Levelfield Auto - Car Buying Simplified

12/9/2019 9:24:39 AM Link |  | Add comment

Levelfield recently moved in to a new space, both physical location and product line. In February of 2010 we moved to a new location. You also may or may not have heard about Levelfield Auto, the newest branch of Levelfield. We've teamed up with local Credit Unions here in Austin to offer their membership a Car Buying Service that takes the hassle out of searching for and buying an automobile. 

We entered this space because we saw a need. Through our own experiences and those of others we realized that their was a distinct need for this service that we could provide. At the beginning of 2010 we applied to become a used car dealership licensed to do business in the State of Texas. As soon as we received our license approval we started assisting credit union members to find the exact car they were looking for at an extremely high quality and an excellent value. We focuse our searches to vehicles that are less than 4 years old with less than 50,000 miles to insure quality and condition.

Not only do we find the exact vehicle the member is looking for according to their specifications; we bring it to Austin, inspect the vehicle and insure that it meets our quality standards both mechanically and aesthetically before delivering the vehicle to the member. We do all this with the same software products that are used to serve our website community. We've built a platform that allows us to communicate to our auto customers, search for vehicles across the country that meet the requirements of those customers and at the same time allows us to plan and execute on the quality standards we strive to meet.

We're looking towards 2011 with many happy Levelfield Auto customers with our Vehicle Locating service for credit unions and even more promising is what lies ahead in the new year. Levelfield Auto is certain to continue helping fill this need for credit union members for years to come. In the 8 months of 2010 we were operating, we have already had repeat business.

Building a foundation for your business that can grow and compete in different areas, recognizing the needs your customers have and diversifying your portfolio of products to fulfill those needs is the best way to grow and compete. With Levelfield Auto we recognized a need in ourselves and our customers to offer a quality product at a great value and we took the necessary steps to make it happen. We're looking forward to the future of our Auto business and we wish you the best in the new year as you grow and diversify your business.

Here's to 2011.

To find out more about Levelfield Auto, visit us at www.levelfieldauto.com

Common Sense -- Uncommon

12/9/2019 9:24:39 AM Link |  | Add comment

A Common Sense Stimulus.

Its the time of year that many Americans spend too much money purchasing un-American things to stimulate and simulate happiness in their households. During the holiday season, the news media always brings loquacious "economists" on the television to speak about consumer spending and convince us that we are spending less than the average year on gifts for our greedy children and we should go out and spoil our personal budgets and spend more. This year lets try something new...lets take our hard earned American dollars and stimulate the American economy. Let's Buy American. www.buyamerican.com. Too much of our holiday season shopping spree helps to maintain the Japanese markets with our high end electronics that we can't seem to live without. We're giving people in other countries jobs while our job market is failing miserably. Lets do the next right thing and support our own economy which will help stimulate job growth here in the US. It sounds like common sense to say buy American to support the American economy and American jobs. Why is it so uncommon to think this way and more importantly to ACT this way? Act like an American!, Buyamerican.com  It doesn't take a billion dollar stimulus to boost our economy,  buy from your neighbor, it will keep your neighbor employed. Spend your money by putting it back in your own community, THAT will save jobs and stimulate the American economy.

Your Words Mean Everything

12/9/2019 9:24:39 AM Link |  | Add comment

I have stated before in a previous post that we only occur in languaging. We as individuals only exist in terms of our words and descriptions. Let them be our strength. I occur in this blog post because our common language allows you to read what I have written and to understand the meaning of my words. If we exist because our language allows us to relate to each other and the world then shouldnt we treat every word as if it can change the world.

On another note, a few weeks back the tragic events in Killeen Texas occurred. The media and government officials have tiptoed around the event calling it a tragedy (which is was), that one of our own soldiers took the lives of his own. What everyone has failed to say is that this tragedy was in fact a terrorist attack. This soldier, one of our own, a muslim, attacked Americans on our own military base. This man was not simply misguided or suffering from a mental disorder. This man committed a terrorist act on American soil. He took the lives of Americans and he planned to do so. What everyone out there is skirting with their words is the fact that society's political correctness has promoted likemindedness and the inability to speak up and use your words for their true meaning. If its proven that an American soldier shot down 13 American's on our home turf then the man is a terrorist. If that man was a Christian, then he's a Christian. If he was a caucasian male from Minnesota, then he's a caucasian male from Minnesota. If the man was of Indian descent, African heritage, or a newly minted US Citizen from the country of Djibouti, then that is what he is. If that man just so happens to be Muslim, then he's a Muslim. Call a spade, a spade. We've learned recently that this man spoke with a known radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki prior to this tragedy. We also know that this communication was intercepted by investigators. If this radical was a Christian so be it. If someone, anyone had spoken up and said "hey this guy is communicating with a radical" maybe this terrorist act wouldn't have happened. Use your words to "call it like it is". If someone is acting like a terrorist, muslim or not, SAY SOMETHING. You never know what the strength of your words could help prevent.

Your Time is Valuable. Where are you wasting yours?

12/9/2019 9:24:39 AM Link |  | Add comment

Its the human condition that lessens the value of our time, our most valuable asset. Many people get caught up in the little things which keeps them from becoming successful. The philosophy I subscribe to is doing the next right thing not doing the next thing right. Looking beyond the small insignificant bumps in the road along the way and narrowing in on my ultimate goal and staying focused on that next right thing has made me more effective at work and at home with my family. When emotions run high and someone is seeking justice for an action they feel is 'unjust' they get caught up in doing the next thing right and they forget what they're striving for. In doing so, individuals seeking justice waste their most valuable resource, time and instead squander their time on distractions that keep them from being successful.

