Securing the Right IT for your Business

Securing the Right IT for your Business Whether you run a small service company or a large retail operation, Information Technology is important. In today’s always connected world, you have to be accessible to your customers, and your workforce needs to be able to work flexibly. IT equipment like your phones, laptops, servers and routers are all essential to allowing you to do this. For example, a reliable, but affordable, phone network ensures that your customers can always get through to you. A robust IT network will allow your workforce to take advantage of cloud working, so they are able to work collaboratively, and while on the road. If you do not have access to good IT technology, you will quickly fall behind your competitors. They will be able to work smarter that you can, and you will lose market share as a result. So, how do you get your hands on the IT equipment and systems that your business needs to be able to continue to compete effectively? Hire the right IT support provider Fortunately, doing this is far easier than you think. The key is to hire someone to take the strain for you. It really is the most efficient way to ensure that your business has access to the latest technology, and that it is all maintained properly. However, you do need to be careful, and hire the right IT support provider. Do they have the right experience? The firm you hire needs to be experienced. Hiring a well-established company is the safest way to make sure that they really know what they are doing. It is important to find a company that has experience of providing IT support to firms in your sector. Doing this means that you can be sure that they understand your business, and the specific stresses and strains it is under. They will speak the same language as you and understand how you need your IT network and hardware to work to be successful. Do they offer a flexible enough service? Another important consideration is whether they offer a flexible enough service. As your business grows, so your IT needs will change. When that happens, you do not want to end up waiting months for the new kit you need to be delivered and installed. You need a provider that can migrate your data from one system to another as you update your network. Are they properly qualified? It is also important to find a company that uses trained personnel. You need a provider that keeps the qualifications of their workforce up to date. The world of information technology is a fast moving one that is in a continuous state of flux. Your IT support provider needs to stay abreast of change in order to be able to continue to provide you with reliable equipment, and a robust IT network. You can find out more about the range of services a good IT support provider should offer at, www.dynamicnetworksgroup.co.uk. For a checklist of questions to ask before hiring someone to take care of your IT systems, just click here. Image Source; Image Source; Image Source

Solve Presentation Problems With This Stolen Trick - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Solve Presentation Problems With This Stolen Trick - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Because I teach Pitching the Perfect Presentation at UCLA Ext., I’m always asked for tips and techniques about public speaking, which apparently more people fear than they fear death. I have an effective approach to tamping down your nerves and rising to meet your audience’s desire to be educated and entertained. I stole this trick from the method we use to prepare guests and hosts for interviews on television and radio. The stolen trick The trick? Prepare a question guide for yourself. Imagine you’re interviewing the most interesting you. Start this way. Simply write down the top 5 to 10 questions that are likely to open up a discussion about the most important issues surrounding your topic. Then, to put it into a presentation format: simply answer each questions with facts, examples, success stories, analogies, statistics, testimonials and even dramatic quotations from sages you feel support your desired course of action. For example: a question might be: Why Take Action Now? Your answer might be: “As the famous game designer Bill Budge says: ‘After two weeks of working on a project, you know whether it will work or not.’” Then, in your presentation you would go on about the proposed schedule and other details that support your point of view on the issue. Why a question guide? A guide is a framework I provide for broadcast hosts who are going to interview the authors and experts I publish or promote at Pegasus Media World. I also send along a biography, which the host can use to introduce the guest. I include exactly the right mix of information to stir up some excitement about the topic and give credibility to the author. Plus, hosts also get the question guide. The biography and guide are designed to help structure a broadcast interview so it’s informative and entertaining.   This accomplishes our goals of promoting the book or expert by engaging the audience (who might just be listening and not able to call in with their own questions). And, it helps the host come up to speed in-the-moment if they haven’t had a chance to read the guest’s book. Your typical audience in business â€" and even in job interviews need to be inspired to commit to listening to you and often isnt prepared for your presentation. Thats why you can treat your audience the way I treat interviewers. Remember, I call whomever is listening to you your audience, whether its one person or thousands. For broadcast interviews I typically provide the questions without including the answers so the conversation feels lively and unrehearsed. Occasionally, I’ll include a brief note so that the host will be prepared for the conversation that’s sparked by each question. You can use your question guide as a meeting map, which is what I call an agenda. For your presentation, you might not want to write out your answers even for yourself. Instead, under each question just jot down some bullet points to prompt yourself. Then, you can appear lively and fresh, rather than rehearsed and stale. Start your preparation by asking yourself (or those who might be participating in your meeting) these two questions. “What about me and my background will give me credibility on this topic and inspire the audience to give me their attention?”  â€œWhat are the burning questions about my topic that the audience will want me to answer?” If you are in Southern California, please check out my course this summer: Pitching the Perfect Presentation and Business Development at UCLA Extension. If you can’t make it or need some presentation tips quick, email me at Nance@NanceRosen.com with the subject line: Presentation. Author: Nance Rosen is the author of Speak Up! Succeed. She speaks to business audiences around the world and is a resource for press, including print, broadcast and online journalists and bloggers covering social media and careers. Read more at NanceRosenBlog. Twitter name: nancerosen

