Moments of Clarity

Welcome Aboard: Attorney Rush Nigut Leverages The Mitchell Group's Interactive Learning Environment Platform to Bring More Value to Clients and Profession

Attorney Rush Nigut is the latest professional to adopt the Interactive Learning Environment (ILE) platform from The Mitchell Group. 

The online software platform provides the perfect medium for attorneys, associations, marketers, freelancers, consultants, business coaches, and any other information based business professional to extend their reach globally. 

We believe the ILE "Creates Time" because it enables professionals to move beyond the "billable hours" syndrome.  You can only be one place at a time.  If you're traveling 150 days or more per year...how exactly do you intend to grow your business?  You must move beyond where YOU can be...and add a global 24x7 medium that extends your reach while you sleep.  The ILE platform is that medium.

As today's business climate challenges grow in scope and magnitude...how will you be different?

If you're one of twenty or more relevant professional associations that companies may join, what will make you more relevant than the next?  Would providing an "Online University" for your members with training courses on "How to become more findable on the Internet" be the deciding factor that builds your membership by 25% next year vs. remaining stagnate?

The ILE platform lends itself to paid or free course offerings or a combination of both.  We leverage both models at RentalMetrics by offering a limited selection of course materials FREE and a full access option for $97/month.  Sign up for a free trial and see for yourself.

If you like the multimedia you see and hear inside the RentalMetrics ILE and think, "Hey but I can't do that," never fear.  We can help you with that too whether it's a video presentation, audio engineering, professional custom music, or voice over work. 

If you'd like to have your very own membership site and begin replicating yourself globally, email me.  The possibilities are endless.

the Ebook (e-book) as an accidental marketing tool

I wrote my "Confessions" e-book early this year.  After a short while, it has been downloaded/read thousands of times and I'm still getting calls for interviews/commentary for articles around the world. 

I knew nothing about ebook marketing when I released this and I'm certainly not an Internet marketing guru.  What I've learned though is that thoughtfully presented content written from the heart on a topic that matters gets attention.  Over 700 people have obtained the book via my embedded email form.  That means I can at least ask those same people their opinions on future books or even market to them if I have something of value to offer.

I've closed no business from the book but it has given me the confidence to write another full length book that will be industry specific and my "lead in" to introduce the construction/equipment rental industries to me and my company...RentalMetrics.

RentalMetrics Interactive Learning Environment Goes Live

It's been 8 months in the works.  Countless thousands of hours have gone into its creation.  Now, RentalMetrics has officially launched its Interactive Learning Environment (ILE). 

To sign up for a the free trial and poke around, visit http://signup.rentalmetrics.com.  Select the FREE TRIAL subscription.

The business can best be described as "Insourced E-Learning for the Construction and Equipment Rental Sectors".  It's a virtual online consultant.  So...no suits...no flights...expensive dinners.  Just fantastic content delivered in rich media formats (audio, video, screen casts, etc.). 

We're providing the resources, tools, analysis for every equipment rental company to have the kind of personnel firepower to execute technology solution deployments (and get the most out of them) like their well resourced larger cousins.  Of course the big guys will find quite a bit to use as well.  I'm guessing our Marketing & Promotions category will get some attention from the larger companies since they're still contemplating "that whole blog thing" or this new "social media revolution".  We'll see.

The bottom line is that we're open for business.  Most of my readers are probably not associated w/the Construction Equipment Rental sector.  However, if you're a consultant, business coach, or just operate any kind of "Information Based Business", think about how this Interactive Learning Environment platform could work for you.

How would you like to offer your clients rich content for sale?  Maybe you could offer your intellectual property to the world...while you sleep?  Have you ever woken up to new sales and new bank deposits each morning?  Maybe it is time to stop traveling so much and remove your income cap because you're "maxed out".

Lucky for you we built the platform for RentalMetrics so anyone can use it.  If you want to get global overnight, shoot me an email and I'll share more details.  I'd like to put out a special thank you to Andy Brudtkuhl and Paul Gratton for making all of this happen behind the scenes. 

Here's a video tour of the site in case you're interested.  Until we meet again. 

