Dickie's Blog

Nobody is Practising Anything

noreply@blogger.com (dickiearmour) — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 18:15:00 +0000

If you run your own business or you run a department of a business what do you do every day?

Have you ever taken time out to think about what happens each day at work?

A typical day for a sales person called John might look something like this.

09:00 Arrive, relax into their desk place and chat
09:30 Make a coffee

09:45 Open their email

09:50 Call their spouse to let them know they arrived to work safely

10:00 Go to the loo

10:15 Have a chat with office colleague

10:30 Reply to some emails

10:45 Post arrives

10:50 Read through post

11:00 Make first cold call

11:30 After 6 NOs on the calls they break for a coffee

11:45 Call their friend to make plans for the evening

12:00 Reply to some emails

12:30 Follow up on a few leads and quotes

13:00 Lunch Break

14:10 Back from lunch

14:15 Close 1 lucky deal

14:20 Celebrate by making a coffee

14:45 Drive to appointment

15:45 Arrive unprepared not really knowing anything about the potential client

16:15 Leave having had a great meeting

17:15 Arrive back at office to tell boss how great the meeting was

17:30 Head for home

Anyone running their own business has to make every hour of every day count. They could never afford to waste time in the way that John does.

But most small business owners aren't practising anything. Instead, like John, they are reacting to the day. To the emails that arrive; to the phone calls they receive; to the post that arrives etc. This is a fundamental flaw in most small businesses.

Instead they should be practising every single day. Michael Gerber of eMyth Worldwide tells a great story about his saxaphone teacher, Merl. Merl told Michael if he wanted to be the best saxophone player in the world he had to practice 5 hours a day, 5 days a week.
One day he said, "Michael, you don't make music; the music finds you. Your job is to practice."

And that is what Michael says we should do; practice, practice, practice - looking for the music, looking for the music. And one day after Michael had been practicing his saxophone playing for a few weeks, suddenly the music would just turn up, and all the hairs on the back of Michael's neck would stand on end and Merl would join in and play harmony. It was amazing.

Michael says we can do the same in our businesses. If we practice the right things everyday, suddenly our music will show up.

So what are you practicing in your business? Don't be like John, who doesn't really practice anything and hopes and prays the music will show up for him.

Instead, practice the right things for your business. Don't react to the things that you know are going to happen everyday - email; post; phonecalls etc.
Make the things that don't usually happen, happen. Become proactive and see what a difference it can make to your business.

My Business Time Table

noreply@blogger.com (dickiearmour) — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 10:24:00 +0000

Time Management Inspired by my Daughter!

It amazes me how much my daughter learns at school. It also amazes me at how much holiday she gets! Which led me to think she probably spends more time on holiday than she does at school!

Yet, she gets so much done. This got me thinking. If she and her classmates spend such little time at school how come they are able to learn so much and do so much at school?

Then it hit me. They have a school time table which they stick to. The teachers and the children know what lessons they are doing and when. Every day is mapped out on the school time table which includes breaks and lunch time.

I loved this idea - it was so simple and yet so effective! So I decided to create a business time table for my daily tasks.

I spent some time planning the layout and I now have the perfect template for my Business Time Table. It even has breaks and lunch time which for me is great because I never, ever took morning or afternoon breaks. In fact, it's still tricky to stick to, as here I am at 11pm writing this blog post!

How do you manage your time? Do you end up getting distracted by the events of the day? Checking your email too often and feeling you have to respond right away? Do you find the incoming phone calls distract and take you off on a different tangent?

Don't let these day to day events distract you. Don't be reactive - instead get proactive on your business. When you're working on a particular blog post or article then close all the other applications on your computer. This will really help you focus.

I also use a wonderful online timer at www.online-stopwatch.com. I set a certain chuck of time to a task and when the alarm bell rings I stop what I'm doing and move on to the next thing. Just like a bell at the end of lesson at school. But no, I don't scramble to put all my books away and rush to my next class! However, it could be a bit of fun to run out of my office and then back in again!

Start using a time table for your business and begin controlling the things you need to focus on.

And if you would like a copy of my Business Time Table template please email me at info@dickiearmour.me.uk and I'll be glad to send it to you.

My Twitter Presence

noreply@blogger.com (dickiearmour) — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 16:13:00 +0000

This blog post has been triggered by a great post I read by Chris Brogan at www.chrisbrogan.com.
In Chris' article he talks about how hard it can be to manage 146,000 followers and to be able to engage with them. He then explains his mindset and methodology and some of the tools he uses.

Here I'll share what I do. Like Chris, his way is wonderful, your way will be wonderful too. My way is just the way I choose to use Twitter.

My Twitter Presence

My Account

@DickieArmour

The Tools

Here's a list of the tools I use for Twitter:

Hootsuite – for my desktop.
TweetDeck - for my desktop.
Hootsuite – for my phone.
TweetDeck - for my phone.
Seesmic Mobile - for my phone.
Echofon - for my phone.
SocialToo – for auto followbacks (NOT auto DMs), and spam mgmt.
ManageFlitter - for manual deletion of inactive followers
Twitter Search – for search strings.
Listorious – for finding good Twitter lists.

My Twitter Goals

I use Twitter for many different things. My main goal is to connect with like-minded people around the world. My reasons for using Twitter are probably different to your's. Your goals are also okay. (Oh, and you’re doing it wrong!)

