<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!--Generated by Squarespace Site Server v5.9.2 (http://www.squarespace.com/) on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 20:24:25 GMT--><rdf:RDF xmlns:rdf="http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#" xmlns:rss="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/" xmlns:admin="http://webns.net/mvcb/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:cc="http://web.resource.org/cc/"><rss:channel rdf:about="http://www.biztrek.com/blog/"><rss:title>The BizTreker Blog</rss:title><rss:link>http://www.biztrek.com/blog/</rss:link><rss:description>News and issues relevant to marketing a small business.</rss:description><dc:language>en-US</dc:language><dc:date>2010-03-12T20:24:25Z</dc:date><admin:generatorAgent rdf:resource="http://www.squarespace.com/">Squarespace Site Server v5.9.2 (http://www.squarespace.com/)</admin:generatorAgent><rss:items><rdf:Seq><rdf:li rdf:resource="http://www.biztrek.com/blog/2010/1/28/case-study-does-your-customer-service-process-work.html"/><rdf:li rdf:resource="http://www.biztrek.com/blog/2010/1/22/feeling-a-time-crunch-in-your-business.html"/><rdf:li rdf:resource="http://www.biztrek.com/blog/2010/1/7/is-now-a-good-time-to-take-a-big-risk.html"/><rdf:li rdf:resource="http://www.biztrek.com/blog/2009/12/3/from-the-1931-edition-of-practical-salesmanship.html"/><rdf:li rdf:resource="http://www.biztrek.com/blog/2009/11/30/case-study-should-you-use-home-made-video-on-your-web-site.html"/><rdf:li rdf:resource="http://www.biztrek.com/blog/2009/8/24/case-study-a-powerful-insight-to-the-human-brain.html"/><rdf:li rdf:resource="http://www.biztrek.com/blog/2009/7/24/my-favorite-contact-manager.html"/><rdf:li rdf:resource="http://www.biztrek.com/blog/2009/7/15/an-economic-earthquake.html"/><rdf:li rdf:resource="http://www.biztrek.com/blog/2009/6/25/backup-your-linkedin-contacts.html"/><rdf:li rdf:resource="http://www.biztrek.com/blog/2009/6/4/the-story-of-cherokee-wolves.html"/><rdf:li rdf:resource="http://www.biztrek.com/blog/2009/4/27/taking-the-time-to-look-forward.html"/><rdf:li rdf:resource="http://www.biztrek.com/blog/2009/3/19/newspaper-closings-ho-hum.html"/><rdf:li rdf:resource="http://www.biztrek.com/blog/2009/2/9/time-crunch.html"/><rdf:li rdf:resource="http://www.biztrek.com/blog/2008/12/5/case-study-the-wrong-way-to-acquire-new-customers.html"/><rdf:li rdf:resource="http://www.biztrek.com/blog/2008/11/21/dont-bother-reading-outliers-by-malcolm-gladwell.html"/></rdf:Seq></rss:items></rss:channel><rss:item rdf:about="http://www.biztrek.com/blog/2010/1/28/case-study-does-your-customer-service-process-work.html"><rss:title>Case Study - Does Your Customer Service Process Work?</rss:title><rss:link>http://www.biztrek.com/blog/2010/1/28/case-study-does-your-customer-service-process-work.html</rss:link><dc:creator>BizTrek</dc:creator><dc:date>2010-01-28T21:15:01Z</dc:date><dc:subject>Case Studies</dc:subject><content:encoded><![CDATA[Taking care of your customers should be critical.  You should minimize the barriers to serving them at all levels of your organization.  That has not been my experience with a company called Assurant Solutions ... and it makes a great case study.]]></content:encoded></rss:item><rss:item rdf:about="http://www.biztrek.com/blog/2010/1/22/feeling-a-time-crunch-in-your-business.html"><rss:title>Feeling A Time Crunch In Your Business?</rss:title><rss:link>http://www.biztrek.com/blog/2010/1/22/feeling-a-time-crunch-in-your-business.html</rss:link><dc:creator>BizTrek</dc:creator><dc:date>2010-01-22T20:25:33Z</dc:date><dc:subject>Skills</dc:subject><content:encoded><![CDATA[Do you ever feel like there isn't enough time in the day to do your marketing?  Have you wondered how other small business owners break free long enough to get things done?

