take a stand.
If you think blogging daily can be lucrative, try another form http://www.vitelmoney.com�
http://socl.tk/AZ
Sunday, July 7, 2013
Saturday, July 6, 2013
Friday, July 5, 2013
Thursday, July 4, 2013
What Does Your Business Card Say About You?
A business card might only be a few inches of cardstock, but that small piece of ink and paper plays a critical role in business networking. It’s this card that you leave behind to remind someone that they met you and that you are someone worthy of their time and connection – but it’s also small enough to fit in one’s palm, meaning you’re pretty limited by space with what you can say.�
How do you develop a catchy business card that sums up the essence of YOU? Here are some ways to make an impression with the right information:
- Less is more – Intrigue is everything, according to message expert Laura Allen of thepitchgirl.com. “My basic rule of thumb is, ‘clear and concise equals cash; vague and verbose equals trash,’” Allen said.
- Be catchy – Coming up with a compelling catchphrase is the best way to make an impact that will draw the receiver in. “If I meet 40 people at a conference, I don’t have time to go back and look at their resumes,” she said. “But if somebody gives me their business card and the front of it says, ‘closed a $5.5 million deal from a cold call,’ … that’s something worth following through on.”
- Be concise – While you should have a good message, make sure to keep it short. “It’s all about filtering down to the most important point,” Allen said. “You take the 15-second pitch — four sentences — and make that even smaller.”
- Looks are everything – Remember, business cards are visual – much more so than a resume of LinkedIn profile. Therefore, rules of good design apply: using graphics to tell a story, paying attention to color theory (particularly the emotional responses attached to the hues you choose), and embracing white space as your friend. The most successful advertising campaigns often include iconography. You don’t necessarily need a logo on par with Volkswagen or Pepsi to make an impact, but do try to determine a visual brand that ties in with what you’d like to be known for the most.
- Go pro – Just as design matters, production is important for a quality business card. Don’t buy a packet of cardstock and print these off at home! There are countless design and printing vendors online who can create professional business cards for a great price. Start with a small quantity at first – this will allow you to adapt your card as you feel out how effective the first model is.
�
Take time to look at the business cards you’ve received. Which do you like? What is it about these cards that speaks to you? Spending time to deconstruct what people have done well (or not) in the past will help you create a winning business card that leaves the right impression with those you come across while you network your way to success.
http://socl.tk/AZ
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Shake up the grocery shopping routine
Tired of the same old, same old? Here are some out-of-the-box eats to incorporate into your diet, along with some stand-bys with benefits just too good to ignore:�
WATERMELON – If you need an excuse to load up on this summer favorite, here’s one: watermelon contains lots of nutrients and cancer-fighting antioxidants like lycopene and vitamin C. As if that wasn’t enough, it’s 92 percent water, meaning it will full you up with minimal calories.�
JICAMA – While this Mexican turnip may look like a fuzzy brown lump, beneath the surface is a fiber-packed snack that can work wonders for weight loss. With a high fiber-to-sugar ration and plenty of potassium (which the body requires for maintaining its water balance) – not to mention a delicious, light taste and crispy crunch – jicama is a winning snack to work into your diet. �
NUTS – There are few foods smarter than nuts. Not only are nuts like almonds and pistachios packed with monounsaturated fatty acids, which help you control your appetite while lowering your risk of heart disease and diabetes, but they also contain protein that will keep you full AND increase your calorie burning potential for up to three and a haf hours. Other nut benefits include increased vitamin E levels along with improved memory and performance. Not all nuts are created equal, so be sure to check out what’s best for your goals. �
PURPLE CARROTS – If you think regular ol’ carrots are a healthy eat, just wait until you try their purple cousins! In addition to the beneficial phytochemicals contained in the orange variety, purple carrots contain anthocyanins, powerful antioxidants with anti-aging properties.�
MANGOES – These delicious fruits hold a number of benefits in their juicy orange flesh. Sweet enough to curb sugar cravings, mangos are also high in fiber, iron, magnesium and antioxidants. They also aid in digestion, so make sure you opt for the fruit over just the juice.�
EGGS – The incredible, edible egg is making a comeback among fitness circles. Several studies have shown that egg protein outperforms other proteins in boosting muscle strength and development, thanks to its high concentration of the amino acid leucine. Egg protein also helps curb hunger over a sustained period of time while providing plenty of energy. �
MULBERRIES – Change up the summer berry routine with this power-packed fruit. Like most berries, mulberries are low in calories, but these winners also contain plenty of vitamin C, potassium, fiber, and the phytonutrient resveratrol, which has been shown to protect the heart. �
WHOLE GRAINS – While whole grains aren’t news, this research is: after analyzing the diets of more than 27,000 people across an eight-year span, Harvard University researchers found that those who ate whole grains daily weighed an average of 2.5 lbs less than those who ate only refined-grain foods. Researchers at Penn State University additionally found that those who ate whole grains lost 2.4 times more belly fat than their refined-grain-eating counterparts. This makes sense when considering how whole grains favorably affect blood-glucose levels, keeping your body from blood sugar spikes. Whole grains’ antioxidants help control inflammation and insulin (which the body uses to store belly fat).
