http://www.chadbarr.com Chad Barr, President, CB Software Systems, Inc. Helping individuals and organizations with their technologies Sun, 20 Jul 2008 18:46:56 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en This post is password protected. To view it please enter your password below: Password: http://www.chadbarr.com/interview-with-million-dollar-consultant-rob-nixon/ I am pleased to announce, back at the beginning of this year, the new development and launch of Dr. Alan Weiss exciting monthly Balancing Act® HTML branded newsletter. To read the five most recent 2008 issues, please click on the links below: January 2008 newsletter February 2008 newsletter March 2008 newsletter April 2008 ... http://www.chadbarr.com/new-balancingact%c2%ae-html-newsletter/ I am thrilled to announce the new site we have developed for Dave Delong Ph.D., President of David DeLong & Associates, located in Concord, MA. The company is a research and consulting firm that helps organizations improve performance by solving problems related to changing workforce demographics and knowledge transfer. ... http://www.chadbarr.com/new-site-launch-wwwlostknowledgecom/ I am delighted to announce the new site we have developed for Suzanne Bates, President and CEO of Bates Communications, Inc. and her team, located in Wellesley, MA. Bates Communications is a strategic consulting firm specializing in leadership development in communication skills. Click here to view Bates new site. Click here to ... http://www.chadbarr.com/new-site-launch-wwwbates-communicationscom/ I am delighted to announce the new site we have implemented for Gretchen Neels, founder of Neels & Company, located in Boston, MA. Gretchen's company provides soft skills training to professional services firms covering all areas of business communication, including: Strategic Recruiting, Effective Interviewing and Employee Retention. Four Generations ... http://www.chadbarr.com/new-site-launch-wwwneelscompanycom/ I am glad to announce the new site we have developed for Leslie Ungar, founder and President of Electric Impulse Communication, located in Akron, Ohio. Leslie has become a pre-eminent source for speaking, coaching, and commentating to the executive and business worlds. Leslie is on a mission to make companies ... http://www.chadbarr.com/new-site-launch-wwwelectricimpulsecom/ I am proud to announce the new site we have developed for Temple Emanu El, located in Cleveland, Ohio. The synagogue community is a very special place where not only is learning happening, but meaning is made. I am especially proud to have worked on this project since my wife, ... http://www.chadbarr.com/new-site-launch-wwwteecleveorg/ I am thrilled to announce the new site we have developed for Betty K Cooper, founder of Creative Concepts LTD., located in Calgary AB Canada. Betty helps people at every level of business become more powerful, effective speakers through her individual coaching, her workshops and seminars and her talks to ... http://www.chadbarr.com/new-site-launch-wwwbettycoopercom/ In the next several days I am going to feature several new sites and Internet strategies we have recently launched for our clients. Each represents many brainstorming hours, design work, extensive coding and development of content. I do want to thank all our current and new clients for your continued ... http://www.chadbarr.com/new-sites-launch/ “If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant; if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.” Anne Dudley Bradstreet It is that exciting time of year again. The trees are changing, there is an amazing fragrance in the air, the birds are ... http://www.chadbarr.com/spring-is-here/ My wife and I traveled to Utah via Las Vegas this past week. Since I had some business calls to take care of, I asked my wife if she would not mind driving the beautiful route from Vegas to Utah while I make these calls. She of course agreed and ... http://www.chadbarr.com/productivity-on-the-road/ I just returned for another absolutely outstanding event – The Million Dollar Consulting College™ Graduate School held at the gorgeous Ritz Carlton in Naples Florida. “These people represent the finest talent in the profession,” noted Alan Weiss, Ph.D. who conducts this college. “They are the best of the best in terms ... http://www.chadbarr.com/the-internet-%e2%80%93-our-electrical-grid/ I just returned from my trip to Rhode Island followed immediately with a trip to Austin, Texas, where I attended a conference attracting the owners and top management of independent wholesale paper, sanitary maintenance, and restaurant equipment distributors. While meeting with about 80 of these organizations, I asked them to ... http://www.chadbarr.com/keys-to-success-for-wholesale-distributors/ I just spent a couple of terrific days in Rhode Island where I delivered my speech on "Successfully leveraging the Internet to Drive Value to Your Customers" to the current class of Dr. Alan Weiss's Million Dollar Consulting College. One of the items I covered during my speech was how ... http://www.chadbarr.com/creating-high-instant-credibility/ In my previous post I was talking about having to listen to absurd and ineffective voicemails when calling others. I recently played several voicemail (VM) messages that I retrieved from my own voicemail system The first VM was a garbled message from a prospective client interested in talking with me about ... http://www.chadbarr.com/ineffective-phone-conversations/ Let me share with you the type of voice mail messages that irritate me: Today is Thursday, March 27. In the morning I will be out of the office visiting with a client and in the afternoon I am traveling to another client ... Please stop and listen carefully as these menu ... http://www.chadbarr.com/ineffective-voice-mails/ Back on February 20, 2008, I reported the new and interesting www.alltop.com site released by author and innovator Guy Kawasaki. This site focuses on collecting stories from “all the top” sites on the web. I am proud to announce that my blog made it into the social media category of this ... http://www.chadbarr.com/chads-blog-made-it-into-alltopcom/ Charge or retreat, it’s a matter of choice.   