5 Simple Tips For Being Successful on Upwork - CareerMetis.com

5 Simple Tips For Being Successful on Upwork Are you growing tired of Upwork? If so, you probably aren’t alone.Scroll through any Facebook group where Upwork is being discussed by freelancers, and a few common themes will emerge.“It’s too saturated.”“The pay is too low.”“I can’t get any clients.”evalThe problem which many people have is that they’re approaching Upwork in completely the wrong way. Yes, it can be off-putting when you find a listing and you see that an army of people has applied to that killer gig.But, let me give you some hope. 95% of the people are playing a numbers game, and it is a losing strategy.1 copy and pasted proposal, 60 connects used per month, 0 responses.Obviously them numbers put you in the fast lane to the poor house. So people tend to give up and label Upwork as awful. No matter what industry you are in, once you start following these simple steps you will pick up clients almost overnight.1) No One Cares About YOUevalMany people start freelancing having worked in an office envi ronment. Unfortunately, they advertise themselves in the same way they would on their resume.“I have 20 years of experience in graphic design. I graduated from uni with a first in design.”That won’t cut it now. You’re in the wild west and only the most adaptable gunslingers will survive. No longer are you trying to grab the attention of HR departments that are trying to tick boxes before they hire an employee? You’re mainly trying to attract business owners with a unique problem that they need to fulfill.evalSo instead, focus your profile on your customers, the problems they face and how you and your awesome ability will solve that problem for them. You’ll soon have people coming to you.2) Being Different Isn’t Just Ok… It’s RequiredA common gripe is that the pay on Upwork is awful.Well, I’m not denying that sometimes it is awful. But it’s only awful for the freelancers who decide to partake in the speed of light race to the bottom on the Upwork economy.A compl etely honest audit of yourself is required here. What are you good at? What makes your service better than the rest? Who does your unique set of skills best serve?evalGet clear on that, and you can prosper.Many people are too scared to niche down, and instead, try to focus their efforts on being a jack of all trades. But as 95% of people are doing the same, you are left fighting over scraps like a savage.Let your personality show, be specific about who you’re targeting and watch your pay increase.3) Get Used To Saying NoIt seems counter intuitive when you want to be successful. There is pressure to keep money coming in, so freelancers may jump at the chance to take on any gig they can with open arms.But then the problems come. You work with people you can’t really help, or your personalities clash. The poor reviews stack up and your Upwork profile with a low rating is as useful as a chocolate teapot.Saying no to a potential client is one of the most empowering things you can do. You need to carefully select the clients you work with. Not only will it help you gain more clients in the future, but it’ll stop you from hitting that wall where you just cannot take any more.Plus, remember why you become a freelancer. I think I’ll be right in assuming that the word ‘freedom’ figured among the thoughts of most.4) First impressions countRemember that time you stepped into the doughnut shop, the smell flooding your brain with dopamine. You then stand to look at the hundreds of delicious doughnuts deciding which one to choose.At first, it’s a bit overwhelming as your eyes scan over all of the options. So then you pick 1 based on the unique characteristics that stand out to you.evalWell, that’s what it is like for someone hiring on Upwork. They are overwhelmed by choice. So, when they search for freelancers, it’s your headline and the first line of your bio that needs to grab them â€" just like the sprinkles on top of a doughnut.A few tips to help you st and out are:Be specific about what you do. If you have ‘Copywriter’ as your title, well good luck because so do 5000 other people. But if you have “Pet Niche Copywriter” as your title, and someone in that niche is searching, you go right to the top of the list.The first 10 words in your profile need to be killer. Try to engage the reader from the off. Make them NEED to click and find out what the rest of the sentence says.A striking picture, with colors that stand out helps make you pop out of the screen and capture the reader’s attention.eval5) Proposals that make a differenceAgain, the key is to stand out from the crowd, and there are many little tricks you can test to help you do this.Things to consider:Start your proposal with a relevant testimonial. Social proof is powerful, and the client may not be inclined to scour your Upwork profile to find it. Tell them why it is relevant and why it shows you are the person they should hire.Start with a headline that is going to grab their attention. Make it specific.Create a piece of work that is similar to what the client needs, but not exactly the same. When other people send samples they probably don’t have something similar.Ask questions that show you know what you’re talking about. Use words and phrases that they can connect with and show them you’re knowledgeable about their industry.You’re talking to a human. Be friendly, perhaps even funny. Who said business has to be serious and boring?Most importantly, focus on their current problem and how you can help. Show them you can help. This isn’t another opportunity to tell them about the degree you got 4 years ago. The bottom line is, the proposals shouldn’t be about you, it should be about them.Once you figure it out, Upwork is easy. It’s never good to become reliant on one platform, but it’s a great place to win new clients.