What has distracted you today? Where are you wasting your time? Are you seeking justice from an alleged wrong you feel is unfair? If you were to invest all the time you've 'wasted' seeking to correct an 'unfair' action  you'd be focus on the next right thing.  Instead of righting all the wrongs in your life, focus on the next right thing, invest your ultimate value in your success.

C-Verse

12/9/2019 9:24:39 AM Link |  | Add comment

When is the best time to invest in a new venture, start a new business, spend your free time investing in a startup company. Right now. When the economy is in a downturn, start a new business. Brush up your entreprenuerial skills and start that business that you've always thought about, almost started but never did. Do it today. Be productive.

This is the time to invest in your business. This is the time to gain market share. This is the time to hire new employees and expand. Within the past month here at Levelfield we've hired someone for Search Engine Marketing and we are making plans to expand our team in the upcoming month. This is the time to build your company.

Recently I've decided to join with two friends to start a new business. Investing my time and energy into a new business during an economic downturn seems to be unheardof across the country. This is the time.

Visit: www.cverse.com see what I've invested some of my time, energy and focus during this "recession".

There are no places to get to, only places to go.

12/9/2019 9:24:39 AM Link |  | Add comment

Only when you become accountable for your decisions and actions, do things start working out for you. The 'whoa is me' let me get through today and get to tomorrow is out. Focus on yourself and what you can do to change. You can only change yourself so only focus your time and effort on what you have the power to change. When the pain of staying the same becomes too great the pain of changing becomes an option. Changing is never easy and it can hurt. Step up to your accountabilities and take the leap to make the changes necessary to make your success viable. If you want to succeed, step up to your accountabilities. In doing so, reach for a goal that is uncommon. Until your friends call you crazy you aren't reaching high enough. You can only be as successful as your mind allows you to be. If your mind can think it, the rest will follow. Your best thinking got you here. If someone says your idea is impossible, you have a great idea and a great place to go!

Politics Aside...Why I Love This Country...And What That Should Mean

12/9/2019 9:24:39 AM Link |  | Add comment

Shed your political views for the moment.  Let go of them.  Just while you read this.  Whether you voted for one candidate or the other.  Doesn't matter.  Let go of that and let me tell you why I, an immigrant,  love this country.  More than that, let me tell you what makes this country great, what you might just take for granted.  For while America has flaws, I truely believe, beyond all the rhetoric, that it is the greatest country that ever has been.  Here's why.

Freedom is not just a word.  It is not just a polical idea.  It is a reality that we might be just too spoiled to realize.  Too spoiled to realize!  We have been given so much that we have no clear perspective on our own gifts.  We can worship as we please.  Understand in a very concrete way that you simply cannot do that in a good part of the world. You CANNOT WORSHIP AS YOU CHOOSE in a large number of places.  You can speak out against your own goverment.  You can vote without fear of being murdered for your choice, for simply showing up to the poll.  You will not be killed because of your race, chopped to death with a machete because of the tribe you were born into.  THAT IS A REALITY FOR SOME PEOPLE.  You will have never and will never fear starvation EVERY DAY.  EVERY DAY! That is a reality for a large number of people.  You will never be stoned to death for breaking a law.  You will never be told that you are allowed only one child.  That is a reality elsewhere.  And you know this.  We all know these things but we never or rarely actually think of them in terms of our own blessings.  Those are news events.  Those are things that happen, we know, but somewhere over there in the abstract world on the other side of our television or computer.  But those are people's day to day realities.  Every day.  Roving bands of soldier children killing rival tribesmen and women.  Oppressive governments dictating religion, children, activities.  Food shortages.  Water shortages.  Rampant political assassinations.  Drug lords with the power to order murders of politicians and law enfourcement.  And on and on.  These, in varying degrees, are realities for a greater part of the world.  The world is a chaotic place.  You were born into a safety net.  I believe it is our resposibility not  just to appreciate that safety net but to act accordingly. 

We are a nation of complainers.  We have been given so much that WE EXPECT HANDOUTS.  We expect everything to be easy.  We expect our government to take care of us.  I believe that our true resposibility is to act like the privelaged humans we are, to act with a sense of civil responsibility, to act with a humble pride.  To be thankful that we are blessed and to take advantage of those blessings.  You, as a citizen of this country, are born with the ability to paint your own picture, to design your own life.  Understand that, for the most part, that simply doesn't exist in the rest of the world.  You can be the son or daughter of an immigrant and become a millionaire.  It happens ALL THE TIME.  And yes, some people have a tougher road than others.  Some are born with a silver spoon in their mouth.  But in most of the world, only those born with a silver spoon will bear children with silver spoons.  No matter how rich or poor you were as a child, you can become wealthy.  You can.  It might take work.  It might take LOTS OF WORK.  But if that's what you dedicate yourself to, it will happen.  That doesn't mean that if you want to be rich, you will.  You have to be willing to work.  Even more important, it's ok if that's not your goal because we have enough wealth, we have built a country whose foundation is so strong, that you will not go without even if you choose to pursue things other than wealth.  In some places you either fight to survive or you die.  In some places even if you fight tooth a nail every second, you die anyway.  Here you can be lazy AND fat.  Think about it.  The fact that fat and lazy are synonomous says something about our culture.  In many places, if you are lazy you are certainly not fat and you may not be alive. 