http://socl.tk/AZ
Learning from Successful Social Media Strategists
Business-to-consumer communication has been revolutionized with the advent of social media in the last decade. With nearly 80 percent of corporations now incorporating social media into their marketing and communication mix, the role of a social strategist is becoming more and more standard as a needed and respected part of the team. Mashable recently published an awesome infographic about what it takes to be a social strategist. Even if you have no desire to make social media your 9-to-5, what are some things you can learn from the social media managers and other social media professionals surveyed?�
The characteristics identified as making these strategists successful at their jobs were, in order:
- “I’m multi-disciplinary and can wear many hats.” (58%)
- “I’m willing to take risks.” (46%)
- “I can rally different stakeholders across the organization.” (45%)
- “I can effectively lead a multi-faceted, cross-departmental effort.” (38%)
- “I have experience in social media.” (37%)
- “I have a long-term customer-centric vision for the program.” (24%)
- “I can communicate the ROI to executive leadership.” (16%)
- “I have been working at my company many years.” (13%)
�
What stands out in these numbers to me is that the key to success for these strategists has less to do with ROI or long-term plans and more to do with the ability to innovate – whether that be juggling disparate responsibilities and trying new things without the fear of failure.�
I’m convinced that the connection between the two isn’t coincidental, either. Those who are able to take on a myriad of responsibilities – from creating content to coming up with strategies, analyzing metrics and adapting accordingly, spearheading campaigns, and evangelizing social media to stakeholders – are likely to manage participation in a myriad of media as well. They know how to work with varied audiences through varied channels, connecting consumers with companies adeptly, and they also know how to translate the benefits of social media into terms executives can appreciate and get behind, regardless of the executives’ familiarity with social media themselves.�
Proactive social media professionals are those who are able to change and evolve along with the new shifts that come in technology. They are the ones who remain on the bleeding edge of new technologies, adopting them early and then advocating experimentation with them. These forward thinkers use the new media intuitively and find ways to extract the maximum ROI from the tools (remembering that ROI in social media is less about sales conversions and more about building relationships and brand loyalty).�
Likewise, to get the most out of social media, businesses need to be willing to try new things – and to try lots of different things as well. The benefit of social media is that most of the tools are free. Not having to invest much overhead to dabble in different platforms leaves businesses wide open to experiment with new initiatives and see what resonates with their customers. Be willing to adapt to and adopt new technologies and integrate them into different parts of the business cycle – from marketing and sales to customer service – and you’ll be sure to find what works best for your particular business niche.
