True love at last?

Thank you for reading Part 1. (If you haven’t, here it is.)

So there I was, clutching my mouse mat with anticipation of my bank’s direct message (DM).

Sure enough, it came through, requesting my contact number.

I replied that, since all prior phone conversations had failed, I’d rather communicate by email.

My bank agreed, so I sent my email address.

Minutes later, my phone rang.

Cold Call

It was my bank:

Hi, Paul it’s Con* here. I understand you’d like to talk about your home loans?

Hi, Con. Did you just get referred to me by your Twitter colleague?

Yes. Now, how can I help you?

Did your Twitter colleague not tell you I wanted to do this via email?

It’s my preference to do it by phone, Paul. Now, before we start: this call may be recorded for training purposes …

Con, I don’t want to do this by phone.

No worries, Paul; what’s a good time to call you back?

I got off the phone and DMed my bank. Having since deleted our DMs in frustration. it went something like this:

Nice. I ask politely to be emailed and I get another phone call!

I’m so sorry! I specifically requested them not to call you.

I appreciate your efforts, and I realise big systems can thwart good intentions. But I feel I’m flogging a dead horse here.

I’m still really keen to help you.

Thank you, but never mind. It’s futile. I’ve wasted enough time on this exercise.

In a fit of pique, I then un-followed my bank, making it impossible for them to DM me. I scanned the public Twitter domain (where we’d met) to see if they’d try a shout out, but they didn’t.

Write Down

The next day, after writing Part 1 of this story, I realised my un-follow was churlish.

I was also possibly doing myself out of a (happy?) ending.

So I re-followed my bank. They were still following me, so my next DM got through (verbatim):

Me again. Now that I’ve written this up http://bit.ly/oJZEXh I realise I need to give you 1 more chance to help me via email …

… I’ll be writing Part 2 on Monday. How the story ends is up to you. Please, no more phone calls!

My bank DMed:

Hi Paul, I’ve escalated this & you’ll receive an email from our team tmrw as we’re still really keen to help

With my mouse mat now chewed to pulp, the email finally arrived:

Hi Paul,

I hope you are well.

Barry* from the Twitter team has asked if I can help you with your Home Loan enquiries.

Firstly, please allow me to apologise that a call was made to you despite your request for an email only. I assure you our intention was to provide you with a high level of service it was not to cause you any frustration.

To help me get the information you are after regarding interest rates can I ask that you explain what you are after in terms of your lending.

For example the Line of Credit is not actually a product offered by SomeBank* so we can not offer a comparison. However perhaps if we change it to variable rate loan we maybe able to offer something on the interest rate?

Just so you know I have already been in touch with your banker regarding your loans so we can see what we can do for you, he just wants a little background information so he can respond appropriately. Also we will communicate as much as possible via email however there maybe times where it is best to chat via the phone.

I look forward to your email and seeing what we can do for you.

Sheryl*

Specialised Case Manager

Special Treatment

I certainly felt like a specialised case. But would there be management? I emailed:

Hi, Sheryl.

Many thanks for your email.

Thanks also for contacting my banker. (Who is he, by the way, and where?)

This is my current situation:

LOC:               6.97%

HOME:           7.17%

Yet I’m seeing rates as low as 6.69% from several institutions.

I consider myself a stable and reliable client. (Please correct me if I’m wrong!)

A glance at my accounts will show my financial situation is steadily improving.

I’d like to forge a long-term partnership with you guys so that when I’m black in the black, you can handle my investments.

I’d therefore like my two rates to reflect what the market is offering.

I’d also like a break on my annual and monthly fees.

Most of all, I’d like to achieve a positive result without any more faffing around.

I’d like you to say what you can do, rather than what (and why) you can’t.

If you can’t do anything for me, that’s cool. Just say, ‘SORRY PAUL, NO CAN DO!’ and I’ll move on.

I’ve invested so much time trying to communicate with you guys, I’m very, very close to the point where it’s just not worth the effort.

In trying to save less than $2000 per year, we’re really not talking sheep stations.

I could’ve (should’ve!) earned that much in the time I’ve invested in this process.

I’m trying to be reasonable, Sheryl; but if you disagree, we should probably just call it quits.

I don’t want to waste your time too.

Best regards, thanks again and good luck!

P.

Sheryl emailed:

Hi Paul,

Thanks for a prompt reply.

I have included your banker Bert* into this email so you can both have some fruitful conversations about your loans.

