UserTesting.com: Test Your Company’s App or Mobile Site |  |
- UserTesting.com: Test Your Company’s App or Mobile Site
- Tim Berry: Don’t Let That Business Plan Collect Dust on a Shelf
- 5 Easy Steps To Better Sales Presentations
- Taking Business Baby Steps
- Data Collective Introduces Funding for Big Data Startups
| UserTesting.com: Test Your Company’s App or Mobile Site Posted: 10 Aug 2012 01:00 PM PDT Many companies benefit from testing their website with users before it goes live so that they can make sure their user base isn't confused or frustrated by features of the site. But now, many American consumers use their mobile devices as much, if not more, than their traditional computers or laptops, and usability on the mobile web is completely different.
That's why UserTesting.com, a site that helps companies test the usability of their websites, has just released a new service that will allow companies to test the usability of mobile apps and websites. Using the service, app launchers can actually watch UserTesting's panel of mobile users trying out the app on their iPhones, iPads, Android devices or Blackberry smartphones, so that companies or app developers can get a first-hand look at what parts of the app may be confusing, frustrating, or uninteresting. Companies looking to launch an app, or even those who have already launched one, can create a set of tasks they want each tester to perform while using the app, so that they can get the full user experience. Testers then use webcams to record their experience and give real-time feedback about what works and what doesn't. App creators can also receive written answers to questionnaires about their app or mobile site. Companies can start receiving feedback from testers in as little as one hour. As apps and mobile browsers become more and more common for consumers and professionals, the importance of creating easy-to-use mobile apps and websites can't be understated. Whether companies decide to hire outside developers or create their sites or apps themselves, services like UserTesting provide companies with extra sets of eyes who can give honest feedback, insights, and suggestions for improvement. UserTesting offers a number of different plans and pricing depending on the number of participants. Businesses can also select which devices they'd like people to use when testing their app or site. Companies can run tests for mobile apps currently available and those that have not been released to the public yet, as well as mobile websites. From Small Business Trends |
| Tim Berry: Don’t Let That Business Plan Collect Dust on a Shelf Posted: 10 Aug 2012 11:00 AM PDT
Tim, who is founder and chairman of Palo Alto Software, founder of bplans.com, and a co-founder of Borland International, says:
It’s true though. Many small business owners (ahem, this writer included) don’t bother creating a business plan simply because it seems too daunting. Berry sees business plans a different way. To him, they’re fundamental for small business, as they pull it all together: long- and short-term goals; vision and execution; words and numbers; and past, present, and future. He says:
Passionate About Creation Despite his increasing visibility through media (he’s worked with best-selling authors as a business plan expert, volunteers at SCORE, and is the official business planning coach for Entrepreneur.com), he stays loyal to his small business following. For him, small business is about creation:
Creation is something he’s proud his own company, Palo Alto Software, has achieved by positively affecting his local economy. After forming the company in 1983, Berry took it from zero to 40 employees, multimillion dollar sales, no debt, and 70% market share without outside investment. The company is responsible for more than 150 homes purchased in the town where it resides. Sharing His Passion With the Keyboard Berry began his career as a journalist and has never managed to get very far from writing. He contributes around the web on Amex Open Forum, Small Business Trends, Huffington Post and Up and Running, among others, and has written a book, The Plan-as-You-Go Business Plan. Feel free to check out our book review of it. The book is practical in nature, and helps small businesses and startups create a business plan using form over function, that helps drive the company in the right direction, says Berry. A Living Breathing Business Plan Berry stresses the importance of regularly reviewing and revising a business plan. It’s not something to shove in a drawer once you create it. He says unless you have a “business plan event,” (pitching investors or shareholders who need to see that “big document”), don’t sweat it.
The company he founded, now run by his daughter, has made this even easier to accomplish by introducing LivePlan, a new cloud-based version of their famous business planning software. With LivePlan a team can collaborate easily to create a plan, because everyone logs in online instead of having to email files back and forth. Team members can access it from anywhere, through a Web browser. And the business plan can be easily updated so you can track your progress toward meeting your goals and objectives — making it a true living breathing tool to help run your business. One of the Small Business Influencer Awards Judges Berry volunteered his time as a judge for the recent Small Business Influencer Awards, which he views through 1960s-colored glasses:
Editor's Note: This article is one of a series of interviews of key players in the Small Business Influencer Awards. From Small Business Trends |
| 5 Easy Steps To Better Sales Presentations Posted: 10 Aug 2012 08:00 AM PDT It sounds counterintuitive, but many sales people do not plan or prepare for their sales presentations. Sales people spend so much time on lead generation calls, qualifying sales leads, and appointment setting that often, by the time they get around to meeting with a prospective client, their actual sales presentation is an afterthought.
