One of the patterns I’ve noticed about myself is that I shop differently than I used to. I no longer just go to the store and buy a product. Now, I check for it online first, read reviews and than made my decision. It’s rare that I go to the store and just “look” at an item now. I want to know what people think of their purchase and read if they are satisfied with their purchase. I often add the word “review” right into my search phrase. I can’t be the only one, and I’m not. Tons and tons of people are shopping the same way, as the internet becomes more widely used. Everyone is hooked up to the web these days, and not only are they reading reviews, they are shopping online as well. I can guarantee a large part of my Christmas shopping will be done from my desk this year.

If you’re shopping online like I am, then you’ll be picking items out, reading reviews and getting the best deals. I have teenage boys, and it’s all about the music with them. At Wize.com you can find CD Player Reviews, laptop reviews, digital camera reviews and more. They cover the wide range of electronics and gadgets you’ll be looking for.

What I like is that you can find things by price, brand, the best deals, and all sorts of great features. I love how their navigation not only works on the side, but when you choose a product to find CD Player Reviews or whatever you’re looking for, above the items, you can then sort things based on those features that matter to you.

How does the navigation work on your business site? Is it easy to find things, or will people have to poke around? If you’re going to run a business or e-commerce site, simple navigation is key. Wize.com has this down to a science, so check them out for a great example of easy navigation. Now, whether you’re looking for CD Player Reviews, cameras, computers or even body fat monitors, you’ll know to go to Wize.com.

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How are you keeping your brand or business on a customer’s mind? It’s really clever marketing actually. It’s a nice little greeting, but the message is loud and clear. See this image of the Coca-Cola bottle? Recognize it? Of course you do, and we’re reminding you that we’re here. We acknowledging you as one of our customers, and we’re sending a happy and fun little greeting your way. It’s like commercials to your in-box. Don’t do it often, do it subtly, and get that logo, brand or image in front of your customer’s eyes.

Coca-Cola is a registered trademark….and wished me Happy Halloween. How are you reminding your clients of you?

I get my nails done regularly, and one of the things I enjoy is that they have a nice flat screen television I can watch while I’m drying, or getting a pedicure if I choose. At a doctor’s office, I don’t mind waiting a little longer if I have something to watch. I’m tired of the old magazines that are never updated. If you’re a business, and you’d like to add an element of entertainment for your clients or customers, consider adding a television in your waiting area. I can even tell you where to find a great deal!

SecondAct.com offers flat screen televisions, Hi-Def, plasma tv’s, audio, visual and more. It’s easy to find what you’re looking for, since you can shop by brand or even screen size. One of the things that’s unique is that you can find a refurbished item which can save you a bunch of money. Check out the reviews, because people are thrilled with the savings, and their excellent products.

SecondAct.com handles overstocked items, close-outs, opened boxes, and refurbished products and pass the savings on to you, the consumer. The founder is the same gentleman who founded Damark International. We got a refurbished steam cleaner from them years ago, and it was well worth the savings, and the product was top of the line! If you’re looking for a great deal, be sure to check out their daily deal which goes live at 7am each day.

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What are your long-term goals as a business? Have you thought about where you’d like to be? The first thought most people have is “I want to be successful, or make lots of money.”

What are your goals for your business 10 years from now? Do you want things to remain exactly as they are, or do you want growth? Do you want to work less hours for the same amount of money? Do you see yourself adding a second store, or maybe a franchise? Do you want to eventually sell your company in a few years so you can do something else?

When you have a goal in site, you’ll be able to set plans in motion. If you want to grow your business, then you’ll want to consider ways that would bring in new customers. If you’d like to work less hours and still create the same amount of money, it means you need to find ways to become more efficient. Interested in another store? Will you need a partner to run that other store, or will you do it alone? How many owners will there be? If selling your business for a cool profit is in the cards for you, what steps might you take now to see that outcome? You’ll want to create financial records that are clear, concise and show your profits easily

The first step is knowing where you want to be in the future!

There was some exciting news for Zabaware! Their Ultra Hal software won a prize for Artificial Intelligence! It was voted to be the “most human” computer. Have you seen their Ultra Hal Assistant software? You can go to their site, and then Download AI software, which allows you to try it for 30 days free! See how cool it is yourself. Below, with permission is a copy of the latest press release on this exciting win.

Press Release:
Zabaware’s Ultra Hal software won the “most human” computer of the year in the 17th annual Loebner Prize Competition for Artificial Intelligence (AI). The contest was held in New York City hosted by philanthropist Hugh Loebner.

The Loebner Prize is an annual competition where software programs attempt to convince human judges that they are actually people. The format of the competition is called a Turing Test. In a Turing Test a judge talks with 2 “entities” simultaneously through a text-based instant messaging system. One entity is a human and the other is a computer. It is up to the judge to decide which is which by typing questions to both entities and receiving answers.

