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This episode we’re talking to Gary Gorman, a sales expert from Paradigm Training, and getting his top 5 sales tips to make you more effective in your business. We’re also talking about the new revolutionary device from Apple, the iPad, and how it could influence the tech market. We’re also taking a look at the new mobile devices from Windows and Google. Will they be game changers and be true competition for the iPhone? You decide.

This may be a question that you’ve asked yourself before, or for a lot of you, it probably wouldn’t have even crossed your mind. But there is certainly a proportion of society that own businesses, or are in charge of high profile brands that must at times ask themselves this question. Is it worth paying for a professional voice over artist to promote their brand/company?

The simplest answer is of course, you get what you pay for. If you have a guy in the office who ‘has a pretty good speaking voice’, who you think should be the voice of your podcasts, or online/media/TV related promotional material, then fair play to you. Have you ever heard that person’s recorded material before? Do you trust them to be ‘the voice’ of the company/brand? Are you ok with the fact that when people hear that voice they’ll associate it with your company? These aren’t all negative points, far from. This counts as for better or indeed for worse. If they are for better, then excellent, give it a chance!

However, if they sound like a totally different person, which is actually more often the case, then you really should think about bringing in a professional; someone that is used to performing in front of a microphone. The thing is, when you put a regular person in a studio environment, in front of a professional studio microphone, it’s like sticking a big lens of a camera in someone’s face; it can be extremely off-putting. Some people tend to freeze, not know what to do or say, change the pattern of their speech, their tone, timbre, level, pitch, or worse, be completely monotone.

If this happens, you could have wasted time in the studio and need to rebook when the person has composed themself, or wait for a professional to take over!

The good thing with hiring a voice artist, is that we’re completely used to all this; We know how to handle a microphone, and chances are, we know exactly how to lift your script by performing the words that are on the page, rather than just simply ‘reading’ them. (A quality you don’t often get when audio tracks are home-made).

So, the next time you have a requirement for a voice track, be it a TV advert, a podcast, corporate video, web audio of any sort, the question you need to ask yourself is, in the long term, is it worth paying for a professional voice over artist? The answer is up to you.

Want more information? Check out my main website: www.richardheathcote.co.uk

In this ever-changing world of buying and selling, the goalposts and conditions in which this is done are changing rapidly. The world can seem like one big call centre, every time the phone rings it could be someone trying to sell to us. What we really like, as a nation, are the conditions in which we want to buy, not be sold to. That is the reason I quite like this video; it shows the relationship between the advertiser and the consumer and how much times have and are changing!

Remember, when in business – create the conditions in which your audience wants to buy, cause they really don’t like to be sold to!

In this modern age, it’s becoming more and more important for businesses to be accessible to lots of different types of people, and the ways they absorb information. Become a market leader by having an ethos of accessible-to-all, utilising good copywriting, graphics, imagery, video and audio.

For more information about audio marketing, please click here. Meanwhile, enjoy the video )

I remember when I had my first WAP enabled phone; it was desperately slow, but it kind of worked. It was I guess the Teletext equivalent for the mobile revolution. How far things have moved on with Blackberrys and iPhones. (You cannot understand how much I love my iPhone).

Here’s Patrick Stewart talking tech:

I just thought I’d share with you one my latest projects – a national UK television advert for Autosport International. The advert is being broadcast currently, through Nov/Dec 09 up until middle of Jan 2010 on:

You can either catch it on those channels, or if you’d like to see it right away, you can view it below )

It’s just the most satisfying feeling when you can see the results happen in front of your eyes. Long hours have been spent travelling the country to various networking meetings, and online, using social media like Twitter, Facebook and the like; but you know what – it’s all been absolutely worth it. Even at the times when you don’t think it will, you’ll get that random enquiry in either over the phone or through Email. Of recent, I’ve even had some come in through Direct Messages on Twitter, from people wanting quotes for upcoming work. This kind of phenomenon 10 years ago was just unheard of.

We’ve moved into a much more interactive world, where questions and replies can happen virtually instantly. I had an enquiry two days ago on Twitter, and within a minute they had in their inbox all the information they required, with a rate card of my prices ready for their upcoming projects. I absolutely love this phenomenon, it just speeds the whole process up no end, and makes things move in an extraordinary fashion.

Online marketing has been the big thing for me in 2009, and I think it will only grow in 2010. It also makes me think, when it comes to return on investment in your time – where are you reaping the most rewards when it comes to your marketing efforts? Are you overlooking the power of what can happen in the online world? Are you giving it at least a try, to get your feet wet and see what it could lead to? I for one was sceptical in the early days, but am a complete convert for how powerful these tools are. They certainly shouldn’t be underestimated by any stretch.