I hear people complaining about the strength of the dollar weakening in comparison to other world currencies especially when the media is reaching for our attention with the stories and news of recession. So how do you leverage these economic challenges to ... http://www.chadbarr.com/how-to-market-in-tough-times/ I was the guest speaker at Alan Weiss and Patricia Fripp marketing for speakers, consultants & coaches seminar- The Odd Couple, held in San Francisco on March 8, 2008. I spoke about “Leveraging your web site and the Internet to dramatically grow your business” to a terrific group of entrepreneurs. ... http://www.chadbarr.com/advanced-internet-presence-presentation/ I don’t get the thinking with web sites that incorporate the concept of “Under Construction” or “Coming Soon” pages. Some sites I visit incorporate these pages to attempt and let us know that these pages are going to be released soon. Some do that on their home page thus suggesting ... http://www.chadbarr.com/under-construction-coming-soon-who-are-you-kidding/ Do you still use the phone book to find a company's phone number? I personally forgot what one looks like and prefer to save the drawer space for other use. Instead, I rely on the Internet to get phone numbers when I need to contact a given organization. I find ... http://www.chadbarr.com/how-easy-is-it-to-contact-you/ Our latest newsletter is now available for publication. It features my article: Can you hear me now? Can you see me now? - Listen and watch your text come to life which focuses on leveraging podcasts in augment your text and marketing messages. It also features our guest contributor , ... http://www.chadbarr.com/latest-newsletter-now-available/ When visiting web sites, how often do you click on a link which takes you to another site? Probably quite often you would answer since this is the basic foundation to how the world of the Internet works. But when clicking on that link, does the next page open ... http://www.chadbarr.com/once-they-are-gone-it-may-be-forever/ I believe that we have more control of impacting our destiny and creating success than chance or luck has to do with it. Here are three ideas that have been instrumental in impacting mine: Opportunities are all around us, we just have to learn to pay better attention to them. If you ... http://www.chadbarr.com/increasing-business-opportunities/ WYSIWYG – This popular acronym (pronounced “wiz-ee-wig”) has become popular when screen graphic presentations become virtually identical to those when printing or displaying them on the web. For example, the way you design your screen graphic presentation in a word document will be identical if printed or published to the ... http://www.chadbarr.com/what-you-see-is-what-you-get-%e2%80%a6-not-always/ What You Say Online May Damage Your Credibility As I write on this quite often, blogs are a powerful tool to enable you to rapidly publish content about you and your company. If done well, they can add tremendous credibility for your organization and create an online dialog between you and ... http://www.chadbarr.com/your-customers-and-competitors-may-be-listening/ I just came across a site loaded with interesting content and terrific value. Another creative idea from Guy Kawasaki, innovative author, writer and entrepreneur. Click on this link www.alltop.com a site, which collects all the top stories on the web and organizes them in logical categories. It is like having ... http://www.chadbarr.com/new-stories-revealed-at-your-fingertips/ The large amount of people who smoke in Israel is unfortunately alarming. Although I do not have the statistical evidence to substantiate my claim, ubiquitous smokers are strong enough anecdotal evidence. Here is a picture from the duty-free store in the Tel-Aviv airport proving the unfortunate popularity of cigarettes. Tremendous ... http://www.chadbarr.com/success-or-death-it%e2%80%99s-your-choice/ How much should you share with potential clients when meeting with them and especially in your writing and on the web? I hear this question quite often and for years I was not a huge fan of "giving" away our IP and wisdom. Here is my belief now: If you think ... http://www.chadbarr.com/how-much-intellectual-property-should-you-give-away/ The second most successful outcome of a newsletter strategy is to increase your email distribution list. The first of course is to increase your business with new orders and new projects. I’ve written on this topic extensively in my articles section on my web site as well as here on ... http://www.chadbarr.com/email-intrusion-101-%e2%80%93-adding-names-to-your-distribution-list/ This week, I had the great opportunity of interviewing Dr. Alan Weiss. Also known as The Rock Star of Consulting, The Contrarian and The Consultants' Consultant among other impressive brands. Alan is truly an amazing person who leads a life of great success and inspiration to many of us. I met ... http://www.chadbarr.com/technology-guru-chad-barr-intreviews-million-dollar-consulting-guru-alan-weiss-podcast/ Earlier I posted What have you bought for me lately story here on my blog. My good friend, Tom Breur, Principal of XLNT Consulting in the Netherlands was quick to point out the following fascinating facts. Here is what Tom emailed me and I am publishing it here with his ... http://www.chadbarr.com/practical-application-to-my-watch-shopping-story/ Here is an example of web site from Poole Resources that unfortunately was not a project my company worked on. Part of the strategy of this web site was an attempt to incorporate and build an online community attracting the company’s customers to interact with each other and the owner ... http://www.chadbarr.com/watch-out-someone-may-be-spamming-your-registration-page/ It was almost 10PM and I was standing there at the Tel Aviv airport in Israel waiting for the announcement that my flight to the US is boarding. So in order to kill some time I decided to visit the beautiful, duty free, H. Stern jewelry store. "You sure have a ... http://www.chadbarr.com/what-have-you-bought-for-me-lately/ I am thrilled to announce the new site we have developed for our dear client, a great friend and colleague, Libby Wagner, President of Influencing Options. Libby and the many trainers associated with her company have been focusing on helping organizations develop the proper influencing skills, reduce conflicts, increase market ... http://www.chadbarr.com/new-site-launch-wwwinfluencingoptionscom/ Early this week I submitted a proposal (among several others) to a prospect interested in our web site development. Shortly after I sent the proposal the prospect emailed me and asked me to further articulate what I mean in the proposal by suggesting to incorporate strong call-to-action techniques on all ... http://www.chadbarr.com/how-to-market-your-blog-%e2%80%93-the-basics/ A question was asked on one of the online forums we implemented and I help moderate: "How often does one need to add a new entry to a blog? How long or short should a typical entry be?" Here is my answer: This is one of the topics I study, track, ... http://www.chadbarr.com/how-often-should-i-post-on-my-blog/ I am so pleased to welcome our new client from down under, Michael Harrison who runs his successful consulting company, Strategies + Plus in North Adelaide, Australia. Michael focuses on helping business owners and executives to grow their business and increase their profits. He is a fascinating thought leader with ... http://www.chadbarr.com/new-blog-launch-wwwmichaelharrisoncomau/ My colleague, Dan Janal, runs a great operation with his company PRLEADS. His company focuses on helping individuals get quoted in