Wednesday’s - Idea of the week
Published on 4 Jul 2007 at 3:29 pm.
No Comments.
Filed under Tracy Rambling.
Well howdee or yeehaw! How is that for showing the true Calgary Stampede heart.
 It’s here, the Calgary Stampede, the place where you are going to network network network! There will be breakfasts, (so they say!), lunch’s, barbecues and of course the good ole outdoor celebrations.
While you are networking you must remember that this is not a “formal” network event, nobody that is truly celebrating Stampede wants to be inundated with questions and “schmoozing”. This is when you meet grab a business card and clink your beer! The hard part of the networking is to remember who you spoke with at the end of the night. So here are my suggestions for that;
1/ make sure you are loaded on your business cards
2/have lots of your promotional pens discreetly hid away (maybe under your must have cowboy hat!) (of course you went and purchased promotional items for this event such as pens, stickers, golf tees, beer cozies - something with your name on it!)
3/use your new contacts name during your conversation (better chance of remembering who they are)
4/make sure to get their business card, then with your promotional pen (that every one will love when they see it, so will ask for one because part of this Stampede event is to get as many promotional items that one can!) write on the back of the card a simple description of what your contact does, looks like and anything special they may have mentioned.
5/finally, the dreaded Monday following stampede, organize yourself and then blast out emails to all those contacts asking how their Stampede season went and that you look forward to chatting in the future.
There you have it! Go and enjoy Stampede and I shall converss with you after the Stampede season is over as I to must go and do my networking - Lets see who can get the most promotional items!
Have fun and Yeehaw!
Cowboy Tracy
Wednesday’s - Interview with Steve Neilly
Published on 20 Jun 2007 at 2:29 pm.
No Comments.
Filed under Ideas, Tracy Rambling.
Good Afternoon Mr. Neilly,
I would like to start off by introducing my self and my purpose for this interview.
My name is Tracy and I am the author of a website blog that caters to Calgary Business’s.
I feel that it is important for the business community to know that there is a place that they can learn,
vent and share ideas. A place that hopefully they will realize that they are not alone in the issues that
the Calgary market faces such as employment, sustainability in employees, cost of living ect.
Thank you for providing the time for me to interview you and learn more of what you do.
 What made you want to start on this venture of starting this company?
1) Desire to be my own boss,
2) Recognized a need in the business world for our services and a lack of qualified competition
3) found a partner that was enthusiastic and shared a vision for the new business.
 What is record management?
These days, we refer to it more as Information Management (people tend to think of records only as paper
 and forget about electronic records). So first let me define a record:Â
Record means recorded information, regardless of media or format, which demonstrates or is evidence of a
transaction of business and is in the custody or under the control of a Company.
Information Management is the application of systematic control over records throughout their life cycle,
including but not limited to forms and manuals management, records inventorying, filing systems development
 and implementation, file maintenance procedures development, filing equipment selection, and records scheduling
and disposition.
What is the “perception†of what you do verse what you do?
We (records people) are perceived as paper pushers or file clerks.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Information Managers are managers and should be sitting at the board table.
CDS has the knowledge to analyze a business from the inside out, linking systems and information,
finding duplicated effort, and putting in place the controls for today’s most valuable commodity – information.
Information Managers are the I in IT. That is, Information Managers deal with the information itself while
IT departments take care of the technology (hardware and software).
What is a key note that any business owner needs to learn?
Network, network, network, it’s one of the best ways to make business contacts.
And, if our company could tell all other companies one thing, it’s:
put in place a system of controlling your information that covers the complete lifecycle of the information.
This will help with legislative compliance, litigation risk management and efficient storage and retrieval of
information.
 What is the down side of record management? Is there one?
Like any system, there are up front costs to establishing a complete system.
However, there are returns to be realized: staff time reductions for information management,
reduction of lost files, quicker access to complete client information, reduction in duplication of information,
and more.
 Where can a business owner go to get help?
Joining the local Chamber of Commerce is a good place, so are professional associations
for your particular industry.
 Do you have a website that customers may go to?
We do, www.teamcdsi.com
 Do you offer any training, sessions, advice ect?
CDS is developing training sessions to provide companies with an overview of what an
Information management system is, as well as individualized training session to meet targeted needs.
 Is there anything else that you would to add?
CDS offers services that include Information Management consulting (all media),
off-site scanning services, off-site records warehousing, in-house or external training and privacy
law compliance consulting.
 Thank you for your time and I look forward to seeing you in the future.
Sincerely
Tracy
Monday’s Week in Review
Published on 18 Jun 2007 at 3:11 pm.