Agile Non-Development

I got the call last Friday afternoon from another highly respected destination site in the IT world asking my permission to do an expose on my "Confessions" book.  I decided in that moment that the book deserved its own website where I would:

1. Aggregate a list of subscribers that may enjoy future e-books I write or that may enjoy the expanded version of "Confessions" in the works.
2. Brand the e-book accordingly since before, it was merely linked on a page at my corporate website at RentalMetrics.
3. Provide a survey so readers could offer their feedback on the book and opinions on its expansion worthiness.

I emailed my technology guy and said, "Hey, I'm going to design a static web page with an opt in form built in, can you put it up and host it for me?"  (Sure no problem). 

I began with the usual suspects:  Google page creator, MSFT Publisher, Dream Weaver, NVU, then MSFT Word.  I was leveraging templates and trying to edit them in the WYSIWYG editors but ended up frustrated and flummoxed....as always. 

Then I accessed that part of my brain that I'd tucked away for safekeeping.   It's the part that uses Typepad for EVERYTHING I do (on my own) on the web.  The next 4 hours were a flurry of keystrokes and configuration and I had:

1. Purchased a domain and mapped it to my newly created typepad blog site.
2. Chosen a template and using TypePad's "pages" function, created a "static home page" that will always show when you hit the site (vs. the always updated blog posts).
3. Created an opt-in auto responder in Aweber.  That little gem of a software application is the best auto-renewing $20 I spend a month. This includes 2 follow up messages that get sent at a pre-determined interval, etc.
4. Created custom "thank you" pages on the blog site (again...all easily created in typepad.
5. Added some "right nav" content by sharing some of the TypeLists I have on other blogs here.
6. Configured/laid out the content blocks.
7. Made navigation links to pages in the right navigation at the top right including an Author Bio page (scraped from my company site at RentalMetrics)
8. Created a survey in Wufoo and had embedded this into a page.
9. Used Feedburner to create easy subscribability and pleasant RSS feeds including "Feed flare" to become more easily linkable.

Effectively, within 4 hours I'd created the full circle marketing and PR destination hub for my e-book on my own.  Now, this will not wow anyone in tech circles. In fact, it may seem rather Luddite.  However, for the entrepreneur, consultant, solo-preneur, small business...this power should NOT be underestimated.  A few simple skills will save you big bucks and big headaches (and be more effective than any generic site will be for you). 

This site is findable, link-able, comment-able, sign-up-able, pleasure-able, and functional-(able :)

It cost me exactly 4 hours on a Saturday and since I already use the hosted applications in all of my other businesses, there was zero out of pocket, only opportunity cost.

Invest little bit of your brain power in some simple techniques to build your own sites and for goodness sake, use a BLOG platform to do it!  Blog platforms come chock full of widgets and nifty little code bits that make your site go from zero to hero in minutes.  Well, at least 240 of them.

That's Agile. 

www.enterpriseconfessions.com

Some nice coverage for "Confessions" book

My "Confessions of An Ex-Enterprise Salesperson:  What I Really Meant When I Said ___________ " was picked up by the IT Project Failures Blog.  Michael Krigsman characterized the book properly as it's not a "hit piece" on sales people (we're all selling).  Rather, it's a more of a handbook to help cut through the clutter and noise of the enterprise selling process.

Each side of the sales equation (the one with the money and the one trying to separate him/her from it) will be served by the book I think.  If you'd like your copy, simply visit this link and request it.

Getting great recorded interview quality using Skype

Over at RentalMetrics...we believe we've turned a corner with regard to quality of audio production...not to mention our screen casting production.  We've figured out how to successfully use skype to execute digital interviews:  we use the studio microphone in the office and the caller calls in using our "skype in" phone number. 

We use a great piece of software called "CallBurner" that records the conversation.  Both sides of the call (me and the inbound caller) are recorded on separate channels allowing for great editing options (we use Audacity which is free also).  If the caller and I talk over each other, we can fix that is post production by simply moving tracks around. 