There are many complaints about this country.  Foreign policy.  Health care.  Education.  Disparity between rich and poor.  There are things we could do better.  And you know what? THERE ALWAYS WILL BE.  No human is perfect.  Certainly no country ever will be.  NO COUNTRY.  But what we have is as close as it's ever come.  IN HISTORY.  You need to appreciate it.  I've heard America called evil by its OWN CITIZENS.  Clearly they've studied neither history nor current events.  The world is full of danger.  Of inequality.  Of limited opportunity.  Our country is the land of opportunity.  Work hard and continue to work hard in the face of failure and eventually your work will pay off.  Things fall apart, in this country and only in this country, when you've given up.  And even then, there is opportunity for rebirth, to rise up again and stand tall.  Nowhere else. 

Realize how much you love this country.  Realize how much it has done for you.  Realize how blessed you are.  Realize that even in hard times, better times can and usually will come.  Realize that you can work to become great. You can work to become greater than you are.  Realize that your children can stand on a higher plateau than you.  Realize all this and act accordingly.  You have a responsibility, a responsibility to respect our history and present and to work hard in respect of our future and that of your children.

The opportunity is there.  It is always there.  Do you want it and more importantly, are you willing to work for it?

 

Blogging about Texas High School Football

12/9/2019 9:24:39 AM Link |  | Add comment

Last week my marketing manager told me a fantastic story about the power of blogs.  His sister, a new mother, wrote a blog that set off a train of speculation and intrigue!  She was at home with her son when a producer from Friday Night Lights - a NBC television series about Texas High School football filmed here in Austin - knocked on the door.  He wanted to know if the series could film parts of an episode at her house.  Why?  Because a character was going to have a baby and start a day-care out of her house.  My marketing manager's sister's house fit.  She wrote about the experience in her blog.

The next day, she noticed that her blog, previously only viewed by her friends and family, had become immensely popular nationwide.  She followed some comments posted to her blog to a Friday Night Lights discussion board.  There, fans of the show had decoded the event and determined that indeed, so and so was going to have a baby (as they'd suspected!) and start a day-care out of her house.  I can't think of a better illustration of the power of blogs.  How can you apply this to your business?  Be creative.

What this shows is that dynamic content creates web traffic.  Blog about your products and services (and be sure to include key terms and phrases that might be used by web searches).  But also blog outside the box!  Blog about your experience and how it connects to your business.  You never know who might end up on your website and become a customer (or how you might fuel speculation)!

Whether you be a stay at home mom, a business owner (or both), a blog will being traffic to your website!

Internet Advertising 101

12/9/2019 9:24:39 AM Link |  | Add comment

By now, pretty much every business has a website.  A good portion of those sites, look great.  But as any fourth grader can tell you, “don’t judge a book by its cover.”  In the end, it’s all about function.  Good looks are not enough.  Fortunately, using your website to bring business through your door is not all that complicated (assuming you have the right tools).  It just takes some effort. As with most everything, the more effort you put in (and the better your structure), the better will be the results.  If your website isn’t generating the business you’d like it to, here’s a few tips:

1)    Collect Information.  Your website must have an information request function.  This will allow interested visitors to input their names and pertinent information.  A good website, like a Levelfield website, will have a sales management system that stores those leads and allows you to act upon them.  Ways to use the info will be discussed below. 

2)    Act Immediately.  The quicker you follow-up on an information request, the better chance of it becoming business.  Use the info you get from interested parties and call.  Yes, the phone is a part of internet advertising!

3)    Send a Regular Newsletter.  This is a way to reach existing and potential customers, both equally important in marketing.  Make the newsletter pertinent (if you need to have more than one newsletter to address more than one market, do), informative, engaging and helpful.  You want to offer more than a product or service.  You want to better people’s lives, regardless of what it is you do.  Make the newsletter do this.  If you are a dietician, give eating tips.  If you have a mattress store, talk about the advantages of different types of mattresses for different types of problems.  Also, make sure you advertise specials, sales, open houses, etc.  Give your customers something they can use.  Give potential customers a reason to use you. 

4)    Blog.  Blogging, short for web-logging, is all the rage and for good reason.  It serves you in two important ways.  First, it is personal.  People like personal.  We don’t get out as much as we should.  We sit in front of computers and at desks.  A blog is a conversation.  It is anecdotal.  You tell stories in a blog.  You tell why you are in your business, what drives you.  If you own a furniture store, you write about your grandfather’s rocking chair and the memories it conjures.  If you own a staffing company, you write about a particular company or person you helped.  Believe it or not, that might not be the most important function about a blog.  Search Engines love blogs!  Google, Yahoo, etc., love changing and constantly updated content.  It brings them to your site over and over again.  The more you update your blog, the more they stop by your site.  Further, it gives search engines unusual ways to find your site.  If you’re that furniture store owner and you blog about your grandfather eating apple pie in his rocking chair, someone might stumble onto your website by searching for “apple pie.”  That is the beauty of the blog. 

5)    Don’t clutter your website.  While search engines love content, too much is too much.  All the time, I see websites with lots of great information that nobody in their right mind would ever want to read.  People hate clutter.  Be simple.  Be visual.  Get to the point.  No content is bad.  Too much is worse.  Find equilibrium.  Keep your site neat, balancing visuals with pertinent information.  This won’t help bring people to your site but it will keep them interested once there.