No Comments.
Filed under Tracy Rambling.
Wow, thankfully the wet weather seems to have left us and we can move on with some summer activities.
Last week I attended the Calgary Vipers game, what an amazing event! Not only was the ball awesome but the opportunity for marketing was huge! This is one thing that I will be looking into to see how much it is to get my name up on the outfield boards. Think about it, your sitting in the stands, game has gotten a little boring and you start looking around. Where does your eye naturally go? To all the smart business’s that realize this golden opportunity - The outfield boards! Plus not only does your name appear on the outfield boards, but it is also in the program for everyone to view AGAIN!
Your name is read over and over again during the game, which can last 4 hours! Who could ask for more monopolized time of your consumer?!
Well that is my quick tidbit for today, looking forward to Wednesdays article.
Remember, let me know what you think!
Till later
Tracy
Upcomming events!
Published on 14 Jun 2007 at 8:18 pm.
No Comments.
Filed under Looking Forward, Tracy Rambling.
Wow, just checked out the Chamber of Commerce site and there is an awesome event comming to Calgary on June 21, Mike Cordoba the CEO of Boston Pizza is going to talk on how they have survived the hot Alberta Market. If you have been to BP lately then you know that they are doing quite well. The service is still there unlike some restaurants.
For all you business women out there, Womenspages.ca has some great networking luncheons as well as seminars offered, all accross Canada!
well hopefully you will check out some of those ideas, personally the network for women is pretty informative.
till next time
Tracy
Wednesday’s - Interview with Senior Manger of Enmax
Published on 13 Jun 2007 at 4:08 pm.
No Comments.
Filed under Ideas, Tracy Rambling.
Good Morning Mr. Perri,
I am the author of the website/blog “Calgary Business Marketing”, I would like to ask you a few questions in regards to the 2007 awards gala dinner you attended last Tuesday at the Telus convention centre? Who was the key speaker and what was some of the highlights of their speech?
Tana Goertz.
Tana’s 5tips to be unforgetable1. Be you
2.Be persistent
3.Be straightforward/to the pointBe decisive, say what you mean and mean what you say
4.Be a mover on’er - leave the negativity behind
5.Be a problem solver – are you a hero or a zero Heytana.com
Fake it til you make it!
This was a slogan she was using to tell you that if you do not exhibit the 5 things above that you can fake that you are until you train yourself to actually do them.
Did you find the event to be valuable to the Calgary business community?
The keynote speaker was a finalist on the Apprentice 3 and as such had some valuable marketing insights for entrepeneurs in the the Calgary Business community.In terms of the this event, she was more valuable in terms of selling her positive attitude concept to the audience of primarily project managers.
Did you find that there were a lot of Calgary business attendees or was it more the larger companies?
It was primarily attended by larger corporations who have completed large projects in the Calgary area. There were also many project consulting companies represented.
What were some of the awards that were presented?
Project of the year
Project manager of the year
Distinguished individual contribution to project management
Distinguished company contribution to project management
Did your company receive any awards?
We were nominated in the project of the year category and were a finalist in the Distinguished company contribution category but did not win either of these.However, the person who won project manager of the year was the project manager for our nominated project so we were very excited for her win.
Back to the key speaker, is there any further information that I can get on her, or for that matter the rest of Calgary?
She has a website www.heytana.com
Would you attend an event held by the key speaker again?
I would not make my attendance decision based on whether she was speaking at the event. I thought she was an interesting speaker, with an abundance of confidence. I find that she was a bit too aggressive for the corporate crowd which this even was focused on, however I think she would really appeal to an entrepreneurial audience.
Thank you for you time and I look forward to talking with you in the future.
Idea of the week - Is my website working for me??
Published on 6 Jun 2007 at 5:11 pm.
No Comments.
Filed under Ideas.
Wednesdays Idea of the week - Is my website working for me!
Alrighty, last week I talked about getting a website. This week I am going to talk about the usability of your site and the tracking of useage.
Websites are a great tool, or a unopened envelope - just waiting to be read!
Everytime that your website is viewed it can be tracked via a stats counter (much like at the good ol stampede entrance clickers!). This is very handy to determine if your site is getting out to the world wide web. Are you being placed on to search engines? Do you have the right key words that people are looking for to get to your site. Key words are basic words that define your site and words that people will use to get to your site. When placing key words in your site for engines to pick up you need to sit down and think of the ways people will look you up. Think of ZedBiz for example, they are a Internet Marketing Company, people will be looking for Internet, Marketing, Advertising, Branding, Website, Affiliate Marketing, Calgary, Coaching, E-Commerce, Domain ect. You really need to get into your visitors head, what do they want?
