Are You Out of Touch?

And how do you know unless you ask?

How well do you communicate with your current clients and with the folks you hope will be your future clients, otherwise known as your niche or target market? Many business owners make the fatal mistake of speaking to a select few within their sphere of influence and assume that everyone else has the same:

1. problems/concerns
2. needs/desires
3. fears/objections

And if you take it a step further and create services and products based on your assumptions, it's likely your next big launch will be met with the echoing sound of crickets.

The solution? Simply ask. Conduct a survey. Offer a gift if you must, to ramp up participation.

Here are 3 online tools, both for free and fee, that make creating and reading your surveys a snap:

• SurveyMonkey.com
• Zoomerang.com
• AskDatabase.com

Ask and watch the results of your next campaign double and even triple.

Big News at Jott.com

I've blogged about this service before and heartily endorsed it. I also received a ton of positive feedback from readers, so I wanted to let you know that as of today, Jott is finally out of beta.

If you never heard of them, check out their services, which have vastly improved over the last year. If you already have a free account through their beta edition, Jott is offering a 26% discount if you sign up for a paid account and pay for a year upfront.

Rest assured that they do still offer a free option, but the features are limited.

Find Hot Spots in a Flash

I read this tip in Tim Ferriss' book, The Four-Hour Workweek. This little gadget from Golden Lantern, called a Wifinder, helps you locate wireless hot spots quickly and easily. It's a nifty little (small enough to fit on your key chain) tool if you do business on-the-go a lot and need to find a good signal fast for your PDA, laptop, or other wireless device.

And as of this writing, it's on sale. Sweet!

Free Energy On-The-Go

Ever get caught out of the office, expecting an important call, and you realize that you forgot to charge your cell phone? Or is your kid driving you crazy because his Gameboy just ran out of juice and you have 2 more hours of road time left? What to do?

Check out this product, Solio, which is a portable, solar-powered "hybrid charger" that is compatible with most hand-held electronics once you have the appropriate adapter. Here is a list of benefits directly from their web site:

=> Provides an emergency power source when away from power outlets.
=> Adapter tips allow you to power multiple gadgets with a single charger (tips for most products included in pack.)
=> Works with multiple gadgets, including mobile phones, iPhone™, Bluetooth® headsets, smartphones/PDAs, MP3 players, portable gaming devices, digital cameras, GPS and much more.
=> Reusable - use it again and again.
=> Compact lightweight design - convenient for travel or emergency use.

Plus you can take advantage of a free, eco-friendly power source.

You can either power it up via the sun or use a standard wall outlet. And once you charge it up, it can store that energy for up to one year. The site says that a fully charged Solio Classic will charge most cell phones twice or provide enough juice to run your iPod for 10 hours. Sounds perfect for travel abroad or for anyone who has a habit of forgetting to recharge their toys.

I say, charge this puppy up and throw it in your glove compartment or briefcase and you'll never get caught powerless.

Say What?

Quick and easy translation brought to you by those inventive folks at Google Translate. Type in a word or phrase, specify the languages you're going from and to, and with one click, you're good to go. Use this tool to:

• Add a special touch on a note to a client who's bilingual.
• Search for similar products or offerings in other countries.
• Figure out what the heck your French speaking vendor means by "je ne sais pas ce qui"

Note that this program is still in beta form.

Also check out FreeTranslation.com for both paid and free services.

Update on Jott.com

I first posted about Jott.com back in June 2007 and received a lot of positive feedback from readers and clients who test drove this free message/transcription service themselves.

Based on my own personal use, I heartily endorse it. I use it to send myself messages often when I'm driving or am in a place where I can't conveniently write stuff down. I have hesitated to use it to send messages to clients and colleagues, mostly because of the often "creative" interpretations of my messages by transcribers in India.

But I'm pleased to report that Jott has greatly enhanced their service. They now rate the level of "transcription confidence." And I noticed that the quality is much better. Plus you can always listen to a recording of your message, forward it to others, or set it as a reminder to be sent to either your email address or phone number. This is hands down the best new tool that I have incorporated into my business in 2007.

Check Out Your International Competition

If you ever want to look for resources outside of your native country and even your own native language, then you need to know about the Translated Search tool at Google Translate. You type in your key words, such as "hockey puck" and then specify that you want to search for web sites written in, say Korean or Arabic. Google Translate goes out, finds the web sites and then lists them for you in English, or whatever language you want. They even translate entire web sites for you.

Use this tool to get inspiration from around the world. Or, if for no other reason than to be entertained by the odd translations of Japanese into English.