Bert will be able to assist you and take a look at your profile and see what we can do.

Dont worry I will be here in the background to make sure you are taken care of.

Have a great weekend.

This was better. I felt like I’d made progress.

Maybe, just maybe, I would have a great weekend.

…

Then I heard from Bert.

<<<<<<    INTERMISSION 2!     >>>>>>

Egad! We’re still not done!

Will Bert save the day or sink the fleet?

Will professional passion trump passive aggression?

For the answers to these and other mind-snapping questions, don’t miss the (final?!) gripping episode of: A Fool & His Money, Part 3!

Meanwhile I warmly welcome your ideas, observations and stories.

 * Not his/her/it/their real names.

Paul Hassing, Founder & Senior Writer, The Feisty Empire

Where have all the comments gone?

We love hearing what you have to say, and stories you might have, so fear not, you’re still able to comment!  We’ve moved the party over to our new place, The Pulse.  Come and join the conversation on this post here.

Introducing The Pulse!

No-one goes through their entire life with the same hairstyle – and neither do we here at the Small Business Owner blog.  Thanks to you, this blog has been such an incredible success that it’s getting a fabulous new makeover!

The team at MYOB has loved bringing you the latest thoughts from the wordsmith de jour, Paul Hassing – so much so, that we’ve cleared some space on our website and custom built a brand new platform!

It’s called The Pulse, and we’re very excited to introduce it to you.  It’s launching tomorrow night, but we thought as loyal Small Business Owner fans, we’d give you the first sneak peek (glamour shot above).

It’s going to be a hub of news and social media – think of it as your one-stop-shop to get your finger on ‘the pulse’ (excuse the pun) of everything business owners are keen to know about.  We’ll have a section for business owners, one for accountants, and also some space so you can get insights, tips and views from our team, as well as a sneak peek into life in the MYOB offices.

We’ll also have plenty of new authors to introduce to you.  We’re positive you’ll like them as much as Paul.

But what does this mean for Paul and his delightfully entertaining posts?

Absolutely nothing!  Paul will continue to provide the Tuesday and Thursday posts you know and love, and, like always, he’ll be around to chat and respond to your comments.

For now, we’ll also be leaving the Small Business Owner blog live, so you can revisit all your favourite posts whenever you like.

We like to think of it like moving house.  We’ll miss the place that’s been our home for the last few years, but we’re pretty excited about moving into brand new digs!

So now it’s time to pack those boxes.

We’ve spent plenty of time tossing around ideas about the best way to transition to The Pulse.  Until we realized that the best part of the Small Business Owner blog is all of your amazing insights, knowledge and experiences.  So who better to help us?!

While we’ll keep Paul’s pieces here for a few more weeks, we’ll also be posting them on The Pulse.  Eventually, we’ll move across there permanently.  We’ll let you know well in advance before that happens, and make sure to post plenty of links here at the Small Business Owner blog so you can find us.

So, without further adieu, we open the floor to you all.

Have you ever made the move to a new blog or website?

How did you do it?  What worked?  What didn’t?

How would you think the blog should move into its new digs at The Pulse?

Emma Mulquiney | Online Editor MYOB

                                     Some eBayers are less equal than others.

I’m pretty miffed at eBay.

Yet again, a firm has punished my loyalty by excluding me from special deals offered to new customers.

We’ve seen this time and time again.

My latest experience teaches the value of:

1. Avoiding sudden moves.
2. Keeping customers informed.
3. Ensuring your definition of ‘good’ matches theirs.

We’ll also see how ‘online chat help’ stacks up.

Good News

It began so well …

After seven years of dedicated eBaying, I’d earned a 100% approval rating from 391 customer reviews. (And if you’ve endured the cretins who try to rort eBay, you’ll know this is quite a feat.)

So I was delighted when eBay unilaterally tacked a PowerSeller logo to my name. I clicked it to learn that:

PowerSellers are a community of sellers who are recognised and respected for their selling efforts on eBay.

As pillars of our community, PowerSellers are committed to upholding and embracing the core values that are the very foundation of eBay.

They are exemplary members who are held to the highest standards of professionalism, having achieved and maintained a 98% positive feedback rating and an excellent sales performance record.

Yep! I thought. That’s me alright! Nice one, eBay. So what do I get? What do I get?

Bad News

What I got was an email offering a weekend of FREE ads.

This didn’t look like a PowerSeller-specific offer, but I was still eager to take the win.

