Litmos Training System

September 15, 2008 | 1 Comment

Litmos is a training system that for many of you will be a warm, happy relief.  It is funny that no one has done a good job of this in the past, considering how many people are out there trying to build training and learning programs. I have used Moodle and other options to build training systems, and they just have too many options and take forever to customize and make your own.

Here are the key reasons I really like Litmos, and the things I would like to see them add as well.

  1. I love simplicity.  You will be building a course in minutes.
  2. I love low cost of entry.  Because they are charging $3 per user, you know how much it will cost whether you are doing small audience or large.
  3. They charge per ACTIVE user.  So having users in there that never log in do not cost you anything.
  4. Litmus has a great, easy interface.
  5. Litmus has the option to host big video files (small $ amount more per month)
  6. Nice assessments.
  7. Incredible support and involvement - they have been emailing me to ask how I like it, what I would like to see added, etc.  They have even made a couple of changes based on my recommendations.

My Litmos Wishlist

Of course, there is a fine line between simple and having everything I would like to see.  Here is my wish list for things that would take it from good to perfect (for me.)

  1. API to log in from another location.  Right now user management has to be done from the Litmos system and users must log in there.  I find it hard to build a community of users if they have a bunch of different logins.
  2. Messages - It would be great if they built in a message board or at least messaging on each learning module.  Currently it is a one way street.  I think something as simple as leaving comments on modules would work - and it can be turned on or off based on the module setting.
  3. Audio Uploads - I know this will be there soon, but currently you can upload Powerpoint, Flash, Video but not an audio as a module.  They did say it will be there soon.  You can currently upload audio as a resource, but not as a module in the course.
  4. Ability to sell my course directly via Litmos - It would be wonderful if they would let me set the price of my course and sell it within their catalog.  Then I could create couses and promote them, and they would get $3 from each person that takes the course, and I would get the difference on what I am charging.  That would save a huge amount of work for me.

Long ago I accepted the fact that one application is not going to appear and integrate everything that I could ever want.  Instead, if you find a tool that is simple and takes minimal effort to add users into, then you have a winner.  Litmos is a winner, and I am confident that it will continue to get better.

Posted by Ron McDaniel | Filed Under Blog, Interesting Buzz, Small Business 

Debt and the Law of Reciprocation

September 4, 2008 | Leave a Comment

I have talked about the importance of providing value to people before.  If you are not providing remarkable value, why would you expect people to buzz about you?

If you are providing life-changing value, you get into the realm of Debt and the Law of Reciprocation.

Basically, it states that if you provide exceptional value to someone, they will feel in debt to you and be happy to spend money with you.  This has roots in general networking strategies (helping other people is the best way to network) and in sales (free trial).

There is a broader impact I would like to talk about here.  The Law of Reciprocation works very well, often with a simple email.  And the buzz it creates can be big.

I sent a private email to my list about a month ago.  It was the very personal story of how I have lost over 50 lb and the amazingly easy way I did it.  (No diets, no pills, no cutting and minimal working out.)

In the email I did not sell.  I used it as a marketing lesson on how one simple blog post by someone else changed my life and how they most likely extended my life, and how I would be deeply in debt to that person forever.

A Big Risk?

It was a risky email.  Very personal and no gain for me.  I was not selling anything.  A few people wrote back and said they were confused about the personal email and the lack of a marketing goal.  One even seemed offended.  3 People unsubscribed.

But I also got a huge number of supportive emails.  My personal relationships with some people deepened.  People started sharing their stories with me.  And several said they were inspired and tried out the same thing.

The Big Reward

Before today I felt like it was a success.  However, it became an even bigger success today because I was invited to lunch by a longtime friend that I only see rarely.  She read the email that came at the right time for her and she used it to make big changes.  She is making great progress.

Let me recap.  I had nothing to sell and nothing to gain.  But I knew if I wrote it with sensitivity, I could inspire some people to make similar changes.

That happened.  And the Law of Reciprocity for those people kicked in, not by anything clever but by human nature.  Today that friend not only bought me a thank you lunch, but she also really wanted to give me something in return and she is referring a huge account our way.  I am sure she would not if she did not think we could do a great job with them, but I might not have been the only choice.

Kindness and Giving Great Value are your best Buzz tools.

