TekGems Blog

5 Ways to Save Time and Make Money By Automating Your Small Business

2009-10-27T09:02:00.001-07:00

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5 Ways to Save Time and Make Money By Automating Your Small Business

From Clate Mask, Infusionsoft for Small Business Trends:

These days, every small business owner is looking for ways to run faster, cheaper and leaner. In a recession, business owners know all too well that when margins get squeezed, it's the business owner's time and take-home pay that take the real hit. Spend more hours to earn less money? That's not fun.

So in tough economic times, automating your small business is not a luxury; it becomes a necessity. Here are five important things in your business you should automate to put more money in your pocket—and increase your most valuable asset: your time.

1. Connect your website to your customer database using web forms

If your website has a form that visitors can fill out to get more information, subscribe to your newsletter, get a quote or contact you in some other way, make sure that web form: i) automatically dumps the visitor's information into your database; and ii) automatically communicates to the visitor for you.

Most email marketing programs today will enable you to implement this type of web form. This kind of automation will save you 5–10 minutes of time that otherwise would have been spent keying in and communicating with that visitor. More important, it will ensure you don't have leads slipping through the cracks between your website and your customer database.

2. Follow up with the leads you generate on your website

Once you've got the web form automatically putting leads into your customer database, make sure you follow up with ALL of the leads, not just the hot ones. Most of the leads you generate are not ready to buy from you right now. That's a fact. By staying in touch with all prospects, you'll be there when the time is right for them to buy.

The best way to accomplish this is with a good, ...

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Google Voice AIR App Keeps Voicemail and SMS on Your Desktop [Downloads]

2009-10-27T09:00:00.000-07:00

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Google Voice AIR App Keeps Voicemail and SMS on Your Desktop [Downloads]

Adobe AIR: If you'd like to keep quick access to your Google Voice voicemail and SMS messages handily in place on your dock or taskbar, a cross-platform app gives you exactly that by packaging up Google Voice's mobile site.

Just like on a mobile browser, Voice's interface is surprisingly spry for such a pared-down site, but it's also lightning fast running on a desktop or laptop. The app allows you to play and pause voicemail messages through your system's audio, set up calls with your hooked-up phones, and run through your contacts and search your SMS and transcription history. With Google Voice no longer requiring a new number, this little app might a nice introduction to the service for those who don't want to commit to keeping a browser tab open all day.

Google Voice Desktop is a free download, works on any system with Adobe AIR installed.

Google Voice Desktop Application [R.stoeber Group via jkOnTheRun]

Sent from my iPhone 3GS

leapfish negative article

2009-10-14T14:29:00.001-07:00

Must not be helpful to company to have a negative article by TechCrunch as the third result.

in reference to: leapfish - Google Search (view on Google Sidewiki)

eBay needs different views.

2009-10-13T12:18:00.001-07:00

They need to provide a view where only orders that require us to send invoice is present.

in reference to: My eBay Selling Manager Pro Sold Listings for tekgems (view on Google Sidewiki)

Comcast Launches 100 Mbps High-Speed Internet Service - @Work

2009-09-15T09:11:00.001-07:00

http://blogs.pcmag.com/atwork/2009/09/comcast_launches_100_mbps_high.php

Surprise Bills at the Doctor's - The Wall Street Journal.

2009-08-05T17:28:00.000-07:00

doctor office needs to refund credit if any after an overpayment by patient. imagine how golf games you can play with all that extra money!

Surprise Bills at the Doctor's

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203674704574330354250207192.html

The Wall Street Journal Mobile Reader for iPhone^TM delivers the latest global news, financial events, market insights and information to keep you ahead of the curve. Get the information you depend on plus entertainment, culture, and sports coverage when, where, and how you want it from the most credible source for news and information. Click below to download the WSJ Mobile Reader for free from the iTunes App Store.

http://www.wsj.com/iphoneinstall

Sent from my iPhone 3GS.

Check Twitter for Bargains - The Wall Street Journal.

2009-07-16T19:35:00.001-07:00

I thought you would be interested in the following story on WSJ.com.

Check Twitter for Bargains

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124736513049227665.html

http://www.wsj.com/iphoneinstall

Sent from my iPhone 3GS. Please excuse any typos.

Credit Card Processing Fees

2009-07-03T08:43:00.001-07:00

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Credit Card Processing Fees

This is a guest post from Manshu of OneMint. If you like what you see here, please consider subscribing to his RSS feed.

