Alice’s Tech Toolbox
- Microsoft FrontPage – How I edit and create most of my web pages. Microsoft is no longer making this software, but it serves me well for the time being.For web building, I also use Mambo, WordPress, Blogger & Internet Based Family to create & manage my websites. But if you’re just starting out, you needn’t explore all the options…just start with one and run with it. HINT: The Internet Based Family is a near no-brainer way to get a site up and running, looking the way you want and with the features you want. There’s a 10-day trial too.
- Cute FTP – A super-easy and reliable FTP program for uploading and downloading files from my websites.
- Kayako – A great script for setting up and running your own customer support system.
- MailWasher – A great program for managing spam.This has been a longstanding lifesaver for me.
- Microsoft Outlook – How I read and answer my email.
- Microsoft Word – Writing documents to convert to PDF.
- Instant PDF Generator – Creating PDFs with active links
- Adobe Photoshop Elements – I use this for simple graphic editing and making screenshots. I don’t need a complex program because I outsource most graphic work to more competent graphic artists.
- Microsoft Excel – Well, I don’t usually create my spreadsheets, but have my assistants create reports I can look at in Excel!
- TextPad – For formatting text emails.
- Article Announcer – For streamlining the article submission process.
- Sweetie Reader My very own RSS reader where I keep up with all my favorite feeds. This also gives me content discussion points and keeps my finger on the pulse of my market.
- Windows Media Player – For listening to marketing information while I work.
- All Recorder – To record mp3s
- ScreenCam Generator – For creating screen capture videos. These are great for creating info products, instructing your customer how to use your website and giving detailed instructions to your assistants.
- QuickSales – For my shopping cart, ad tracking, affiliate programs and mailing lists.
- I used to use Ask Database – for organizing questions that my visitors and subscribers would like answered. It’s great for content creation ideas. I have recently switched to a beta version of Easy Internet Survey that will be publicly available soon.
- WordTracker – keyword research for pay-per-click campaigns and creating optimized content for my website.
- Google Keyword Tool – same as above
- Audio Generator – For creating streaming audio on my websites…instead of doing it the techy way.
July 27, 2005
Slacking Off for Greater Productivity
I have been so lazy for the past couple weeks…and somehow more productive than ever. Can you imagine?
The weather’s been great, so we’ve been heading out to the water park, escaping the heat when necessary with an air-conditioned movie, barbecuing with friends and just having a great ol’ time. That has left limited hours for work, but the few hours I work are so incredibly productive. Who woulda thunk!
Clearly, if we spend 10 hours a day on the computer, it’s tough to stay productive. We start losing focus and becoming less effective, so if we cut that time in half, we’re likely to stay focused.
I’ve also dramatically cut my “to-do” list and this is a tip I shared recently with my IBMoms subscribers and it works like a charm. I expect less of myself and I’m getting so much more.
Here’s my challenge to you. Cut your to-do list in half and get out and have some fun. Then let me know what it does to your productivity. You’ll be surprised.
July 21, 2005
Waitressing - The Best Real-Life Marketing School
Last month, when I was at Gary Halbert’s Fusion Seminar, Mark Joyner asked who had ever been a waiter or waitress. A number of hands went up, including mine. Then he asked, “Who thinks it was the worst job ever?”
My hand didn’t go up because waitressing was the best job I ever had outside of being an entrepreneur.
It was only job I had where I had a lot of control out of how much money I would actually make in a day….and where I learned some of the most valuable marketing lessons.
Some of the marketing skills I learned were:
· Networking and interacting with people. Grumpy people don’t get far in this business.
· Story-telling (an online marketer’s best friend!). You gotta chat it up for extra tips.
· Listening and understanding my market’s needs. The three young guys who came in for beers every Friday evening needed different attention than Mr. X and Mrs. Y who were having a secret affair and used our cocktail lounge as their meeting place (Yes, I know – it’s shocking!).
· Upsells and backend sales galore….for more tips! Bigger drinks, more toppings…more drinks. You know.
· Time management & organization. Yowsers! How I managed all those people and all those orders at the same time, I have no idea.
· Outsourcing. Be real nice to your bussers and cooks and they’ll work hard for you.
· Joint Ventures with other waiters and waitresses. The real secret to working well as a server is to work as a team with your fellow servers. Bring drinks and food out for your team mates and it all comes back to you…and makes everything fun more efficiently. And oh yeah…you end up making more tips!
Although, I loved my waitressing job, I would NEVER go back. I like sore computer butt way better than throbbing feet. Besides I like making more money at home. 