I use Twitter to find like-minded people
I use Twitter to have 2 way conversations
I use Twitter to raise my profile
I use Twitter to provide interesting stuff to my community
I use Twitter to promote other people’s stuff much more than I do to promote my stuff
I use Twitter to find out about upcoming events
I use Twitter to keep in touch with friends
I use Twitter to keep in touch with customers
I use Twitter to find business (via search)
I use Twitter to find new suppliers
I use Twitter to spy on competitors
I use Twitter to get help with all sorts of things
I use Twitter to send & receive DMs rather than email sometimes
I use Twitter to give me magical moments of Serendipity

My Twitter Methods

I never follow the Home Feed (Your Friends). It flows too fast to keep up!
I use loads of different search strings.
I save these searches and have them in columns in both TweetDeck and Hootsuite.
I always check my @replies and DM columns so I can be sure to reply and join in the convesrations.
I use lists so I can catch up on conversations and tweets from the different groups I'm interested in.
I follow lots of other Lists. You'll find people have already done the hard work for you.
For example Nigel Legg has a great List of people in Bristol,UK where I live. So I follow this list instead of wasting time creating my own.
I tend to follow back most people. I won't follow you if you don't have a profile photo or logo.
I like to provide interesting articles on Internet marketing, Social Media, business, sales & marketing
I schedule my article tweets using Hootsuite, usually the previous night.
I always retweet things I find of interest and think others will also find interesting.
I often post tweets with photos of where I am or things I see or books I'm reading.
I try to reply as often as I can. If I miss your @ message, I’m very sorry.
I like Echofon on my iPhone because it autocompletes @ usernames for the more tricky ones which are easy to forget or mistype.
I use Twitter to send & receive DMs rather than email sometimes.
I often use Twitter to get answers and to get help.
Twitter is a great place to connect with companies like BT. BT have been excellent with their customer service on Twitter.
Don't rely on using Twitter to always reach me. If you need me immediately, just call me on my mobile phone.
But of course, the old fashioned ways of communicating like email and phone still work!
Twitter is an amazing place for serendipity! Try it and see!

How do YOU use Twitter?

This is how I use Twitter. Chris Brogan said it would be fun to see your post on his “My Twitter Presence.” Or feel free to put your links to such posts and comments in the comments section below.

Are you in control of your Online Business?

noreply@blogger.com (dickiearmour) — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 12:28:00 +0000

Your online business is an important part of your company and you should be in full control of it. The 3 main elements which make up your online business are:

Your domain name
Your website
Your website hosting

You need to make sure you know where your domain name "lives". Do you look after it yourself and have access to a control panel for the domain name? Or do you rely on a 3rd party such as a web designer or media agency?

I suggest that you should be in control of your domain name and look after the renewal process yourself. If you have a good web designer and they look after it for you then that's OK but you still need to check a few things for your peace of mind.

1. Your Domain Name
The first thing you should check is that you are the Registrant of your domain name. You can do a WHOIS lookup of your domain name. A WHOIS lookup is just a search of the central Registry's database to see the key info on a domain name such as:

Regsitrant
Registrar
Expiry Date
Domain Status

A Registrant is the recognised legal owner of the domain name.

A Registrar is an organisation accredited by either ICANN or the National Registry to manage the regiostration and renewal of domain nams

The Expiry Date is the date when a domain name lapses. All domain names have to be renewed on a regular basis. .co.uk domain names have to be renewed every 2 years.

Domain Status shows the current state of a domain and will usually say something like "Domain renewed until 18th March 2011". If the domain name has not been renewed it might say "Renewal Required" or "Pending Deletion".

If you go to http://whois.domaintools.com/ you can enter your domain name and see all the relevant WHOIS information. The image below shows you the WHOIS lookup result of my domain name dickiearmour.me.uk

Click the image to see a larger version

If your name isn't listed as Registrant nor your company name then you need to rectify this as soon as you can. If you need any help or guidance on this please do get in touch and I'll be happy to help you.

So let's assume that you ARE the Registrant of your domain name; the next thing to check is your website.

2. Your Website
If you don't yet have a website then you MUST have a website. Again get in touch and I can point you in the right direction for some excellent web design companies.

If you do have a website the next question is do you have a copy of your website? What I mean by this is do you have all the pages, images, folders etc that make up your website? If not you MUST get a copy.

If your website was designed for you by a web designer then you can ask them for a copy of your website and ask them to put it on a DVD for you. There has been some debate around IPR (Intellectual Property Rights) and Copyright. Some web design companies argue that the work of a web design is their's and so don't always feel they should have to give you a copy. Most of the ones I deal with are very happy to give their customers a copy of their websites. So make sure you get a copy of your website.

More and more people are using CMS (Content Management Systems) to update their websites themselves. This can be a good and easy way of keeping your website current. But you should be aware that in most cases, if you wanted to move your website to another hosting company, or the current provider who sold you the CMS goes out of business you won't be able to move your current website. Most CMS website can only be hosted on the same hosting platform as the CMS. So using a CMS you will never be in full control of your website.

But what happens if they go out of business or decide to leave the rat race and go off surfing in Hawaii? I speak to customers every single day who have lost control of their online business for these very reasons. The first thing that happens is the website hosting is switched off and your website and email stops working. You then have to begin the Internet Detective work of finding out where your website used to live and how you can get back control of it.

If your domain name was not registered in you or your company name then that's often a huge hurdle to get over. Even if you are the Registrant it can still be hard for the man on the street to find out who the current Registrar is and get back control of it.
If your web designer looks after the domain name as well as hosting, they will be the one who gets the renewal reminders, so in many cases you won't even know when your domain name is due for renewal. If a domain name is not renewed after a certain period the domain name will be suspended by the central Registry. Again, your email and website will stop working.

3. Your Website Hosting
In most cases you won't know anything about the hosting of your website. It will have been arranged and set up by your web designer. But again, part of being in control of your online business is knowing where your website lives. Find out from your current provider who they use to host your website.

Some web designers may not be happy to share this with you because hosting is one area where they make money. Now that's fine; most people understand that business is business and if they're indirectly looking after every aspect of your online business, it's fine and acceptable for them to add a margin to things like hosting and domain name renewals.

But do press them and insist on them telling you where your website is hosted. You can even explain you're not trying to find out to check prices, but that you just want to know in case anything were to happen to them or their business. That way should anything untoward happen you will find it much easier to keep control of your online business.

If you don't want to rock the boat with your web designer, there are clever tools you can use via the Internet to find out where your domain name and website live. Get in touch and I'll be happy to do some digging around for you.

So, make sure you do a WHOIS lookup of your domain name and ensure you or your company is the Regsitrant. Also make a mental or calendar note of when your domain name is due for renewal.

Get a copy of your website as soon as you can.

Find out where your website is hosted and make sure you get the contact details in case of disaster striking.