Have you ever noticed that some retailers don't accept certain credit cards? For example, while Visa and MasterCard are widely accepted, American Express card are often turned away. The reason for this is simple…

When you use your credit card to make a payment, the retailer doesn't get to keep 100% of the transaction amount. Rather, they pay a "merchant discount fee," which can vary based on the type of card involved.

For example, whenever you use your Visa card, the retailer loses as much as 3% of the transaction amount in fees. In fact, these sorts of fees apply to credit cards, debit cards, and even prepaid cards. While the calculation of these fees* can be quite complex, a simple example will shed some light on how it works.

Consider a scenario in which you go to the grocery store and use your Visa card to buy groceries costing $100. From that $100, the retailer might get $98 or so. Of the remaining $2, about $1.75 would go to the bank issuing the credit card (the so-called "interchange fee"), about $0.20 would go to Visa, and the remainder would go to the retailer's merchant account provider, who initially processed the transaction.

Interestingly, these fees get collected on a per-transaction basis. Thus, even if you never pay a penny in interest or fees to your credit card issuer, they're still making money when you swipe your card. Among other things, these fees help to pay for cash back and/or other rewards programs.

Not surprisingly, retailers are sensitive to these sorts of fees, and often choose whether or not to accept certain types of cards accordingly. Indeed, as I noted above, American Express is less widely accepted than Visa and MasterCard, and one of the main reasons for this is that they charge higher fees to merchants.

*Note: Here's a link to a description of the fees charged on a Visa transaction.

Follow me on Twitter!

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Related Articles at fivecentnickel.com:

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10 Proven Methods to Decrease Your Shopping Cart Abandonment Rate

2009-07-03T08:41:00.001-07:00

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10 Proven Methods to Decrease Your Shopping Cart Abandonment Rate

Moving customers through the checkout process effectively is a critical element toward closing any sale online. Providing your customers choose to order directly from your website rather than over the phone, the information you present to them during checkout is ultimately what will help them decide whether or not to complete the purchase.

Throughout this process you will need to continually reassure them, providing them with the necessary elements essential to developing trust and security. These elements are commonly called customer assurances. Their job is making the customer feel comfortable enough to complete the intended action (i.e. buying your product.)

Cart abandonment is a problem that all eCommerce sites see in some degree. The rate at which your visitors abandon depends on how effective you have structured the checkout process. Shopping cart abandonment is an important statistic that needs to be tracked as it could mean the difference between a profitable eCommerce store and a potential loss.

According to industry publications, average shopping cart abandonment rates are between 60% - 70%. Put in to sample numbers, if you have 100 people start the checkout process and 65% abandon it, you just lost 65 sales. To take that further, if your average order value is $49 you lost $3185 in revenue.

To further demonstrate the hit your business just took, not only have you lost revenue but you lost 65 potential new customers as well. This translates to an undeterminable amount of future recurring revenue through repeat orders.

Many factors that contribute to cart abandonment are out of the merchant's control; however there are a number of factors you can concentrate on that will help reduce the overall effect on your store.

1. From a technical perspective, make sure your cart is working properly and is free of bugs. As elementary as this may sound, it is a vital component that often is not given the weight it deserves. Simple logic tells us that if a cart is not working correctly it will prevent a customer from being able to order. To alleviate this potential problem you should go through your order process and ensure it is free of bugs and works as you expect. It would be a good idea to also have others go through and test it periodically - especially after any updates to code or structure have been made that involve the checkout process.

2. Keep your pricing competitive. Customers are also shoppers. What I mean is they are always searching for and comparing similar products prices. Unless your product is totally 100% unique and not easily duplicated, you must be aware of the price you assign to it. With the increase use in shopping comparison sites by consumers and in light of the current state of the economy, competitive pricing is more critical than ever. If your prices are out of the ball park your customers won't stay to watch the game.

...

Sent from my iPhone 3GS. Please excuse any typos.

Cryptologist Cracks Presidential Code - The Wall Street Journal.

2009-07-02T19:09:00.000-07:00

I thought you would be interested in the following story on WSJ.com.

Cryptologist Cracks Presidential Code

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124648494429082661.html

NYTimes: Google Starts Welcoming New Users to Voice Service

2009-06-25T19:07:00.001-07:00

From The New York Times:

BITS: Google Starts Welcoming New Users to Voice Service
By MIGUEL HELFT

Google is allowing some new users to open accounts with Google Voice,
the call-management service that is an evolution of GrandCentral....

