My Top 24 Tools for Success
Here is a list of the most useful tools I use for business. I have separated them into two categories: software and hardware. These tools are priceless! I can’t imagine working effectively without every single one of them.
Software
Infusionsoft – We use Infusionsoft to manage jiveSYSTEMS and Ortonomous. It’s a CRM platform that focuses on highly targeted automated follow-up. All of our billing is automated and I can run revenue forecasts with a few click of the mouse. Automation is a huge part of doing business online. It is also critical to providing good customer service.
jiveSYSTEMS – We combine our jiveSYSTEMS (Video Email and Web Video Marketing System) with Infusionsoft. Turning many plain text emails into video emails. We also add videos to our squeeze pages and success pages to improve our conversion ratios.
Google Apps (free) – Don’t do business without it. I migrated from Microsoft Office. Wow. The difference is incredible. Outlook downloads all your emails locally [to your computer!]. This is bad news because it opens you up to a great deal more virus risk and slows you computer down as well. Whereas, Gmail [Google’s comparable product] is 100% web-based, just like Gdocs and Calendar. I also have the G1 phone, so I am free of the trials and tribulations of syncing my information.
GoToWebinar – If you want to market your business online, Webinars are a great way to do it. While GoToWebinar doesn’t support a video feeds like WebEx, it’s a great deal less expensive. We can host Webinars with up to 1000 attendees for $99 per month. That’s a great deal! Besides, the last time I checked, the video feeds in presenting software needed a lot of work.
Crossloop (free) – GoToWebinar isn’t right for every situation. That’s why I use Crossloop. You can setup a 1-on-1 screensharing very quickly. The only caveat is that both people need to have a Crossloop account and the software installed which takes a few minutes.
Jing (free) – This nifty piece of software lets you take still images of anything you see on your screen. You can also record short videos. My Jing is setup to connect to our jiveSYSTEMS domain.
Camtasia – The paid version of Jing focused on screen-recording.
SnagIt – The paid version of Jing focused on capturing stills of your screen. It also offers a limited set of recording features.
Mindjet MindManger – Mindmapping is one of the most efficient ways I have found to collect and categorize ideas. If you don’t know how to Mindmap, I suggest you learn sooner rather than later.
CCleaner (free) – This is the best program I have found to clean-up my computer. It clears out cookies and tidies up my registry. I don’t really know how it works, I just know it does and does so flawlessly.
AGVFree (free) – Virus software slows down your computer. I dislike slow computers. I advise my clients to buy very powerful computers because they greatly enhance the speed at which you can work.
Adobe Master Collection – This suite is a little on the expensive side but well worth the investment in the long run. I had our graphics team teach me to do basic graphics work for the blog post images. Our videographer also taught me how to edit videos. Granted I am no expert, but when I am in a bind, I know I can get the job done.
Mozilla Firefox (free) – I have almost every browser installed on my computer (IE, Firefox, Flock, Opera, Safari, Avant, and Chrome). I use Firefox almost all the time. It’s super fast. You can tweak Firefox, adding multiple plugins to help streamline your workflow. Lastly, it’s reliable. When it does occasionally crash, it almost always recovers the last pages you were viewing.
Dropbox – Sync files across multiple computers. I store all my files in Dropbox, as a team we have created jiveSYSTEMS and Ortonomous folders. Anything we place in these folders, instantly appears on our collaborators computers. The changes are automatically synced as well. The result, I get the comfort that I can throw my computer at the wall, go get another one off the shelf, and be back up and running in no time at all.
Hardware
Lenovo Laptop – I was a stalwart Sony fan. I bought one of the first VAIO’s when I lived back in England. And then… I had a bad experience with their customer support after buying a new laptop. I did some research and decide to purchase Lenovo. I am now a raving fan of Lenovo’s Thinkpad line. They don’t build laptops, they build battleships that are tough as nails and quiet, very quiet.
24inch External Monitor – I never would have thought a big screen would make such a big difference to my efficiency. Working off two screens is great for copywriting and reviewing statistics. If you like to multitask, having two screens facilitates juggling a lot more tasks.
G1 Mobile Phone – This puppy has changed my life! I held out on buying a PDA for years and finally gave in late last year. I thought I would become an addict. In fact, the result is quite the opposite. I don’t get bogged down because I can breeze through my emails while waiting at the Chiropractor, in line at the supermarket, etc…
Mobile Broadband Internet – Don’t leave home without it. Some coffee shops charge, some don’t, other have a really slow connection. For around $50 per month it’s worth not having to worry about it.
External Mouse – Being the utilitarian that I am. I swore blind that my laptop mouse was sufficient. Thankfully, I have some great friends who got me an external mouse. While I don’t use it all the time, when I am doing research and review statistics, it makes a huge difference. Switching between the mouse pad and external mouse also reduces the strain on my wrist. My laptop supports Bluetooth, so I don’t have to plugin a USB cable or USB transmitting device. If yours does, it’s worth the few extra bucks to get a Bluetooth mouse.
Logitech 9000 Webcam – Communicating with video is a reality. This web cam costs around $80. It puts out an amazing quality picture and crystal clear audio. The audio is good enough for podcasts [if you have a quite computer].
Flip Video Portable Camcorder – You never know when inspiration is going to hit you. The Flip is around $100 and is well worth the investment for that exact reason alone. The Flip is great for doing video interviews with promotional partners. It’s also great for spicing up you videos with some different scenery.
Sony HDR-SR11 HD Camcorder – Now an HD camcorder isn’t for everyone, but they are really useful, if you know how to edit, have editing software, and lights. In my opinion, you also need to know how to produce videos without a script. I use a simple bullet point outline for my videos. Some people use a teleprompter and script, but it adds so much unnecessary production time. I am not in Hollywood and I am not competing with the Fortune 500 companies [not yet]. I have yet to set the camera to HD mode. It’s totally pointless at the moment and adds way too much time to editing and exporting. I am producing videos for the web. SD mode is more than adequate for this task.
Video Lighting (Florescent Softboxes) – The Sony Camcorder is digital so is the Flip. Digital camcorders produce grainy footage in low-light situations. You can get by just fine without using lights when using The Flip, opting to record in good lighting situations. When using the Sony Camcorder though, you need lights. They make a huge difference to the quality of your video footage.
Whiteboard – I think visually. I spend a large part of my day [and sometimes nights] running flows with the team on my huge whiteboard. If the store stocked a bigger one I would buy it. My advice to you, buy the biggest whiteboard you can fit on your wall and mindmap on it often. There are a number of websites where you can buy them, just Google “whiteboard.”
So there you have it. You know the primary tools I use for business. All of them are indispensable. Some you can run with immediately, others take some time. But you can learn how to use them all. With a little work, you’ll using all of these tools with the best of them.
v2.5