top-notch publications. I know many people that use Dan’s company and get great results and are quoted in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times and Business Week to ... http://www.chadbarr.com/how-to-kill-your-credibility-with-google-ads/ We are working on a client project that involves two people in my organization, the client and another business partner. In order to improve communication and make sure all people involved are in the loop, I requested we all hit “reply all” when responding to emails. Doing so is not ... http://www.chadbarr.com/why-use-reply-all-all-the-time/ (photo by Tim Niland) Progress of Music and Technology The picture above pretty much resembles my LP vinyl records collection I had growing up at my parents’ home. Mine contained roughly 4000 LPs that I managed to purchase and collect from the hard-earned money I made playing my music gigs back ... http://www.chadbarr.com/the-marvelous-progress-of-music-and-technology/ Improving your web site effectiveness. In my quest to constantly improve our clients’ web sites and develop better and new successful Internet strategies for their business, I come across and review many web sites on a daily basis. To illustrate and discuss the “good, bad and ugly” techniques used by others, and ... http://www.chadbarr.com/how-to-improve-your-web-site-effectiveness/ While vacationing in St. George, Utah, back in December, I couldn’t help but notice this creative sign and ashtray: http://www.chadbarr.com/cleaner-environment-with-a-sense-of-humor/ I am a frequent Continental flyer and enjoy flying with them and the service I receive. Last night, I booked a round trip flight for my son using their online service, which I use quite often. I find www.continental.com to be an easy site to navigate to quickly book my ... http://www.chadbarr.com/servicing-your-customers-four-different-mindsets-4-of-4/ While at the mall, my wife and I left Nordstrom and had some time to kill before our dinner reservation at a nearby restaurant. We walked into Dillard’s women shoe department when my wife noticed the boots she got several weeks ago were significantly discounted and on sale now. The ... http://www.chadbarr.com/servicing-your-customers-four-different-mindsets-3-of-4/ My wife and I went to the mall the other day to stop at Nordstrom in order to get my new mail-ordered coat altered. While waiting for the tailor tp arrive, the friendly salesman started to process the alteration order request on his computer. “I have good news for you ... http://www.chadbarr.com/servicing-your-customers-four-different-mindsets-2-of-4/ It was back in December and a couple of days before my trip to Las Vegas to visit my son in Utah when I realized that I forgot to rent a car for the trip. In a great hurry and armed with the power of the Internet, a couple of ... http://www.chadbarr.com/servicing-your-customers-four-different-mindsets-1-of-4/ I came across these powerful quotes written by Mark Twain: “The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.” “The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable ... http://www.chadbarr.com/the-power-of-language-quotes-by-mark-twain/ Organizing your reading and writing. A question was asked today on one of the online forums I help implement and moderate: “How do you organize potential book commentary, blog posts relevant to an upcoming article, news stories that could be adapted to a speech, etc. so you can find them when you're ... http://www.chadbarr.com/how-do-you-best-organize-your-reading-and-writing-it-is-simpler-than-you-think/ While visiting one of my clients today and walking by their computer room, I noticed that their backup tapes were neatly stacked on the desk next to their server. When taking a closer look I also noticed that they had two tape sizes, the larger to backup their main legacy ... http://www.chadbarr.com/successful-backup-strategies/ I know that I keep talking about delivering genuine value through your blog. But how do you make your text come to life? Simple. Incorporate picture images, audio and video in your posts and throughout your blog. I visit too many blogs where the author did not realize this simple ... http://www.chadbarr.com/how-to-make-your-blog-posts-more-interesting/ I recently purchased this amazing little gadget called Flip Video and I have to tell you that I truly love it. This digital video camera is small, compact, light (fits in my pocket) and from the moment I turn it on it is ready to be used within 3 seconds ... http://www.chadbarr.com/flip-video-my-latest-gadget/ When visiting Utah last week and attending my son’s parents conference, several of us parents decided to have dinner together. I was seated next to my wife on one side and one of the parents on the other. He is a retired professor of many years from one of the ... http://www.chadbarr.com/may-i-show-you-my-vacation-slides/ My wife Laurel who is a Cantor at Temple Emanuel in Cleveland, Ohio, put together an amazing concert back on November 10, 2007. You should have been there as it was an amazing night. It is with tremendous pride and love that I have for her, and with the hope ... http://www.chadbarr.com/happy-new-year-2/ Our latest December newsletter for 2007 contains a couple of articles that you may find to be of interest. Blogging in the New Year is an article I recently wrote after attending the Blog World Expo last month in Las Vegas and after getting tremendous amount of questions about leveraging ... http://www.chadbarr.com/newsletter-recent-articles/ We said goodbye to the kids and are looking forward to their safe return home in June. Our driver is waiting to take us to the airport and luckily we do not need to mount the suitcase on the roof of the car again. On the way to the airport, ... http://www.chadbarr.com/reporting-from-israel-december-17/ Today is our last day in Israel and we started by visiting the gorgeous Yemin Moshe neighborhood overlooking the old city of Jerusalem. It is one of my favorite places to visit in Jerusalem. Located next to an artists colony hosting some of Israel's best and most creative artists I ... http://www.chadbarr.com/reporting-from-israel-december-16/ After a relaxing Friday with my family in Jerusalem, I drove today to Haifa to see one of my closest and best friends that I grew up with in Israel. I spent the day with Eitan, his amazing family and several friends he invited. We greatly enjoyed our time together ... http://www.chadbarr.com/reporting-from-israel-december-15/ As I noted in my previous post, here is the video I shot with my new Flip Video gadget of the singer / seller I met at the Jerusalem open market. What a great guy, great soul and great voice: And just some additional sounds and smells from around the market: http://www.chadbarr.com/reporting-from-israel-december-13-videos/ Thursday turned out to be another great day. I first got together for breakfast with my good friend Dov Gordon from The