Please do get in touch if any of this worries you and you need some help and guidance. By getting and staying in control of your online business you can relax and concentrate on the more important day to day task in your business.

4Networking - My first 5 Months

noreply@blogger.com (dickiearmour) — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 16:30:00 +0000

I've never really done any serious sort of networking. I worked in the City in London for nearly 17 years and there was networking of sorts, but most of that happened in bars, clubs and restaurants with customers. The last 10 years I've been involved with the Internet which isn't always the most sociable place as we're all too busy sat in front of computer screens!

But I discovered 4Networking(4N) just over 5 months ago, in December 2010.

The video below will give you a snapshot of how it works:

Learn about 4Networking in 1 minute

I went to a couple of meetings and loved the people and the relaxed format so I joined on 23rd December 2009. And in 5 short months I've had a blast; I've got lots of new customers; made some great new friends and last month I became the Group Leader of Bristol Cribbs.

The beauty of the 4N is that with a Passport membership you can go to any breakfast meeting anywhere in in the UK. As of 29th May 2010 there were 215 4N business breakfast groups.

See the complete list on the Meetings page of the 4N website.

I personally go to most of the ones around Bristol and Somserset but I also link up with some of the other members and we arrange "Road Trips". 8 of us recently travelled to Hatfield, Hertfordshire and stayed over night and it was excellent.

The power of the Road Trip is in how it helps to increase your profile and get your name and company out there. Read the buzz on the forum that was generated by the 8 of us travelling up to Hatfield!!

Mr Kim Hambley, Nick "Monster" Elston, Simon Bunker, Me, Olly Culverhouse, Tara Gillam

The format of every meeting is the same so it's great when you go to other groups because you know the agenda and so there are no surprises. I also love the fact that people who are in the same industry as each other can go along to the same group. It's always baffled me why other business networks limit a group to just one web designer and just one accountant etc. People from the same industry often pass work on to each other and will have different skill sets.

Also, and for me this is the real key behind any kind of networking whether online via Social Media websites or offline at face to face business networks - people do business with people they know, like and trust. If I was in one of those other networks where there was only one web design person and I didn't like them then I'm never going to do business with them nor pass business on to them.

As Group Leader of Bristol Cribbs it has really helped to raise my profile. I love the venue at Berwick Lodge; a new boutique style hotel in Bristol which is aiming for 5 star status! I'm proud to say we're the only 4N group with a red carpet to welcome our guests!

So if you run a business or you're someone responsible for business development in your company then I highly recommend 4N. You can come along to up to 3 meetings before you have to join so you can try the format to see if it suits you. I'll hazard a guess that you too will enjoy it; you'll make some wonderful new friends but as important you'll win lots of new customers too.

See you on the 4N circuit soon!

Where's the Lid to Your Company's Jigsaw Puzzle?

noreply@blogger.com (dickiearmour) — Thu, 27 May 2010 22:01:00 +0000

I absolutely love Michael Gerber!

Perhaps I should add here, that I can get quite excited about life and I do love lots of things! And I'm happily married; so when I say "I absolutely love Michael Gerber" please take it the right way! ;-)

OK, now where was I? Oh yes, Michael Gerber. For those of you who don't know who he is (shame on you!) go to Michael Gerber's website to find out more.

I was fortunate enough to see Michael talk in Leeds in 2004 and I got to meet him afterwards while he signed his book. You can listen to the very evening I went to on a Red Audio CD. Just go to the Red Audio website to get your copy.

This is not an affiliate link and I make no financial gain from your purchase
He was a really nice guy and when you listen to his talk you'll realise not only is he very funny; he's incredibly smart about small businesses.

The part on the CD when he tells the stary of Ace and Bob is hilarious and it's a key turning point in Michaels' life. He realised that most small business owners don't have a clue about business. Most small business owners don't have any systems in place by which to run their businesses. They just react to the day; phonecalls; emails; customers.

"It was like someboday had bought a jigsaw puzzle, thrown the pieces on the floor.... and thrown away the cover of the box.... Nobody had a picture of the finished puzzle of the business they owned!" Michael Gerber

Mechanics open garages, chefs open restaurants, chiropractors open clinics and Michael Gerber thinks this is a profound mistake. Just because a chef can cook doesn't mean he can run a business. Just because a chiropractor can fix people doesn't mean she can run a business.

He says that nearly all small business owners are busy, busy, busy everyday, working in their businesses instead of ON their businesses and at the end of the week they wonder where the time's gone. Every business needs to have systems to follow. "This is how we do it here; no not that way; this way." Most small businesses are reactive instead of proactive and Michael Gerber says it's a tragic shame.

So where's the lid of the jigsaw puzzle of your business? If you've lost it don't worry. You can start today and decide what the picture of the finished puzzle of your business looks like. Leave all those peices scattered on the floor of your office for now and take some time out to think about the vision of your business.

What do you want to achieve with your business?
What's the reason you started it originally?
What's your story?
Do you want to build it into the world's biggest something? Like MacDonalds or Walmart?
Or do you just want a nice income each year?
Do you want to build a business which you can pass on to your children?
Or do you want to sell up in 7 years time for mutli-millons?

Whatever it is you want, you need to get the picture clear in your head and put some systems & processes in place so you can begin to stick your jigsaw pieces together.

The beauty of this is you get to decide! I look forward to hearing about your jigsaw puzzle.

Why I love Volcanoes & Virgin Holidays!

noreply@blogger.com (dickiearmour) — Sun, 02 May 2010 20:44:00 +0000

On April 13th I flew with my family on holiday to Dubai. Our friends booked the holiday as a group booking for the 6 of us and boy oh boy are we happy they did it with Virgin Holidays!

We booked just a 6 day holiday as we were staying in The Atlantis Hotel on The Palm and it's not the cheapest hotel in Dubai.

On arrival at the airport we all said we wished we'd booked for a few days longer.

Confusicious said: "Be careful what you wish for!"

Little did we know the Icelandic volcano was to affect us and so many other air travellers around the world.

