Mom's 15 Minute Rule "Never Be Late!"

From my earliest years I can remember my mother telling me to never make people wait for you, and always be 15 minutes early. To this day, whether I have an appointment, I am going to work, or meeting someone I am always about 15 minutes early. My daily work hours are from 8:30 to 5:30. There is rarely a day where I have not been at the office at least 15 minutes early. 

Why is the 15 minute rule important? It is important because you do not want to make someone wait on you! Everyone's time is valuable. When you arrive late you are implicitly telling the person you are meeting a couple of things. The first is, that they are not a priority. Try getting a job after you are late to an interview. Try keeping your job after coming in late every day. Good luck! Secondly you telling them that your time is more valuable than theirs. Not a good move when you are meeting with a potential client. When you are early you are telling the person you are meeting that you see value in them, and that your meeting with them is important to you.

Now you may ask, what can you do with all of that extra time? Great question. How about reading a good book that can help you in your line of work? Spend that time educating yourself. If you are meeting with someone why not use your fancy Android or iPhone for something other than playing a video game or chatting on Facebook with your friends? Read up on your client, or potential employer and make that 15 minutes a productive 15 minutes!

My mom's rule has helped many times over the course of my life and has played a role in making me successful. My advice is to apply mom's 15 minute rule to your life!

IPitomy Testimonial (Beneva Flowers Testimonial)

Keep Up With Technology To Stay In The Lead!: What We Can Learn From BMW

As Bob Dylan sings, “The times they are a changin,” and so it is true for the business world. As technology advances, the way we conduct business changes, and for many in the business world, technology is leaving them behind! In order for a business to stay competitive in today’s marketplace, it must be able to keep up with and utilize the latest technology in its products, services and the way it operates.

BMW started out in 1916 as a small manufacturer of aero-engines. In 1922 they moved into motorcycle production and in 1928 they began their journey into car manufacturing. Over the course of 85 years they grown and have now managed to move out in front and stay in the lead of car and motorcycle manufacturing with their stylish and innovative designs. They now manufacture their products at 28 sites in 13 countries on four continents! How are they managing to remain the world’s leader in the luxury car industry?

Their strategy is based upon four pillars which are: “Growth, Shaping the Future, Profitability and Access to Technologies and Customers.” For any company to remain a leader in their industry, they must grow in market share and in profitability. BMW has managed to do this by utilizing the latest technology at their disposal to improve their products, and connect with their potential clients in the luxury car market.

If you look at BMW cars over the past 85 years, there has obviously been advancements in technology, and the car industry, much like other industries must apply these advancements to their product in order to appeal to consumers. The same can be said for almost any company, whether you are selling cars, computers, software, telephone systems, or technical gadgets. Even many services are at risk of falling behind the times by avoiding new technology.

If we look at the development of BMW’s 3 series line of cars, they have been one of the most popular of their lines since 1977 when the first one rolled off of the production line. The series was launched as an advertised improvement to their 2002 series line. Over the course 37 years BMW has modified its beloved 3 series model by changing engines, body styles, interior layout, options, features, the suspension, etc. The company has managed to keep their product relevant for the times by being flexible and innovative. For example, would a 1984 BMW be competitive on the market today? The obvious answer is no. Yet many companies are trying to stay alive by selling their outdated products and using inefficient means of conducting business.

Although the BMW body styles have remained intriguing and eye catching over the years, the 1984 car would pale in overall comparison to any modern car. Can you imagine BMW trying to stay on the racing circuit with 30 year old technology? They would get hammered on the track. This same also goes for BMW marketing. If BMW did not have a well maintained website and well-connected company structure that allowed them to work efficiently and connect with potential clients, would they be the world’s leader in luxury cars? Case in point, you also have to run your business in the same fashion. If you don’t stay up with times in how your company operates and in the products and services you offer, you will not be a leader in your industry.

Here are a few points to ponder.

1. Website: Do you have an appealing, updated website for your company? Is it easy to navigate and does it compel you to act? If you look at BMW’s website, it has a clean easy to navigate interface that encourages you to explore their product models, and play with the configuration of the cars. It’s easy to make payments on it, it’s easy to navigate and find a dealer near you, and the personal portal has useful information on it. The site is also appealing to the eye with images that tend to capture your imagination, and make you want to put yourself behind the wheel of one of their cars. What about their cool tag line, “The Ultimate Driving Machine.” What is yours? Is your website outdated? How much useful information do you have on it? Does it compel your visitors to act?

2. Product Innovation: Do you offer the latest technological advances in your product market or service? Are you still offering old technology because you are comfortable with it and are afraid to change? Are you willing to take the time and make the effort to keep learning new technology to improve your product line? I have had two 328i BMWs, and the difference between my 2011 model and my 2013 model are substantial. It has a more sophisticated on board navigation package and more digital controls and apps on the user interface. The suspension has improvements and BMW now has an improved Efficient Dynamics package which reduces fuel consumption without sacrificing power. Notice how they market Efficient Dynamics: “BMW Efficient Dynamics stands for the noticeable reduction of consumption and emissions with a simultaneous increase in performance and driving pleasure. Intelligent energy management and lightweight construction as well as aerodynamics and engine efficiency measures mean sustainable mobility is already standard in every BMW.” How are clever are you in marketing your product or service?