Gordon Group whom I met online several years ago when implementing Alan’s Forums, the great online community we’ve created for International consultant writer and speaker, Alan Weiss. Dov ... http://www.chadbarr.com/reporting-from-israel-december-13/ Just before crossing the streets from the newer parts of Jerusalem towards the old city, we stopped at a toy store where we bought the games Monopoly and Taboo in Hebrew. As I was talking with the store owner, he wanted me to take a look at an error of ... http://www.chadbarr.com/reporting-from-israel-december-12/ Today we decided to drive to Tel-Aviv where each Tuesday there is an amazing art show at the center of the city in a neighborhood called Nachclat Benyamin. Since you probably already know my love for playing the guitar, I could not resist this great piece of “a guitarist” artwork, made ... http://www.chadbarr.com/reporting-from-israel-december-11/ We rose early in the morning to rent our car and began our journey north to Haifa (the city where I grew up in). It is Hanukah this week, and we saw many cars with a Menorah, (candelabra) mounted on their roof, broadcasting the holiday message. (Menorah on a ... http://www.chadbarr.com/reporting-from-israel-december-10/ I am always amazed with the aviation technology of planes in general and especially the Boeing 777, lifting 283 passengers, the crew and luggage while traveling at an average speed of 550 mph from one side of the world to another. After 9.5 hours in the air, we touched down at ... http://www.chadbarr.com/reporting-from-israel-december-9/ It is 3PM on Saturday, December 8, and my wife and I are getting ready to board the plane from Newark to Tel-Aviv to take us to our vacation. Standing right next to me is Walt Mossberg, the great technology columnist for the Wall Street Journal and his wife. I ... http://www.chadbarr.com/meeting-walt-mossberg/ After delivering my speech last week, at the Inn at Castle Hill in Newport, Rhode Island, and while walking outside, I noticed the beautiful and serene picture of nature. The geese, somewhat motionless, seemed to ignore me as they were calmly looking at the water. I aimed my camera, one ... http://www.chadbarr.com/seize-the-moment-or-lose-the-opportunity/ Click below for podcast to start http://www.chadbarr.com/how-to-leverage-web-site-content/ This video reminds me of some of the training sessions we conduct for our clients and even some of the few I personally attended. http://www.chadbarr.com/the-benefit-of-using-a-coach/ After dinner last night, my wife and I went to Caribou Coffee to get a latte. While the coffee was being prepared, I was looking at the announcement board and this ad seemed to grab my attention. It immediately became obvious to me, that the person designing this ad, apparently ... http://www.chadbarr.com/how-come-no-inquiries-are-coming-in/ Francis Ford Coppola (age 68), five-time academy award winner, director of movies such as: The Godfather, The Conversation and Apocalypse Now, was interviewed this morning on CBS News Sunday Morning. His life-story attribute that resonated with me most was his tenacity. Although he became quite successful at an early age, he ... http://www.chadbarr.com/are-you-too-scared-of-success/ It was great when one of the participants in my recent speaking engagement in Rhode Island, came to me after my presentation and reminded me that I did not mention a concept that resonated with him when he heard me speak last year. So here is the concept and thanks ... http://www.chadbarr.com/how-the-3-strikes-rule-applies-to-your-web-strategy/ I am here at Rhode Island where I will be presenting today “How to Leverage The Internet for Improved Success in Your Business” to the attendees of the Million Dollar Consulting College, held by Dr. Alan Weiss of the Summit Consulting Group. While chatting last night with several of the college ... http://www.chadbarr.com/the-importance-of-web-site-evolution/ It has been 29 years since I moved to the U.S. and made it my home and the journey has been simply unbelievable. I’ve been fortunate to create and live a great life and as this Thanksgiving holiday weekend comes to a close, I wish to thank you all: My dear ... http://www.chadbarr.com/happy-holidays/ I just spent an awesome weekend with my son traveling the Bryce Canyon area. Great bonding experience, terrific conversations, learned some new rap music and beautiful surrounding nature. Life is good! Below are some pictures I took (click on images to enlarge): At Snow Canyon St. George Snow Canyon - St. George Sunset - ... http://www.chadbarr.com/lifes-special-great-moments/ I’ve attended the Blog World Expo in Las Vegas and got to meet some terrific people including Marc Cuban and Matt Mullenweg. Here are some best practices ideas I would like to share with you: It’s a great professional development tool for you and your company. It is a rapid publishing ... http://www.chadbarr.com/greetings-from-blog-world-expo/ One of the successful concepts of Internet marketing is called Viral Marketing. This concept helps spread an idea very quickly among its recipients. One example of the success of this concept is with singer Marie Digby. She video recorded several famous songs and uploaded them onto YouTube. When visitors searched for ... http://www.chadbarr.com/make-sense-of-viral-marketing/ I just returned from Rhode Island, where I attended “The Strategist” workshop, which was conducted by Alan Weiss, Ph.D. It was simply outstanding. Here are some of my takeaways: Strategy is the what, tactics is the how Planning kills strategy. Strategy is top down, planning is bottom up. Strategy starts with the end desire. ... http://www.chadbarr.com/the-strategist-workshop/ I received several great emails and suggestions about my last Blog post, which has triggered some of my additional points: Technology for technology sake makes no sense – Why purchase a faster processor when the old one is just fast enough? Why upgrade immediately to the latest software version when you ... http://www.chadbarr.com/isn%e2%80%99t-innovation-great/ It was 1968, I was 12 years old growing up in Israel. After waiting for over a year, the phone my parents ordered for our home, finally arrived. There was great excitement in our home, and we even built a small credenza to proudly display our new arrival. What ... http://www.chadbarr.com/are-you-taking-your-technologies-for-granted/ I am delighted to announce the development, implementation and the launch of the new blog for Aviv Shahar, owner of Amber Network. Aviv is a fascinating thought leader who helps executives improve effectiveness, strategic thinking, collaboration and innovation. Click here to visit his new blog and explore his thoughts for ... http://www.chadbarr.com/new-blog-launch-wwwavivshaharcom/ The Wall Street Journal had a brief remembrance for the editor of Forbes magazine, James W. Michaels, 1921 - 2007. After he took over the magazine, circulation