I got a kick out of Chris complaining about people who say “eXpresso”. After looking at the comment section, I realize I’m not the only one with this pet peeve…

HIPAA a Hardship for Health Care Companies - Government regulations can be an opportunity for small businesses:

“A difficult economic climate may make it harder for health care providers to comply with provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) in time for deadlines next year, according to a report by the consulting company Frost & Sullivan Inc.”

For all you Guerillas out there:

Why radio advertising?

Radio has universal acceptance, portability and high usage. It’s easy to target and inexpensive. Radio gives marketers the power of the human voice and the magic of music setting the tone.

Jack posted this on his site:

Paul Pearsall suggests, when we encounter one of life’s major or minor annoyances, that we remind ourselves that it is not permanent, pervasive, or personal.

Good idea!

The History of Ingenuity - which I shamelessly researched on Anne’s site.

And Carolyn and Al Thompson even have a dark roast! Be still my heart…

My day is made. I received the much anticipated email from Chris’ parents. You know, the one who own the COFFEE PLANTATION in Guatamala. Not like that’s important to you. I couldn’t imagine a more idyllic existance, however. Anyway, THEY’RE GETTING TOGETHER AN ORDER FOR THE FIRST WEEK IN NOVEMBER. Sorry, I’m so excited, I can hardly contain myself. I hope the two pounds I order will last long enough…

Want to be better at sales? Read this FastCompany.com article.

Guerilla Marketing’s tips of the day are always changing, which is one of the reasons I post them so often! Not to mention I like them and want to implement them:

Become a Marketing Matchmaker

Guerrilla Dana Burke of Mind Your Business, has a terrific idea that can be used by anyone with a box of labels and some ingenuity.

Burke maintains a supply of her clients’ and associates’ business cards in her office and distributes them to likely customers. Using return address labels, she’s created a sticker that says “Referred by Mind Your Business.” Placed on the back of other people’s business cards, the stickers remind the recipient who she is and help them when they call on the prospect.

The customer is reminded of her business and her name is the first one the prospect hears.

Quite the win-win-win situation.

I have no trouble stealing shamelessly from Dan Hanson’s blog. He’s got great ideas! It reminds me of something Emile said at lunch last week.

One of the more interesting items was his prediction of the 4 major technologies for the next 30-50 years:

1. Information Technology
2. Material Science
3. Bioscience
4. Mobile or Portable Energy

The real progress will be when 2 or more of those areas intersect. Such was the case with the Genome Project. The intersection of Bioscience and IT led to the completion of the project 10 years ahead of the predicted schedule.

Don has a great idea:

“Greater Cleveland needs help in getting people to think and act more positively, creatively and entrepreneurially about business and work. The process, as I see it, starts with people thinking more creatively and then acting on those thoughts. Both must occur. My attitude is do what you can everyday. I see too many people getting stymied over getting the money to do something. I say “do what you can today” and the money will come. Can you imagine what an impact it could have if only one (1) percent of the region’s working age population — that’s 7,200 people — decided to create an innovative new business in the region? I’m not talking about rocket science businesses necessarily–rather any business in any industry that is based on an innovative idea about how to do something better. Yes, many will fail, but many will also succeed.”

EMAZING.com’s Small Business Tip of the Day - Organize to Sell

Every sales presentation should contain several key components. In order to do present well, you must prepare in advance. Make sure to include the following in your presentations:

• A significant visual piece
• Ask five key questions of your prospect
• Give them a reference list
• Have committed times for follow up appointments if needed
• Bring a contract, to write the business or leave as a sample
• Send a thank you note within three business days

Last night I went the the John Carroll University Entrepreneurs Association dinner at Executive Caterers. If you’re starting a company or trying to grow a small one, this is an excellent opportunity for you! Membership is open to the public and there are a wide variety of people that attend. Their next event is going to be Tuesday 10/3 from 7:30 am to 10:00 at the Manakiki Golf Course. The title is ‘’The New Economy in The Real Cleveland'’.