3. Getting Connected: Are you using the latest accessible means to stay connected with your existing customers as well as increase your connections with new prospects? Are you the expert in your field who provides useful information to people, and do you use the latest social media to distribute it? Are you using the latest mobility applications to make your company, service and product more relevant? Do you give them a reason to stay connected with you? The key question is, are you to be found where your customers are looking for your product or service, and when they find you do you peak their interest?

While there are certainly more lessons to be learned from analyzing BMW’s success in the luxury car market, these few points are certainly food for thought. Are we really making an effort to learn and apply the latest and greatest technology to grow our businesses and put ourselves at the front of the pack?

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Be a Leader in Today’s Competitive PBX Telecom Market!

There are many PBX companies in the telecommunications industry all competing for a limited market share. Many businesses are hanging on to their old phone system as long as they can, and those who have decided to invest in a new system are not quick to move. This equates to a much higher level of competition than ever before. What are some factors to consider when choosing a PBX product line to keep your business competitive? There are several elements to keep in mind to determine the overall value of a PBX manufacturer. Once you determine this and take on a new product, then you must also differentiate yourself on how you market your company and product.

1.       Price Point: Although only about 30% of businesses buy on price alone, having a lower price point on your equipment purchase does not necessarily have to equate to a rock bottom price to your buyer. Yes, you want to have a very competitive price point so that you can come in under your competitor. But most importantly, you want the flexibility to have the margins that you need to make a profit.

2.       Quality and Loyalty: Having the best price will not get you far if you do not offer a quality product and service. Your equipment must be reliable, and your company must also be reliable. It no longer suffices to keep your customers “happy.” You have to keep them loyal, and that means you must earn their trust. One of the most important factors is equipment quality and personal service. Keeping in touch with your customers earns you loyalty. Don’t be an ‘install it and disappear’ kind of company.

3.       Value in the Product: Overall value does not end with price. Being able to offer more features and flexibility with your PBX is extremely important. In order to differentiate yourself from the competition, you should look for a VoIP phone system that is rich in features and does not require extra licensing for every feature the customer wants. A PBX with a large standard feature set out of the box is more valuable to a potential client than one you have to keep adding licensing costs, even if the PBX is cheaper on the front end. Watch out for those back end costs. You also want a product that is easily upgradable so that when the latest features and applications are developed, you can upgrade at a reasonable cost to obtain the latest and greatest.

4.       Premise Based and Cloud Based Platforms: Since many businesses are looking at running their communications solutions in the Cloud, it is wise to find a manufacturer that can give you the best of both worlds. While premise based systems are here to stay, it is imperative to be able to offer a Cloud solution to those companies that desire it. Look for a manufacturer that offers a robust VoIP PBX as well as a Cloud based solution. Ultimately, the Cloud based solution would be one that lets you retain control and direct contact with your customer. A hosted option in which you are only a reseller for a hosted company builds up their customer base, not yours!

5.       Customer Service: No PBX can fit the value mold without support from the manufacturer. Being able to contact personnel in the US who can actually help you with your challenges is extremely important. You must also receive the proper training to install the systems and maintain them. Does the manufacturer charge for tech support and training, or do they offer it as a value in the dealer partnership?

6.       You Are The Final Differentiatior: Once you have chosen your product line, it is now up to you! You must now make the effort to personalize the PBX solution to match the desires of your potential clients. Your company must be known for its commitment to helping customers obtain an efficient and well managed communications solution. Sales is not a part time job, it’s a fulltime commitment to introducing your company to as many people as you can as many ways as you can. Utilize every avenue available to you to communicate the expertise of your company. Use manufacturer brochures, videos and testimonials to build an effective website. Remember, when you meet a potential client they are buying you first! Once they buy you, then they will consider your value offering.

Meeting the requirements of these six key elements will have you well on the way to being a leader in today’s telecommunications industry.

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Utilizing the Power of "Smart" Call Routing

With all of the cool features available on today’s VoIP phone systems, many people forget the primary reason for having a phone system, which is to route callers efficiently throughout the company. With the increasing use of auto attendant, there is a need to automate the ways calls can be routed.

IPitomy’s “Smart” routing allows you to route calls by including or excluding a number or numbers programmed in the system through expressions. There are many applications for this feature, which can be used in any number of businesses, small and large. The digits can be collected by caller ID or even after the system has answered through the auto attendant.

If a company were to have 3 branch offices for example, perhaps one in New York City, one in Rochester and one in Buffalo, it would be possible to route calls by area code to the appropriate branch office. This ensures that those customers who live nearest to the Buffalo area would rout to the Buffalo office, alleviating the need for an operator to take the time to find out which office they are closest to and then transfer them manually. The phone system can easily be programmed to automatically route calls by the first three numbers of the caller ID.

Many companies have the need to route their customers to an appropriate individual or group based on an ID number, account number, etc. For example, a company may have tiered technical support where a platinum member may route to a different group than a gold member, or can even be queued behind a platinum member. Once the caller rings into the main menu through the auto attendant, the caller would be asked to enter their ID number and they would be instantly routed to the appropriate call group. There are endless scenarios that this function would fit into nicely.

This feature is extremely powerful, and several expressions can built in the system for dynamic call routing, where you can discriminate according to the incoming numbers in great detail depending on your needs. This added feature gives even more depth to an already robust, efficient call routing platform.  Be sure to check out IPitomy’s website for more information on its impressive IP-PBX lineup.