One of the common complaints I hear from small business owners is "I just don't have enough time to do marketing!"  I understand and have felt that way many times in my career -- but there ARE solutions.]]></content:encoded></rss:item><rss:item rdf:about="http://www.biztrek.com/blog/2010/1/7/is-now-a-good-time-to-take-a-big-risk.html"><rss:title>Is Now A Good Time To Take A Big Risk?</rss:title><rss:link>http://www.biztrek.com/blog/2010/1/7/is-now-a-good-time-to-take-a-big-risk.html</rss:link><dc:creator>BizTrek</dc:creator><dc:date>2010-01-07T22:09:13Z</dc:date><dc:subject>News</dc:subject><content:encoded><![CDATA[Today, I received a great question from a member of one of BizTrek's online communities.  

They asked for my thoughts about the opportunity to get trained and sell for a national training franchise in their area.  He was very unsure if people / businesses will be spending that type of money just yet.  Here's my answer:]]></content:encoded></rss:item><rss:item rdf:about="http://www.biztrek.com/blog/2009/12/3/from-the-1931-edition-of-practical-salesmanship.html"><rss:title>From the 1931 edition of Practical Salesmanship ...</rss:title><rss:link>http://www.biztrek.com/blog/2009/12/3/from-the-1931-edition-of-practical-salesmanship.html</rss:link><dc:creator>BizTrek</dc:creator><dc:date>2009-12-03T22:15:12Z</dc:date><dc:subject>Skills</dc:subject><content:encoded><![CDATA[I was reading through the 1931 edition of Practical Salesmanship (National Salesman's Training Association) and saw the following commentary, and decided it was worth sharing.   AMBITION is ...]]></content:encoded></rss:item><rss:item rdf:about="http://www.biztrek.com/blog/2009/11/30/case-study-should-you-use-home-made-video-on-your-web-site.html"><rss:title>Case Study - Should You Use Home-Made Video On Your Web Site?</rss:title><rss:link>http://www.biztrek.com/blog/2009/11/30/case-study-should-you-use-home-made-video-on-your-web-site.html</rss:link><dc:creator>BizTrek</dc:creator><dc:date>2009-11-30T19:53:10Z</dc:date><dc:subject>Case Studies</dc:subject><content:encoded><![CDATA[I recently received an email from a friend who passed along a message that was critical of the new videos on our web site.  Some of the criticism was fair, and we are in the process making appropriate adjustments.  However, other feedback was dead wrong and proved that they did not "get" small business, even though ...]]></content:encoded></rss:item><rss:item rdf:about="http://www.biztrek.com/blog/2009/8/24/case-study-a-powerful-insight-to-the-human-brain.html"><rss:title>Case Study - A Powerful Insight To The Human Brain</rss:title><rss:link>http://www.biztrek.com/blog/2009/8/24/case-study-a-powerful-insight-to-the-human-brain.html</rss:link><dc:creator>BizTrek</dc:creator><dc:date>2009-08-24T09:36:36Z</dc:date><dc:subject>Case Studies</dc:subject><content:encoded><![CDATA[Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a tatol mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.]]></content:encoded></rss:item><rss:item rdf:about="http://www.biztrek.com/blog/2009/7/24/my-favorite-contact-manager.html"><rss:title>My Favorite Contact Manager</rss:title><rss:link>http://www.biztrek.com/blog/2009/7/24/my-favorite-contact-manager.html</rss:link><dc:creator>BizTrek</dc:creator><dc:date>2009-07-24T15:11:47Z</dc:date><dc:subject>Reviews</dc:subject><content:encoded><![CDATA[For many years, I have been a faithful fan of ACT.  It has worked well for BizTrek.  Last year, I switched over to Oprius, an ONLINE contact management system and I have become a big fan!  The features I loved about ACT are present in Oprius and it adds a lot more too!]]></content:encoded></rss:item><rss:item rdf:about="http://www.biztrek.com/blog/2009/7/15/an-economic-earthquake.html"><rss:title>An Economic Earthquake?</rss:title><rss:link>http://www.biztrek.com/blog/2009/7/15/an-economic-earthquake.html</rss:link><dc:creator>BizTrek</dc:creator><dc:date>2009-07-15T08:22:15Z</dc:date><dc:subject>Coffee Shop</dc:subject><content:encoded><![CDATA[A friend of mine, Jordana Megonigal at the Business Black Box magazine, asked a great question recently --- What is the single thing that Upstate businesses need the most?

