Dave Ramsey and Bob Beaudine Video Link

Here is a link to the interview with Bob Beaudine that touches on the importance of utilizing the people we know. As I watched the interview I could definitely pick up a sales-pitchy vibe for his new book, but despite that it was still worth a watch.

http://video.foxbusiness.com/5880839/its-not-what-you-know-its-who-you-know/?category_id=47ab32e5d5dad17a13d4f04e77bb9619e05da9bb

What We Know vs. Who We Know

I think that both what you know and who you know are important but in the end I think who you know is the more important. I think that sometimes it is hard to quantify what we know in the small amount of time allowed in an interview process. Prospective employees can say what skills they know and what they are capable of and even if they back those points up with some sort of evidence, this self-presentation will always be taken with a grain of salt by the interviewer. Now, if that same interviewer hears by word of mouth what the interviewee is capable it's a different scenario. It's credible and objective and it carries much more weight than what we say about ourselves. After a little promotion for his most recent book, The Power of Who, Executive Recruiter and author Bob Beaudine said in an interview on Fox Business that "80% percent of jobs are placed by a friend." If this is in fact the case, and I think it is, the higher up the business world our network of friends extends the better our careers will be.

Blogs: Creating Bonds

One of my favorite things about business blogs is the idea of being able to make your company "reachable". About much of the companies with which I interact, I know very little. I don't know if they've helped in the community or donated to a cause. There isn't anything that ties my customer loyalty to a particular brand or store. I think that through blogging, a company has the ability to reach out to its customers, and through its content, create a bond. Personally, I've found that my favorite blogs are those that lie outside the normal constraints of a company's day to day operations and stray into the other activities of the company. I've noticed that when a company appeals to me on a human level, I am much more motivated to return to them on a regular basis to do business with them. Ideally, on the same page as the feel-good human interest stories, a link to do business should also be found. Working for a local company here in Logan I've suggested that the company begin a blog as a way to reach out to the community and improve its customer base. As of yet no decision has been reached but it will be interesting to see how things play out.

The Power of the Blog

Professional blogs can help businesses in a variety of different ways. Some of the benefits that a company can enjoy are a larger audience base (the entire world wide web), customer feedback, and lower advertising costs. Piper Jaffray, a leading international middle market investment bank, estimated that the cost per lead via internet search engine is just 29 cents. Compare that to 50 cents per lead through e-mail, $1.18 through the yellow pages and a revenue-ruining $9.94 per lead through direct mail. Obviously there is potential here. Now, once you get the customer to your page it's important that what they find is what they're are looking for. The effectiveness of a blog depends on how well the blogging is done. If a blog is poorly organized and does not reflect what the business stands for then a company will lose potential customers. As with all things, if it's going to work, it has to be well done.

My new blog

This is my new blog. It is the first time I've had a blog so hopefully it isn't too difficult to manage.