To learn more about all that Google Translate has to offer, visit their FAQ sheet.

Warning, Will Robinson...Audio for Your Blog?

OK, so the "near-human quality" voice of this service does not sounds exactly like the robot from "Lost In Space", but it still lacks a certain warm and fuzzy feeling.

What the heck am I talking, er, writing about? It's a service called Odiogo and it converts text to speech in mp3 files that can then be downloaded to a computer or iPod. This service is currently free and they seem to be trying to attract bloggers in particular to subscribe and offer the option of listening to blog posts directly on site or having readers subscribe to a podcast so that they can download the files and listen to them on the go.

Check out the blog, The Red Ferret Journal, as an example.

I think the concept is very cool, although I have yet to be organized enough to do the whole podcast thing by hooking up my iPod daily and then listening to the automatic feeds that I have selected. But I know there is a huge market of extremely tech savvy folks out there, including teens and college aged kids who might prefer listening to material vs. reading it. And of course, there are simply those people who learn and retain more information from listening to the spoken word.

Will I sign up and feature this on The Business Blog? Well, seeing as how the correct pronunciation of the service is "oh-dee-oh-go" and the mechanical, near-human voice pronounces it "ah-dee-oh-go", I'm a bit skeptical. The jury is still out. Let me know what you think.

A Company that Does Less...Intentionally

As mentioned late last week, I am a fan of numerous innovations designed by 37signals.com, a company that makes a point of saying upfront, "Over 1 million people and businesses use our web-based applications to get things done the simple way. We aim for the software sweet spot: elegant, thoughtful products that do just what you need and nothing you don't." Hallelujah.

Visit their site to explore all of the tools they offer. What's most appealing to me is the ease with which their programs connect people who can't be in the same location at all times.

If you are someone who cringes at the thought of working virtually or who feels communicating via phone and computer dehumanizes the process, I challenge you to think outside the box. Do you always need to conduct live meetings? Is that the most effective use of everyone's time? Have you tried virtual collaboration? Remember Mikey from the Life cereal commercial--the kid who hates everything? Try it. You just might like it.

Your Virtual Collaborative Whiteboard

A fantastic coach and businessman I know, Christian Mickelsen, blew me away the first time I visited his home. On one entire wall of his office, he had huge whiteboards pieced together to create this gigantic blank canvas. On it he scribbled, edited, and brainstormed the wealth of ideas that a creative genius like himself constantly has swirling around in his head.

Imagine having a blank canvas like that on your computer that you can share in almost real-time with team members, colleagues, or clients from anywhere in the world. Not only can you create and edit a document, but you can invite others to do the same from their computers. How cool is that? And did I mention that it's free?

This tool is called Writeboard. Check them out and create your first board in less than one minute.

If this tool looks familiar it's because it's operated by the same company that manages Backpack and Highrise, two other resources that I blogged about. The company is 37signals and they are doing some innovative stuff. But that deserves it's own separate post. Look for it next week.

Your Computer Or Mine?

These days, with instant gratification expectations from your clients and customers, you might feel pulled in too many directions when multiple clients want to set up a meeting. If you own a business where you often travel to meet with clients exclusively to share a glimpse of computer files, applications, documents or graphics, you might want to consider proposing a virtual meeting online.

Don't worry, I'm talking about online conferencing, not online dating! These virtual meetings, sometimes known as webinars, allow computer users from various locations to log onto a site where you can show another individual or an entire group a power point presentation, media campaign or new web site design from the comfort of your own computer in your office. And with included phone conferencing, participants can hear your presentation while they watch you edit documents or create graphics in real time.

You might never want to lose the high touch customer service of face-to-face meetings, but that will always limit you to working with clients within your geographical location. And let's face it...there are only so many hours in a week. This service can help you cut back on travel time or allow you the power to train multiple individuals in various locations at the same time.

There are many video and online conferencing services out there, including GotoMeeting.com and Webex.com . Both offer free trials. I recommend signing up and setting up a mock meeting with a colleague or team members to try it out.

Is Your Web Site Working For You?

How would you know? First of all, you need to understand the purpose of your site. Is it to convert actual sales, increase your mailing list, or simply a way for potential clients to learn more about you and your business? Secondly, based on the purpose, you need to analyze whether or not your site is performing.

How do you do that? You consistently track and analyze your web statistics. If you're at loss on what all those numbers mean and what to do with them, check out this useful blog post on how to use your stats to calculate the cost per visitor by Alexandria Brown of EzineQueen.com

And if you want some turbo charged web stats, sign up for a free account at StatCounter.com. My favorite feature is their Recent Visitor Map which shows you where in the world each visitor is from, how long they stayed on your site, where they entered and exited and lots more. Thanks to the folks at Indra Marketing for the tip on this great tool!