It was soon apparent from watching Sky and BBC news in our room that the affects of the volcanic ash were far reaching. But even when the UK airspace was closed we didn't envisage the closure would be more than a day or so.

Our Virgin Holidays Rep, Fares Malaeb, was at our hotel everyday at 11am to book excursions etc but as the situation worsened he was the bearer of the bad news that we were unable to fly home. Initially, there was drama as we imagined the implications but the next day our Rep explained that Virgin Holidays would be paying for our hotel room and breakfast for every day we were stranded!

Fares was incredible. He was excellent and did a very good job keeping us all in touch every single day. Many of the others contacted him day and night by mobile and also text and Fares was unwavering in his service.
On one particular morning, when the situation had once again changed, there were a few, very angry customers who were quite rude to Fares. But Fares was always polite and he was excellent at calming people down. He of course had me there to help too! On a few occasions I argued with some of the Virgin Holidays customers explaining that these were unprecedented circumstances and that Virgin and Fares were doing everything they could etc..

Virgin Holiday, you have an excellent rep. I hope Fares Malaeb receives the recognition he deserves for his tireless hard work and sleepless nights.

As you can see from the photo on the right, the pool was lovely and it became my working office each day. I had my iPhone and free wi-fi from the hotel so I was able to handle emails and phone calls. So I could have happily stayed for a while!

We watched all the doom and gloom on the news and whilst I have a huge amount of sympathy and some empathy with my fellow, stranded tourists; I appreciate our situation was no where near as bad as many of those stuck at airports or those who had to take on a plane, train and automobile type of trip to get back home.

So a huge THANK YOU to Sir Richard Branson and Virgin Holidays and to Fares Malaeb, for looking after us so well and taking the panic and strain and stress out of our situation.

I will defintely be booking ALL future holidays with Virgin Holidays. Any chance you can make sure Fares is our rep each time we travel with you??!! ;-)

Right I'm off to finish opening my 2 weeks worth of post and emails and get back to all my customers' requests.

I love volcanoes and Virgin Holidays!!

P.S. My mate has a video of me whizzing down the "Leap of Faith" slide screaming "I love Virgin Holidays!" I'll upload it here as soon as he sends it to me. :-)

DRoA - Domain Name Scumbags - who's up for stopping them?!

noreply@blogger.com (dickiearmour) — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 18:19:00 +0000

OK, we've put up with the Domain Renewal Group for long enough. It's time for some action.

I wrote a post back in April 2009 - Domain Name Scam!

DRoA are still sending these letters out to thousands of Registrants (owners of domain names) and duping them into paying inflated renewal prices and attempting to get unsuspecting consumers to transfer their domain names to DRoA.

I sent a Tweet to Rod Beckstrom the CEO of ICAAN last week and he replied saying "Form a group to take them on if you wish!".

There MUST be something we can all do together to stop these letters being sent out by the Domain Renewal Group.

I am going to be contacting some of my peers within the ISP industry with a view to forming an action group. I will also be contacting the leaders within the domain name Registries.

Please post your comments here if you have suggestions and would like to get involved. This malpractice has gone on for far too long and MUST to be stopped!

In the meantime, please let everyone you know, know about this Scam so they don't become the next victim.

Your Domain Name & Website - 3 Questions You Must Ask Yourself

noreply@blogger.com (dickiearmour) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 23:51:00 +0000

As we move further into 2010 and beyond we are becoming more and more reliant on the web especially if we have an online business.

If you are running your own online business and relying on your website to bring you in new business then you NEED to think about these 3 questions:

If this video raises any issues for you please get in touch and I will be really happy to help you get your domain name or website issue resolved.

Drop me an email to dickie at dickiearmour.me.uk or add a comment below.

Domain Name Scam or Clever Sales Tactic?

noreply@blogger.com (dickiearmour) — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 15:37:00 +0000

We hear about online Internet scams everyday but a little bit like the Domain Registry of America scam I wrote about in April 2009; this latest one is more of an underhand sales tactic than an out and out scam.

A client of mine who runs and owns bristolvaleting.co.uk & bristolvaleting.com contacted me recently panicking about a trademark issue. He had been contacted by a company in Hong Kong who told him someone was trying to register bristolvaleting.com.hk and bristolvaleting.cc and he asked me what he should do.

He was genuinely worried that someone was trying to steal his brand and thought that they might be able to "grab" his .com domain name too. But because the email he received was from a company in the Far East he was also concerned about the legal aspects of it.

See a copy of the email below. I've fudged some of the information to protect identities.

Click the image to see a larger version

I told him not to worry about it all and to just ignore the email.

This email is very common and used by many domain name registration business in Hong Kong and China as a sales tactic to get UK, European and US businesses to buy domain names.

As I said to my client, why on earth would anyone in the Far East want to register bristolvaleting as a domain name? It pretty much says what my client's business is - he's a car valeter in the Bristol area. I don't think owning bristolvaleting.com.hk would help him win any more local business!

But many companies do fall for these sales tactics. Make sure you check the source of the enquiry before panicking and don't get puffed into buying anything you don't want.

If you ever need any help or advice with anything Internet related then please get in touch. I'll be happy to help and I won't even charge you! My advice is free.

The Social Media Train Journey - What to do Once You're On Board

noreply@blogger.com (dickiearmour) — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 22:25:00 +0000

OK, so the train has just left the station and you've met up with a few nice people on the way to your seat.

There's a real buzz going on down in the buffet car - you should definitely have a conversation with the following movers and shakers in there:

(Listed as I go in no particular order)

If you feel you should be on this list, then please comment and I'll be happy to add your details. Sorry in advance if I missed you out!

On you way back from the buffet car it's worth checking out the #likeminds Twitter carriage; you'll hear the buzz as you approach! :)

First Things First

On a usual train journey if you're like me you'll find a seat and sit there, keep yourself to yourself and read the paper, work on your laptop or read a book. You'll be able to hear snippets of the conversations going on around you but even if one of the convesations sounds of great interest to you; you would never dream of getting up and sitting down to join in with those people talking! Can you imagine their reactions!

