I recently attended a Poddi networking meeting, which, always proves to be an inspiring and energetic occasion. At the end of this particular meeting, Roger Lamb – our Business Coach – shared a rather special story with us. As it happens, I think it was a good thing that he left the story until the end of the meeting rather than doing his regular Education Slot early on.  I don’t think there was a dry eye in the room by the time he finished reading ‘Am I a Fireman Yet?’ This story was so, incredibly, moving that I just had to share ...

I’m sure that you’ve heard stories about the ’Power’ of video but I’m going to share some marketing facts with you so that you really can appreciate just how powerful video marketing is.  For instance, did you know that your web page is 53 times more likely to gain a Page 1 ranking on Google if the page contains a video? Probably not.  But that’s just one reason why you should be using video in your marketing and communications. More Video Marketing Facts Here are a few more video marketing facts that are well worth considering; The average time a person spends visiting a ...

We’ve all heard it said that, “The fortune’s in the follow up” but do we understand, exactly, what it means? Do we understand the opportunity that exists when it comes to following up? I don’t believe that we do…., at least, not completely.  And to make my point, let me share a few facts with you.  Do bear in mind that  these facts apply when it comes to dealing with completely new prospects – When you’re looking to make that, all important, first sale to a possible new client or customer.  So, let me ask you this question; “How many times do you ...

From Chicken Soup for the Soul: Christmas Cheer “It was six o’clock at the mall, and I was as exhausted as an elf on Christmas Eve. In fact, I was an elf and it was Christmas Eve. That December of my sixteenth year, I’d been working two jobs to help my parents with my school tuition and to make a little extra holiday money. My second job was as an elf for Santa to help with kids’ photos. Between my two jobs, I’d worked twelve hours straight the day before; on Christmas Eve, things were so busy at Santaland that I ...

Marketing and Google go hand in hand and the Google story is a phenomenon of our times but I recently came across this; a very clever telling of the Google Story. It’s a little bit like Timeline from Facebook, in the way that it’s presented, but it’s amazing when you see what Google has achieved in such a short space of time. Check it out;  Just ‘Click to Start’, below; I think this is pretty cool but what do you think of it?  Post your comments in the box below – and do feel free to share. Have a great one, Steve Bimpson

Thanks to Sorrel Forsey-Anderson for posting this on Facebook. Clearly, this chap wasn’t the winner of a Darwin Award as he survived to tell the tale but he did get a mention as an ‘At-Risk Survivor’.  And it’s not too difficult to see why.  Anyway, on with the story; A man was working on his motorcycle on the patio, his wife nearby in the kitchen.  While sitting on the bike and racing the engine, the motorcycle accidentally slipped into gear.  The man, still holding onto the handlebars, was dragged along as it burst through the glass patio doors. His wife, hearing the ...

It always amazes me when people still respond with, “Oh, that’s one of those Pyramid Schemes” when exposed to a Network Marketing opportunity.  It just goes to show the misconceptions that people still have.  Clearly, there’s still plenty of work to do in educating people about Network Marketing. Despite the fact that Pyramid schemes were made illegal in the 70′s, that Network Marketing is taught in some of the world’s top business schools, that a plethora of top business people sing the praises of Network Marketing and that some very well known companies use a Network Marketing model, including publicly quoted ...

Erik Qualman’s terrific book, Socialnomics, has really brought home the importance of using Social Media in business and the statistics that were originally quoted in the book are changing rapidly. This is the latest (the 3rd) Socialnomics video that brings those statistics a little more up to date.  Of course, they continue to change on a daily basis but the resounding impact of them just re-emphasises the need to embrace Social Media to help promote our businesses. If all of this seems like something of a mystery to you, please feel free to get in touch.  I’m more than happy to help ...

Even though we don’t all know exactly what they do, most of us have seen or heard of QR Codes. Originally developed by a subsidiary of Toyota to track parts and components in the vehicle manufacturing process, QR Codes (QR = Quick Response) are 2D barcodes  that can be reproduced on any kind of printed media and used to store different types of data that enable them to be used in many ways. To gain an understanding of what they do, think of QR Codes as print based hypertext links.  You ‘click’ on them by scanning them with a Smartphone (or other ...

I don’t know whether you understand the tax system, particularly the intricacies and implications that result when tax rates change, but I saw this explanation and couldn’t help but smile in enlightenment when I read it. I’ve no idea who wrote it and I’m sure that it’s a bit of an over simplification but it does make you think.  I hope it makes you smile in enlightenment, too! The Tax System Explained in Beer Suppose that once a week ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten comes to £100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our ...