This is a big mistake. Sales people can't assume that the sales presentation will take care of itself, or that they can "think on their feet" and talk off the top of their heads. If you spend hours making dozens of lead generation calls and building relationships with clients and narrowing down your sales funnel, then you need to invest at least that much time in preparing for your sales presentations. Here are 5 easy steps to creating more effective sales presentations: Write It Down Put your entire sales presentation in writing. Write like you talk. Keep it short and simple, but make sure to include as much specific detail as necessary. Imagine that you're having a conversation with a client right across the table from you – what would you say? Which key points do you most want to emphasize? What are the biggest benefits to the customer of choosing your solution or product or service? Create An Outline In addition to the full scripted sales presentation, write a shorter outline to serve as a guide. This outline can be used to help you prepare and memorize the script, and it can also be used as a "leave-behind" document to give the prospect something to keep as a record of your conversation. Think Of Questions And Objections As part of writing your scripted presentation, give some thought to what the client might say in response at each stage of the script. Pretend you're writing a dialogue or a movie scene with you and the client each acting out your roles. What questions or objections have you heard from other clients in the past? What are the biggest sticking points or aspects of your solution that people struggle to understand? How can you help clarify any misunderstandings? Practice, Practice, Practice Prepare for your sales presentation by reciting the entire script, out loud. Deliver the presentation to at least two other colleagues on the sales team and ask them to tell you what they think. Practice by doing some role playing, where one person plays the part of the customer – this creates a more realistic sense of back-and-forth, asking questions and raising objections. Record yourself delivering the presentation – either in audio format or better yet, in video format so you can see your body language and delivery. One of the best ways to get better as a presenter is to watch yourself speak. Get Ready For The Room Make sure you're familiar with the environment that you'll be in, whether you're going to be delivering your sales presentation to a small audience, a conference room or an auditorium, and prepare your materials accordingly. Bring enough printed documents and business cards to hand out to everyone in the room. Make sure your slideshow works. Arrive early to set up. Be prepared to adjust the seating arrangement or layout of the room to suit your needs and "make the room your own." Many sales people wrongly have the notion that if they prepare a sales presentation, they will sound "too scripted." The truth is, nothing is more natural-sounding than a well-prepared sales presentation. If you have a clear idea of how you want the presentation to go, what you want to say, and how to respond to questions and objections along the way, you will sound more professional and credible than a sales person who stumbles along, improvising through an unstructured presentation. You owe it to yourself and your customers to prepare a solid sales presentation. Once you have a standard sales presentation in writing, you can adjust it to suit the specific details and needs of each customer on your appointment list. Sales Steps Photo via Shutterstock From Small Business Trends |
| Posted: 10 Aug 2012 05:00 AM PDT
The manager was rolling out some new strategy and it was a fairly big change. “…so we’re going to be taking baby steps for a while,” she said. Immediately my brain kicks out “then we should order some booties” and I raised my hand feigning something to add. Sadly this manager had been around for a while and called on everyone but me despite some fairly good acting on my part that I had an important – nay, burning – insight, and the meeting ended sans joke. So I reworked the idea and did this instead, which is fine but that lost opportunity still bugs me when I come across this cartoon. From Small Business Trends |
| Data Collective Introduces Funding for Big Data Startups Posted: 10 Aug 2012 02:30 AM PDT Big data is no longer for big business only. And neither is a lot of other technology now available to the average entrepreneur. The key is to leverage this technology in a unique way to build a fantastic business. Today’s roundup starts with how that technology is putting massive amounts of data at your company’s disposal and then looks at other ways technology can transform your company forever. Bigger is BetterHow low can you go? Turns out the more important big data becomes to business on a daily basis and the more powerful the technology created to collect it, the lower the barriers for entry into this field have become. Two investing experts are taking advantage of this, creating the first ever fund for Big Data startups only. TechCrunch Let your money do the talking. Big data is already giving small businesses a boost in the area of lending. Here small business financing expert Rohit Arora looks at how new technology allows lenders to gather more robust data about borrowers, going much deeper than a credit score to offer startups and other small businesses financial products specifically designed to meet their needs. Small Business Trends Other Tech for Small BizWeb tech for brick and mortar. You don’t need to be a big Internet company like Google or Amazon to benefit from the many online tools available. Brick and mortar companies like Minneappolis-based Wixon Jewelers can use internet technology just as effectively as Web-based businesses, says the company’s Online Marketing Director Jayme Pretzloff. UPrinting Digital art for marketers. You don’t need to be a master at graphic design or a brilliant videographer to create great visual elements for your next marketing campaign. Listen to these insights from Leah Singer as she gives us a guided tour of two products; Over, a tool allowing you to easily add text to photos, and Extranormal, a text-to-video site, both guaranteed to add flare to your next effort. Merchantos Always test your tech. An important step in introducing new technology for your business is to test that tech to be sure it performs as expected. In particular, its best to be sure you will have some idea of the new tool’s user experience. Whether your users will be customers, employees, or both, it is important to anticipate any problems with a basic checklist. Fusion Alliance Managing your customers. If customer service is one of the most important aspects of any business, then certainly any technology that helps you manage those customers more effectively is a step in the right direction. Here’s a review of one such Customer Relationship Management application or CRM. Many of these tools are now available, so pick the one right for your business model. GetApp Learning Center Mobile conference calling arrives. One of the big accomplishments of technology in recent years is to free us from the confines of our offices, giving us greater mobility, flexibility, and in the process, creating more productivity. If this is important to your business, you may just love this app. Smallbiz Technology From Small Business Trends |
Small business owners rank creating a business plan right up there with writing the dreaded high school term paper, college thesis, and bar exam rolled into one, says Tim Berry.
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