http://socl.tk/AZ
Learning from Successful Social Media Strategists
Business-to-consumer communication has been revolutionized with the advent of social media in the last decade. With nearly 80 percent of corporations now incorporating social media into their marketing and communication mix, the role of a social strategist is becoming more and more standard as a needed and respected part of the team. Mashable recently published an awesome infographic about what it takes to be a social strategist. Even if you have no desire to make social media your 9-to-5, what are some things you can learn from the social media managers and other social media professionals surveyed?�
The characteristics identified as making these strategists successful at their jobs were, in order:
- “I’m multi-disciplinary and can wear many hats.” (58%)
- “I’m willing to take risks.” (46%)
- “I can rally different stakeholders across the organization.” (45%)
- “I can effectively lead a multi-faceted, cross-departmental effort.” (38%)
- “I have experience in social media.” (37%)
- “I have a long-term customer-centric vision for the program.” (24%)
- “I can communicate the ROI to executive leadership.” (16%)
- “I have been working at my company many years.” (13%)
�
What stands out in these numbers to me is that the key to success for these strategists has less to do with ROI or long-term plans and more to do with the ability to innovate – whether that be juggling disparate responsibilities and trying new things without the fear of failure.�
I’m convinced that the connection between the two isn’t coincidental, either. Those who are able to take on a myriad of responsibilities – from creating content to coming up with strategies, analyzing metrics and adapting accordingly, spearheading campaigns, and evangelizing social media to stakeholders – are likely to manage participation in a myriad of media as well. They know how to work with varied audiences through varied channels, connecting consumers with companies adeptly, and they also know how to translate the benefits of social media into terms executives can appreciate and get behind, regardless of the executives’ familiarity with social media themselves.�
Proactive social media professionals are those who are able to change and evolve along with the new shifts that come in technology. They are the ones who remain on the bleeding edge of new technologies, adopting them early and then advocating experimentation with them. These forward thinkers use the new media intuitively and find ways to extract the maximum ROI from the tools (remembering that ROI in social media is less about sales conversions and more about building relationships and brand loyalty).�
Likewise, to get the most out of social media, businesses need to be willing to try new things – and to try lots of different things as well. The benefit of social media is that most of the tools are free. Not having to invest much overhead to dabble in different platforms leaves businesses wide open to experiment with new initiatives and see what resonates with their customers. Be willing to adapt to and adopt new technologies and integrate them into different parts of the business cycle – from marketing and sales to customer service – and you’ll be sure to find what works best for your particular business niche.
http://socl.tk/AZ
Daring to Take the Unclear Path
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference. – Robert Frost�
In her TEDxConcordia 2011 presentation “The Unclear Path,” Tara Hunt discussed the challenges of being an entrepreneur – and the unbreakable spirit entrepreneurs must possess to face and conquer seemingly insurmountable odds.�
According to Hunt, true entrepreneurs are “all in.” It’s less of an employment status and more of a mindset. Entrepreneurs eat, sleep, and breathe their dream. They pour every minute of every day into making their business survive and succeed because if they don’t, they will go “stark raving mad,” as she puts it. �
“I don’t believe that entrepreneurs can be made,” Hunt said. “It’s not something that can be learned. Sure, you can learn how to run a business. You can learn sales. You can learn operations and coding and everything that goes on behind the scenes. But what you cannot learn are those fundamental and innate characteristics that prepare you for the roller coaster of the unclear path.”�
The three fundamental characteristics to which she refers are:
- Delusion – In pursuing her dreams, Hunt said she’s faced years of her parents regarding her with a questioning look of concern because they regard the world so differently. Nevertheless, when Hunt found others – by the hundreds and then thousands – who likewise had different perspectives on the world, she began to soar and to feel comfortable in her own skin. There’s much merit to staying true to your desires, even if you have to face doubts from strangers and loved ones alike.
- Desire to change the status quo – Entrepreneurs dream big dreams, wanting nothing less than to change the world around them, to pioneer a way to make life better. Exactly what the end goal is may shift along the journey, according to a study by INC Magazine. This inevitably leads to unpredictable outcomes, the natural consequence of pioneering uncharted waters. “Instead of nailing down a clear goal and barreling towards it, entrepreneurs ask questions that lead them towards answers,” Hunt said.
- Sheer and utter audacity – the ability to take risks and the arrogance to believe you can. In her presentation, Hunt quoted the Apple Think Different campaign: “Here is to the crazy ones. The misfits. The troublemakers. The round pegs in square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones that do.”
�
“At the end of the day, entrepreneurs choose an unclear path not sanctioned by mainstream society,” Hunt said. “We need to be delusional, audacious people with big dreams just to carve out a life in a world we don’t ‘fit’… because no matter what, the unclear path is the only one we can rock.”
http://socl.tk/AZ
Managing Expectations
“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” – George Bernard Shaw�
Communicating effectively is one of the most important skills to develop in business. While there are several reasons why, one of the most important from a leadership perspective is to be able to adequately manage expectations – in other words, you must be able to help those you manage understand what to expect from any given scenario, from timelines to structure and protocol. By managing expectations, you are then able to stave off conflicts before they spring up. �
How can you communicate more effectively to help manage expectations?