Even if you had a crappy serving job…the marketing lessons were still there, even if the rewards weren’t so great.
And if you’re in a crappy job now – how can you turn this into a marketing opportunity and challenge yourself and your skills? Turn the negative (having a J-O-B) into a positive. Then apply what you learn in your day job to your biz when you’re off work.
How Do I Market my Bookkeeping Service Online?
Q: Well I am 31 years old and my only real experience is in the bookkeeping field. Unfortunately, I don’t have a degree in accounting, however do plan on getting certified. I currently work at home doing my mother bookkeeping for a business she has in Texas. I am able to do all my work either via email or mail and it has worked out great. I don’t work other that what I do for my mother I am an at home mom. However, I love the accounting/bookkeeping field and would love to expand and get other clients. So I guess my question would be do you think what I do currently is a business that I could offer online. Or am I barking up the wrong tree so to speak?
Thank you for your time and your response will be greatly wanted….Tina Wagner [Read more]
How Do I Know Who My Target Visitor Is?
July 18, 2005
The First Step is Admitting That You Have a Problem
I’m not perfect.
I never have been.
I will never strive to be.
As business people, I think it’s crucial that we understand our imperfections. If there’s something in our business we aren’t good at, don’t know how to do or just plain old don’t want to do – we can find others to do it for us.
You’ve probably heard me say this before, but have you started doing it? Or are you still trying to be Mr. or Ms. Perfect with your biz?
Well, I have a confession to make. I’ve been a fool. Although I do a get a lot of help in my business, there is one area where I have always had trouble letting go and I have really been suffering because of it.
It’s partly because I didn’t know who to ask for help.
It’s partly because I didn’t want to give up control.
But it’s mostly because I was ashamed.
I’ve had this problem (numbers really baffle me!) for as long as I can remember and I thought that if I just made more money in my business, the disorganization would “take care of itself”. Well, that is one of the most moronic thoughts I’ve ever had (and I’ve had some doozies!). The more money I make, the bigger the problem gets. I guess Notorious B.I.G. was right when he said, “Mo’ Money Mo’ Problems.” The fact is, now I have more money that I don’t know what to do with!
So, here I am with a thriving business – but with my finances in complete chaos. It’s quite embarrassing to admit this, but I can do it because I’m on the road to recovery.
I am finally giving up control of my finances (ummm…like I had any control anyway!) and as a first step, I found the most fantastic bookkeeper/accountant to keep me ultra-organized. She understands how online business works, currency conversions and all the details I struggle with. I’ve been searching for someone like her for soooooo long and I procrastinated because I couldn’t find the “right person”.
When I first talked to her on the phone and told her that my business stuff was in complete disarray, you know what she told me?
She said, “This kind of stuff excites me!”
WHAT?
It excites her? Well, then she is the perfect woman for the job and I am officially fired.
So, let me ask you? What is holding you back in your business? What do you keep doing poorly in your business…to the detriment of its long-term success? Or are you just doing too much, preventing you from moving ahead?
I made my confession and I have made steps to make changes…BIG changes. I’m leaving the handling of money to the experts. What are you going to do now?
July 12, 2005
Google Speaketh & I Confusedeth
I think this is kind of funny, so I thought I’d share it with you and also give you an update on where I am with the Malcolm’s Web Revival Project. After I discovered the site was dropped by Google, a number of people asked what I would do about it and if I would contact Google. I wasn’t really interested in contacting Google and after reading their webmaster guidelines about sites that have been removed, I figured contacting them would be a pretty useless exercise.
But I did it anyway, to see what they would say. I wrote to them and said I went through the guidelines at http://www.google.com/webmasters/guidelines.html thoroughly and made sure my site was complying with everything. I asked very nicely to be reindexed.
Well, about 2 weeks later I got a reply from Google…that was yesterday. They told me that they were unable to help me at this time, but that I should review the guidelines at http://www.google.com/webmasters/guidelines.html to ensure that I was complying with all their guidelines.
HUH? Isn’t that what I said or am I the one who’s crazy?!
Obviously, I got the standard response…so let’s just move onto other things.
Work on the article & press release distribution project has begun. I just got the first batch of 30 articles back from my article writer. I’m just crafting some compelling bylines and working some of the articles into newsworthy press releases. I will provide more details soon.
July 8, 2005
Viral Marketing At Its Absolute Finest
Click here to see me in the upcoming Wedding Crashers movie. I love Owen Wilson & Vince Vaughn…what an honor to be in a movie with them. They might let you in too if you ask nicely! 
Whatcha think? Am I Oscar-winning material?