Zabaware is an Erie, Pennsylvania based company that specializes in artificial intelligence technology. The company’s mission “giving your computer the power of thought” once considered a futuristic pipe dream is becoming a 2007 reality.

It is one thing to talk to your computer it is quite another to have a conversation where you are exchanging information and the computer learns and utilizes the information in the future. Zabaware’s Ultra Hal technology and its associated brain are currently doing just that. The software can give your computer a personality using AI technology, speech recognition technology, and real-time animation. It can be used as an entertainment program, a companion, or an office assistant. It learns from conversations and evolves and improves the more it talks with a person. In addition to chat it can perform useful functions such as remembering and reminding of appointments, keeping an address book, dialing phone numbers, launching program, and more.

Zabaware’s Ultra Hal software runs on most standard Windows computers. The artificial intelligence software is available for download at www.zabaware.com as a free 30-day trial.

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It’s easy to get caught up in the feelings your business can bring to you. You get close to your employees, or you really love doing one aspect of your business. The problem comes in when you are making decisions with your heart and not your head. It’s true you want to be passionate about your business, but your heart can cloud your judgment at times.

Think about how most of your decisions are made, and if you think that you are using your heart more than your head here’s a simple way to rectify that.

If you were not the boss, if a stranger were, what would their decision be? Yup, it’s as easy as that. Ask yourself what someone who wasn’t mentally attached would do. When you let go of ego, and your desire for it to be a certain way, you may find your head makes some pretty good decisions after all!

What exactly is a surety bond? It’s basically a monetary guarantee. It acts as a credit. The question becomes are you the type of company that needs to be bonded? You’d be surprised that many types of companies need to be bonded, even telemarketing companies. In this case, it ensures that the employees are working by the guidelines of the state they call into.

Let’s look at a health club for another example. Not every state requires health clubs to be bonded, but many do. What it offers is the consumer protection. If a health club collects your money up front, it ensures you that the rules won’t suddenly change, and the health club will supply you with what they stated they would. With bonding, there are different levels, where some businesses need high risk bonds, and others need a lower risk bond. If you need information on how to become bonded, you can check out JWSuretyBonds.com for more information. Not every company needs to be bonded, so check with your local government.

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If you’d like to use a calculator to get an idea of what a premium bond might cost, you can use the free tools at JWSuretyBonds.com. They have multiple calculators so you can calculate on a sliding scale, look at pro-rated costs, and more.

You’ve advertised for a position in your company, and now you’ve got a stack of resumes on your desk to sort through (or computer). After going through a heap of choices, you’ve finally made your decision. What now? If you don’t contact the other people who aren’t getting hired, you may be getting calls over and over, asking if you’ve seen their resume yet.

A very simple solution to this is to simply have a standard letter that you can send out letting you know that you’ve taken the time to read over their resume. People want to be acknowledged, and while nobody wants to receive a letter letting them down, they’d rather know, then be left in the dark.

By letting the potential candidates know that you’ve looked over their resume, and that they don’t meet your position needs at this point in time, let them know you’ll keep their resume in mind in the future. A polite and neat note at the end thanking them for their time goes a long way. It’s truly the little things that make you stand apart.

One of the ways I’ve been trying to reach out and try new things, is by learning more about internet marketing. I’m not sure if I mentioned one particular blog here before or not, but it’s a site I subscribed to last time I came across it. AllinAnchor.com offers tips, news and more. I loved getting a look at the Google phone, and read with interest about how Microsoft is looking for ways to combat spam. What I like is the broad range of topics ranging from big names like Apple, AOL, eBay and Google, along with reading about SEO, site design and technology.

AllinAnchor.com is a blog that covers multiple topics that will keep you up to date on the latest news, along with giving you perspective you might not have had. If you’re into commerce, then you’ll want to check out their latest piece on shopping carts. It offers 10 tips that will help you close that sale. Are too many of your customers leaving after filling their shopping carts, not following through with the purchase? You’ll want to head over and read this article now.

You can also find an excellent article on Brand Management, so be sure to click on the category and read up here. If you haven’t bookmarked AllinAnchor.com yet, you’ll want to add it in. It’s a quick glance at what’s going on with tips and treasures hidden within. This post has been brought to you by AllinAnchor.com. Ironically, I all ready subscribe to them! It’s a great blog!

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Time moves forward, and things change. It’s a given, and we all know it. We all still get stuck in our old routines.

Have you been doing something only one way, refusing to budge with technology and time? You know the places I’m talking about, the restaurants that still give you handwritten checks, or the little general store that uses sticky tabs for pricing in stead of bar codes. We get caught up in what works, and why change when it may cost money. Sometimes it’s okay to stick with what works, but when you get caught in that pattern, when it comes time to change, it can lead to a panic. What? We’ve ALWAYS done it this way….

Change means growth, and it means being open to finding new ways to do things. That same old way may still be working, but when it stops, then what? Have a back-up plan, while it’s still working. It’s a great time to experiment, and find other options.