- Define expectations: Conflicts and frustration often arise from a lack of information. When initiating a project, be sure to help team members understand why the project is needed, what the plan is for addressing that need, and how you intend to execute that plan. As you set out to make the project happen, look for ways to build camaraderie and trust. A little goes a long way in creating connections among those who will rely upon one another’s skills and abilities to make a project become reality. Also, don’t overlook establishing expectations among your customers. Communicating with them that a much-requested product or service is in the works, along with periodic updates on progress, will do wonders for building buzz and assuring customers that their requests aren’t falling on deaf ears.
- Explain the problem: It’s rare that a project – or anything in life, for that matter – will go according to plan. Consequently, you’ll have to redefine expectations and give updates on progress throughout the life of a project. While it can be intimidating to report that a project will be delayed, it’s better to communicate that up front than to let the initial timeline expectations linger unchanged. Of course, that said, reporting a delay should come only after your team has exhausted all options to make up lost time and get the project back on track.
- Offer a solution: While it’s important to explain why a project is facing a setback, it’s even more important to follow up immediately with a solution of how you plan to amend the disruption. It shows thoroughness, proactivity, and accountability – all traits that merit respect. Be sure to answer the question “What’s in it for me?” as you present the solution to a specific audience, whether it be internal team members or customers. Addressing the needs of a specific audience will resonate better than general information to which they cannot easily connect.
�
Clear and continued communication is vital to keeping all of your shareholders informed on a project’s progress. By managing their expectations, you’ll be able to reduce or eliminate frustration and confusion – which, in turn, will reduce how much emotional energy they bring into their interactions with you on the subject. This serves to reduce the risk of potential conflicts, creating an environment of collaboration and understanding.
http://socl.tk/AZ
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
What Is Klout (and Why Should You Care)?
Social media measurers Klout announced that they reached the milestone of 100 million people with “Klout Scores” that indicate the individual’s influence from data across 10 networks, including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Foursquare. That’s a significant chunk of online users who have bought into the value of making influence measurable through tracking when an individual recommends, shares, and creates content.�
“One hundred million people with Klout Scores means that there are 100 million voices effectively leveraging the social web to share their opinions, hopes and dreams and shaping the decisions of the billions of people now listening to them,” wrote Klout blogger Joe Fernandez.�
So what exactly is Klout, and why does it matter for today’s social media landscape?�
What is Klout?
Klout is a San Francisco-based company that measures influence by tracking the interactions in the friendships and professional relationships that have moved online. The metrics of true reach (how many people you influence), amplification (how much you influence them), and network score (how influential they are) are combined to reach a “Klout Score” on a scale of one to 100, with 100 being the most influential. According to Klout, the Klout Score is based on your ability to drive action online: “Every time you create content or engage you influence others.” �
Klout also tracks what topics are being discussed and who influencers are in a number of categories – “everything from barbecue to tech gadgets to gardening,” according to their website. By collecting, analyzing, and measuring influence, Klout provides a way to find those who lead their fields – whether professional or hobbyists – across a variety of platforms, similar to what WeFollow has done for Twitter. �
Why does Klout matter?
One of the most integral parts of participating in social media is influencing – whether it be establishing and strengthening friendships through Facebook, finding likeminded thinkers on Twitter and sharing information with them, gaining an audience on YouTube, or connecting with professional colleagues and engaging as a subject matter expert on LinkedIn. Klout has come up with a way to take that abstract, lofty goal of influence and define it in a measurable way. These metrics open the door to studying who is making a difference along with why and how.�
“If you look back at the last 100 years of mass communication, you can begin to truly appreciate the implications of this diffusion of influence – from corporations and the media elite to the masses,” Joe Fernandez wrote on Klout’s blog. “Just this year we have seen this power play out in revolutions around the world fueled by individuals leveraging their influence on the social web to change history. Increasing numbers of people are finding their voices online and, as a result, we are now adding millions of influencers to our index every few days.”�
Klout’s value has been picked up by more than 3,000 applications and partners that use Klout data, including major brands like Disney and Audi. Certain brands run “Klout Perks” as a way to incentivize online influencers by providing exclusive access to products and experiences; after all, these influencers are likely to talk about these perks to their audiences, driving traffic to the brand. �
Curious about your Klout Score? You can find out at http://klout.com.�
http://socl.tk/AZ
Hitting the Relevance Bull’s-eye
Recently I came across a post on Social Media Explorer� that showcased a bull’s-eye graphic to discuss exactly what it takes to provide relevant marketing communication. �
“Optimal communication takes place when a marketer can deliver a relevant message to a relevant audience in a relevant location at a relevant time,” wrote post author Mark Smiciklas.�
This concept meshes with a social media quote I’ve lived by for several years. Steve Rubel of Edelman PR once spelled out his recipe for social media success: “Create high-quality content in high-interest areas again and again.” None of these ingredients can stand alone from the other. What you create will depend on who you’re trying to reach and where they turn for information, not to mention when they will be looking.�
I’ll pose the same question Smiciklas asked: How can you become more relevant? Here are some thoughts on each of the categories needed to hit the relevance bull’s-eye with successful communication:
- Relevant Message – What is it that you’re trying to convey? Try to boil your unique selling proposition down to an elevator pitch, a 60-second explanation of why your product or service matters. From there, try to hone in on a story that can express the message in a way that will connect with your audience. Is there a case study or success story that you can relate? Focus on the pain points your customers face. How do you offer a solution to this pressing problem? Why is your solution superior to others out there?