On the Social Media Train you can listen to other people's conversations too but the real difference is when you find an interesting topic on which you have something to add; you CAN jump in and join the conversation. Using the search function on Twitter you can actually search for specific conversations around your industry or a subject matter close to your heart. That might be a conversation on a completely different Social Media carriage and it might even be on a train in another country!

Listen
So take time to find those people who are having conversations that interest you and begin by just listening. Yep, that's right - just listen. It is socially acceptable to eavesdrop on other people's conversations on social media platforms. They are using a public platform for their discussions and know that other people will be listening, so they won't be offended. In fact people welcome others to join in and contribute to the conversation.

Wouldn't your train journey whizz by if you could just jump in and out of conversations in every carriage of the train?!!

Contribute
Now you've found a few people who are talking about subjects which interest you, take the plunge. Have a think about how you can enter the conversation and make a contribution.
Don't just broadcast a sales type ad message:
"Hi there. I hear you like skiing. I run a ski holiday company called Ski With Us Now. Book your skiing holiday with us; we're great!"

Instead offer something of value such as your expertise:
"Hi, I see you're thinking of skiing in France. I really recommend Les Deux Alpes or Chamonix. I can recommend some great hotels too."

Perhaps you could also tweet a few links to some interesting websites - not yours. They can find yours via your profile details and they'll respect you more if they see that you are NOT plugging your own stuff.

Know - Like - Trust
As you start to contribute and have more and more conversations with people you will get to know them and begin to like and slowly, over time you'll start to trust them.
The same is true of the realtionships they'll be forming with you. They will be getting to know; like and trust you too.

This is when the Social Media Magic happens; the sparks begin to fly and before you even realise it, you'll be doing business together!!

But people won't do business with you if you just listen and they definitely won't do business with you if you just broadcast. You have to take part in the conversations. You have to contribute and over time people will get to know you, they'll like you and eventually they'll trust you.

And just remember - we're on all the train journey together - so let's have some fun too along the way.

I'm off to the buffett car. Look forward to meeting you there!

My first ever Video Blog!

noreply@blogger.com (dickiearmour) — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 23:00:00 +0000

There's no doubt that 2009 has been a huge year for Social Media and 2010 is set to be even bigger.

I'm reading Gary Vaynerchuk's book - Crush It! and one of the things he recommends we should all be doing more of is video blogging.

So here's my first ever video blog taken in my office with my iPhone.

I'm sure the quality and content will both improve as we move through 2010!!

In the meantime have a very Merry Christmas and here's to a prosperous, happy and meteoric 2010!!

Christmas is a time for giving - But who is buying this BS?

noreply@blogger.com (dickiearmour) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 22:40:00 +0000

It never ceases to amaze me how generous some people can be and especially at this time of year. Christmas is a time for giving but I had begun to think folks had forgetten this. You see all the ads on TV and the children and parents who all want, want, want.
"Daddy, please can I have that? Oh please Daddy."

"Oh darling, it's only 3 carats, Pretty please with a cherry on top!"

We are such an on demand society that I thought the era of giving was dying. But this week I've been amazed at what people will do for others. And not just any people. Complete strangers seem to be incredibly generous.

Today I got an email from a lady called Amanda Guld from West Africa. She emailed completely out of the blue and she told me that she had a cheque for me for $900,000! I nearly fell off my chair. She said she had been trying to get hold of me with no luck. I couldn't understand this as my name "Dickie Armour" is easily looked up on any of the search engines and all my email addresses work and I've had the same telephone numbers for years. But Mrs Amanda Guld was having trouble. I guess the Interent in West Africa might be a little slower.

Anyways, she told me she had deposited my cheque with a UPS Courier called Daniel Cole and I was to get in touch to get my cheque. I am so excited. I've pretty much got all of the $900,000 spent already. Aston Martin DB9 Volante will be arriving any day now.

Aren't people just so generous?!! The other thing I'm truly excited about is a complete stranger called Martha Smith emailed me this time last week and has promised me that she can help me pull in over $40,000 a month using her easy to follow system! Now this truly is great news because as soon as I spend the $900,000 that Amanda Guld's sending me I'll need some more bucks, so I'm quite excited about this new online marketing system. It sounds like a no brainer. Hey, Martha I will be in touch real soon.

So that's my good news about two incredibly generous strangers but as if this wasn't special enough, my mate called me yesterday to tell me he had won £2.6million in the Dutch Lottery. He got an email from them telling him he had won. Can you believe that?! And what was really staggering about my mate winning this? He hadn't even bought a ticket! He was so excited and is convinced a friend or member of his family must have bought the ticket for him. And like me he's got his Aston Martin DB9 arriving anyday too.

So Christmas 2009 has been incredible - so many nice strangers getting in touch with me to give me loads of money!

Merry Christmas you scumbags!

Please tell me you are not someone who buys this BS when you get an email from a complete stranger? Well if it's not you then who is being taken in? We all need to wake up and stop being so gullible! Surely as people who Blog; use Twitter; Facebook; LinkedIn; Ecadeny; Flickr; YouTube etc we should be educating all our friends and family NOT to get sucked into this crap?!

So which one of you hasn't told all your friends and family?

If we all stop being so gullible and we stop responding to these idiots surely this problem will eventually go away? Please promise to do your bit in 2010 and spread the word through your friends and family. If they haven't bought a lottery ticket then they have not won!
If they get an email from West Africa, Nigeria, Russia, China or any where from a stranger claiming they are holding some long lost family inheritance, please tell them not to respond.

And if they are promised some clever system will make them the next Internet gazzilonaire, then tell them not to bother. Or perhaps do like I do and get in touch and ask them to prove it by letting me use the system free for 6 months and if it's as good as they claim, they should be happy to put their money where their mouth is!

But best of all, tell your friends and family that the next time (and sadly there will be a next time) they get an incredible, too good to be true offer from a complete stranger, they should simply hit the delete button and carry on with their day.

You can read more about other these and other well known scams in this article I wrote in January 2009.

