Often, the presence of a "blog" on a website is just one way to stuff content for search engines. Other blogs are focused on providing added value information or discussion.
Truthfully, this blog does both. We provide these articles as a means of demonstrating some of our perspective on business issues. Reading these articles is way to sample our analytical and business consulting skills. You might find it valuable AND it boosts the content of our site for search engine indexing. Win-win. That's one of our business perspectives, too.Ken Olsen, who helped create the modern computer industry in the U.S.as a founder of the Digital Equipment Corporation, at one time the world’s second-largest computer company (second only to IBM), died on Sunday. He was 84.
I'm including this in the Back-to-Basics Blog because Ken Olsen was more than the founder of Digital Equipment Corporation - and an industry icon - he also taught me the meaning of "entrepreneurship".
<read more>When I was working in the computer industry years ago, I used to be baffled every time I lost a sale to IBM. I had the better product -- often by far -- I had the better technology, the better software, etc. I was an excellent salesperson, an excellent presenter, and often established a close rapport with my intended clients. But again and again I lost the sale to IBM.
<read more>If you're new to Internet marketing and are about to take the plunge, there are a few common mistakes you need to avoid - mistakes which can come back and bite you later.
<read more>Yes, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) can be an excellent way of getting leads.
Yes, good SEO can level the playing field between you and competitors. Yes, you should do some level of SEO.
…but how much is too much?
The devil is in the details, and no less so when it comes to the email-marketing creative. This becomes even more apparent to both novice and expert web designers just starting in the email creative domain. What works for web browsing may not work for email-client viewing. This becomes particularly frustrating to the seasoned HTML coder who has to unlearn web best-coding practices to work in email marketing.
<read more>There are many good ways to ensure that a client gets his or her expectations met precisely but they all start with the client thinking through the problem they want solved. That's an essential ingredient to ensuring that the consultant engagement is a successful one and not just more fodder for bad consultant jokes :-)
Pluses and Minuses.
<read more>An all-too-common perspective
I was interviewing a new client recently and was running through the usual qualifying questions with him – the first of which was: “Can you tell me which market your products are targeting?” His response startled me. He said: “well that’s easy, it’s the Internet!” I paused, not quite sure, how to break the news to him.
You've heard, again and again, that "it's dog eat dog" in the business world. Turns out, there are some places where this is actually true. In your industry, for example, it's just not enough to be making money. You have to be growing, too. If you're not growing, at least as fast as your marketplace is, then you're losing market share to someone else. It truly can be dog eat dog.
<read more>9 all too common characteristics of tech companies (or why dot-coms crashed in 2000)
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