6)    Advertise your website.  I find it amazing when I get a business card or read a billboard or brochure with no website listed.  Assuming you have a good website, a functional website, you should want people there.  Make sure your website is on all your promotional materials.  This should be a no-brainer but you’d be surprised!

There are literally hundreds of ways to market and advertise online.  These are just a few, just the basics.  Fact is though, if you focus on these, use them well, with persistence and discipline you will see results.  Remember, the internet is all about communication.  A website is not a brochure.  It should be interactive, evolving and dynamic…more than a  pretty face.
 

Passion Makes Small Business Go

12/9/2019 9:24:39 AM Link |  | Add comment

Marketing a small business takes passion.  Owning a small business demands it.  If you’ve lost the enthusiasm for your business, take a step back, breath, then jump back in full force.  The second you get comfortable and relaxed, your business will start to slip.  That doesn’t mean you have to be on edge and anxious.  Rather, it means that for your business to succeed, you must attack each and every day with zest.  Otherwise, maybe you weren’t meant to be a small business owner. 

Being a small business owner isn't about being comfortable and reasonable.  It's about being a doer, having a vision and making it happen.  Owning a small business is a challenge.  It can be rewarding but it will never be easy.  When your business struggles, you'll be told, "be reasonable...why dont' you get a real job?"  I've heard it myself.  Reasonable people produce limited results.

"The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself.  Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man," wrote George Bernard Shaw

Go out and be unreasonable.  Make things happen and enjoy it.  Your business will thrive!

What should I blog about?

12/9/2019 9:24:39 AM Link |  | Add comment

A lot of business owners have no idea what they should actually blog about.  You know you have a blog option on your Levelfield website but "what," you say, "would I ever write about?  I own a restaurant" or an HR Company or a Furniture Store. 

First of all, understand what blogs are for.  Blogs are another way to take advantage of the internet and reach customers.  Blogs are internet marketing tools.  You want people to find your website.  Two sentences ago, I included the phrase "internet marketing tools."  I want people interested in internet marketing tools to find Levelfield's website so I made the phrase part of this blog entry.  There's lots of people out there advertising internet marketing tools though so a more refined, narrowed group of words might make this blog entry stand out even more.  Perhaps I should point out that we're an Austin web design company, that we offer powerful online tools for small businesses, that we're located on Jollyville Road, etc.

But enough about Levelfield. 

What should you write about?  One, just write.  Search Engines like content and they like content that is always changing.  So start writing. Two, make it interesting and relevent to your client base.  

If you have a restaurant website, give out a recipe occassionally.  Don't worry, nobody is going to make it is good as you.  It'll only leave them clamouring for the real deal.  Write about what makes your restaurant so special, the experience you're trying to give your customers, your experience in the restaurant business. 

If you have an Office Supply Website, write about quality office supplies, what seperates good and bad products, whatever you'd like your customers to know about you, the way you view your business, the way you balance your small-business and your family. 

If you have an acupuncture website or a chiropractic website, share some valuable health tips.  Teach them ways to help themselves.  By providing worthwhile information, you'll increase your own credibility.  Credibility feeds business!

Blog to talk to potential customers and to bring in business.  Don't be shy.  Just write.  You'll increase your web presence, you'll improve your credibility and over time, you'll increase your bottom line. 

Make it count!

12/9/2019 9:24:39 AM Link |  | Add comment

As the end of the month nears businesses typically scramble to close sales and pump up the numbers. Its all in the details. Don't fall short on your product, your business or your goals simply by striving to satisfy an immediate need. Its in the little things that projects and products fail. If you miss out on the details in the harried moments at the end of a month you'll surely forget an important step, an important product detail for the customer. Strive to close months with a bang but more importantly strive for a bang to end out each and every day. The last three days of a month matter little if the overall big picture has been neglected. Three days cannot make up for 28 other days you failed to try. Just like in my last post, there is enough time every day for everything important. Make time to sell your products and to highlight the importance the best and right way to potential customers. Strive to be the best at all times in business. If just one potential customer sees you less than your best than you have failed them and your product and may miss out on an important deal. Be the best for your business every moment of every month, make every moment, every sale, every dollar and every goal...count!!!

Pace Yourself

12/9/2019 9:24:39 AM Link |  | Add comment

Its always a good time to remember to pace yourself in life.

Should I constantly work at a manic pace in an attempt to accomplish too many projects at once? Or should I  work at my own pace without forcing action? At which pace do I enjoy life more?

Whatever will be...will. Whatever is meant to happen...will. Regardless of whether I'm rushing time or not, the next logical step of any process in my life will be taken. Even if its a huge business deal, whatever is meant to be will happen in its own time. So why force myself to run in circles when the outcome will be the outcome regardless of the pace I set.

All the weight is not on my shoulders alone. There are many other influences that affect the outcomes; other parties, the time & cost of doing business, paperwork. If a business deal or transaction occurs within my set time frame, that is great.  Regardless of timing, I'll continue with my next chosen course of action to benefit my business, my family and my life.

Enjoy life beyond your predictions, regardless of timing.

So You Want To Be Number 1 On Google: Part II

12/9/2019 9:24:39 AM Link |  | Add comment

If your following my directions from my previous Number 1 on Google post, you're still blogging...

To aid you in this new found venture to be at the top of the Google website listings. Here are a few more suggestions...

Write about what you are doing in your business. If you are restructuring your referral program for your customers then blog about it. If you are establishing a referral program that benefits your customers for the very first time then blog about it. Here at Levelfield we are launching a new referral campaign and I am blogging about it. 