My First Mobile Blog - Twitter Search Nearby Function

noreply@blogger.com (dickiearmour) — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 13:41:00 +0000

I'm actually sat at my desk trying this Blogger app on my iPhone. It amazes me how far Internet related technology has come in the last 5 years.
It didn't seem that long ago that everyone was talking about WAP enabled websites and how they were going to be the next big thing!
So as I said I'm just trying this new blog app out. I could be sat on a train; waiting for my flight at an airport or I could be sat by the pool on holiday writing my blog!
OK, so I can type but can I add photos? Ummm, let's see.

Yes, it seems I can! This is a photo of a book which arrived in the post this morning. Thanks Jim for sending it to me. It's by a guy called Brad Burton and the title speaks for itself! www.getoffyourarse.biz Brad's book site.
OK, so I got off my preverbial and am writing my blog using the new iPhone app I've been meaning to download and try. Thanks Brad!
I love the iPhone. I use Tweetie for Twitter and I recently discovered the "search nearby" function. See screenshot below.

This was a search in Bristol and I used it to show a mate of mine. He's a car valeter and was asking how he could use Twitter to find new customers. His concern was that he wanted to connect with local people and not so many people from the US and other countries. He likes connecting with people but he would be unlikely to win much car Valeting business from someone in Texas!

So I showed him how the Search Nearby function works explaining that he can find people in his area in real time. He can them connect with them and perhaps offer a promotion or similar via Twitter!
He was blown away and has already won 2 customers as a direct result of using this Search Nearby function.

So if you're in the Bristol area watch out for @bristolvaleting. I'm sure he'll seek you out soon! Or if you need your car Valeting perhaps you could seek him out instead! He's offering a 10% discount on 19th Dec.
www.bristolvaleting.com

So there you have it. My new blog post from my iPhone.

Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Social Media - Why you need to be on board

noreply@blogger.com (dickiearmour) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:19:00 +0000

The video below demonstrates the power of Social Media and why you should be on board.

I was staggered when I read some of the stats in the video! "If Facebook was a country it would be the 4th largest"!
This is a really exciting time! Social Media has been around for a few years now but it is only in the last few months that a real buzz has started. More and more people are using Twitter, FaceBook, FriendFeed, and Blogs and people are engaging with each other in a way we hadn't imagined.

These aren't just loose and random connections, but genuine conversations which are leading to new friendships and business relationships with real meaning.

It's hard to explain precisely but there is something happening and no one truly knows where the current thirst for social media is taking us. It's a bit like being on a train which has just left the station. It's not too late for people to jump on board; it will be stopping at all stations. The atmosphere is electric and all those on board are really energised and full of enthusiasm and whilst there appear to be quite a few experts on board; it's also clear that none of them can say for sure what's going to happen on the journey and the really exciting part is this - no one knows where the train will end up!

If you're considering getting involved on Twitter or Facebook, LinkedIn or Ecademy or any of the other social networks, then do it! Jump on board the train - "right here - right now!" I also suggest setting up a profile on as many of them as possible. The reason for this is many people have a preference and only use one or two of the social network websites. So if you want to maximise your chance of being discovered, then you need a profile on as many of these sites as possible. If someone's preferred site is Ecademy and they are using Ecademy to search for someone with your area of expertise, if you're not on Ecademy then they won't find you.

Many experts are saying that social media profiles are beginning to be more effective than a company website. This doesn't mean there is no need for a corporate website; of course there is still a need! But what it tells you is you should have both. You need a company website so those people you are having conversations with via the social media websites can find your company website when they are ready.

The social network websites are getting good search engine rankings so somebody looking for you or your business stands more chance of finding your social media profile via one of the many websites than they will of finding your official company website.

The image above shows the result of a search on Google for me - "Dickie Armour". Whilst my personal website is 1st (not hard when you have a name like mine) you'll see that within the first 2 pages my profile comes up on at least 10 different social media websites including my blog. But neither of my company websites appear in the top 20 search results.

What about a great friend of mine, Jamie Forster? See the Google Search result for him below.

Again, his company website doesn't appear either, but he does appear 4 times in the first ten results. And from any of those 4 links you can find Jamie's company website.

So you need to have your profile on as many of the different social media websites as possible to increase your chance of being found and to be able to connect with a person on their preferred social media arena.

So all aboard! This train departs from the next station near you right now. Join us on the journey; I've not a clue where it's going, but it's going to be great fun, we're all going to learn bucket loads of stuff and I promise you'll make some wonderful new friends and you might just pick up some new business along the way.

Social Networking - Are you just a card dealer?

noreply@blogger.com (dickiearmour) — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 09:54:00 +0000

There are more and more people attending networking events and there are a huge number of people networking on the many different social media websites.

But how are you contributing to these different mediums?

Networking Offline

When you attend an event, whether it's a business breakfast; a seminar; a training day with networking breaks, what are your expectations?

Many people attend these events with the definite intention of winning new customers by selling to as many of the people there as possible. We've all been to meetings where there's a guy working through the crowd handing out his business cards, rather like a bumble bee flitting from flower to flower. He stays with a person for no more than a few moments; long enough to impress them with his well honed "elevator pitch" before he's off to find his next victim. He doesn't spare more than a minute to listen to the other person. He doesn't really care what they do. He listens for long enough to discover if they are a potential victim; someone he can sell to.

This is serial networking at it's worst. In business and in life people buy people. So it is important that you learn the art of being a caring networker. People are NOT going to “buy you” if you’re just a card dealer. You have to truly care about the other person and it’s always a good start if you can make a great first impression.

The word SHINE was introduced to me at a recent marketing conference I attended and like any conference or seminar there was an element of networking throughout the event. A great guy called Mark Perl was the host and he explained the concept of SHINE.

   S - Smile
   H - Handshake
   I - Eye Contact
   N - Name
   E - Enthusiasm

Smile as you look at the person and shake their hand firmly but not weakly or with a limp wrist. Equally don’t crush the other person’s hand! Look them in the eye and keep looking at them as you give them your name and listen as they say their name. Be enthusiastic during this. Don’t speak in a boring, monotone voice but introduce yourself as if you’re excited.
Then once you’ve done the introductions ask questions. Ask the person what they do for a living. Ask them how they heard about the event, ask them where they live.