- Relevant Audience – How defined is the audience you’re trying to reach? Targeting a specific group of people – or even multiple groups – will make all the difference in making your messaging effective. Speak to their unique needs and wants. If you have a product or service that benefits a general audience, then you may need to find a way to tell your story multiple times to multiple consumer profiles. Also think of how to tell the story – which medium is best. Will your audience watch a YouTube video, or are they more likely to benefit from a podcast or blogpost? One size does not fit all where effective marketing is concerned.
- Relevant Location – Where does your target audience turn for information? As Rubel said, it matters to place your message in high-interest areas. Think about the model used in traditional television advertising or film trailers. Would you want to advertise chainsaws during children’s programming? Conversely, would it be effective to show a trailer of the latest My Little Ponies film right before a testosterone-fueled slasher flick? You want to connect with your audience where they look for information, whether that be mommy blogs, traditional news vehicles, corporate websites, or social media outlets.
- Relevant Time – When will your target audience need the information you can provide? One of the top “news values” by which journalists judge a story’s importance is timeliness.� Even the best message will fall on deaf ears if it doesn’t matter to the audience at the time. Pay attention to current events. Is there a way to tie your story into a larger news item or story that has the public buzzing? Can you use the activities and emotions tied to the various seasons of the year to make your message hit home better? Tell stories that will resonate with what’s on people’s minds right now.
http://socl.tk/AZ
Consistency is Key
Although Ralph Waldo Emerson once called consistency “the hobgoblin of little minds,” consistency’s role in success should not be underrated. To achieve any goal – personal or professional – requires consistently doing what it takes to reach the objective. �
The key to consistency comes in forming great habits. Whether that be hitting the gym several times a week to reach a certain weight or consistently applying principles of integrity and honesty in business to build character in becoming who you want to be, the sense of accomplishment makes up for the drudgery of never taking time off from working on the goal, including – nay, especially – when you just plain don’t want to. Greatness requires practice, practice, and more practice – and the more you practice, the more natural and easy it becomes. �
How do you get started in developing or improving your consistent diligence? Here are a few ideas:
- Set measurable goals – We all connect best with quantifiable things around which we can wrap our minds. Being able to track progress works wonders for consistency. It’s encouraging to see that you’re making a dent in the goal and to see how far you are from your end objective. Don’t forget to include milestones, since those add fuel to the sense of accomplishment along the way.
- Follow a good example – Trying to get in better shape? Keep an eye on a friend who works out daily and observe how he or she manages to do it. Looking to improve your company’s bottom line? Find a case study for a comparable company that’s achieved your goal, and analyze how they got from Point A to Point B. There’s nothing like the positive pressure that comes from watching a peer achieve something we’d like for ourselves. If you’re feeling bold, ask your example for tips or encouragement to reach that goal for yourself. Chances are they’ll feel flattered that you noticed their dedication and will be more than happy to cheer you on to do likewise.
- Visualize your end objective – What is in the pot at the end of the proverbial rainbow that you seek? Get detailed with envisioning it in your mind’s eye, and conjure that image every time you feel like taking a break from your efforts, even for a day. The more you understand specifically what you’re working toward, the less likely you are to sacrifice what you want most for what you want in the moment.