Our marketing manager looked at our budget and realized we're spending a lot of money with outside firms to drive new leads for our business and we've decided that the people who matter most, our customers aren't getting enough benefits. We've upgraded our referral program to offer two options, $75 checks or 3 months of free service. The best part is that our customers choose the option they prefer. Previously we haven't offered an option as to free money versus free service but we're changing the campaign to allow for that. If your not a customer of Levelfield or OnlineAgency you probably wont receive an insert with the "Meet Amanda. She's here to give you money!" referral campaign included with your invoice but we're giving you the chance to get referral money also. You don't have to be one of our customers to refer a great one, if you know someone who is in need of a website and you refer them to us you'll also be eligible for the $75 check. It pays to refer those in need of a website and we'll send you a check to prove it! Check it out!

Back to the business at hand, Google and everyone's goal to overachieve and be number one. Remember there are millions of searches and millions of #1's so maybe in fact you are #1 and you don't know you are. Does your website have a reporting tool that shows you how searchers are finding you? My last post was about the Hilux (I originally spelled in Helux) truck and how a misspelled word got me a high ranking on Google for a 'helux truck' someone who wasn't initially looking for my company found my website. Since my update on my incorrect spelling I've recognized that my website has a lot to teach me about who's looking and what's driving their searches.

So what else has my website reporting tool taught me? If you Google the question 'how do travel agents make money?' the #4 link you'll see references Levelfield's referral program (as of 2/28/08). Not an obviously place to find the answer to your google question but it is a way for travel agents to make money so the appropriate links have been made.

To come full circle my website reporting tool also taught me, if you Google the phrase 'simple referral program' the #3 link is my Clarity blog (as of 2/28/08). At some point I mentioned "By creating a simple referral program you can create a highly productive marketing system" and this mention led my blog to be a high ranking on Google for 'simple referral program'.

What has your website taught you about the traffic coming to your site?

So you want to be Number 1 on Google

12/9/2019 9:24:39 AM Link |  | Add comment

Let's say you are a travel agent. You want to be number one on Google in all Travel related searches.

If you really wanted to set your goals high, I'm here to offer you free advice on exactly how to achieve this.

Google the word, travel.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Here's your competition...
2 Billion other travel related websites (As of 2pm Central Time; about 2,010,000,000 for travel)

Who's the current number one? Yahoo; of course.

If you plan to compete with this number one spot on Google here's your next step...
 
Do a simple site search on Google, site:travel.yahoo.com to find out how many unique pages are being fed into this website so you can truly understand what your competition has that you may or may not have. (As of 2pm Central Time; about 7,860,000 for site:travel.yahoo.com) Your competition has almost 8 million pages of travel content and (I'm just guessing here) you do not.

How do you compete???
Its a two step process:
1. First, you must build 7,860,000+ pages of unique travel-related content. In other words, its time to start blogging A LOT!
2. Second, get out your checkbook its time to spend as much if not more money than Yahoo on internet marketing. I hope you have that kind of money...

After all is said and done, you've created close to 8 million new pages of travel content and you've spent millions of dollars in your marketing budget. After all this time and money you might have a chance to be #1 on Google!

This was free advice, I offer no guarantees. Simply something to consider when you set your SEO goals.

The Value of Your Dollar.

12/9/2019 9:24:39 AM Link |  | Add comment

Regardless of the current economy or the value of the American Dollar against the British Pound or the Euro, your money is the value you make it. I recently started considering the purchase of a new notebook computer. Little did I know that the value of my dollars was in what I truly needed in a computer versus what my instincts were marketed to in needing. We normally strive for the biggest and best regardless of expense. Consider vehicles (gas mileage) and college (tuition). When they can easily replace the other with little value displaced. Purpose of use versus the underlying reputation of having the biggest and best to prove something to someone.

If the computer manufacturer had their way I would spend the maximum amount of money on a brand new notebook that would be outdated and out-modeled with the latest and greatest the first day I used it. I would buy a computer that could do anything and everything regardless of my intended use for it. Technology is incentivized these days especially in the market for computers. Buy all of these certain upgrades and receive ANOTHER free printer or last year's edition of the latest and greatest digital camera. Are these incentives necessary and do they bring a greater value to what you originally intended on purchasing? I needed a new notebook with updated technology, I was never seeking a printer but the incentive tries to offer me more value...or does it devalue the notebook I was seeking? Its always important to consider the overall value of what you need versus what you are offered. If you are offered more value than what your dollar is worth (to you) then you've got a steal. But if you are spending your valuable dollars on features that aren't useful to you for your intentions than the value is wasted.

The value of the technologies you invest in should be considered in respect to the business you can produce from it or what you get out of the expenditure. I may spend a lot more than the base price for a notebook computer but the upgrades and/or the add-ons that are valuable to me allows my work to be more productive and effective. So it isn't the functionality of the technology  but what I use it for that creates its value to me.

When you spend money on any new technology consider the value of the dollars you spent on it, the value you've given to the money you've spent. Not the current markets value. Your hard earned money in business is all the blood, sweat and tears you put into achieving and earning each and every dollar. Don't just get your money out of an expenditure, get your value out of it. Get the value you place on your earnings out of each and every purchase you make, for business or otherwise. The meaning is in the value not in the dollar.

Consider a picture of a camel in a Helux Toyota truck. If this image is too hard to picture in your mind, feel free to image search "camel in truck" to find one. Would a super duty truck be of value to a driver with this kind of cargo? The value of this truck is in its specific use. If you are in the camel transport business this is a high value product!