more than doubled. He was contrarian in life as in editing. He rarely socialized with publishing professionals. He distrusted electric typewriter and loved ... http://www.chadbarr.com/remembrance-to-the-editor-of-forbes/ A new encrypted disk drive for desktop personal computers, has been announced to be released in 4th quarter of this year from Seagate Technology. This will protect the information on your disk drive if the computer has gotten into the wrong hands. http://www.chadbarr.com/your-computer-is-stolen-do-not-fret/ "Every artist deserves in the end to be remembered for the best that was in him, and when Pavarotti was at his best, there was nobody better." This beautiful sentence was written by Terry Teachout, the Journal's drama critic. http://www.chadbarr.com/farewell-to-pavarotti/ What a brilliant move by FaceBook to improve their software and with no investment! They've attracted 70,000 developers to build free plug-ins interfaces to their web site. Once approved by FaceBook, these plug-ins provide utilities for users to improve their online experience. They may play games, share reviews of books, movies, ... http://www.chadbarr.com/what-a-fabulous-business-idea/ "Use Your Electricity For More Than Light" said an ad that ran in the Sears catalog in 1917. When talking about Internet strategies in the various speeches I deliver, I refer to the idea of the Internet of today as the light bulb of 100 years ago. It is obvious ... http://www.chadbarr.com/making-this-world-a-better-place-by-growing-communities/ Talking of TED, I've recently watched these two fascinating and inspiring presentations from Dean Kamen - previewing a new prosthetic arm and Jeff Skoll - making movies that make change. Don't miss them. Click below to view the presentation: Click below to view the presentation: http://www.chadbarr.com/people-who-make-a-huge-difference/ Richard St. John gave a terrific presentation at TED discussing his top eight points of what leads to success. Here are his Secrets to success: Passion - Do it for love and not money. The money the comes anyway. Work - It takes hard work with much fun. Focus - Practice, practice, practice. Persist - ... http://www.chadbarr.com/secrets-of-success/ I've been following Starbucks expansion in the US and am quite impressed with their expansion now into Russia. What impressed me more is a statement from Martin Coles, President of Starbucks International saying: "We do not spend a great deal of time focusing on our competition. The growth of other ... http://www.chadbarr.com/getting-stronger-with-the-competition/ Several weeks ago we launched Pam Harper's new web site Business Advancement Inc. and we are now pleased to announce the design, implementation and launch of Pam's new blog. Click here to visit it. (Click image to enlarge) http://www.chadbarr.com/new-blog-launch-wwwpamharpercom/ Alright, alright now. Before you go and dismiss surveys as a needed interpretation tool (because I told you so in my previous post) check this out as also reported in the wsj: A study released by the National Bureau of Economic Research and prepared by Duke University professors found that teachers ... http://www.chadbarr.com/which-teacher-would-you-want-teaching-your-kids/ The WSJ reported a study which was conducted at UCLA and concluded that women are "chattier" than men by 3% (I know my wife would debate that.) It also suggested that muscular men are twice as likely to have more than three sex partners than their less muscular buddies. So ... http://www.chadbarr.com/how-conclusive-are-these-studies/ In my previous post, I talked about the world becoming one big HiFi spot. Well, American Airlines announced their plan to offer high-speed Internet service connection on their flights next year. What a great world we live in and it's becoming better all the time. http://www.chadbarr.com/wifi-internet-connection-at-35000-feet/ An interview in the Wall Street Journal with John Chambers, CEO of Cisco, caught my attention. Below are the top five points: Focus on markets transition and try to catch them at the right time. Enter new markets with a sustainable differentiation. Listen and take direction from your customers. Develop a strong leadership team. Innovate, ... http://www.chadbarr.com/when-and-how-is-it-time-to-grow-your-company/ I am delighted to have my company involved in designing, developing and implementing the new web site and strategy for Pat Lynch, Ph.D., principal of Business Alignment Strategies, a consulting firm that helps clients align employee behaviors and decisions with organizational goals. Pat's has a brilliant mind with ... http://www.chadbarr.com/new-site-launch-wwwhrvaluebiz/ I believe the following are the top five ways to become a better and clearer communicator: Deliver direct and clear points and eliminate vagueness. Support with examples. Frame the issues with clear definition of what each one is and what it is not. Communicate on a level the other can understand. Test your assumptions as ... http://www.chadbarr.com/improve-your-communication-with-concise-specificity/ TravelPost.com has a great guide on their web site listing WiFi spots in over 200 airports in the US and almost 100 international airports. Click here to view the actual guide. http://www.chadbarr.com/looking-for-a-wireless-connection-at-the-airport/ Both BMW and Mercedes Benz are known for their terrific high-end performance cars. I know that since I own one of them. They have not been recognized for their emphasis on fuel consumption technology. But that's about to change soon when both companies are about to reveal new car models ... http://www.chadbarr.com/diluting-your-brand-or-competing-and-growing-your-market-share/ It's clear to me that identity thieves are getting craftier and spammers are getting more deceptive. But what amazes me is the fact that many individuals and companies are still falling victims for the same old tricks. Is it a matter of better needed education, improved methods of public alerts ... http://www.chadbarr.com/have-you-secured-your-identity-lately/ We are pleased to announce the extensive development and launch of the new web site for Pamela Harper of Business Advancement Inc. Pam, President and founder, focuses on helping her clients accelerate progress toward their key business objectives. Her unique abilities help generate dramatic and successful results for her ... http://www.chadbarr.com/new-web-site-launch-for-wwwbusinessadvancecom/ A study conducted by Outsell Inc., a market researcher in Burlingame, and reported in the San Francisco Chronicle, reveals a huge fraud charging customers for erroneous clicks. Here's an alarming summary of the finding as published in the original article: Clicks believed by advertisers to be fraudulent: 14.6 percent Money paid by ... http://www.chadbarr.com/internet-click-fraud/ I I walk down the street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I fall in. I am lost ... I