�
http://socl.tk/AZ
Making time for the ideal sales week
If you were to outline the ideal sales week, what would it look like? That’s a question S. Anthony Iannarino, president and chief sales officer of Solutions Staffing, tackled on his sales blog, and his insights were wonderful. Iannarino’s suggestions all center around the idea of blocking out time for the various activities that makes for sales success. When you work these activities into your week is up to your priorities and unique business model, but the ideas apply universally.�
Here are eight activities to make time for in your ideal sales week, in order of priority:
- Prospecting – Opening relationships that open opportunities is the most important activity a salesperson can undertake. Consequently, it deserves a high priority and requires proactive planning and scheduling. Where will you turn to meet prospects? Be sure to go beyond the obvious, easy sources. Know your target audience and then think of where they would congregate – both online and in person.
- Face-to-Face Sales Calls – There is no substituting good old-fashioned face time, especially when it comes to developing a clientele. In-person interaction provides the greatest opportunity for value creation and advancing your sales opportunity. “The quality of your results is the quality of your calendar as it pertains to appointments with your dream clients and clients,” Iannarino said. Start scheduling these meetings in advance, and keep at least a few scheduled a week or two out at a time.
- Nurturing Activity – “The best opportunities for producing killer sales results lie with your coldest non-opportunities, your dream clients who are presently using a competitor,” Iannarino said. Place your focus on a dream client whose business would put you to the top of the leader board.
- Sales Call Preparation – Sales calls are not a time to “wing it” or play things by ear! Do your homework first, researching the client’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. What can you offer to them that will solve their problems? Remember, focusing on benefits is far more effective than drilling into your product’s features. Make solving their pain points your top pitch.
- Follow-up Activities – The trust that underlies all relationships (especially in business) is built on a foundation of commitments kept. Even the most effective sales calls may fall flat with results if no follow-up work is done, so be sure to do what you say you’ll do, from emailing along an article that would be a value-add for your client to checking the stock of their favorite product. As you’re drumming up new business, don’t neglect to reach out to current clients and contacts with phone calls or thank-you cards.
- Voicemail and Email Responses – In today’s always-connected communications climate, responding to emails and voicemails can be a never-ending task. Iannarino suggests blocking out a couple of set times (i.e. 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.) to respond to incoming communications, rather than breaking to do so constantly throughout the day.
- Update Sales Force Automation – Customer relationship management is critical, and a number of automation software options can make it a breeze – as long as you use it. Don’t let too much time pass between updates, or else important information can fall through the cracks. “The best time to do this is with the last half hour of the day, while the conversations and ideas are fresh in your mind,” Iannarino said. He recommends spending a half hour each day to input notes from sales calls, new contact information, action items, and pipeline progress.
- Personal Improvement – Of all the investments you can make, investing time in yourself pays off the most long-lasting dividends. Make an effort to always be honing your abilities and advancing education, whether it be listening to an audiobook while driving between sales calls or reading a chapter a night of a book that will help your professional development. Remember to expand beyond “sales” titles, too. That professional development can come most effectively in strengthening people skills, not just sales techniques.
http://socl.tk/AZ
Planting the Seed for Good Referrals
As networking expert Dr. Ivan Misner once put it, networking is about farming for referrals – not hunting them. Hunting is an aggressive, one-off approach, whereas farming requires patience, perseverance, constant nourishment and attention – and a broader approach that plants several seeds and then watches for what sticks. The payoff isn’t immediate, but that’s fine, because the payoff isn’t the focus. Rather, the focus is on providing the seeds with what they need to grow and flourish. �
Here are some ways to farm for referrals by nourishing relationships with those in your network:
- Set up an activity – Whether it be a one-on-one meeting or group activity for clients, be sure you make time for face time. Simply spending quality time with those in your network deepens a relationship more than any electronic or phone communication will. It’s time spent together in conversation or activity that builds the memories upon which solid relationships of any type are formed. Be sure to match the activity with your level of familiarity and your networking partner’s interests. It’s better to begin with coffee if it’s someone you don’t know well while saving the rounds of golf for people with those you know better. Bonus points go for making it something that is of particular interest of the other party, like inviting a client scuba diving after noticing scuba photos in his office. Don’t limit your groups by profession, either. For instance, the head of a public relations agency in Southern California has monthly prayer breakfast meetings with fellow Christian businessmen in the area. While they were all business leaders, it wasn’t their professions that brought them together so much as their passion for God and a Christian-centered leadership style.