It was timely, as I had 22 unsold items ready to relist.

I started to do so, only to find my ads were not going up for free.

After some exploration, I found fine print which said the offer excluded PowerSellers!

I was literally being punished for being a good guy.

We were only talking a few bucks, so I was confident of negotiating a solution via eBay’s online help chat.

Petra Fried

Thank you for contacting eBay Australia Live Help! Please hold for the next available Live Help representative.

…

Petra*. has joined this session!

Connected with Petra.

…

Hi! Thank you for contacting eBay, Petra here. Can I grab your full name please?

Paul Hassing.

Thanks and how can I be of help Paul?

It seems the deal of free ads over this weekend doesn’t apply to PowerSellers. Is this true, Petra?

…

Are you still there?

Yes I am here.

What free ads are you referring to?

I got an email on Friday offering no insert fees for all ads starting at $0.99. When I read the fine print, however, it said it didn’t apply to PowerSellers. This upset me, as I’ve just become a PowerSeller and I feel I’m being punished for my loyalty, while lesser eBayers are getting a better deal. Is this the case, or do I have my wires crossed?

Are you referring to this List your 99c Auctions for free?

Yes. The fine print says: *Not available to Store subscribers, accounts registered outside Australia, PowerSellers and business registered sellers.

I understand you would want to avail of the offer.

Let e explain this to you.

Yes for any offers there are terms and conditions also qualification just like of becoming a power seller.

Why you are not qualify for the reduced pricing? Because your fees are reduced already.

Much reduced than regular sellers.

How much?

It depends on your Powerseller Status as you were given discounts.

Also if you have a store insertion fees and final value fees are lesser too./

Right. Would you concede that, whatever discounts I now receive as a PowerSeller, they’re not quite as attractive as FREE?

Then it’s your option now.

Youc an opt out as a power seller.

Right. Would you also agree it’s a bit ordinary that, after 7 years, 391 positive comments and a 100% positive approval rating, it’s not unreasonable for me to wish I could enjoy the weekend benefit lesser eBayers are receiving as we speak?

It is your opinion and that is respected. Everyone fines something that suits for them depending on how they benefit from things being offered.

If you think that you can benefit more on not being a powerseller then it’s your point of view.

OK, Petra. Thank you for your time.

Welcome. It’s my pleasure chatting with you. Thanks for using eBay Australia Live Help. Whenever you’re ready please close the window.

Thank you, Petra. The pleasure has been all yours. Please note that this conversation may be recorded for training and blogging purposes.

No worries. If that suits you.

Bye.

…

Petra has left this session!

The session has ended!

Not Happy Jan

When eBay made me a PowerSeller, they didn’t consult me or explain the terms.

They assumed the new ‘benefits’ (of which I’m still unaware) transcended those I’d enjoyed as a lesser mortal.

Obviously they were wrong, and I feel decidedly unspecial about my treatment.

A celebration of steadfast loyalty has been botched for the sake of policy, procedure and a few bucks.

Nor do I feel keen to press on with further sales.

Maybe it’s time for a change.

What do you think of it all?

Has eBay sold out?

I bid you speak.

* Not her real name.

Paul Hassing, Founder & Senior Writer, The Feisty Empire

                                                You’re SO welcome!

We share many stories on this blog.

It’s so nice when one has a happy ending!

Previously on Small Business Owner …

In June 2009, I described my struggle to avert the Yellow Pages juggernaut.

Seems I wasn’t alone.

We thrilled as Steve@Sensis kindly (and bravely) fielded our questions and illuminated the path to freedom.

Despite a January 2010 false dawn (in which books arrived against my registered wish) I’m now officially off the list.

I even have written proof of this joyous happenstance:

Happy Day

This card arrived last week.

It’s the best thing Sensis have ever sent me.

I achieved a paperless state via this site:

www.directoryselect.com.au

It’s simple and elegant and it works much better than a phone call or email.

I’ll have to do it all again in three years, but I’ll take the win for now.

Hip Hip …

So it’s hats off to Sensis.

They listened to their public and took effective, positive action. Eventually.

I no longer feel annoyed at this crowd due to one of their products.

This frees me to enjoy other Sensis offerings, like WhereiS – which is very handy.

What’s more, Sensis have just launched a Yellow Pages app.

This excites me, as it provides even less reason to fell a forest each year.

It also shows Sensis are more hip to the groove than I thought.

