Bits & Pieces…interesting stuff to make you think, giggle and impress your friends:

(Time to read this Blog section about 60 seconds)

1. There’s no ‘word-of-mouth’ without something to talk about.  It has been said for years that ‘word-of-mouth’ is the most effective marketing for any business and, with the power of social media, that’s even more true today.  
     
   But here’s the thing.  There’s no ‘word-of-mouth’ without something to talk about.  So, what clear and compelling value or experience do you always deliver that gives ‘fans’ something to talk about?  What are you ‘famous’ for that makes it easy for people to quickly and easily say great things about you?  ‘Famous’ is good.  People go out of their way for ‘famous’.  They pay more for ‘famous’.  They text, tweet and talk about ‘famous’! 
2. It’s vacation time…or is it? Every year American employees leave about $224 billion dollars of vacation time unused.  This creates a huge financial liability for many employers because they have to pay out this accrued liability at some point. 
3. Does your business have 2 suppliers for all key items? Takata, the huge Japanese manufacturer of ‘defective’ automotive airbags has recently declared bankruptcy.   Imagine the impact on the supply chain for any vehicle manufacturer who doesn’t have a back-up supplier.
     
   Any one of your key suppliers could have a fire, flood, labour disruption, or go bankrupt.  Does your business have a back-up supplier or ‘Plan B’ for all key items?  Stuff happens.
4. Smart tires alert drivers when maintenance is needed.  Italian company Pirelli’s new smart tire system, the Connesso, have sensors embedded in the tires that record distance driven and tire condition…and alert drivers via a cloud-based app when any maintenance is required.
5. Musical tattoos…there’s also an app for that:  California tattoo artist, Nate Siggard, has developed a design technique and an app that allows users to play back recorded words and music embedded in a tattoo. 
6. Drones are coming to a sky near you. Hospitals in Switzerland are using drones to send lab samples to other locations.  Drones are being used to deliver anti-venom medication to remote Amazonian communities.  They’re also being used to deliver snacks to golfers at Japanese golf courses,  to pollinate flowers and crops and for land surveying in otherwise inaccessible areas.
7. If you’re ‘below the fold’ on search engines, you don’t exist. Most buying decisions are now made online, or partly on-line.  When people search for what you sell online, if your website link is not in the top 4 or 5 on the main search engines like Google, you simply don’t exist in today’s world. 

Check out where you’re positioned now and, if you’re ‘below the fold’  get expert advice on what you need to do to get higher…and stay higher.