- Follow up with an article of interest – There are few things more flattering to someone than having the details of what they say be recognized and remembered. In a networking situation, this can play out by simply passing along an interesting article you’ve come across that ties back to a previous conversation. This is done best when it’s sincerely casual, when you really do stumble upon a news story or blog post that reminded you of that person, but if you must hit up the powers of Google for talking fodder, so be it. A breezy “Hey, saw this and thought of you” email, along with a few thoughts on the article and anything particularly relevant, can be a great starting point with a newer contact.
- Nominate a referral source – Awards opportunities are plentiful in most fields, both from local or regional business groups or publications and from industry organizations. The nominations are usually open, too. If a contact of yours does something praiseworthy, don’t hesitate to throw their hat in the ring for an appropriate award. Service organizations are a great place to begin. Even if he or she doesn’t win, chances are he or she will be notified of the nomination. Who doesn’t like to be recognized for hard work and service?
- Give relationships time to grow – Rare is the relationship that flourishes into a deep connection after a single meeting. Rather, lasting connections are built upon a number of shared experiences and conversations. As an old saying goes, don’t pull up the daisies to see how the roots are growing! Be patient and let connections flourish in time, providing your networking partner with the time to reflect on your conversations, common ground, and complementary experiences.
http://socl.tk/AZ
Four Ways to Lose Weight Without Gym
“Eat less, exercise more.” While these wise words incorporate the most universally successful diet plan, there are several things you can do without hitting the gym to help your body fuel more efficiently. Here are four tips that will help you reach your weight goal:�
CATCH MORE ZZZ’S – Giving your body a full night’s rest is one of the best ways to shed weight. A recent study showed that when participants slept for only four hours consumed an extra 300 calories compared with when they slept a full eight hours! Sleep deprivation also curbs self-control. Plan ahead and wind down your night in time to provide adequate sleep. Its benefits go far beyond losing weight.�
HYDRATE, HYDRATE, HYDRATE – The human body is mostly water, which is incentive enough to be sure you’re getting the minimum eight glasses a day, but did you know water can help your diet? Drinking water helps to keep you feeling full, meaning less snacking. Downing ice water has the added benefit of boosting your metabolism, burning calories in the process of warming the water. A pre-workout hydration session will help your body release muscle-building hormones – and more muscle means a higher basal metabolic rate. If too much water bores you, look for healthy ways to change it up. A number of companies make flavored waters that are packed with helpful vitamins. Green tea has the added benefit of antioxidants and a metabolism boost that can add up to an extra 400 calories or more per week!�
WATCH PORTIONS – Being a conscious eater is a good habit to develop, regardless of dieting. It takes the body 20 minutes after eating to recognize it’s full. By knowing what a serving size should be and sticking to it, you’ll be able to avoid that overfull feeling and give your body the right amount of fuel. Remember, you can always come back for more food if you’re still hungry later. When eating out, where meals are regularly double or triple the size of what your body actually needs, it may be wise to ask for half your order to be boxed up to go – it’s a great way to curb mindless eating AND stretch your delicious dish for two meals.�
GET FIT WITH FRIENDS – Take positive peer pressure to the next level by checking in with friends or relatives who are also fitness minded. That healthy support system can help you make wiser lifestyle choices, from choosing more active entertainment options to skipping calorie-laden lunches or happy hours. If IRL (“in real life”) relationships won’t cut it, there are a number of free fitness forums online that provide nutrition information along with peer encouragement, from cyclist Lance Armstrong’s LiveStrong to MyFitnessPal, which recently reported a combined weight loss of 20 million pounds among its membership – simply by counting calories, exercising, and comparing notes.
http://socl.tk/AZ
Content Management & Multi-blogging with WordPress
WordPress is an excellent example of an open source Content Management System (CMS). Powered by MySQL and PHP, WordPress is often installed to be used as a blog publishing application. Two of its most popular features are a template system and a plug-in architecture.�
The first version of WordPress hit the streets on May 27, 2003. It was released by Matt Mullenweg as a fork of b2/cafelog. Mullenweg’s idea took off almost immediately and today a whopping 13 percent of the 1,000,000 largest websites are using WordPress. Within 60 days of version 3.0’s release, it had been downloaded 12.5 million times.�
The importance of version 3.0 was the merging of WordPress with WordPress Multi-user (WPMU) which allows multiple blogs to exist within a single installation. Administration of the multiple blogs is controlled by a centralized maintainer. This means multiple concurrent copies of WordPress 3.0 may be run from different directories if they are configured to use separate database tables.�
WPMU adds eight new data tables for each blog. Using WPMU makes it possible for website owners to host their own blogging communities. Webmasters can then moderate and control their blogs from a single dashboard.
