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by Terry Brock
The other day I was thinking about how the Internet and the Web have changed
so much of what I do in business. I realized how much I can do now that I
couldn't do or would have been almost impossible to do just a little while
ago.
Here are some ways that you can use the Web to make your life easier and get
more done. Warning: What you are about to read can revolutionize your
business and personal life.
Get the Best Price
Every buyer wants to get the very best price possible. The Web has some
tools that can help you searching for the best possible price. Check out
www.priceworld.com, www.mysimon.com
and www.rusure.com to enter an item you
want to purchase and these price search engines will locate the best prices
on the Web for you. If you have some Holiday shopping ahead in the next
few
months, these tools can save you bundles of money. And don't forget the
site that helps us save lots of money on airline, groceries, gasoline, long
distance, merchandise, new cars, hotel rooms, home mortgages and also taught
us that William Shatner did a better job commanding a Starship than singing,
www.priceline.com. Strategy? If
you're shopping for, say, an airline
ticket, go to the airline's online site and find the regularly listed price
for the trip you want to make. Then go to www.priceline.com
and offer an
initial bid that is at least 10% less than that. Depending on traffic and
demand, you have a good chance of getting a much lower-priced ticket. This
service is best used when you have flexibility in your schedule. Also use
it for merchandise in the same way after visiting the three price shopping
sites (above). Hey, you'll pay for your year's subscription to this paper
with this one tip alone!
For help on regular monthly bills check out www.lowermybills.com
This is a
site that is worth visiting to see some of the savings you can make that add
up on a monthly basis. Check out how to get better prices on long
distance,
wireless, gas and electric, auto insurance and more.
Some of the best prices on phone service range from free to just a few
cents. Visit www.dialpad.com for free
phone service over the Internet. The
quality is rather poor so you won't use this for that important phone call
to a prospective client. But to a son or daughter in college across the
country, it is ideal. Another service that provides long distance help is
www.net2phone.com, which has fair quality
over the Internet but good prices
of 3.9 cents/minute on calling card calls.
Updating Software
This is a way the Internet can relieve a lot of frustrations for your
home-based business. Often the problem you run into is based on known bugs
in a current version.
Here's what you need to do: 1) Make sure you get software that can be
updated over the Internet. 2) Get the fastest connection speed possible.
A
home cable modem or DSL line can provide rapid connection and updates.
This is usually found in the Help section of the software.
Get the IT Assistance You Need
Finding good help is hard in today's labor market. Rather than hire a
full-time employee, contract out what you need with some of the services on
the Web that link buyers and sellers.
Sites that provide help include www.pcsupport.com,
www.myhelpdesk.com,
and www.service911.com.
Each has advantages and disadvantages
so shopping around provides the best source of help as you
need it. For online assistance on specific problems as you need help,
visit
www.pcshowandtell.com for
to-the-point videos on specific solutions with
numerous software packages.
Outsourcing can help you growing business be lean and mean. You can get
the
job done that you need to do without dealing with a lot of unneeded overhead
and the hassle of employees. Your job is to clearly think through what
needs to be done and define it as tightly as possible so that the
independent contractor you work with can complete a task quickly and be done
with it.
Find the Financial Information You Need
Get the loans you need for your business. Yahoo! provides a lot of useful
information under the topic of banking and finance. Visit www.yahoo.com
and
notice the help for loans, small business advice, marketing and sales
information and more. This site has morphed into a portal of information
on
many topics from a mere search engine before. If you haven't visited here
lately, it is one to see regularly for new and updated changes.
Get a Better Job
Finding a job online is now the preferred way to locate employment. Sites
like www.monster.com, www.headhunter.net,
www.jobs.com and others provide
the best way to post your resume, confidentially, if necessary, and to
locate the ideal job you want.
It could be a good idea to have a resume updated and running there, even if
you like what you do and don't plan to leave at all. Why not keep updated
on what the market has to say about your skills and pay level? This is
good
market research for your personal skills.
Your Choices?
The Internet provides us with more useful information each week. Drop me a
note at terry@terrybrocik.com with
your favorite site that has helped you
most in your business or personal life. The most empowering sites will be
featured for other business owners around the country to use.
Terry Brock is an internationally recognized professional speaker,
consultant and author in the fields of business productivity, technology and
marketing. His is a syndicated columnist for Business Journals across
America and can be reached at 407-363-0505 or by e-mail at
terry@terrybrock.com.
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