Internet, What's All The Buzz...

Here are my thoughts on how to easily and at no/little cost make the internet work for you.

1. Facebook- go to www.facebook.com and set up a facebook account. Once you are in and registered then let me know and I will send you a link to mine. You can see how I have mine set up and do the same. Facebook is a wonderful social networking tool. You can create a perception of what you want fairly easily. You can also connect with potential new clients. Be careful on facebook of the weirdoes. Don’t be afraid to remove anyone as a friend if they are inappropriate or just don’t fit the profile of the consumer/friend that you want to target.
2. LinkedIn- go to www.LinkedIn.com and set up an account similar to your facebook one but this is more of a professional business site. I would suggest to use this one to connect with everyone else who is involved with your industry, like other sales people, suppliers, management and professional colleagues. Keep your clients on facebook and you sales partners on linkedin. This way no one can go and try to steal your clients. Once you become established on facebook, people will try all sorts of devious ways to access your friends list, ie. your client base.
3. Blog- Create a blog on www.blogger.com. Set up a gmail.com account so you can create a blog for free. (Or several) You can set this up easily and post your thoughts, testimonies, etc. It is important to set up your information because it shows up on the side column of the blog. It is pretty easy to do and you can always contact me for help. Once you have your blog looking how you want it then ask everyone you know to look at it and give their helpful thoughts.
4. E-mail- You should create additional e-mail accounts to keep your correspondence separated between family, friends, business, clients, etc. We have over eight e-mail addresses.
5. Learn and utilize Microsoft Outlook as you client and contact database management software. Put all of your clients and contacts into this and categorize them appropriately. Sync this with your PDA. I strongly suggest to take a class or get some training on this. My Dell computers that came with Microsoft Office have good tutorials built in to them.
6. Time blocking- You should set up your week and time block all of the activities that you know you need to do to be successful. All of this internet stuff is great but unless you manage your time and take care of the 20% that makes you 80% of your income, you’ll go crazy.

The above are all free and will take a little time. The learning curve is pretty fast and you can always ask for help. I find it to be very time effective and it allows me to greatly increase my effectiveness with more clients. When you are ready to take it to another level then we can talk about websites. There are three types; one for name presence and recognition, one that when done properly will generate sales without you and the third (which I do not recommend) is for personal ego. Ego sites can be very costly and usually turn off the client looking for quick information.

Web addresses can be bought at www.godaddy.com for as little as 10 dollars and can be hosted at www.websightdesign.com for $100-150 per year. The building of them can be expensive that is why I bought DreamWeaver software so that my Intern Assistants can build them here in my office. It is pretty easy to build a simple site like one of mine. We did them all here. Otherwise I would suggest contacting Alex Paine at WebSiteDesign. Not only does he have some template sites at reasonable prices but the company has excellent integrity and great advice. I have all of my websites hosted with Alex.
www.MartyBautista.com
www.DreamTeamMarin.com
www.Sea2SkyResidences.com
www.SIHMBaguio.com

Warm Welcome

In many parts of the country, temperatures are dropping — and heating bills are rising. But there are things you can do to keep warm and lower your heating costs. Consider these tips from the U.S. Department of Energy:

• Take advantage of heat from the sun. During the day, open curtains on windows with southern exposure toallow sunlight to naturally heat your home.


• Cover drafty windows. Use a heavy-duty, clear plastic sheet on a frame or tape clear plastic film to the inside of your window frames. Make sure the plastic is sealed tightly.


• Adjust the temperature. When you’re home and awake, set your thermostat as low as is comfortable; when you’re asleep or out of the house, turn your thermostat back 10 to 15 degrees for eight hours.


• Find and seal leaks. Seal air leaks around utility cut-throughs for pipes, gaps around chimneys and recessed lights in insulated ceilings, and unfinished spaces behind cupboards and closets.


• Reduce heat loss from the fireplace. Keep your fireplace damper closed unless a fire is burning. When you use the fireplace, open dampers in the bottom of the firebox or the nearest window slightly (approximately 1 inch) and close doors leading into the room.


• Lower water heating costs. Water heating can account for 14 percent to 25 percent of the energy consumed in your home. Turn down the temperature of your water heater to the warm setting (120°F).

Source: http://www.energysavers.gov/

Extra Credit

You know that your credit score is one of your most precious resources — a good score can open doors and save you money. But what if your score got a little bruised amid the recent credit crunch? Don’t fret. Max out your credit rating with these tips for repairing the damage.

• Order your credit reports from the top three credit bureaus — Equifax, Trans-Union and Experian. It’s likely that each is slightly different. Creditors aren’t required to report to all three credit bureaus, so they typically report only to the credit bureau to which they also subscribe.


• Examine your reports carefully. Nearly every consumer has an error on at least one credit report from one of the major credit bureaus. Carefully look for everything from typing errors, outdated and incomplete information to inaccurate account histories. Make a thorough list of items you want to dispute and why.


• Dispute. You can either complete the dispute form provided with your credit report or write a letter. Clearly identify each mistake, and state why it’s wrong. Send a photocopy of your credit report with the mistakes circled to the reporting credit bureau. Include copies of supporting documents.


• Document, document, document. Keep copies and records of all the forms, letters and documentation you send to the credit bureaus, plus the dates you sent them. The credit bureau must investigate any relevant dispute within 30 days of receiving your letter. Any item that is not verified by a creditor is removed.

Source: BankRate.com