http://socl.tk/AZ
Making the most of your mornings
Does getting out of bed the hardest part of your day? Most people aren’t naturally what you’d call a “morning person”�–�the types who are bright eyed and bushy tailed upon rising at the sound of their alarm clock. Just because it doesn’t come naturally doesn’t mean it can’t happen, however. By following a few simple tips, you can train your body and up your A.M. productivity –�and, in doing so, increase your health by sleeping more and starting your day without the stress of running late.
- Set a sleep routine – Don’t underestimate the importance of your circadian rhythm. This regulates how your body runs, and it craves routine. Ideally, you should wake up from a light phase of sleep, not a deeper stage. It’s that deeper stage that leads to a foggy head and lower functioning. If you set a bedtime and stick to it (within 30 minutes) and get up around the same time each morning, your body will reset to the routine. The hope is that eventually you will be able to wake yourself up sans alarm.
- Get active – Working out first thing in the morning may not sound tempting, but the effects pay off. Even if it’s as simple as taking a half-hour stroll, kickstarting your morning with cardio will boost your energy levels throughout the day AND help you wind down at night, leading to a deeper night’s sleep.
- Provide the right fuel – While a donut and a cup of Joe may be an easy way to get your blood sugar rising, it can also lead to a sugar crash a few hours into your day. Reach instead for some quality fuel – oatmeal, fresh fruit, or a veggie omelet. Always on the go? Make hard-boiled eggs that you can grab on the run for a protein-packed breakfast.
- See the light – Light has a huge effect on the body’s triggers to sleep or wake up. Switch on a bright light or open your blinds right when you wake up. Conversely, avoid bright lights – yes, including electronics – for that last hour before you plan to hit the hay. This will help your body begin to wind down from the busy day and slip into that deep sleep you need for rejuvenation.
http://socl.tk/AZ
Reasons to Tweet
At its heart, Twitter is like attending a cocktail party –�albeit one on the global scale with a seemingly endless capacity for attendees. However, most people who haven’t engaged with the medium are at a loss for why Twitter matters. I can’t tell you how many contacts – ranging from hip 20-somethings to Baby Boomers and beyond – have remarked “I don’t ‘get’ Twitter.” If you find yourself trying to explain the benefits of Twitter to Twitterphobes, you may want to explain the reasons why tweeting is worthwhile. Here are a few talking points for starters:�
- Direct communication – Back in the day, individuals did business with other individuals. They shopped in the town where they lived, and they personally knew the shopkeepers. As business has become global, we’ve gotten away from that personal touch. Twitter, however, opens the door for businesses and consumers to interact directly again. One survey showed that customers choose Twitter as the medium for interacting with customers specifically because they receive answers and are treated like individuals.
- Personality – Twitter presents a great opportunity for creating awareness about your brand, product, or service. The less formal nature of Twitter lends itself to showing off a company’s personality through trivia and factoids, contests, and other messages that bring a face and personality to the brand.
- Cross-promotion – Through Twitter, you can link to any online item, from industry news and company-specific news to YouTube videos and product reviews. It’s a wonderful way to gather a myriad of information into one place and share it with your self-selected audience.
- Gathering information – Not only is Twitter an effective means of communicating to your audience and telling your story – it’s also a great way to gather information through a variety of sources. You can build lists that group people you’re following into one feed based on your labeling. You can also search all of Twitter via search.twitter.com to find out what people are saying about your company or competitors. Hashtags are a quick and easy way to see what people are saying about a specific topic or trend.
�
Of course, the most important takeaway to leave with Twitter newbies is to not get sidetracked by the medium. Yes, Twitter is a hip social media tool, but it’s merely that –� a tool. Tools are merely instruments that are specialized to aid in the accomplishment of a task or goal, and in this case, that task is communicating effectively. By making the message the focus –� not the method –�you’ll be able to jump into the Twitter fray in a meaningful way.
http://socl.tk/AZ
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)