am helpless It isn't my fault. It takes forever to find a way out. II I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I pretend I don't see it. I fall in again. I ... http://www.chadbarr.com/attempted-solutions-autobiography-in-five-short-chapters/ He prayed ~ It wasn’t my religion He ate ~ It wasn’t what I ate He spoke ~ It wasn’t my language He dressed ~ It wasn’t what I wore He took my hand ~ It wasn’t the color of mine But when he laughed ~ It was how I laughed And when he cried ~ ... http://www.chadbarr.com/poem/ Did you realize that most of today's "hot" gadgets will be totally outdated in just a few years. Here are some examples: The first IBM PC, first hand-held calculator, boom box, cassette player, rotary phone, B&W TV, AM radio and many more. What others come to your mind? So while ... http://www.chadbarr.com/hot-gadgets-or-dinosaurs-to-remember/ WiFi spots are not only becoming ubiquitous they are now starting to appear in cars, trains and even airplanes. Imagine driving your car while being able to check (carefully of course) on the best restaurants in the area or at your destination as well as what special events of interest ... http://www.chadbarr.com/our-world-is-becoming-one-big-wifi-spot/ If you aren't taking your site seriously, why should others? http://www.chadbarr.com/serious-about-your-web-site/ In a recent article in the wsj by Benjamin Netanyahoo, previous Prime Minister of Israel and currently the leader for the Opposition in the Knesset, he wrote about the potential of peace and the importance of prosperity based on the current successes in Dubai and the gulf states: "With the right ... http://www.chadbarr.com/peace-then-prospirity-or-is-it-prosperity-then-peace/ Well, I slightly changed the words of the song just to make my point. It is history, this record had an immense influence on Rock & Roll and since you asked, I was 11 years old back then and I love this album. I guess time does fly when you ... http://www.chadbarr.com/it-was-forty-years-ago-today/ Surface computer is a new innovation from Microsoft which looks unbelievable. It enables multiple users to work on one surface in a full graphic environment. Click on this link to learn more and even select to view a brief video. http://www.chadbarr.com/great-new-innovation-from-microsoft/ As another Memorial Day comes to a close, my thoughts and prayers are with all the families whose loved ones are serving for peace and freedom and for making this world a better and safer place. And for all the brave souls who gave their lives so we may live ... http://www.chadbarr.com/i-salute-you/ As reported in the wsj, a new video display has been developed by Sony. It is full color, thin and bends like paper. .03 millimeter or .001 inch thick. What kind of applications do you think are possible now? http://www.chadbarr.com/great-new-innovation-from-sony/ According to Stephen Farthing, instructor at the Univ. of Arts in London, (reported in the wsj) the average time a gallery visitor spends in front of a painting is no more than two or three seconds. As I so often speak about when delivering my speeches, the majority of web visitors ... http://www.chadbarr.com/is-this-your-site-i%e2%80%99ve-just-seen-driving-by/ According to the WSJ, it is Online news. And according to Nielsen/Net Rating April 2007 top unique visitors: MSNBC.com = 33.14 Million Yahoo.com = 33.12 Million CNN.com = 27.9 Million It is the affiliated Internet portals that send visitors to these sites and give them their current edge. http://www.chadbarr.com/whats-one-of-the-most-popular-segment-on-the-web/ The WSJ has just reported a reduction in software piracy in China. Of all estimated software used in China in 2006, 82% was pirated vs. 86% the year before. Running my software development firm for the past 20 years, this is a huge ethical and economical issue which I hope is ... http://www.chadbarr.com/software-piracy-delined-in-china/ The Wall Street Journal published yesterday a terrific interview with George David, The CEO of United Technologies. Below are several quotes made by him that I found fascinating: "What goes on in a big sailboat is a combination of preparation, organization, design, strategy, tactics, rules, teamwork, individual performance and group performance ... http://www.chadbarr.com/education-and-productivity-the-keys-to-success/ I have just returned from Rhode Island where I deliver my speech (for the fifth time) to Alan Weiss’s Million Dollar Consulting™ College. Alan Weiss, PhD. who conducts the college, attracts the best and smartest of the consulting minds in the world, and I just love returning and presenting to ... http://www.chadbarr.com/chad-speaks-again-to-the-million-dollar-consulting%e2%84%a2-college/ We are proud to announce the launch of www.ContrarianConsulting.com - the brand new blog we designed and implemented for international consultant, speaker and author Alan Weiss. The mission of Alan's blog is to provide alternative views to consulting’s “conventional wisdom” so that consultants can provide increasing value and derive increasing ... http://www.chadbarr.com/contrarian-consulting-blog-live-to-the-world/ While in Naples, Florida last week, I took some pictures of the beautiful sunset. Click on each picture to enlarge: http://www.chadbarr.com/its-sunset-wonder-again/ My good friend and colleague, Dan Coughlin, has just published his new book, Accelerate: "20 Practical Lessons to Boost Business Momentum", which is now available in all major book stores. Dan has also been our featured guest contributor for our April Newsletter: http://www.chadbarr.com/accelerate-great-new-book/ May 1, 2007 For Immediate Release Five Inducted As Charter Members To Million Dollar Consultant™ Hall of Fame Five outstanding consultants from diverse disciplines have been inducted into the Million Dollar Consultant™ Hall of Fame. Criteria for membership in this elite group are: • Serving as ... http://www.chadbarr.com/five-inducted-as-charter-members-to-million-dollar-consultant%e2%84%a2-hall-of-fame/ While attending the Million Dollar Consulting™ Graduate School we learned and discussed many topics. One of my favorites was best practices of how to work smarter not harder. Click on  the link below to read the full article. Key Elements to Success. How to Work Smarter not Harder. http://www.chadbarr.com/how-to-work-smarter-not-harder/ Press Release for MDCC Grad School Chad Barr is one of only 14 consultants in the world to have completed the inaugural Million Dollar Consulting™ Graduate School held in Naples, Florida in April 2007. Elite consultants representing the U.S., Canada, and Australia attended the program, all of them prior graduates of ... http://www.chadbarr.com/chad-barr-graduated-from-million-dollar-consulting-college%e2%84%a2-graduate-school/ I have just returned from a conference at Hilton Head, SC, where I had the chance to meet with executives and owners of distribution companies of