Lining Up?

I believe future firms will live or die by this kind of flexibility.

I also see this episode as another pointer to the demise of print publications.

You may disagree, but when was the last time you held an encyclopaedia?

It’s probably safer to say that businesses who go digital to keep pace with customer preferences are more likely to be around ten years hence.

That includes us.

… Hooray!

I’m happy with this ending.

I know others are too.

Are you one of them, or not?

Drop us a line!

Paul Hassing, Founder & Senior Writer, The Feisty Empire

                                     Facebook: sliced bread or spookarama?

I don’t like Facebook.

It gives me the willies.

I’m only on it because a neighbour plans a Facebook campaign to avert a skyscraper from our tiny street.

I wonder what you think of Facebook.

Best Friend

I have one Facebook friend: my wife.

Yet I’m getting invitations to reconnect with people I’ve not seen for years.

And with whom I parted on less-than-ideal terms.

I don’t wish to hook up with old flames.

I’ve no time for school bullies. (Other than to exact revenge.)

The colleagues I escaped by leaving various jobs haven’t improved with age.

Nor do I wish to:

• Poke people.
• Build a mafia family.
• Tend an imaginary farm.
• Share drunken photos of myself with strangers.

Missing Links?

If Facebook were a country, it’d be the world’s third largest. (Thanks, Irma.)

This is not a number to ignore lightly.

But I know Carol agrees the commercial advantages of Facebook are, to put it very mildly,

elusive.

The only thing I like about Facebook is appearing on MYOB’s wall.

The rest of it drives me up it!

About Face

But let’s be fair.

I’m a big Twitter fan, yet millions think Twitter is useless drivel (because, at first glance, it seems exactly that).

Yet, having mastered Twitter, I think the critics are wrong.

So there’s every chance I’m wrong about Facebook.

Face Off

To me, Facebook seems populated by creeps; foul-mouthed infants; bored stay-at-home folk and ranting, flaming maniacs.

None of whom can spell.

Barely a week passes without some awful media report of an (allegedly) Facebook-related law suit, privacy invasion, hate crime, injury or even death.

I got so spooked by Facebook, I designed this T-shirt.

Am I completely missing the point?

Facing Facts

I expect a hearty debate here.

If you feel I’m wrong, tell us how Facebook helps you or your business.

If you think I’m right, how did you arrive at this position?

Let’s turn my frown upside down and enjoy some

Facetime!

Paul Hassing, Founder & Senior Writer, The Feisty Empire

Today we’re pleased to welcome Nicolas Steenhout to Small Business Owner. Nic is the guy behind Accessibility NZ, a web accessibility firm based in New Zealand but offering most of its services worldwide. Nic is passionate about web accessibility and has some great insights to share with you.   Naomi

Having an accessible website means people with disabilities can interact with your site and access your content.  An accessible website also reduces barriers to many people who don’t have a disability.

There is no way to know how many people with disabilities are using the web. We do know that approximately 20% of the Australian population has some condition that affects their activities of daily living, such as seeing, hearing, or moving.  If 1 in 5 Australian has a significant disability, it makes sense to think that a large number of people with disabilities are using the web.

You can implement changes to your site to ensure you’re not cutting out potential customers. These changes will benefit other people as well. Accessibility techniques also apply to non-English speakers, folks who are colour-blind (about 8% of men), the elderly, and a growing number of people using smart phones.

Implementing accessibility doesn’t have to cost the earth.  It generally is better to plan for accessibility at the design phase, because it is more costly to retrofit the website.  But if you have an existing site, you can still make small changes to make a big difference.  Is a small investment worth a potential increase in traffic between 5 and 20 percent? How much have you invested in Search Engine Optimisation already?

Search engines can’t index your content if it is delivered only through images, or Flash. Think of Google as the largest blind user on the internet. If you increase accessibility, you also make it easier for search engines to find your content.

Baby boomers are starting to turn 65. For many of them, small font size that can’t easily be increased or low colour contrast can be a barrier. Grey text on light grey background might be nice from a design point of view, but it is difficult to read.

The internet is a global market. Your audience is no longer simply local. You don’t know if English is your visitors’ native language. Complex sentence structures make it difficult for non-English speakers to understand your content. Simplifying your language will also make your content easier to understand for people with learning disabilities (about 7% of Australians have dyslexia).

