Business-Generating Ideas From Terry Brock
Capture Vital Information With This Hand-Held, High-Quality Scanner
When you are in sales (and aren’t we all today?) you need all the competitive advantage you can get. Recently I encountered a technology that can help you in many ways to gather vital information.
Read this article and listen to the audio (8:25) below for more information on how you can use these tools to build your business.
The technology tool I’m referring to is the new Docupen X series from Planon. This is a handheld color scanner that can scan an 8.5 X 11 inch paper. Yet, it is small enough to carry in your coat pocket and weighs only a few ounces.
The people at Planon gave me this scanner to examine and I’ve been very pleased with it. I’ve used this to scan business cards, full-page letters (color or gray-scale) and more. One of the more practical items for me is scanning library books. I read a lot of books from the library and I find it very helpful to scan select portions of ideas for later reference.
It does take some work to get used to the way to scan properly. If your hands are shaky when you do the scan, the ultimate image will be less-than-ideal. I’ve botched up a few scans because I didn’t do it just right.
However, with a little practice you’ll be amazed at how vivid and accurate the scans can be. This is great for accumulating a ready-reference of quotes, ideas, business cards and more that you can accumulate. For the traveling professional, or the professional who just needs to run to a meeting across town, this is an ideal tool.
You can vary the quality from 150 dpi to 300 or 600 dpi. You can choose color, grey-scale or configure it for output to the Planon portable printer, the PrintStik. You can use Bluetooth or a USB cable to transfer to your mobile phone or computer. This handy device will give you a decisive advantage when you need to capture information and you’re on the road — or just in a competitor’s office!
(DocuPen X-series, Prices range from $150-$350, www.PlanOn.com)
Send Your Message With Crystal-Clear Audio
The Internet has provided a powerful way for you to deliver your message. It has made audio delivery something that is available for education, training, promotion and more today.
Yet, too many are using microphones that sound poor in quality. This can affect the perception of prospective buyers. A quick and easy way to project the best possible sound is to get a high-quality microphone, spend a little time learning how to use it, and then let your message resound with brilliant quality.
I’ve been using the new Yeti microphone from Blue Microphones. I do a lot of podcasts and video work so audio quality is extremely important. As an old radio guy from way back, I know how important it is to get a good quality, professional sound when you’re delivering your message.
This Yeti produces sound quality that is nothing short of the high-quality professional sound that you’d expect to pay thousands to achieve. It also has the ability to switch from cardiod to directional and more. I don’t understand all the technical audio terms. But, I do recognize superior sound when I hear it. This microphone delivers — abundantly.
It also has a headphone input with volume control so you can monitor your sound as you record. This one professional feature can help you in your audio messages and podcasts to convey that to achieve more business results. It plugs into a USB port for easy installation. For the $149 price tag it can’t be beat.
The folks at Blue Microphones have loaned me this mic and I’m tempted to abscond with it and run off to Brazil. It is that good. You can hear the difference on a podcast at http://bit.ly/DocuPen_Yeti.
If you’re not using a podcast now to promote your products and services, this is something you should consider. Audio is portable. Your customers can listen to your educational message and get to know you more while they are occupied with other activities. For busy, on-the-go people audio is a great way to connect at a convenient time. A microphone like the Yeti can help to separate you from others who aren’t using the same quality.
The unit is designed for studio use more than on the road. Think of this one as the microphone for producing that important audio message to that big, prospective customer. You won’t regret getting a Yeti from Blue Microphones.
(Yeti Microphone, $149.00, www.BlueMic.com)
Copyright (c) 2010, Terry Brock and Achievement Systems, Inc. Terry Brock is an international marketing coach and professional speaker who helps businesses generate profitable results. He can be reached by e-mail at terry@terrybrock.com or through his website at www.terrybrock.com. Join the Twitter adventure with Terry through his Twitter address: TerryBrock
