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Is Your Company Really Listening?
Listening is an art form.
In today's world, we as humans listen halfheartedly, as while we are listening, we are forming our response. So are we really listening? How frustrating!
According to Simon Senek, "Companies that really listen to their customers do so before they make decisions not after they need to pick up the pieces. Companies that listen do things that are actually intended for the customer.
In contrast, companies that don’t listen only say they are listening when things don't go according to plan."
Let's look at Bank of America as a great example... Simon goes on to say, "I would have more respect for Bank of America if they were simply honest. “We were looking for ways to increase our profit and thought a transaction fee to debit card transactions was a good strategy.
The negative reaction was much worse than we anticipated so we’ve decided to reverse course and look for other ways to maintain growth and profit.” A statement like that would at least be consistent with whom Bank of America really sees as their primary concern: their shareholders.
And at least we can respect that the bank was telling us what we already knew or expected (it's called integrity)."
We would love to hear what you have to say about us! Please take our 3 minute survey and let us know how you feel!
William S. Dickinson is a Product, Marketing and Online Services Director with Momentum Conferencing with offices in Vancouver BC and Toronto, ON. You can find Momentum Conferencing on the web @ www.momentumconferencing.com
How to stay connected in 2012
This is the time of year when most of us start thinking about the up-comming year and how we intend to approach it.Regarding the approach, Google books just announced a new read for 2012: "The Complete Idiot's Guide to 2012". The title alone was enough for me to see if I was enough of an idiot to need this book. I read the excerpts and much to the pleasure of my ego, I got the point of the book fairly quickly.
So in our own business dealings, it seems that 2011 was a year of re-learning how to network and implement the adaptation of new networking strategies. No doubt this was easy for some - and not so easy for others. For us it was a magnum opus moment, connecting all the dots and now working more on the on process and not so much on discovery.
Staying connected in 2012 should be easy. With tons of new tools out there, it is a great way to infuse your business network.
In fact we are releasing two great new tools in 2012: A new RSVP system that is affordable and can effectively work with any communication platform to announce, respond and engage your meeting attendees' like never before; and a new web-based collaboration platform, with distinct advantages such as Outlook integration, features for integrated reservationless calling and a bundled model price!
Woohoo!
William S. Dickinson is a Product, Marketing and Online Services Director with Momentum Conferencing with offices in Vancouver BC and Toronto, ON. You can find Momentum Conferencing on the web @ www.momentumconferencing.com
How To Utilize Basic Teleconferencing In Your Business To Capture A Wider Audience.
Podcasting
With all the cool technology being developed today, let's not forget that sometimes simple is better.Although it seems like almost yesterday's technology at this point; did you know that you can broadcast your message, post it online and if you become popular, sell the podcast like you would sell any other recording.
So exactly what is a podcast?
Apple made podcasts famous with their iPod, however POD is a longstanding acronym for 'Play On Demand" and technically has nothing to do with Apple.That said, the first iPod kiosks were in New Jersey in March 1998... and from 2000 - 2004 the 'play-on-demand' concept had hit the mainstream.
A podcast, simply put, is no different than a webcast. It is a show that is broadcast or downloaded from over the web and is broken up into parts or episodes. Most podcasts are similar to news radio programs and deliver information on a regular basis.
Now, with the ease of creating WAVE and MP3 files, a play-on-demand file is easily created by recording your Teleconferencing call, downloading the file and setting it up for replay?
In this world of high-end technology, getting back to basics with a simple podcast seems like a great way to capture a new audience, remain top of mind and potentially make a few dollars in return.
William S. Dickinson is a marketing professional who primarily works for Momentum Conferencing with offices in Vancouver BC and Toronto, ON. You can find Momentum Conferencing on the web @ www.momentumconferencing.com.
Are You Targeting The Right Medium For Your Business?
Okay - So you want to reach the people that will want your product or service. Since the introduction of advertising, and especially in today's market, different strategies and mediums have afforded businesses different success rates depending on a variety of factors, but most importantly: Is your marketing hitting your target?.Let's face it, it used to be easy; in the mid-to-late 1800's you had two ways to reach your target: Print or WOM (word of mouth). Fast forward to today and there are literally a dozen ways: TV, radio, print, paid internet search, online networking, text messaging, email, webinars, conferences, meet-up groups, public display (i.e. Billboards and sporting events) and WOM.
So how do you decide what is right for you? Frankly, there is not one way, but a mixture.
