TECHSTROM

Looking Ahead to 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Hanson) — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 12:05:00 +0000

Happy New Year. I'm sure many of us are glad to see 2008 pass. It was a rocky year for the US economy to say the least. We watched the housing boom collapse, major banks fold, and the Big Three automotive companies flail. We also saw the election of the first black president, and my beloved Celtics capture the NBA title. What will 2009 bring?

With the uncertain economic times it is our instinct to close in and gut marketing budgets. What drives customers to our businesses? You can't send your sales people out without the tools necessary to land the deal. Marketing takes what your company does and marries it with what your customer needs. Your marketing represents your philosophy and creates a recognition of who your company is. Now more than ever it is important to have a clear idea of what your message is and to make sure you are getting it out there.

It's not just about your message. Do your sales people know how to close the deal? Do they follow up on the leads you create through campaigns. How do you track their success? Are you tying your sales to your marketing efforts? If you are not tracking these things you are essentially treating your sales strategy as a game of chance. I think we can all agree that with tighter budgets we need to be selective with how we spend our dollars.

As you approach 2009, know what your message is, know who your audience is, and find a way to connect and close deals. I know in our business we continue to refine who we are and what we do. It's not easy when your company has a diverse skill set but find what you do best and capitalize on it. Good luck in the new year!!

ZOHO Online Collaboration

noreply@blogger.com (Hanson) — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 04:10:00 +0000

While searching out a hosted Project Management System for one of our client's my partner Jeffrey found ZOHO Project. Our client's situation was a bit unique as their company is international. Many of the people within the organization were from South America. We needed a system that could be viewed in multiple languages. We had been comparing collaboration tools such as Projixx, Google Business, BaseCamp but found ZOHO to be the most comprehensive solution. ZOHO is more than Project Management, it is a full Business Operation system.

We have moved all of our own internal systems from Microsoft Exchange to ZOHO. This solution has enabled us to reduce our IT budget, stay connected, and stay organized. My business partner is on the road a lot and ZOHO keeps us in touch.

I am so passionate about the produce Techstrom has become an official ZOHO partner. I am suggesting ZOHO solutions to our clients. ZOHO has the solution for your business from CRM to Project Management to Invoicing. I haven't been this excited about technology since XMPie came out.

Marketing in a Down Economy

noreply@blogger.com (Hanson) — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 21:47:00 +0000

I recently attended the annual DMA conference held in Las Vegas. I have attended DMA's big show over the past several years, this show was different. There was a big white elephant on the floor and that elephant was the uncertainty of the economy. Just one week after the show the DMA itself made several cutbacks in key areas. Marketing cutbacks are typically the first thing to happen when budgets get tight. It was obvious by attendance and the tone of the show that marketeers are feeling the pinch.

I have never understood the logic behind cutting marketing budgets in challenging economic times. Marketing is the tool used to get your message out to your prospects and clients. If you don't get the message out someone else will. Marketing dollars can't be spent unwisely. They must be focused and clear on what the objective is. Now is a time when sales, operations and marketing need to work together to decide on what their maximum ROI products or services are and capitalize on those. It's a time for a Spring cleaning of sorts, dropped the products or services you don't excel at. If you can't be the best then step aside. When you promote what you are best at instead of trying to be all things to all people business starts to click.

It's about strategy. People still need services and products. They need them from confident reliable companies that they know they can trust. Marketing now is about being personalized and establishing a relationship with your prospect and customers. Don't cut your budgets, rework your strategy. Are you spending money in the right place? How do you know you are marketing effectively?

Launch of Techstrom.com -

noreply@blogger.com (TECHSTROM) — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 18:47:00 +0000

Jeffrey and I are extremely please to have the new http://www.techstrom.com/ up. Our focus is to keep fresh content and updates on projects, and industry trends. We are passionate about creating successful business parnterships and look forward to creating a blog space that keeps you coming back for more.

I would like to offer a special thanks to the team at http://www.iddesigned.com/ . Amy did a great job capturing our vision and bringing it to life. She is a fantastic graphic designer.

Please suggest topics you are interested in hearing about. My interests are in operational issues, software solutions and project management. Jeffrey is a dynamic corporate coach. We look forward to taking your questions. Email us at techblog@techstrom.com.

-Holly