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/25/google-starts-welcoming-new-users-to-voice-service/index.html

NYTimes: Microsoft Offers Free Upgrade to Windows 7 From Vista

2009-06-25T19:06:00.001-07:00

From The New York Times:

BITS: Microsoft Offers Free Upgrade to Windows 7 From Vista
By AZADEH ENSHA

Microsoft announced details of pricing for its upcoming Windows 7
operating system, including free upgrades for customers buying current
machines that run the current Vista software....

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/25/microsoft-offers-free-upgrades-from-vista-to-windows-7/index.html

Photos: Cracking open the iPhone 3G S

2009-06-25T17:34:00.000-07:00

Photos: Cracking open the iPhone 3G S

We take apart the newest addition to the iPhone family to see what makes it tick.

Michael Jackson's death roils Wikipedia

2009-06-25T17:33:00.000-07:00

It's a very sad day for me. Michael Jackson was a lot of fun at different party events.

Michael Jackson's death roils Wikipedia

Scores of users insert reports of Michael Jackson's death into entries about him in the online encyclopedia, which are deleted, re-inserted, and deleted again.

Sent from my iPhone 3GS. Please excuse any typos.

Michael Jackson Memorial Ride Tonight

2009-06-25T17:32:00.000-07:00

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Michael Jackson Memorial Ride Tonight

According to Twitter reports, "Mourn MJ SF-style tonight: Michael Jackson trike ride and flash dance. Starts @ 7 at Dolores Park. Winds down @ Ferry Plaza at 8:30."

Sent from my iPhone 3GS. Please excuse any typos.

Remembering Michael Jackson's video game legacy

2009-06-25T17:31:00.000-07:00

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Remembering Michael Jackson's video game legacy

While he was best-known for his personal eccentricities, pet monkeys, and legal problems (and some music, too, we suppose), Michael Jackson has a small but important footnote in video game history as well.

Sent from my iPhone 3GS. Please excuse any typos.

Email archiving strategies: Five best practices

2009-06-22T17:38:00.001-07:00

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Email archiving strategies: Five best practices

Best practices for email archiving start with setting email retention policies -- and then sticking to them -- to help your company respond to legal discovery requests and lessen the burden on data storage systems.

Sent from iPhone 3GS. Please excuse any typos and/or brevity.

Re-Establish the Weekly Review Habit [Personal Organization]

2009-06-21T17:22:00.001-07:00

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Re-Establish the Weekly Review Habit [Personal Organization]

Reviewing where you are and where you're going is a critical but oft-overlooked part of personal development. Here's how to get in the habit of giving yourself a weekly review.

You may not have ever been an adherent of the Getting Things Done philosophy of time and task management, but at some point you've certainly sat down and reviewed what was going on in your life. Making lists and writing down tasks is a great habit, but it's equally important to make a routine of frequently reviewing your lists, tasks, and goals to reconnect with your work and purpose.

Productivity blog Stepcase Lifehack runs a series of refreshers on components of the Getting Things Done system. This week, the focus is on the weekly review and the importance of establishing a habit of reviewing:

More than anything else, though, a weekly review is a point of connection between you and your work. We live in a go-go-go society where work – any work – is expected of each of us, all the time. Americans, especially, work harder than just about anyone – not necessarily more efficiently or on more important things, but longer hours and with fewer breaks. It's all too easy in all this rush of work for work's sake to lose track of why we're doing it and of what it has to do with us as people.

They point out, rather accurately, that it's easy to make lists and even do mini-reviews on any given day, but that larger reviews—the weekly, monthly, and yearly kind, involving more goals than tasks—are usually lost among all the little projects and fires we attend to. It's important to review your work to gain a sense of where you are, where you are going, and, more importantly, focusing on what the next tasks need to be to get to the place you want to be.

Not sure where to start with your own review? Check out our previous advice on establishing a weekly review and the free refresher on weekly reviews from David Allen. Are weekly reviews integral to your workflow? Never found the time for them? Sound off with your experiences in the comments below.

GTD Refresh, Part 5: Building the We...

XBMC Installer Deluxe Makes the Most of Your Modded Xbox [Xbmc]

2009-06-21T17:03:00.001-07:00

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XBMC Installer Deluxe Makes the Most of Your Modded Xbox [Xbmc]

Read over our coverage of XBMC, but not quite sure if you're ready to take the plunge? XBMC Installer Deluxe makes tinkering with your freshly modded Xbox a breeze.

We've shown you the complete process for installing XBMC on a classic Xbox, and those instructions are still sound. XBMC Installer Deluxe is a disc you can use after you've modded your Xbox to make installation and configuration of XBMC a breeze. Veterans of Xbox tinkering will appreciate, having combed the internet for various tools, everything being in one place, and new users can take advantage of the well laid-out menus.