Let's look at two of the most popular B2B strategies: 'Paid Online Searches' and 'Online Networking'. First let me point out that for many years business marketing (or B2B) took a back seat to consumer marketing (or B2C), which entailed providers of goods or services selling directly to households through mass media and retail channels. This began to change in middle to late 1970s. Additionally, there is one that is rarely spoken of B2G (Business to Government), which is a whole other topic in itself.
Today, a variety of academic periodicals, such as the Journal of Business-to-Business Marketing and the Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, now publish studies on the subject regularly, and professional conferences on business-to-business marketing are held every year. What's more, business marketing courses are commonplace at many universities.
So back to 'Paid Online Searches' and 'Online Networking'. Keep in mind, one is intentional (Google - where people are seeking advice); and the other is opportunistic (Facebook - where people hang out with their friends). So before you begin to decide your marketing mix, you must determine your target... only then can you determine the right medium for your messasge.
Look into my next blog post for how you can utilize basic teleconferencing in your business to capture a wider audience.
William S. Dickinson is a marketing professional who primarily works for Momentum Conferencing with offices in Vancouver BC and Toronto, ON. You can find Momentum Conferencing on the web @ www.momentumconferencing.com.
The Dolly Lammy
The Dolly Lammy!
I could not help but share this... nice job Dolly Lammy people!The Dolly Lammy makes us aware of every breath we take.
This innovative tool helps to reduce stress, increase productivity,
and cut down on absenteeism.
The Dolly Lammy… the perfect reminder to just breathe.
William S. Dickinson is a Product, Marketing and Online Services Director with Momentum Conferencing with offices in Vancouver BC and Toronto, ON. You can find Momentum Conferencing on the web @ www.momentumconferencing.com.
Adobe Connect Mobile
Adobe Connect Mobile 1.5 for Apple iOS and Android now available.Check out the freedom of this Tablet Optimized, Two-way Video Conferencing http://adobe.ly/j6fWLn
Web Conference and Video Conference
With some confusion over appropriate solutions, we hope that this blog post helps in your decision making.What is a web conference?
Web Conferencing is where a presenter can deliver a presentation over the web to a group of geographically dispersed participants.
The terms ‘web conference’ and ‘webinar’ are used interchangeably, but often do not refer to the same type of service.
In its simplest form, a presentation can be interactive or not (the main difference between a Web Conference and a Webinar), and as such, participants in a 'webinar' can see what’s on the screen but cannot make changes.
More advanced systems allow the presenter to share applications or their
entire computer desktop with participants and even take control of the
remote computer over the internet.
So what about cost?
Depending on factors like system compatibility and functionality, 'web conferencing' systems vary enormously in terms of cost.
At one extreme, systems can cost thousands of dollars per year, require software packages to be installed on each participants computer and rely upon having specific firewall configurations and high bandwidth internet connections. On the other extreme there are many completely free services available, but these tend to only support a very limited number of participants and lack a comprehensive set of features; critically, as they are free, they are rarely supported and therefore not suitable for business use.
A 'webinar' can be, and often is, done on a web conferencing platform. However, professional 'web broadcasts' (also often called "webinars") can run in the thousands after all production costs are added in. That said, 'web broadcasts' (also known as "web casting") are extremely professional and can be compared to a TV broadcast, but on the web.
So then, what is a video conference?
A video conference is where quality high quality/professional video cameras are used to enable participants in a virtual conference to see the presenter - and sometimes the other participants.
Businesses and individuals use video conferencing in many different ways: Both one-to-one, and in one-to-many scenarios.
Historically, the main use for video conferencing has been within the corporate environment for business meetings. Due to the requirements for dedicated camera, audio and networking equipment, it was typical to set up dedicated rooms for the purpose of holding video conferences.
Before the availability of high bandwidth internet connections, signals were carried over point to point connections established via ISDN lines. ISDN are similar to telephone connections in that the calling party would ‘dial up’ the destination station and pay for the length of time the call was open. Due to the high bandwidth requirement multiple connections were usually required making it very expensive to hold international video conferences.
The internet has now simplified some of the connectivity issues however the equipment and bandwidth required to hold near broadcast quality video conferences can still place the barrier of entry-level systems too high for the typical small or medium sized business user.
Over the last few years, services aimed at small business and consumers have become popular and with webcams, as opposed to more sophisticated and expensive cameras, the picture quality and size are somewhat limited, but adequate for simple meetings.
Additionally, with the introduction of business-class bandwidth, the audio component is carried over the Video Conferencing CO-DEC (a coding and de-coding unit required in video conferencing).