Optimize for $19.95

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Have you ever fallen victim to one of these Search Engine Optimization claims? They offer to teach you everything you need to know about optimizing your website to get more traffic to your business' site. In the end you find out a bunch of lousy information that will hurt, not help, your search rankings.

There is no easy way to "optimize" your website for any purpose. It takes a lot of time and effort to get your website up and running to its maximum capacity.

Adding invisible links is not how you can drive more traffic to your business. It just doesn't work. I won't sit here and support that tactic and neither will the major players in Search Engines, i.e. Google. In fact some of the tactics mentioned throughout the internet as blacklisted SEO tactics just don't cut it and will actually get your website flagged. It simply doesn't do the job. Click Here to Find Out More.

The name of the game in SEOs is unique content. Produce unique content and you might have a win in the SEO game. But the only way to get that unique content is to do some work. Don't sit idle as your website becomes outdated. Consistently review the information on your website making it relevant to your business, Today!

One word...BLOG. Blog until you can't think anymore. Create a topic grab bag, pull from it when you get lost for a topic. Talk about what you did last weekend. The funny thing your youngest child told you yesterday. Relate everything in your life to your business. Make connections that mean something to yourself and make them relevant for other people. Make others care about what you are saying. Drive them to revisit your website again, and again, and again. Make your blogging consistent.

Nothing is accomplished that betters your business without hard work.  Accomplishing your search engine goals won't magically happen with shortcuts. Look deep into the day-to-day operation of you and write about it. Work hard for your website and developing its content.  The harder you work to create a robust up-to-date web space the harder your website will work driving traffic to your business.

The moral of the optimizing story for your business...

Adding content works. Adding more robust and unique content works even better.

Focus on Fundamentals

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Working on your fundamentals is a key element of your daily activities as well as business. I've recently discovered that focusing on fundamentals and being persistent in your efforts is foundational to achievement. I have been involved in some form of organized soccer or running for the last thirty years and throughout this time I have hit the peaks of fitness and the valleys of decadence. On December 24th I attended my first Bikram yoga class. My reasoning for doing so was to increase my flexibility to help improve my soccer playing ability and to allow myself the ability to run pain free. Flexible muscles would provide me less soreness and less chance to become hurt or injured. Yoga would also provide me with a way to work on fitness fundamentals that I may have neglected in the past. I took a chance and partook in something that I normally would not participate in order to focus on longevity and fitness fundamentals. Today will be Day 17 of Yoga Class (in a row).

On Day 13 I had a breakthrough as I was listening to the instructor and she said, "Focus on breathing as it is the foundation of yoga". Historically I have been quite inflexible but during this breakthrough in class I focused on breathing and I was able to maintain a pose that seemed implausible for my body to achieve on each of the previous days. The Fixed Firm Pose and the element of breathing was my breakthrough.

Look to see what is fundamental to your business and focus on this to achieve your breakthrough. "Where does your money come from?" Improve this through focus and persistence and you will impact your bottom line. My new focus for 2008 is the foundation of my business: the size of the network. We are a small business and in order to achieve an impact to our bottom line we need to focus on our strength as a business, our large network of clients. We've recently hired someone dedicated to marketing because it helps us focus on what is fundamental to our business. Marketing to our existing clientele and our existing network will allow us to build on our fundamentals to reach our next breakthrough.

Jude Samson
President
Levelfield  Inc.

Step-by-Step Work Your Plan

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It's the time of year to reflect on the old and look forward to the new. Another year is almost past and we're trained to be nostalgic about what we did and did not accomplish in 2007. Lets learn from our failures and accomplishments and expand our plan for 2008.

If you don't have a specific measurable plan for your business than you are preemptively planning on failure for the New Year.

Lets discuss the idea of a plan in business. A business plan is nearly worthless if there aren't specific measurements in place to quantify a business' success. You make it or break it according to revenue and income. If there is no plan in place acknowledging revenue sources and where your customers are coming from, your business will fail faster than it is started. Beyond that, a business without a plan is an investor's nightmare. 

It's important to break down your plan step by step. The degree to which you break it down into simple steps has cumulative effects on the overall goal. You should always plan your work and work your plan so that you have something more to strive for. Don't set unreachable goals for yourself and your business. Set smaller achievable goals that leave you striving for more.

As in business I look at day-to-day activities with specific goals in mind. One of my daily activities/hobbies is running. I enjoy running. As an activity, running doesn't sap my enthusiasm as it does for others. I love to run. I never run until I'm tired; I run until I have something more to give so that I look forward to my next run.

Set goals in business that reflect your overall plan and are an integral part of your success. Make sure that you always have more to give your business so you can look forward to your next successful goal achievement.

Jude Samson
President
Levelfield, Inc.

Spend Quality Time with Your Website

12/9/2019 9:24:39 AM Link |  | Add comment

Not only should we be constantly building relationships with those around us in our personal and professional life we need to stay in tune with our products and our marketing tactics.

Get to know your website and build a relationship with it. Your website is your face on the web. For many of your customers it’s their first point of contact with you and your business. Treat your website like you would yourself and constantly maintain its upkeep. Nothing says “I don’t have time to care for my business” than an unmaintained window to the virtual world.

Much like an interview that makes or breaks your entry into a company, your website can have the same effect on your current and potential customers. The web-face of a company on a website can legitimate the company to its consumers or if it doesn’t meet certain standards of the technologically savvy consumer generation it can distract from a companies legitimacy.