The highlight of last night’s dinner was definately Hal Becker. Hal is one of those hidden treasure of Cleveland that we desperately need to shed light on. Some bullet points from his website:

• Xerox’s #1 salesperson among a national sales force of 11,000 at the young age of 22
• Founder and former CEO of Direct Opinions, one of America’s largest customer service telemarketing firms
• Author of the national best seller “Can I Have 5 Minutes Of Your Time?” and “Lip Service”
• Received the Toastmasters International Communication and Leadership Award. He is one of only eight people in the world to be given this honor.
• Inc. Magazine voted Hal as one of the nation’s top speakers in the areas of sales and customer service.
• Hal is a CSP - or Certified Speaking Professional - which is the highest earned Designation presented by the National Speakers Assocication.
• Devoted over 25 years to the science of sales and customer service
• Survived terminal cancer at 28 years old and now helps other patients and their families cope with their disease
• Founder of the Cancer Hotline of Cleveland and donates proceeds of his books to this cause

Two brief things that really impressed me. First, when Hal was at John Carroll, he was in a frat. Guess who the president of his frat was? None other that Tim Russert. Second, Hal said that one of the CEOs he knows personally has a favorite saying, “Culture will eat Strategy any day for breakfast”.

From Security Wire Digest:

Despite an anticipated downturn in corporate IT spending next year, CIOs still plan to invest more in security architecture, according to META Group’s 2003 Worldwide IT Benchmark Report. The IT research and consulting firm predicts 55 percent of companies will spend 5 percent or more on security, up from 33 percent in 2001. Howard Rubin, META Group executive vice president and author of the trends report, says last year’s terrorist attacks still influence security investments. “As recent events have heightened awareness of exposure to internal and external security threats, finding room in the budget for a security architecture is imperative.” The report is based on survey data collected from a panel of 25,000 IT professionals from 34 countries.

Jason at ThunderTech is part of this project! From Crain’s Cleveland Business “Colleges team on internship web site”

How to get others to listen to you:

Here are five ways to command people’s attention:
1) Speak softly, but carry a big message.
2) Be interesting; focus on your listener’s favorite topic.
3) Never interrupt; let the speaker finish.
4) Don’t finish other people’s sentences; be patient.
5) Use non-verbal gestures to enrich communications.

Henry Rollins makes a good host for The Learning Channel’s Full Metal Challenge.

I’m not sure what the problem is. I can never remember when daylight savings time changes.

Sunday is the day I read Robert’s blog. I’m shamelessly borrowing this from him:

“Rabbi Pliskin’s Daily Lift: Enthusiasm Is Contagious”

“We are all influenced by the emotional states of the people we interact with. In the presence of cheerful, sincerely kind, upbeat people, we find it easier to become more cheerful and positive. Conversely, in the presence of someone who is negative, kvetchy, irritable, and angry, we easily feel more negative or uncomfortable ourselves. The person whose state is more intense and enduring will have a greater influence on the states of others, for better or worse.”

“Because the state of enthusiasm is contagious, if you want to increase your own level of enthusiasm, it makes sense to be around other people who are enthusiastic. Even talking to an enthusiastic person for a few minutes is frequently sufficient to elevate our own state. At times just talking to an enthusiastic person on the telephone will raise our spirits.”

Your own enthusiasm will have a positive influence on the lives of others. By being enthusiastic you will be doing many acts of kindness. At times, you won’t even be aware that your enthusiastic state was helpful to someone else. This can add a dimension of motivation for developing a greater amount of enthusiasm. Not only will you gain yourself, you will also be helping numerous others.

Last night we picked up my father-in-law at the airport. On the way home, we stopped at Akira Hibachi in Solon. Wow! They’ve got great sushi. If you go, try the dragon roll.

Have to admit something. I love fonts. This site that came in the Lockergnome Windows Daily will keep my quiet for hours: eXtremefonts