Smart phones are growing in popularity. People use these devices to visit websites.  Someone you see staring at an iPhone could be visiting your website.  Does your site work on a Smartphone? Mobile data is still costly in Australia. Delivering content through Flash or Java may not be the best way, even if the phones can handle these technologies.

Were you already aware of web accessibility issues?  What do you think you can do to reduce barriers?

Nicolas Steenhout, Head of Accessibility NZ

                                                How do YOU feel today?

Research released last week^ suggests our economy has stalled.

Other commentators say it’s running at two speeds.

My client portfolio is definitely doing the latter: half have gone from sluggish to flat out like two lizards drinking.

How about yours?

Economy

Mining’s up. Retail’s down. Employment is mixed and shares are all over the joint.

For some reason, many of my clients are leaping like the locusts that hit Melbourne last fortnight.

I’m frantically busy with job ads, blog posts, a BIG website, a media release, a book blurb and even [GASP!] a printed magazine advertisement constructed from paper*.

I worked all last weekend and the one before. In my pipeline are newsletters, product sheets, LinkedIn profiles and two more websites.

Last week I had my first face-to-face prospect meeting for months. I got the gig and went home with a bucket of work.

While I’m rapt to be one of the minority businesses enjoying strong growth, I don’t know why I’m succeeding.

Property

The top is slow. The bottom’s OK. And interest rate rises seem to be ‘crimping optimism’.

I’ve wanted to write honest real estate ads for many years. But my various overtures have come to naught.

Last week I was referred to a realtor seeking a writer and photographer. I may be able to do both jobs.

So why all this sudden movement at the station?

Media

My Twitter friends are talking less about pets, kids, partners and gadgets and more about their latest prospect, article, client, meeting or project.

Some are so busy, they’re hardly tweeting at all.

I’m not seeing the same optimism in traditional communication channels.

Could it be the recovery is manifesting earlier with socially mediated business people?

According to the research, companies with a website are doing and feeling better than those without.

Could social media be inoculating and supercharging firms who embrace it?

You

With such unusual and fragmented signals, I’m naturally keen to make sense of it all and discern the bigger picture.

So what’s happening in your neck of the woods?

Are you:

• Ploughing or sowing?
• Reaping or growing?
• Catching or throwing?
• Crying or crowing?
• Fading or glowing?

How are you?

I really wanna know.

^ MYOB Business Monitor (download PDF here).

* (archaic) a cellulose-based communication product derived from trees.

Paul Hassing, Founder & Senior Writer, The Feisty Empire

                                                 Change = Opportunity.

I just bought a printer.

Usually, this fact would excite only if you needed a printer too.

What should excite everyone is how I bought it.

My method got me a 90%+ user-rated product for 66% of recommended retail price (RRP).

I believe you can replicate this pleasing outcome on other business equipment purchases.

Problem

My HP d145 printer/scanner/fax/copier was aging and thirsty.

These traits I could handle. I dutifully bought expensive ink cartridges and even replaced a print head to revive flagging performance.

But when the d145 told me my barely-used black cartridge was ‘old’ (and therefore unusable) I saw magenta.

And having recently gained three huge new clients, I needed a polite, reliable replacement.

Fast.

Research

I assumed that in six years since buying my d145, printers had changed beyond recognition.

But because I was so busy (and am not very technical) I didn’t want to spend days researching and comparing myriad models.

So I got onto Twitter and said something like:

My d145 is old & cranky. I need a reliable replacement. Any ideas?

In minutes I had three responses. Two pointed to the same solution: a Canon Pixma.

I asked for details and got glowing reports. I didn’t know these people, but for some reason I trusted them.

I guess it was like offering a prayer, then following instructions.

Choice

With only four Pixma models described on Canon’s clear, well designed website, I swiftly narrowed my choice to the MX870.

Having been told to trust God but tie my camel, I Googled ‘MX870 review’. The ratings were universally high (and uncommonly so for such a potent source of office angst).

I was convinced.

Price

Confident I could do better than $299 RRP, I sussed prices using my old mates shopbot and getprice.

Right away I found $250 plus delivery.

I next checked JB Hi-Fi, who offered $249 with free delivery.

I was getting warm, but wanted MORE.

So I visited Officeworks as a control* and Lo! There it was: $199 delivered.

SOLD!

Joy

This entire exercise took 1.5 hours.

Decades ago, to get bang for my capital buck, I’d have to ring around (then physically visit) multiple retailers. What business owner has time for that?!

The internet has truly made shopping a breeze.