Many business owners reference the fact that time is limited and there are only so many hours in a day to do business let alone to work on a website. Make your website a priority. Make time for building and maintaining your website. Investing time and effort into your online façade will help you promote and validate your company to important early adopters, trendsetters and potential customers who judge your business by the company you keep on the web.

Learn how to blog. Take your most random thoughts and create unique content for your website, put it out their for your customers and search engines to pour over. Blogging on a Levelfield, Inc./Online Agency Site is one of the easiest ways to update unique content and save you time.

Relate to your customer through a consistent relationship with your website. Just like your car, your website deserves and needs regularly schedule maintenance. Create more bang for your online marketing buck and utilize your website and its features to the best of its ability.

Jude Samson
President
Levelfield, Inc.

The gift of an invitation

12/9/2019 9:24:39 AM Link |  | Add comment

I have 4 amazing children. I have realized that my children and I don't share many interests. I would like to do fun stuff with them but most of the things they want to do are not fun for me. I had almost given up on things that I enjoyed doing  with my children. I  was happy to participate with them in activities that they enjoyed.

Every Tuesday morning I go to a breakfast meeting. During the meeting I shared my passion for Soccer. One of my friends Darrell Logterman mentioned that his daughter  Stephanie Logterman plays soccer for the University of Texas Longhorns and that I should go watch a game.

I went to a game with 2 of my children. We had a wonderful time. I had finally found something all my children enjoy doing together. We are going to another one today. I will have my  wife's van and take 4 of my kids with 2 of their friends to the game. I bought a few  tickets and have a friend and his 3 kids meet us there. Last week I took 3 business associates to a soccer game.

As a person that usually avoids parties and large social gatherings I have found something that helps me nurture  and build the relationship with my children and also business contacts in a setting I enjoy.

The next time someone invites you to something consider it carefully before choosing... You never know....

Our latest niche: Vacation Homes

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I have missed writing for the last few months. First quarter 2007 has been extremely busy. We have been working hard to add to our product line and making significant software and hardware infrastructure upgrades.

Another thing that we've added is support for vacation homes and we are developing websites and offering distribution for these hot vacation properties. We want to make sure that no matter what kind of vacation your customers are planning you have the ability to provide them with a memorable experience.

If you have a vacation home for rent and you pay commissions, we a special offer for you. You can list your vacation home for 6 months and have it distributed to thousands of travel agency sites. Now vacation planners will have thousands of different ways to find Your vacation property to help you keep it full year round. There will be no charge for the listings for the first 6 months. After that the regular fee is $249.00. Also the first 10 properties that we receive will be listed free for 2 years. (Limit one per customer). We'll even load the data for you. If you buy advertising you know that this is a great offer.

Remember this special offer is open to OnlineAgency(TM) and Levelfield(TM) customers and will provide thousands of new ways for vacation planners to find your property. If you have a property you wish to list send an email to support@onlineagency.com (or just reply to this newsletter) with your questions.

Commitment..is a Verb

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Add Unique Content - Get Found on Search Engines

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Restaurant Websites - Our Latest Niche

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Levelfield's Approach to Website Design

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At our core we believe that websites should be simple and functional. It’s important to have a professional looking website that presents the proper image. This look should be consistent throughout the entire site. Beyond this basic requirement it’s more important that the site be designed with the user in mind. Most people visiting a website are there to get information. Can they easily get to the information they need? Is the navigation simple and easy to understand? If they need more information can they quickly request that information online or find the appropriate contact information for someone who can help?

Websites aren’t meant to be static. They should have current and up to date information. Our platform allows anyone who is comfortable using Microsoft Word or Outlook to easily update and work on their website. We provide free training and support so that everyone from the administrative employees to the executive staff can make any changes they need to the website. We also include capabilities for a searchable online calendar, blogs, photo galleries and more. All so that an organization can work together to keep their website up to date and provide the most current information to visitors.

Communication is also important. We have several tools built into our product that help our customers communicate with their own customer base. Everything from an e-mail newsletter capability to RSS feeds and other syndication tools can be used to distribute information.

It’s also important to understand what is and isn’t working on a website over time. That’s why we provide a set of comprehensive reporting tools that will tell you how many times each page on your website has been viewed, and how many people have requested information from that page. This helps our customers to determine if they have irrelevant information on their website. The reporting will also show where all of the web traffic is coming from, how many visitors are looking at the site, and which search terms are being used to find their website.

Take a look at your website. Does it measure up?

Jude Samson
President
Levelfield, Inc.

Creating an Environment to Recognize Miracles

12/9/2019 9:24:39 AM Link |  | Add comment

An awful lot of success is determined by your thinking and your actions. When those things are aligned success is much more possible. If they’re not aligned then failure is almost certain.

If you’re truly committed then the right people will show up when you need them. You’ll be talking about the things you want and people will be drawn to you and those ideas.

You must have clarity on where you want to get and what you want to accomplish, your motives must be pure (that means everybody benefits). Then God will provide the right person to talk to who will help you take the next step.

If you take the next step then the next person will be provided as long as your motives are pure and you’re always willing to try to help someone else.

Every time I have this level of clarity in my life then the right people are provided. I owe much of my own success to this effect.

Here’s what you need to ask yourself:

1. Are my motives clear?
2. Does everybody concerned win?
3. Am I truly focused and committed?

Focus your thinking. What are you committed to achieving for yourself?

Jude Samson
President
Levelfield, Inc.

I'm so proud of Jeannie: My Wife, Mother of 4 and Triathlete!