I always try to find out as much as I can about the other person and I always try to ask them the first question. This really puts the other person at ease because people naturally enjoy talking about themselves. Always try to show real interest in what they are telling you and find out if you have some things in common. The best way to do this is to make sure you really listen. Don’t get distracted by other people in the room or a loud conversation going on nearby. Stay focused on the other person while they’re speaking and try not to interrupt them.

I have a general rule that I never offer my business card until either I’ve discovered that the person I’m talking to is someone I want to connect with and stay in touch with; or they ask me for my business card. And if they are someone I want to connect with I always ask them for their card and in most cases they reciprocate by asking for mine.

Networking Online

Many of the same rules apply when you are participating via online social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Ecademy, Bebo, Xing, MySpace or on people’s blogs and your own blog. But the main mistake people make when using these sites is, without realising it they become the card dealer! They just broadcast messages about themselves and their business. They send tweets on Twitter promoting their company.

The art of communication through social media is having conversations. You have to take part in discussions with people and you have to go where the conversation is taking place. If your favourite social network is Facebook and you only “talk” to people on Facebook you are going to be missing out on a whole load of conversations which you might want to take part in.

Use some of the aggregator tools such as FriendFeed to see where the conversations are taking place and then go and join in. This is the beauty of using social media. Unlike a bar or a café where conversations are happening but you don’t feel you can “barge in” and just sit down at a table and join a conversation with strangers. On social media sites you can. You can see a conversation happening around a subject that interests you and you can jump right in by posting your opinion.

You can add your comments to a conversation and people can read them and reply and all in real time. It’s amazing to watch and take part in and it is so exciting when you then make a connection with someone in this way.

I follow some runners on Twitter and I was training to run a half marathon and we were having a conversation about training. I tweeted about why I was raising money for Cancer Research UK and a lady I had never met joined in the conversation. She wrote a lovely reply saying how moved she was by my story about my dad dying of cancer and she very generously sponsored me via my fundraising website! That just blew me away. About a month later on the marketing weekend I mentioned earlier there were over 200 people from all over the UK there and the hosts asked members of the audience to stand up and give feedback. I heard this lady introduce herself and I realised it was the same lady who had sponsored me via Twitter. During the break we met up and it was just amazing to meet this generous person in real life! We are now connected and we have met up since and become really good friends.

So try and take part more in the conversations going on and post comments on people’s blogs. There is nothing worse that writing a blog and getting no comments! It happens to us all, so I make sure if I read an interesting blog that I post a comment and add my opinion. It’s also nice to share things which you have found interesting from other people. Don’t just share your stuff. It’s more rewarding to let people know about other people’s stuff and one day, you never know, someone might just promote our stuff.

Take part in the conversations and start to contribute more, but please don’t be a card dealer.

Part 3 - Fantastic & Rare Tony Robbins Audio from 1989.

noreply@blogger.com (dickiearmour) — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 17:53:00 +0000

As promised Tony Robbins, a world renowned expert on Leadership Psychology, has released an incredible audio this time from 20 years ago!

It's a rare recording Tony did back in 1989 and I'd like to give it to you.

You can download it here for free as a gift from Tony:

http://www.moneymastersseries.com/audiodownload.php

This has NEVER been released before ...but I think it's *critical* that you hear it because you'll discover what Tony calls the "5 Keys to Wealth & Happiness".

Please download this as soon as you can because Tony has said he doesn't think he'll be leaving it on the Internet for long.

Yes to Facebook in the Workplace!

noreply@blogger.com (dickiearmour) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 17:00:00 +0000

At a recent Ecademy event in London on Social Media for Business with Louis Gray, the topic of Facebook in the workplace was raised and Louis gave his opinion. He, and most of the audience agreed, that employers should allow the use of Facebook in the workplace.

Interesting to note in this week's issue of Webuser magazine their News Editor, Ben Camm-Jones comments on the same issue and highlights the recent issue Dixons Store Group faced when some staff were insulting customers on Facebook.

See coverage on the story from the BBC earlier this month.

He sums the article up by saying: "So it's simple - let your employees use Facebook. The weakest links in your workforce will soon reveal themselves."

Click the image above to enlarge and read.

I agree. Business owners, directors and managers have to realise that Social Media is an exciting new way of communicating with their customers (not always positvely!) and they should be embracing the likes of Facebook, Ecademy, Twitter etc. When staff are using these mediums employers must ensure the content is monitored and any wrong doings are nipped in the bud.

But I know the power of using these social media sites as an amazing way of connecting with customers and potential new customers in a really positive way. Working for a company that knows and understands this helps boost the morale of it's staff and people feel they can make a difference.

So if you're an employer who doesn't allow access to these social media sites, think about how your staff feel and think of the positive ways you can harness these sites to help your customers. And sure, the odd idiot might abuse the new found trust you've given them, but as Ben Camm-Jones says "Facebook is an excellent way to suss out unsuitable employees".

Business start ups Start with a Domain Name

noreply@blogger.com (dickiearmour) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 08:33:00 +0000

Have you recently set up a new business?
Are you considering setting up a new business?

The recession and redundancies have caused a large number of people to start up their own businesses. In an article in today's USA Today it says "...starting a business from scratch or buying a franchise has been the way out for many. Of job seekers who gained employment in the second quarter of 2009, nearly one in 10 — 8.7% — did so by launching their own businesses, according to outplacement firm Challenger Gray & Christmas' quarterly Job Market Index."

Read the USA Today article.

No doubt in the UK, some of those who have been made redundant will have started up their own business too.

If you are considering starting up your own business or you have already, you need to make sure you register a domain name for your business. You also need to make sure you choose the right domain name for your business and you need to choose the right domain name registration provider.

The following couple of articles might be of some assistance to you if you are considering setting up your online business.

Domain Name Registration for your Online Business

How do you choose the right domain provider for your business?

The reason every new business starts with a domain name is because everyone now expects a business to have a website and a company email address and if you don't, you'll get left behind.

So don't leave it to chance, take some time and think about the right name for your business and make sure the domain name to match your business name is available. I would always recommend registering both the .co.uk and the .com variations as a minimum. There are other options too, but these are the 2 most recognised.