You can use Xbox Installer Deluxe to format your Xbox HDD, backup and restore saved games and disk partitions, update your dashboard, install XBMC, and install homebrew software. If you want to use your Xbox for more than just media playback, check out the equally as excellent Auto-Installer Deluxe which includes additional dashboards, emulators, and other software. It's overkill if you just want XBMC but it's awesome if you want tons of Xbox tools all on one disc.

Check out the link below for more information and a well written product wiki. If you don't have a classic Xbox you're not left out in the cold, XBMC is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux too.Thanks John!

XBMC Installer Deluxe

Apple's $30 apology for iPhone activation delays

2009-06-21T17:01:00.000-07:00

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Apple's $30 apology for iPhone activation delays

Apple begins notifying iPhone 3G S owners that they may experience additional delays due to "system issues" and offers a $30 iTunes Store credit as an apology.

Mayo Clinic Reports Dramatic Outcomes In Prostate Cancer Treatment

2009-06-21T13:21:00.001-07:00

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Mayo Clinic Reports Dramatic Outcomes In Prostate Cancer Treatment

via Slashdot by Soulskill on 6/21/09

Zorglub writes "Two prostate cancer patients who had been told their condition was inoperable are now cancer-free as the result of an experimental therapy, the Mayo Clinic in Rochester announced Friday. 'Cancer has a propensity for turning off T cells. Dr. Allison hypothesized that if you block the off-switch, T cells will stay turned on and create a prolonged immune response. Dr. Kwon, then at NIH, demonstrated that CTLA-4 blockage could be used to treat aggressive forms of prostate cancer in mice. There was one limitation to that concept — the worry that by simply leaving all the T cells on there may not be enough response aimed at the tumor. Dr. Kwon called Dr. Allison and designed the trial together. The idea: use androgen ablation or hormone therapy to ignite an immune approach — a pilot light — and then, after a short interval of hormone therapy, introduce an anti-CTLA-4 antibody that acts like gasoline to this pilot light and overwhelms the cancer cells.' After the treatment, the patients' tumors shrunk to such a degree that they could be successfully removed."

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The Wisdom of My Father

2009-06-21T13:18:00.001-07:00

Lots of wisdom and ways to encourage your children to be fiscally responsible.

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The Wisdom of My Father

via Get Rich Slowly by J.D. on 6/21/09

This is a guest post from Ann Zerkle, a Get Rich Slowly lurker, and the founder of Heroes of Capitalism.

As the daughter of a truck driver and stay-at-home mom, my family lived very frugally (and very happily). As an adult, I see the wisdom in the frugality of my parents. Below are the frugal ideas my father always espoused.

Work smart, not hard. My dad believed in hard work. He constantly put in 60 hour work weeks, and somehow still managed to be active at church and in the community. The trick is that Dad never wasted effort. He constantly innovated to keep working smart.

Don't make special trips. Dad understood that cars are big, deceptive, money-sucking machines. He understood that every time he fired up a personal vehicle, money was going down the drain. As a result, it was a family policy not to just run out for an item.

"It took me X hours to get that!" Whenever Dad bought something, he thought about it in terms of how many hours of work it took him to earn it. This left him walking away without whatever item he was thinking about buying several times. He often applied this to TV as well. He realized the time suck that TV can become.

If you can put off buying it, put it off. My parents never had a car payment. They drove junky cars that they could buy with their savings. Even if the car was going to die in the near future, my dad understood that if he could put off buying a new car for another month that was one more month they had to save and put off paying for tags, registration, new insurance coverage, etc. Sometimes the cars would last way beyond expectations. Right now my dad is driving a 1992 Oldsmobile with 200,000 miles on it. He expected it to die two years ago, but it just keeps on ticking.

You have to take a risk sometimes. Now that I'm old enough to care about investing, I've learned that my dad took some pretty big (yet calculated) risks as an investor. As a young man he lost money in the stock market because of his risks. He's changed his risk strategy over his lifetime, but still takes risks. He was really the first one in his family to start investing, so he basically learned from scratch and is continually taking his calculated risks.

Don't be afraid to ask. My dad is not shy. He is never afraid to ask for help. This often took the form of borrowing. We had a large garden growing up, but never owned a tiller. My dad always borrowed one from a neighbor. He would ask his pipefitter friend for plumbing help. Even today he is not shy about asking my husband for computer tips and help. He knows what I have come to know: most people like to help, you just have to have the guts to ask.