12/9/2019 9:24:39 AM Link |  | Add comment

My wife, Jeannie, is truly an amazing woman. In addition to being my wife and the mother to four children she is a pretty incredible athlete.

I'll be talking more about Jeannie in the next couple of weeks. For now here are a few highlights from the last few years. You can see that good hard consistent training over time really pays off!

• 2006 Highlights

• Corpus Christi Triathlon-1st overall
• Texas State Triathlon- 2nd overall
• Cactus Challenge Triathlon-2nd overall
• Capital texas Triathlon-3rd overall
• Danskin Triathlon-1st overall
• National Championships  10th overall (Bike Crash)

• 2005 Highlights

• Splash Triathlon, Sea World, San Antonio, TX - 1st Overall
• Texas State Triathlon - Canyon Lake, TX - 5th Overall - A G Win
• Cactus Challenge Triathlon - Austin, TX - 3rd Overall
• Capital of Texas Triathlon - Austin, TX - 7th Overall - A G Win
• Danskin Women's Triathlon - Austin, TX - 4th Overall-took wrong turn 
• Ironhead Dallas Triathlon - Grand Prairie, TX -  1st Overall
• Cinco Ranch Triathlon - Katy, TX - 4th Overall, A G Win

• 2004 Highlights

• Danskin Women's Triathlon - Austin, TX- 10th overall - A G Win
• Ironhead Dallas Triathlon - Grand Prairie, TX - A G Win
• Dilloman Triathlon - Austin, TX - 2nd Overall, A G Win

Jeannie - Wife - Mother Writer _ Triathlete

Clearly her consistent effort over the last 2 years is really starting to pay off. Your efforts in your own small business are no different. It’s just a matter of doing those things that will make you successful consistently over time. There will be days that doing those behaviors will be particularly difficult. The rewards come when you push through those days, and put in the miles anyway.

I’m sure there’s something in your life that you’re great at. If you look at why you are so good in this area it’s probably because you’ve put in consistent effort over many years.

This principle applies to all areas of your life. If there’s something else you’d like to be great at, just apply the same principles to this new area. You will get excellent there too!

Start becoming great today. Decide what you need to do everyday to get there, and do it!

Jude Samson
President
Levelfield, Inc.

Follow-up: Polite Persistence = More Sales

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How many times do you call to follow-up when you're working with one of your sales prospects? For most sales people the answer is: not enough. You don't have to be a stalker, you just have to be polite and persistent.

The people you're calling on are just like you. They're busy and have lots to do between work, family and everything else they're involved in. That means you can't just give up after one or two phone calls.

Now I'm not saying you should keep calling and harassing someone who's not interested in what you sell. If someone tells you 'no' respect them and move on to your next call.

Making a one call close is always great, but most of the time you're going to need to speak with your prospect several times before you're able to close the deal. Here at Levelfield we always finish our sales calls by asking when we can follow-up next. Then we do! That's the most important part. If someone tells you to call them back tomorrow, call them back tomorrow. If they ask you to touch base with them in 2 months, touch base with them in 2 months. Be polite and persistent and you'll close more sales.

You'll be surprised how many of these potential customers will thank you for your persistence. They know they can count on you to do what you say you're going to do. They know that the way you treat them before the sale is probably the way you're going to treat them after the sale. Now you've earned their business.

Pick up the phone right now and call 3 prospects you haven't followed up with in a while... After you're done with that, call 3 more!

Jude Samson
President
Levelfield, Inc.

Are you Inspired?

12/9/2019 9:24:39 AM Link |  | Add comment

Are you inspired by your business? If you are your chances for success are much higher. Putting in the 80-100 hour weeks to build a great company won’t even seem like work if you’re truly inspired.

What about the people that work with you? Are they inspired about their work and your business? If they’re not the work they do for you is going to seem like a chore to them. They’ll drag themselves to work everyday, do the minimum acceptable amount of work and repeat this slog day in and day out. Their results are going to be far less than inspiring.

Learn what motivates you and your staff. When you’re inspired and passionate about what you do your results are going to be incredible. You’ll be able to get through the tough times, not stopped by them.

What inspires you? Write it down and share it on your website or your own small business blog.

Jude Samson
President
Levelfield, Inc.

Make Your Referral Program Simple

12/9/2019 9:24:39 AM Link |  | Add comment

1 New Customer

12/9/2019 9:24:39 AM Link |  | Add comment

How much is just 1 new customer worth to you?

Don’t just think of a new customer as that one sale. What is the lifetime value of a good relationship with a new customer? Too often we fail to look beyond that first sale.

Depending on your business just 1 new customer can be worth tens, even hundreds of thousands of dollars. Think beyond the first one or two sales. Consider the full value of the relationship you can build with that one customer over the lifetime of that business relationship. First they probably represent at least one or two sales each year as they continue to use your product or service. If you can maintain that relationship for 5, 10 even 20 years that new customer begins to represent some pretty significant value… and that’s just the beginning.

Having a good relationship with that customer can go far beyond the value of their own business. What if they were to refer just 1 of their friends to you ever year? That relationship just got a heck of a lot more valuable didn’t it? If you really cultivate that relationship that may just be the beginning. We have some incredible individuals who refer us 1-2 new customers every month!

Come back again. Next time we’ll talk about how to build a referral program to accelerate the growth of your business through the best kind of marketing – Word of Mouth.

Now pick up that phone and get 1 new customer today!

Jude Samson
President
Levelfield, Inc.