Tech-savvy readers will be familiar with my method.

If you’ve picked up a tip or two, please tell us.

And if you’ve more wisdom to share, please do so.

I can’t wait

to print it!

* And because they impressed me here.

Paul Hassing, Founder & Senior Writer, The Feisty Empire

                                                 This might sting a bit …

Here’s a mystery I hope we can solve.

Seth Godin says that, while we should aim high with our goals, we should stay in the realm of reality.

In other words, we shouldn’t try to out-Google Google, or out-Amazon Amazon.

So why is Cash Converters (CC) trying to out-eBay eBay?

eBaying for Blood

I was hunting a rare Kylie Minogue DVD for my wife.

The only copy for sale on eBay was in the UK.

But there was one copy in Australia, on a site I’d never heard of: Cash Converters webshop.

I live near a bricks-and-mortar CC store.

My experience of this facility has been one of haggard locals pushing TVs in baby strollers with a singular sense of urgency.

From CC’s signage and fit-out, I understand them to be a franchised, much-nicer-than-usual pawn shop.

With the amount of TV advertising they do, I assumed they’d have no trouble moving the gear they buy.

And if they did have anything left over, why not simply flog it on eBay?

Yet they’ve gone to the trouble of setting up their own retail site with eBay-like features.

Theory Query

I quizzed CC about this, but received no reply.

Looks like it’s up to you and me.

So far, I’ve come up with the following possible reasons for a dedicated online store:

1. Build & control the CC brand.
2. Avoid eBay & PayPal charges.
3. Obviate any lack of control or certainty about eBay.

I’d be fascinated to hear if you concur with these theories or have better ideas.

Spinning Around

For the record, I bought two DVDs through CC’s webshop.

The transaction was seamless and the goods arrived fast. Alas, one case was broken: it looked like the postie had dropped it.

I emailed CC, who immediately refunded the purchase price and postage without query or rancour.

This was actually faster and more personal than (my experience of) eBay’s issue resolution system.

So, maybe there’s a fourth reason for CC’s online store:

    4. To out-eBay eBay!

Who knows: they may just pull it off.

Your View

What do you think CC are up to here?

Have you experienced CC’s webshop (or any other eBay alternatives)?

Has your business ever wanted to beat a ‘category killer’ at its own game?

We’re on the market.

I welcome your bids.

Paul Hassing, Founder & Senior Writer, The Feisty Empire

                                                      Speed = Armour
                                                   Knowledge = Power
                                               Forewarned = Forearmed

My relationship with Google is troubled.

Yet I’d be remiss if I didn’t make sure you’re using Google Alerts.

They’re an extremely handy way to track what’s being said about:

• You.
• Your clients.
• Your business.
• Your products and services.
• Your competitors.
• Your industry.
• Any other topic you choose.

Remember those media-monitoring firms who charged top dollar to cut and paste newspaper articles for brand-conscious clients?

Google Alerts wipes the floor with them.

Instantly, constantly and for free.

What are Google Alerts?

In a nutshell, Google Alerts are mini search ‘robots’ that automatically scour the internet according to simple parameters you set.

The best way to comprehend them is to:

1. Go to http://www.google.com/alerts
2. Type a Search term in the top left box (e.g. your industry sector).
3. Press the Preview results link.

Chances are you’ll see something so fascinating, you won’t finish reading this post.

Make your search personal, and you could be up all night!

Checking out the three drop-down lists will show you all you need to know about configuring alerts.

Being a paranoid, completist control-freak, my alerts are set to Everything, as-it-happens, All results.

So are these things for you?

Benefits

In running several Google Alerts for the last year, I’ve received welcome emails flagging:

• A bodgy website repackaging my content and pretending it’s theirs.
• Complimentary media articles about my clients that none of us knew of.
• Other articles of interest to my clients, giving me perfect reasons to keep in close contact.
• Fans I’ve never heard of referencing and linking to my content in very positive ways.

I’ve also learned that words really do have wings.

And that everything you say on the web stays on the web.

This intelligence has made me better informed and more circumspect in my business and personal dealings.

I believe Google Alerts will do the same for you.

What’s Being Said about YOU?

If you’ve not tried a Google Alert, I suggest you do and let us know what you find.

If you’re already into them, I’d love to know what advantages (if any) they’ve given you.

Pray inform us.

We’re watching with interest.

Paul Hassing, Founder & Senior Writer, The Feisty Empire