Posted by Ron McDaniel | Filed Under Blog, Interesting Buzz 

7 Stupid Social Media Mistakes - Are you making them?

June 9, 2008 | 17 Comments

There is a variety of problems with social media.  I have identified the 7 mistakes that really make you look like a rookie that just learned about the Internet thingy.  Don’t worry if you are making some of these mistakes, you are not alone.

  1. Trying to participate in too many tools
    If you are siging up and building a profile on every new thing that comes out, you better be a writer for Mashable.  No one can keep up with all the new things.  Find some you like and do a good job in them.
     
  2. Expect that just setting up an account will yield results
    Guess what - you have to do more than just set up an account to get results.  If I had a dollar for every person that has told me they set up a LinkedIn account and nothing happened, I’d be rich.
     
  3. Not using the tools to connect with people
    Nearly every site makes it possible to connect with other people (I think that is why they call is SOCIAL media).  If you are not connecting, no one is finding you.
     
  4. Giving up after a short time
    Social media is about making and sustaining connections.  The only way you can grow your influence is long term.  Stop crying - if you do not like the fact that it takes time, don’t do it at all.
     
  5. Promoting yourself without providing value
    The fact that you signed up for an account does not give you the right to promote yourself constantly.  And it is a sure way to get people to run in the other direction.
     
  6. Not using the tools to link to other resources
    Similar to not connection to people, if you only link to your website or blog and never bookmark or link to other interesting resources, you will never gain the respect of your audience.  Nor should you.
     
  7. Not intentionally building a target network
    Don’t pick the biggest network or the one that your kid brother said you should use.  Find out where your current customers go and your target audience hangs out online.  Intentionally build value and influence in the right communities, even if they are smaller.

If you are a business person trying to get into this social media thing, I fully expect that you have made all of these mistakes.  I promise you that if you get these things turned around, your popularity and influence will rise online, as will your pocketbook eventually.

Posted by Ron McDaniel | Filed Under Blog, Interesting Buzz, Networking 

Want Meat in your Webinar?

April 21, 2008 | Leave a Comment

All too often, you sign up for a free webinar and you get an idea or two, but the majority of the presentation is a sales pitch.  It is actually very effective and as long as you know that going in, that is fine.

Lee Salz wanted to find a place where he could pay for real training instead of suffer through the pitch.  When he could not find the network of business experts he was looking for, he created one.

Business Experts Webinars is a network of specialists giving (for fee) webinars that have real meat.  No sales and pitching to the audience - real training.

I am really pleased to be a member of this group.  I have watched Lee bring this thing to life with boundless energy.  The great thing is I make a little something from the effort and I can feel confident sending people to this network.

Please go check out the list of webinars and look for mine - I have one each month.

Posted by Ron McDaniel | Filed Under Buzzoodle, Interesting Buzz 

7 ways your VA can add BUZZ to your business

March 2, 2008 | 1 Comment

I asked ISHANI MITRA of Outsourcerer.com to tell me the 7 best ways a VA can create buzz for their client.  Here is his response.

Have you ever thought of a virtual assistant generating buzz for your business? Here are 7 ways in which the magic works:

  1. A virtual assistant located in a remote corner of the world can keep on posting comments on relevant blogs thus generating buzz for your business.
  2. A professionally qualified VA can write marketing content for you which can be used on promotional materials of your company.
  3. A VA can carry out market surveys and generate reports for further analysis regarding emerging trends relevant to your business.
  4. A VA can handle monotonous tasks like posting on forums and sites such as Craigslist on your behalf thus generating traffic for your business.
  5. VAs can help create strong relationships with the media and your customers, planning special events and building an image - elements that when combined gain publicity, or “buzz,” for your company.
  6. VAs can help you with writing advertisement copies to designing creative media kits based on a theme. It would add buzz to your business without the hassle of hiring a full time specialist.
  7. VAs are technically qualified to handle online marketing avenues such as search engine optimization techniques, adwords campaigns and similar other channels.

Delegating all these tasks to virtual assistants would save you valuable time, which can be devoted on other tasks requiring personalized attention. VAs would add more productivity to your business and set it on a steady path of growth. VAs can also maintain your accounts and finances, keep track of operational activities of your team and can handle recruitment and other human resource management functions for you.