Cut the Crap

One of my favorite online personalities is Jim Edwards of The Net Reporter. (That's him on the left.) I love the fact that he always wears tennis shoes and Hawaiian shirts and explains the ins and outs of Internet marketing in down-to-earth, no hype, no BS language.

Today he posted in his blog about 3 applications you can run on your PC. Now I'm in no position to endorse any of these products because I am a confirmed Mac devotee. But I trust Jim and am confident that he wouldn't steer you wrong.

One thing that caught my eye is the "PC Decrapifier". The name alone got my attention. Learn how it can rid your computer of "bloatware" (all the extra stuff they include with your computer that you don't necessarily want). Checkout Jim's post and read more about it and 2 other nifty tools for your computer.

And the Survey Says...

In business, tapping into the pulse of the market place can make a huge difference in the success or failure of a product launch, marketing campaign, or even a hiring decision. Think about how much money the big companies invest in consumer surveys, poll, and test groups. If you don't have that kind of funding, there's a web site that gives you access to 1000s of surveys, some pertinent to business, others to societal trends, and still others to human nature.

Check out BuzzDash where you can even create your own surveys.

Nifty Online Contact Management for Your Business

I found a link to a fabulous and free business resource at The Savvy Entrepreneur, the blog of Cristina Favreau. Read her compelling post that get me to click through here.

The tool is called Highrise and is an online combination between your average address book and intricate client relationship management (CRM) software. Just as advertised, I was able to sign up for my free account in less than 30 seconds and start plugging in my client contact information.

My favorite features so far are the "Recent History" and "Tasks" options. The former allows me to see all the recent notes I have entered about my contacts at a glance and the latter compiles a chronological to do list based on everyone in my database with the option of reminders sent to my cell phone. You can also have multiple users and structure notes based on projects.

Take it for a test drive yourself and see if it's a fit for you and your business.

Organize Your Life on the Go

Have you ever been out of the office and forgotten your portable calendar system (you do have one, right?) and you couldn't remember if you had another appointment at 2pm or the address and phone number of your very important prospect? What do you do in that situation?

This is such a cool and mostly free service that I couldn't wait to share it with you. It's called Backpackit.com and it allows you to create your own online organizing systems complete with a calendar that can send reminders to your cell phone, to-do lists, notes, and even photos. A couple of great features include the ability to share your page with team members or partners and quick and easy edits sent via email. Check them out and see the variety of examples or watch their tutorial videos. And actually, to use the really nifty features such as the calendar and photo display, you need to upgrade to a paid account which starts as low as $5/month. Still seems like a great deal to me.

Dialing 411 Is So Old School!

I love saving my clients both time and money, so this new, experimental service from the brilliant folks at Google Labs is a no-brainer. It's called Google Voice Local Search and it's pretty much the same as dialing 411 on your phone to get directory assistance.

Dial 1-800-GOOG-411 from any phone and get connected to an automated system that will look up numbers for you and even connect you free of charge. Because it's still in the experimental stages, it's not 100% reliable. Plus I'm sure at some point, once they work out the kinks, they might start charging for the service. But use it for free while you can and stop paying those charges to your wireless or land line phone service provider.

Free Your Mind

Are you a visual person who organizes ideas best with flow charts, org charts, or collages? If so, hopefully you know about the concept of mind-mapping. This is an invaluable way to capture creative ideas in a structured way.

There are various mind-mapping tools available, but check out this free, open source software called FreeMind.

Complete details about how and why to use it are on the site. At last, get those stray thoughts on paper and free up space in your brain for other, more important issues.

Clip Your Best, Leave the Rest

Check out this very cool tool that allows you to "clip" whatever portion of a website you would like to save or send. This can include text, photos, videos, and audio and you can send your clips directly to your blog or to an email.

http://www.clipmarks.com

Let me know what you think of it and how you're using it to innovate, save time, or money.

Need to send an email while on the go?

Check out this nifty (and free) service:

www.jot.com

All you need to do is set up your account and enter your contact information. Then you can call a toll free number from your cell phone to leave a message that will be transcribed and emailed or text messaged to yourself or the contact of your choice.

It's not fool proof...you can get some funny typos. But it's great for sending messages to your team or getting something on paper that you can edit when you get back to the office.

I love sending emails to myself while driving so I don't have to waste time typing later.