"That UPS truck just ruined my whole vacation!" My dad has worked for UPS for years. Whenever he was on vacation if one of those iconic brown trucks went by he'd say with a smile, "That UPS truck just ruined my whole vacation." My dad liked his job, but he understood the need for rest. One can't go on working 60 hour work weeks without rest. He always took a little of his vacation time just to hang around the house so that he could be ready to keep working later.

Invest in yourself and your family. Dad understands that the only thing in this life that really matters is people. Ultimately all of our things can be taken away from us by governments, fires, and mismanagement. As a result, he knew the only sure investment is investing in yourself and your family. He helped all three of his children get through college in various ways. He continually improves himself with books, online research and asking questions. As a lifetime truck-driver he could have stagnated in his personal growth and still made the money he is making, but he chooses to keep improving himself.

Let people feel the consequences of their actions. My dad did show grace to his children, but he also understood that we needed to feel the consequences of our actions. Around age nine, every January we had to present him with a yearly budget for our allowances. It included a variety of things like school supplies, clothing, spending money, camp fees, and incidentals. We would negotiate the yearly amounts, and then get that portioned to us on a monthly basis. I remember quite vividly one month my sister ran out of money about a week before allowance day. Instead of giving her money to go out with her friends, he let her stew for a week. I don't think that happened much after that first incident.

Eat to get not-hungry. This may seem like an odd thing to say, but even as a little kid I can remember Dad saying, "We don't eat to be full; we eat to not be hungry." It took about 15 years, but I am starting to understand the deep wisdom in this. First, eating to get full is a fast way to become overweight, and being overweight has a whole set of financial ramifications. Secondly, focusing on food is not healthy. People who eat to be full on a regular basis are often consumed (pardon the pun) with food. As Get Rich Slowly has addressed in the past, the food we eat has a whole set of financial ramifications.

People come first. The final overriding wisdom my father has imparted to us kids is that people come first. You can see this theme throughout the other parts of this list. My parents have a generous giving plan and believe in putting people first, above the environment, above animals and above material possessions.

Ultimately, my dad found what was important to him in life and put his money where his heart was. As a result of this he lives frugally and is deliberate with his money. This money philosophy was imparted to me at a young age and helps me to live frugally. As a result, my husband and I are getting rich slowly.

What did you learn about money from your parents? What do you hope to teach your children?

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Use the Cloud, Luke: Easier Shipping Is in the Stars

2009-06-20T19:38:00.001-07:00

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Use the Cloud, Luke: Easier Shipping Is in the Stars

Unlike the Amazons and Targets of the world, smaller e-commerce businesses understandably have limited resources to channel into infrastructure. The past decade of e-commerce has been a story of small companies using online and Internet-delivered services to "act like the big boys." To date, the leveling of the playing field made possible by the Internet has not carried over to physical infrastructure investments like warehousing or shipping. However, all that is changing with Internet-delivered warehousing and order fulfillment.

AT&T Budges on iPhone 3G S Upgrades

2009-06-20T19:35:00.001-07:00

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AT&T Budges on iPhone 3G S Upgrades

AT&T will allow some current iPhone owners to upgrade to a new model at the same price as new buyers when it is released Friday. Wednesday's announcement comes after AT&T took some criticism from iPhone owners who felt that its prices were unfair. Current owners would have to pay $399 for the cheapest version of the new iPhone 3G S, compared with $199 for new buyers. The Dallas-based carrier heavily subsidizes the purchase price of the phone, and it takes a while for it to make that money back through monthly service fees.

eBay Developers Conference 2009: A Recap

2009-06-20T18:35:00.000-07:00

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eBay Developers Conference 2009: A Recap

I was only able to attend the first day of the eBay / PayPal Developers Conference this year but the coverage coming out of the event has been so consistent and thorough, I felt that I was able to get enough information to feel like I didn't miss a thing.

Bottom line, the whole team over there - Delyn, Max, Adam, Laura, Kumar (I could go on) - put on another fantastic agenda and the feedback from those in attendance that I talked to was overwhelmingly positive. Great job to everyone who had a hand in making this year's Developers Conference such a success.

Presentations

If you check out my preview blog post from earlier this week, you can access hyperlinks to PowerPoint presentations of every session over the past two days.

Keynotes

A thorough breakdown of the opening keynote on Wednesday, can be found here.

The second day of opening keynotes maintained the theme of "building your business with us", and welcomed four notable Silicon Valley venture capitalists to share their insights on funding, business trends, and good business practices. Lorrie Norrington followed the panel discussing eBay's future. Here is the full breakdown of the second day of keynotes.

For the most comprehensive coverage of the two-day event, please visit the eBay Develo...