Then once you've decided on the name, find a domain name provider and get your domain name/s regsitered.

Fundraising can be Heart Warming ...

noreply@blogger.com (dickiearmour) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 22:41:00 +0000

.... in more ways than one! I am doing the Cardiff Half Marathon on 18th October and raising money for Cancer Research UK. It is such an incredible feeling when someone sponsors me.

Because during these tricky times they have put their hand in their pocket and shared their hard earned cash with me for my cause.

Because I think of all the good it will do.

Cancer Research UK is entirely funded by the public, so they rely on people like me and you to help them continue their life-saving work.

But on the flip side, the other way Fundraising can be "heart warming" is when a non-runner like me has to go out and run 8 miles!!! My heart rate went through the roof today!

This was without any shadow of a doubt the hardest run I have ever done.
You can see details of my workout by clicking here.

The thing people always say about exercise is it's great because it increases the endorphins in your body which put you on a real high.

Today was not one of those endorphin enducing days - I was so shattered after the run that my heart rate was still up at 145 as I lay on the carpet trying to recover. Even after my shower those elusive endorphins didn't show up.

But I am so thrilled that I was able to run 8 miles without stopping! I still can't believe it! In fact, as I write this entry I can feel the first waves of endorphins kicking in. I think I'll sleep well tonight!

You can help support me in this mad cause by sponsoring me. Just click here.
Thank you in advance for your support.

Remember by giving, you are warming my heart in the right way; without me collapsing on the carpet from exhaustion!

Thanks again.

Part 2 - Fantastic Tony Robbins video - Creating Massive Action!

noreply@blogger.com (dickiearmour) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 18:14:00 +0000

As promised Tony Robbins, a world renowned expert on Leadership Psychology, has released another incredible video.

Imagine this: You're on the run because your home town is right in the path of a hurricane.

...And you've fled to your parents house in the next town over, hoping the storm will pass and everything will be OK.

Now, imagine that on that very same day, you make ONE MILLION DOLLARS ...with nothing but a laptop computer and a spotty internet connection.

Even though this sounds like something from a movie, it actually happened to the person Tony interviews in his new video:

http://tonyrobbinstraining.com/328/john-tony/

The video is free and it should start playing automatically.

I'll post Part 3 later on this week with details of a very rare recording which Tony did back in 1989 called the "5 Keys to Wealth & Happiness".

Part 1 - Fantastic Tony Robbins video - Creating Massive Action!

noreply@blogger.com (dickiearmour) — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 14:53:00 +0000

Tony Robbins, a world renowned expert on Leadership Psychology, has just posted a brand new video for you on his blog and you can watch it here:

http://tonyrobbinstraining.com/320/interview-with-frank-kern-and-john-reese/

In the video, you'll discover:

The "4-Square" System For Creating Massive Action TODAY.
The number one thing that's holding you back...and how you can banish it from your life forever.
The subtle mental shift that millionaires use to get a financial jumpstart.
A short exercise that destroys your nagging skepticism and builds your momentum to succeed.

It's free for you and should start playing automatically.

It will really get you excited and motivated to begin taking massive action on some of those things you've been stalling on.

I'll post Part 2 later on this week which is a great video of Tony & John discussing John's million dollar day - the day when he launched a new product and took over $1m in sales in less than 24hours!!

New look to my Website

noreply@blogger.com (dickiearmour) — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 09:04:00 +0000

I've rebranded my website ever so subtley.

I hope you like it. http://www.dickiearmour.me.uk/

I've changed the main menu colour and added an all new look top banner to the website.

I think this looks much more professional. Please let me know what you think.

New songs for my 5 mile Run

noreply@blogger.com (dickiearmour) — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 16:55:00 +0000

I'm off on a 5 mile run today and I spent last night adding a new playlist to my iPod.

Boom Boom Pow - Black Eyed Peas
Rock That Body - Black Eyed Peas
Party All the Time - Black Eyed Peas
Single Ladies - Beyoncé
Lose Yourself - Eminem
Sandstorm - Darude
Love Is Gone - Chris Willis, David Guetta & Joachim Garraud
Turn It on Again - Genesis
Dodo - Genesis
Misunderstanding - Genesis
In the Cage Medley - Genesis
I See You Baby - Groove Armada
Ray Of Light - Madonna
Catch - Kosheen
Freak Like Me - Sugababes
Round Round - Sugababes
In The Middle - Sugababes
I See Girls - Studio B
Joyride - Roxette
How Do You Do! - Roxette
The Look Roxette - Tourism
The Real Things - 2 Unlimited
Encore une Fois - Sash!
I Like To Move It - Reel 2 Reel
I Love My Chick - Busta Rhymes ft. Kelis

It's quite a mixture but should keep my legs pumping long enough to get me round!

I take a Success Coach with me on my Runs!

noreply@blogger.com (dickiearmour) — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 14:55:00 +0000

I've been puffed in to do the Cardiff Half Marathon by a good friend, Martin Gibbs, who's a very good runner and he did the Cardiff Half Marathon last year.

I am just at the end of Week 5 of my training and I remembered Stephen Fry saying that he listens to audio books whilst walking. So I thought I'd do the same on my runs.

I'm a huge advocate of goal setting and positive thinking and so I decided to find some Antony Robbins and Zig Ziglar audio books on iTunes. I've downloaded "Awaken the Giant Within" by Tony Robbins which I read ages ago and it was great last week, to listen to Tony on my runs. It really helps to keep me focused on my runs.

Zig Ziglar is more of an acquired taste as his voice can be a little bit annoying to begin with. I love his stuff now and I've got "Motivation - The key to Accomplishment" and "Secrets of Closing the sale". I've also bought Brian Tracy's "Flight Plan - The Real Secrets of Success".

Finding time to spare to read or listen to these great motivational speakers can be hard, but now I'm running, it's the perfect time!

I've got a 4 mile run to do in the morning and I think I'll take Zig Ziglar with me tomorrow!

www.justgiving.com/formydad2009 - Please support me in my cause.