Ultimately, you have to concentrate your efforts on what you feel is right, and what brings you the most reward. My top tip for the near year is to experiment with everything that is out there, as you never know how surprised you might be when finding where your next pay cheque is coming from. Always be open to new avenues of income, especially in the online world. You never know where it might lead…..

But most importantly, have a positive view on the upcoming year ahead, and do all you can to achieve your dreams whatever they may be. Bring on 2010, we’re ready for you….

Not that I spend my entire life living on YouTube either, but more often than not, on there I regularly find some incredible videos of great human achievement, perseverance, and effort, that you just know a lot of work has gone into getting them where they were when they filmed it. So, on that note, here’s a small selection for now of videos I just like, for various reasons, of people with great talents and achievements.

I’ll be bringing more of these sorts of videos on a regular basis, as and when I find them, as I think even if they just simply bring a smile to your face, it’s done it’s job.

So, no matter where you are in the world, find something that uplifts you, and pass it on.

It’s true though,sometimes we get so caught up in ‘what we offer’, it’s not always in synch with ‘what people want’. I had a skype chat with a colleague of mine last week, and we got on to the subject of the packages that I currently offer, namely podcasts, on-hold messaging etc etc. Through the conversation he mentioned that it’s easier for other people to sell other people’s wares as they’re not at all self-conscious about it. For example, you will quite happily say that ‘person x’ is the best at doing ‘x’ and has helped your business no end, and near enough shout it from the rooftops. It would be much harder to say the exact same thing, with the same amount of passion if you were talking about yourself.

What this boils down to is the fact that you don’t want to come across as sounding pushy or arrogant, even though you may well be the absolute best person for the job; we have a problem with saying so without fear of looking bad. So out of this conversation, my colleague said ‘why don’t you offer radio style adverts people can use on their own websites, that actually sell their services for them?’. Now this is something which I almost do already, but it’s packaged up in a different way, and is a twist on what I already offer.

This just proves that sometimes you have to just take a step back, find out what people actually want rather than just plough on with what you think they want. I asked him the question, hypothetically, is this a service he would pay for, and would he see great value in having this a service. He said unequivocally yes; it’s a service that helps a company to sell their own services or products via their own site, to ultimately result in more sales.

It’s all about hooking people’s attention when potential customers land on your website, and making sure they come back. With what I was already offering, it wouldn’t have majorly done this, but now having listened to what my potential customers want, I have a much better understanding of what to offer.

So, my top tip – every so often, do a personal mental stock take of what you already offer product/service wise, check it’s in line with what people want, and if it’s not – change it!

After a superb breakfast networking meeting at Milton House Hotel in Abingdon, UK, we did something slightly out of the ordinary; certainly when compared to ‘other’ breakfast networking organisations. Our members turned up in fancy dress. Now this isn’t just for fun you understand, but also for a charity calendar photo shoot, entitled ‘Carry On Cluedo!’.

Ellie Colyer-Alasquez had a dream, ladies and gentlemen. (That wasn’t said for effect either, she really did have this dream!) She dreamt up this idea for a calendar, and to involve as many 4Networkers as possible. In the end, there were 14 of us that could stay on for this photoshoot, which really was superb fun.

Over the following 2 or 3 hours, we had shots taken in all nooks and crannies of the historic hotel, all taking on a murder mystery/Cluedo/Carry On vibe – was great fun for all involved.

Now, the most important factor to note, is that the majority of us had never met each other before; certainly not in the flesh, yet we all got on like a house on fire. This is due to us all being a member of 4Networking, the UK’s biggest joined up business network. Because of 4Networking, we’ve known each other through the online forums for months, if not a couple of years, which meant as soon as we got in the same room as each other, it’s like meeting up with old friends! Couldn’t be better.

Because of us all engaging in this, frankly, mad set of events, we had a great head start in building on those existing relationships to get to know each other better. As 4Networking state, we have a meet-like-know-trust culture, which certainly displayed itself last Friday. Because of that event, I now know a lot more about these people, understand their businesses, and therefore it creates an environment where business can flourish, all from this one social event.

The best thing about all this, is that it proves that to be a successful business person, you don’t have to be dull! It really can be fun to network, promote yourself and ultimately build up your contact base and potentially win yourself new business, by playing the fool wearing bunny ears and 40’s costumes!

Tell me, where else would you be able to do this and class it as work?!

For more information on 4Networking, then check out 4Networking.biz

For more information on the calendar and the charity that will be benefiting from it’s sales, please contact Ellie Colyer-Alasquez from Candyfloss Dynamite.