the paper supply industry. After a day and a half of meetings I came to the realization that most companies are unhappy with their ... http://www.chadbarr.com/its-time-to-replace-your-software-wait-a-minute/ Many of our clients who specialize in the foodservice, equipment and Supply industry, have embraced the popular PC software named AutoQuotes. This is an electronic catalog that enables the sales force to easily enter their customer quotes with full detailed spec sheets. The challenge is in the processing of these ... http://www.chadbarr.com/autoquotes-software-integration/ There has been a need among our wholesale distribution clients, to be able at times to bill a customer in advance of the shipment of the inventory while tracking the open order to the customer. The way we resolved this complicated logic in our account receivables software was as ... http://www.chadbarr.com/advance-customer-billing-prebill/ When approached by companies interested in my company's ERP Distribution Software offering - Distribusmart, I often times hear them make the claim that all account payables modules are pretty much the same. Although there are some similarities and basic rudimentary functions among such systems (processing invoices, credits and payments) there are ... http://www.chadbarr.com/cash-forecasting/ In my current article for our newsletter this month, I discuss the components that create credibility for your web site. Read "Should I use you or how should I use use?" and learn what are these elements. http://www.chadbarr.com/creating-credibility-with-your-web-site/ As we are proud to launch the new site for Alcera Consulting, owned by Richard Martin. Below are two screen shots I would like to share with you of the before and after look and feel of the home page. Also, click on the image to enlarge. Before: After: (Click on images to ... http://www.chadbarr.com/site-transformation/ I just returned from my speaking trip to NYC where I presented to the Society of Advancement of Consulting® and the topic was "Blogs, bogs and fogs." How to enhance perceived expertise, generate publicity effectively and passive income opportunities. Here are two critical sections of my presentation: Components of a successful ... http://www.chadbarr.com/speaking-in-new-york/ One of the things that irritates me is when a colleague sends me their stupid jokes and on top of it decides to CC me and the rest of their "favorite" list. Not only do I not care to get additional emails in my Inbox that are stupid, waste of ... http://www.chadbarr.com/email-etiquette/ If you are like me, you probably meet individuals that may greatly benefit from your wisdom and experience working with other clients and may even become your future clients. Why not then simply add them to your newsletter distribution list? Unless you have their permission to do so, I ... http://www.chadbarr.com/how-to-grow-your-email-distribution-list/ Several years ago I came up with the idea to implement and launch www.AlansForums.com which is an online community attracting great business minds from all over the world and is branded around international consultant, speaker and author Alan Weiss. This month this great community came together and together collaborated and ... http://www.chadbarr.com/traveling-soon-must-read-these-travel-tips/   http://www.chadbarr.com/are-you-moving-to-vista-yet/ I have just returned from Rhode Island where I deliver my speech to Alan Weiss's Million Dollar Consulting™ College. This college attracts the brightest of minds in the consulting world and it is always my great pleasure to speak in front of this elite group. The topic I focused on ... http://www.chadbarr.com/chad-speaks-to-the-million-dollar-consulting%e2%84%a2-college/ I recently have come across this outstanding site, which you must visit. www.Ted.com features inspired talks by the world’s greatest thinkers and doers. Each speaker is given about 20 minutes to deliver their powerful message. View and listen great messages from Dan Gilbert about happiness, Seth Godin about marketing, Malcolm ... http://www.chadbarr.com/great-speeches-by-great-thinkers/ After over 20 years of using and recommending PCs and laptops running Microsoft and Windows, I decided it is time for a change. I am glad to report that I am the proud owner of my new MacBook Pro laptop from Apple and it is absolutely awesome. It came with ... http://www.chadbarr.com/finally-a-laptop-with-a-built-in-wow-factor/ To learn the key differences between integrated and not integrated web solutions and why it may be critical for your distribution business, read my article published this month “”Where is my order? How to avoid disappointing your customers." http://www.chadbarr.com/integrated-vs-non-integrated-web-sites/ I just got back from a great getaway in NYC where I celebrated 101 birthday years with my wife. Great: R&R time at the Peninsula Hotel Sunset pictures from the top of the Rockefeller Center Shows: AvenueQ – terrific, Tarzan – ok, Spring Awakening – terrific. Restaurants Visit to my new favorite camera gear place ... http://www.chadbarr.com/time-to-relax-and-celebrate-life/ One of my other favorite sites for a quick reference is www.answers.com, which not only gives me the answer to most of my questions, but also the sound pronunciation, other languages and many other useful resources. http://www.chadbarr.com/more-answers/ So you want to quickly learn about evolution, html or even the US constitution. Did you know that the answers to your curiosity questions or your research paper are just a few clicks away? One of the greatest inventions of the Internet is that of Wiki type technology. This technology ... http://www.chadbarr.com/instant-new-learning-and-research-on-the-internet/ I just returned from a great vacation in Cancun, Mexico, where I was able to reenergize myself and capture these great sunrise and sunset pictures with my camera. So as the sun is getting ready to set on 2006, my wishes to you and your family are for a healthy, ... http://www.chadbarr.com/happy-new-year/ Milton Friedman, possibly the greatest economist of the 20th century, died on November 16, 2006, at the age of 94. With a list of remarkable accomplishments such as: winning the Nobel prize 30 years ago, writing several profound books, advisor to governments and presidents, his most important one is that ... http://www.chadbarr.com/exert-influence-by-keeping-options-available/ I am a firm believer in the power of a mastermind group and its ability to improve your business. Read my December 2006 article “1 + 1 = 86 or the collective brainpower of a mastermind group” and find out how to create one and get the most out of ... http://www.chadbarr.com/mastermind-groups-are-they-for-you/ I am always astonished to discover great innovation and genius wisdom. Upon my recent visit to Las Vegas where I got to deliver my Internet presentation, I also had the opportunity of visiting The Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art where I got to see the photographs of the great Ansel ... http://www.chadbarr.com/38/ We get many inquiries over the web, via email, the phone and regular mail, from people interested in our products and services. Here are some of the more amateurish mistakes people make: 1. No contact information such as address and phone number in their email signature. See my email signature example ... http://www.chadbarr.com/how-serious-are-you-about-your-business/ If this is not one of the ultimate hypocrisies, then I do not know what one is. My wife turned in her Saab for a Lexus some time ago. We just got this printed Saab postcard soliciting their service yet claiming to save our trees. If Saab was so concerned ... http://www.chadbarr.com/saving-trees-or-the-ultimate-hypocrisy/ Is your web site generating results for you? Here are the three most important development business site objectives (desired outcomes): 1. Increase business and gain new clients 2. Improve your image, brand and credibility 3. Make it easier to do business with you Either implement the proper strategy to accomplish all three or ask yourself ... http://www.chadbarr.com/why-have-a-web-site-at-all/ Several weeks ago I drove down to Cincinnati to attend a workshop by Edward Tufte. During the four hour drive I managed to: Conduct productive prospect and client conferences, listen to one of my business learning CDs, and enjoy my satellite radio with Jazz, classical, news and other selections. Next day, Friday ... http://www.chadbarr.com/how-do-you-balance-productivity-with-technology-and-life-balance/ I love my Bose QuietComfort2 Headphones product and won’t use anything else in first class due to peer pressure. :~) When I first broke it about a year ago, the local store immediately exchanged it for a new headset - no questions asked. When breaking this new headset again several weeks ... http://www.chadbarr.com/customer-service-at-its-best/ “How to Leverage the Internet to Dramatically Grow Your Business” is the topic I will be presenting and speaking about during The Odd Couple Seminar in Las Vegas on 11/18/2006. Alan Weiss and Patricia Fripp will be presenting how to market yourself as a speaker . Click on the ... http://www.chadbarr.com/speaking-in-las-vegas/ The way to increase the chances that your web visitors receive the value from your site and contact you is through your call to action. Each page must have a defined call to action. Here are some you may want to include on your site: 1. Contact us (call /email / ... http://www.chadbarr.com/whats-your-call-to-action/ Improving your ranking in the various search engines has much to do with your keywords utilization. Keep the following in mind: 1. Select the ones people search for 2. Place near the top & rest of page 3. Place in "H" heading tags 4. Use in bold and italic 5. Place ... http://www.chadbarr.com/keywords-selections-and-implementation/ Below are 10 components to include in your site strategy to improve search engines ranking: 1. Useful, valuable, Content rich 2. Keywords selection 3. Title (40 – 60 char) 4. Description meta tag (up to 250 char) 5. Keywords meta tag (up to 12 words) 6. Site map 7. More text less graphics and use ALT ... http://www.chadbarr.com/optimizing-your-site-what-are-the-successful-components/ Seth Godin, author of several great marketing books, talks about why small is the new big. He illustrates several examples as to how companies strive to become big and fast but many lose their market share to smaller companies who are often more profitable. So what are some of the ... http://www.chadbarr.com/small-vs-big-why-should-you-care/ This post is password protected. To view it please enter your password below: Password: http://www.chadbarr.com/summit-2006-download/ Diversity in most organizations is no longer a matter of counting statistics and attempting to do the right thing, it is now vital to business success. In order for companies to sell locally and globally they need to better understand their target audience mix and include a diverse perspective of ... http://www.chadbarr.com/diversity-in-the-workplace/ The brilliant thinker Peter Drucker who invented management as a field of study and research, died today at the age 95. As noted in the Wall Street Journal and in Drucker’s book, The Essential Drucker: Management is about human beings. Its task is to make people capable of joint performance, ... http://www.chadbarr.com/management-is-about-human-beings/ A question was recently asked: “It seems that someone has been sending out spam and when people reply, the replies are coming to me even though my email address doesn't appear in the "To" field of the emails. Do you have any idea what is going on and what I can ... http://www.chadbarr.com/20/ I came across some staggering business statistics on the site of Jay Conrad Levinson, the author of the “Guerrilla Marketing” series of books: A staggering 85% of small businesses destined for failure bite the bullet or go bankrupt during their first five years. The remaining businesses that hang in there only ... http://www.chadbarr.com/marketing-statistics/ Peter Andrews with the IBM Advanced Business Institute talks about the following reference points for most organizations interested in innovation: 1. Idea/Insight. This is what gets documented in a brainstorming session. It is the first expression of new possibilities, either as a combination or a complete novelty. 2. Research. Here, the idea ... http://www.chadbarr.com/the-seven-stages-of-innovation/ I came across a great article written by Lois Kelly, a radiant and successful colleague of mine, where she powerfully articulated the following 13 most important traits for a consultant: 1. Expertise that provides real business value 2. Ability to cut to the core of an issue or situation and diagnose ... http://www.chadbarr.com/15/ Email signature is a powerful, easy, and economical way to market your company, products and services. Include a short marketing message with a "call-to-action" that invites your recipient to take an action such as: 1. Subscribe to your newsletter 2. Read your articles and blogs 3. Purchase your products and services 4. Announce a ... http://www.chadbarr.com/email-signature/ I believe that charging based on value and not hours is a win-win situation for all parties. Here are 10 reasons why value-based fees make sense, which were quoted by international consultant, speaker and author Alan Weiss: 1. There is a cap on your investment. You know exactly what is to ... http://www.chadbarr.com/value-based-fees-10-reasons/ Blogs (web logs) are a great way of delivering valuable content to your target audience. Very quickly, you too can start publishing with great ease on the web with virtually no technical knowledge. Here are my top seven reason why you or your organization should consider having a blog: 1. Ease ... http://www.chadbarr.com/why-have-a-blog/