We've also raised the bar on the video screen casts (We're now using the free CamStudio).  It seems that after investing maybe 40 hours in learning and tweaking, we've found the right settings and resolution to make things look very appealing.

We're also now using Viddler to host our videos.  Much better quality and flexibility than YouTube or Google Video.  We can even make video's "private" for example if they're related to specific clients or part of our subscription service.

I say "We" when I really mean Paul.  Paul has tirelessly futzed with things and has become a great producer.  I keep telling him that if we're not careful, RentalMetrics will get asked to execute on social media/marketing projects for companies in our industry.  That wouldn't be so bad :)

Bottom Line
Here's the latest and certainly greatest Product Showcase on an industry leading Fleet Management GPS Solution.  Please watch it and let us know what you think.

Hey...I Just Realized....My Newspaper Delivery is Spotty

During the course of conversation about various forms of journalism, marketing, and media at our first Friday of the month meet up, I realized that I hadn't called to complain or really noticed all that much that my newspaper delivery has beens spotty at best.  I should be upset...but I seem to fine with my RSS feeds and my local talk radio on WOWFM 98.3.

Hummm.  Newspaper seems awfully irrelevant to me these days.  Besides, if I want an "ad filled book", there are plenty out there with glossy pages that don't turn my fingers black.

Rising above the vaccuum cleaner

If you can spare a moment....(really about a minute)...please listen.

Download vaccum_cleaner_podpost.wav

Use of Video in Company Promotion

Are you using video/rich media in your web/marketing/PR/media execution (notice I didn't say plan) for 2008?  I have turned the corner and have just gone live with my new firm's "Porch Pitch" (Like an elevator pitch but smaller).  The company is RentalMetrics.  Take a look and see if you "get what we do".  If not, it's back to the video drawing board :)

Special thanks to Mike Sansone for pushing/coaching/exposing we business bloggers to the power of the uncomfortable new technologies that await us when we try.  Double secret probation thanks to Chris Punke at Focal Point.  Chris is the uber video studio production genius that makes me look like I'm standing in front of tractors and such using chroma key technology (green screen).  I'd highly recommend both gentlemen who can make some magic for your business.  More thanks to Paul Gratton for key production support.

Message to Mediacom: Goodbye and Good Luck

Unfortunately, I don't believe my leaving will  make a difference at Mediacom...but I finally overcame inertia and bailed out.
Here's how I architected the departure.

1. Found acceptable speed dedicated DSL from Qwest at a fixed price for life.
2. Had home number ported over to Qwest basic line.
3. Bundled DirecTV HD package also.

Savings.  I'm down from the "you're not a new customer anymore so here come da' pain price of $167/mo to about $117 (4 tuners on the DirectTV system).  Yes, I had to pay some upfront for the equipment with DirecTV but amortizing over 1 year is still a savings then year 2 things are looking much better. 

I'm really not so concerned at this point with how GOOD Qwest and DirecTV are.  However, I'm elated to be exorcising the Mediacom demon (save for Scott Westerman who I think doesn't work there anymore).  It's pretty bad when ANYTHING is better than SOMETHING. 

I won't go into the reasons why I'm leaving.....oh who am I kidding.

1. Blatant disregard for the customer when resolving most issues.
2. Staff that doesn't seem to have the power to resolve anything...rather simply read the screen (not their fault I'm certain).
3. Laissez fare attitude regarding the competition and their offers.
4. They pulled my music channels (which we use a lot) and I have no idea why...nor could they answer this when we called.
5. We've been on a "waiting list" for new equipment (HD DVR and regular DVR receiver) that actually WORK most of the time vs. cutting out audio or pixelating because of a feed burp.  When calling again and again, "there is no list Mr. Mitchell...but I'll get you on the list right away" huh?

Blood boiling, pulse accelerating...time to put on some Limp Bizkit and go scrape ice off the drive way.  @$%!#@%#!@%$@#^%#@^#@$^%$
"Let the anger flow inside you Doug..........(breathing into toilet bowl).+

If you're from Qwest or DirecTV and you read this, sorry I'm not coming to you on better terms.  We'll have our chance to build a relationship soon enough.