My answer - They need to discover how to think and act differently. They need to learn new skills]]></content:encoded></rss:item><rss:item rdf:about="http://www.biztrek.com/blog/2009/6/25/backup-your-linkedin-contacts.html"><rss:title>Backup Your Linkedin Contacts</rss:title><rss:link>http://www.biztrek.com/blog/2009/6/25/backup-your-linkedin-contacts.html</rss:link><dc:creator>BizTrek</dc:creator><dc:date>2009-06-25T07:07:33Z</dc:date><dc:subject>Skills</dc:subject><content:encoded><![CDATA[I am a strong believer in backing up information. One of the things I have discovered that few people back up are their Linkedin connections. I doubt Linkedin is going anywhere, but you never know. So, I encourage you to at least back this data up to a file on your computer every now and then (so you keep the latest data).]]></content:encoded></rss:item><rss:item rdf:about="http://www.biztrek.com/blog/2009/6/4/the-story-of-cherokee-wolves.html"><rss:title>The Story Of Cherokee Wolves</rss:title><rss:link>http://www.biztrek.com/blog/2009/6/4/the-story-of-cherokee-wolves.html</rss:link><dc:creator>BizTrek</dc:creator><dc:date>2009-06-04T12:34:59Z</dc:date><dc:subject>Coffee Shop</dc:subject><content:encoded><![CDATA[One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, "My son, the battle is between two 'wolves' inside us all.]]></content:encoded></rss:item><rss:item rdf:about="http://www.biztrek.com/blog/2009/4/27/taking-the-time-to-look-forward.html"><rss:title>Taking The Time To Look Forward</rss:title><rss:link>http://www.biztrek.com/blog/2009/4/27/taking-the-time-to-look-forward.html</rss:link><dc:creator>BizTrek</dc:creator><dc:date>2009-04-27T08:00:56Z</dc:date><dc:subject>News</dc:subject><content:encoded><![CDATA[A few weeks ago I was invited to be the first guest blogger on the Olivier Blanchard's Brandbuilder Blog]]></content:encoded></rss:item><rss:item rdf:about="http://www.biztrek.com/blog/2009/3/19/newspaper-closings-ho-hum.html"><rss:title>Newspaper Closings? Ho-Hum</rss:title><rss:link>http://www.biztrek.com/blog/2009/3/19/newspaper-closings-ho-hum.html</rss:link><dc:creator>BizTrek</dc:creator><dc:date>2009-03-19T16:23:33Z</dc:date><dc:subject>Coffee Shop</dc:subject><content:encoded><![CDATA[Back in October I wrote a post titled "Will Newspapers Disappear?"  Well, publicity expert Joan Stewart recently wrote an excellent perspective in her email newsletter and she has agreed to share her thoughts in this blog.]]></content:encoded></rss:item><rss:item rdf:about="http://www.biztrek.com/blog/2009/2/9/time-crunch.html"><rss:title>Time Crunch?</rss:title><rss:link>http://www.biztrek.com/blog/2009/2/9/time-crunch.html</rss:link><dc:creator>BizTrek</dc:creator><dc:date>2009-02-09T14:17:05Z</dc:date><dc:subject>Skills</dc:subject><content:encoded><![CDATA[Do you ever feel like there isn't enough time in the day to do your marketing? Have you wondered how other small business owners break free long enough to get things done?]]></content:encoded></rss:item><rss:item rdf:about="http://www.biztrek.com/blog/2008/12/5/case-study-the-wrong-way-to-acquire-new-customers.html"><rss:title>Case Study - The WRONG Way To Acquire New Customers</rss:title><rss:link>http://www.biztrek.com/blog/2008/12/5/case-study-the-wrong-way-to-acquire-new-customers.html</rss:link><dc:creator>BizTrek</dc:creator><dc:date>2008-12-05T06:40:23Z</dc:date><dc:subject>Case Studies</dc:subject><content:encoded><![CDATA[Yesterday I noticed a sudden cluster of promotional emails from local businesses with whom I had no prior relationship (yes its hard to believe I don't know everyone yet).  These unsolicited promotional emails (a.k.a. spam) were all sent to my private email address reserved for clients and friends in my business network.  I also noticed some similarities in their style, so I did a little investigation.]]></content:encoded></rss:item><rss:item rdf:about="http://www.biztrek.com/blog/2008/11/21/dont-bother-reading-outliers-by-malcolm-gladwell.html"><rss:title>Don't Bother Reading Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell</rss:title><rss:link>http://www.biztrek.com/blog/2008/11/21/dont-bother-reading-outliers-by-malcolm-gladwell.html</rss:link><dc:creator>BizTrek</dc:creator><dc:date>2008-11-21T05:10:52Z</dc:date><dc:subject>Reviews</dc:subject><content:encoded><![CDATA[I just finished reading Outliers, the latest book by Malcolm Gladwell. I had received a pre-publication copy for review ... and I found it to be a poorly written and developed work. Do not even bother to pick up a copy.  Here's why.]]></content:encoded></rss:item></rdf:RDF>