If you want a free trial of VA services and what they can do for you, please visit Outsorcerer.com for further details.

Posted by Ron McDaniel | Filed Under Blog, Interesting Buzz 

Diigo - a must have web app.

February 25, 2008 | 2 Comments

I use a variety of tools for doing research and saving things.  Online notebooks are useful to capture data and save it.  For example, you can capture a page and even if the page changes later, you captured what you wanted.  Useful for book research, etc.

Then I stumbled upon a Diigo.  This is some nice stuff.  Now I can put notes and bookmarks on webpages and see my notes when I return.  I prefer this much over something like del.icio.us, which seems to not be doing too much to keep growing.

I did not install the toolbar.  I have too many things installed already and did not want to risk slower performance.  However, with a little playing around I added the button to the favorites and it is working nicely.

I especially like the feature that gets more information on a page.  Now I can see how popular a blog is before I contact them.

If you want a better way to do web research and organization, give Diigo a try.

Posted by Ron McDaniel | Filed Under Blog, Buzzoodle, Interesting Buzz 

I am too busy having fun, please write my best seller for me.

February 20, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Tell me how fun this is! 

Please write my NY Times Bestseller for me while I enjoy life.

I don’t know if it will work, but if it does it is very cool.  It is also a chance for you to finesse some great buzz.  If you can work your product or service into his book, that is great buzz.  But don’t spoil it.  Only try it if it is a good fit.

While you are at it, if you have a Buzz Marketing best seller that you would like me to take and publish, let me know.  :)

Posted by Ron McDaniel | Filed Under Blog, Interesting Buzz 

Today is the day you should do a video

November 17, 2007 | Leave a Comment

Jim Kukral at Marketing Ideas Online points out some interesting opportunities with video and the writer’s strike.  His post is built from a longer post on Mashable.

Essentially, the writer’s strike means less new stuff will be out there for people to see, so now is the time to crank up your video effort.  Wondering what I am doing?  I have been working with video for a little while now, but am still not 100% happy with what I have done.  I will definitely be in our upcoming online training.

Posted by Ron McDaniel | Filed Under Blog, Interesting Buzz 

Business Rich Boot Camp

November 7, 2007 | 1 Comment

A good friend of mine, Ralph Berge, has teamed up with some of his collegues and are doing a two day Business Rich Boot Camp.  I have attended a one day boot camp and came away with a great 90 day plan that helped me improve the business.  If you are in the NE Ohio area, check it out.

Business Rich Boot Camp

Do you ever catch yourself saying, “I don’t know what I don’t know”? And you do know that it’s impacting your business…

Action Coach of Akron-Canton is working with business people to answer that question and more at its Business Rich Boot Camp on November 15th and 16th at Firestone CC in Akron.

At this intensive two day workshop, you will learn the fundamentals of building a successful business model. This #1 business coaching firm will teach you the business foundation of knowledge required to outperform your competition. It’s not just theory, its hands on, hard hitting, business education that can be implemented in your business.

Here’s a link for more information:

http://www.actioncoach.com/ralphberge/events.php

Posted by Ron McDaniel | Filed Under Interesting Buzz 

Handshake HQ - Give It A Try

June 20, 2007 | Leave a Comment

 Handshake HQ

We have not fully launched Handshake HQ yet.  It is fully functional but we continue to look at ways to improve the interface and marketing.  That said, give it a try if you would like.  You can sign up at http://www.handshakehq.com/ and there is a free account as well as a paid version.

What is it?

OK, long story short.  I wanted a better tool to follow up with people after I met them, so I tossed together the first version of Handshake HQ to help me by templating my emails so I could craft better messages with better goals.  Then I could power through a stack of cards in seconds and send each person a highly personal email. - No SPAM, these had to be sent one at a time.  It just helped me write better emails and not have to retype the whole thing.

I started using it with a great deal of success, and as soon as I told the first person about it, they wanted it for their organization. Handshake HQ is the commercial version of this simple solution.  Better Messages Faster with Better Results is what it boils down to.

Give it a try and let me know what you think.  It is an attempt on our part to share tools we find useful and profitable with other people that may benefit from the same strategy.

Posted by Ron McDaniel | Filed Under Blog, Buzzoodle, Employee Advocates, Interesting Buzz, Sales, Small Business 

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