Next, how easy is your website to get around in? Are your titles in a standard area (top border, left side border)? Being in a standard placement is not necessarily the only way, just the easiest for the user. If you are breaking the mold (good for you!) then your job is harder. Now you need to make sure that your vision is what your viewers vision will be, will they see what you see? Its harder but definitely do able!
Do your links all work? Do you have a date - very handy seems small but it is one of those things that make your site user friendly. What about your colors, are they vibrant, easy to read?? How about the font - is it too big, too small, too funky???
Now, there are programs offered to “map” your website and its usability, there is also companies that will provide this service for you. What happens is your website is shown to a group of people that are in your target audience (hopefully you already know this!). They then have a specific spec sheet that they will use to go over the items discussed earlier, as well as extras to determine just how easy your site is. Is it to wordy? Are you link crazy (one link after another to finally get where you are trying to go!). Personally, I think this is an invaluable tool to use, one that every website should go through at least once in its lifespan, ideally you would like to do this possibly every few years to go with the changing times (not to mention to keep up with the changing links!).
Alright so that’s it for today, next week I will be interviewing a senior manager from Enmax power that attended last nights session with Tana Goertz : The Art of being Unforgettable, the TV show’s Apprentice candidate!
Until then, Happy Business
TracyÂ
Monday’s - Week in review!(June 4th)
Published on 4 Jun 2007 at 7:26 pm.
No Comments.
Filed under Week in Review.
Mondays Week in Review!
Wow check out the Canadian dollar! Great for us Canadians that are planning on shopping in the states in the near future or planning on doing business in the states!
So what happened last week in Calgary - …….. with the switch over of months panic is setting in to get the right amount of staff for the summer season. Not only to cover the extra people that will be visiting calgary but also to cover holidays! Good luck out there! Stampede is starting to show its face, reminder that now is the time to plan a stampede event. For Calgarians this is an important time, one that we feel truly connected to our city and therefore are willing to spend to support our local business’s. Tip - catch the wave! Really how hard and expensive is it to throw a quick barbecue, offer promotional freebies, hot dogs, pop - your good to go.
Whats happening in Calgary this week - Today there is a presentation by Mr. Preston Manning that sounds very interesting “Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Environmentalism”. This is being held at the Calgary Chamber of Commerce from 11:30 to 1:15. If anyone out there has attended this, please respond back as to what you thought.
again, as previously mentioned, stampeded events are starting to arise. Now would be the time to book those parties and make sure you are at the ones that are noticed.
Alright, thats it for now. Will check in again on Wednesday with “How do you know your website is working for you!”
Sincerely
Tracy
Do you have a website?
Published on 30 May 2007 at 10:36 pm.
No Comments.
Filed under Ideas, Tracy Rambling.
Well today, I was figuring that we could start out with the basics of Internet Marketing, that would be the all important website. Hopefully at this stage you have one, and that you know that it works for you. If not then I suggest that you get one or figure out if the one you have is working for you.A website has become the new way for customers to get to know who and what you are, I personally do all my shopping via the website investigation first. An example of this is my husband and I were going out to purchase a motorhome, before we headed out for our venture I checked out the leading RV sales stores by viewing their websites.The most advertised RV place had the worst website! I had gone to this site first because of the active radio and paper advertising that they had paid for, the one I heard or saw the most. Was I ever let down when half of the links on their site did not work, nor was the website easy to navigate, that from a person that worked in the website industry!
We ended up purchasing from a company that was not well heard of or paper viewed but their website was amazing. In their website I found prices, specials, different items that they offered as well as perks for being their customer. I found their website extremely easy and informative.
Does this not prove the point of how in todays electronic centered world, Â how well a website can work for you or against you.
Websites are our first stop in our investigation of what is a good deal and what do you have to offer?
Yellow pages no longer work s for the majority of budget savvy consumers, its their website. Alot of companies provide economical websites, such as www.ZedBiz.com, that offer the key ingredients, which are:
Contact us - address, phone, hours
Who we are - explanation of what you provide
Prices and or a link page - show a trust, you are not afraid to show your cost or your competitors. Basically help me out and I will trust you with my business.
Once you have your site, the next piece of business is to know if it works for you. Do you know if anyone is visiting your site? How are you tracking what is searched? What people want? Better yet, do they like your page and its layout?! mmmmm maybe next week I will go over what your site should look like according to what a consumer is looking for.
Until then, talk to you on Friday!
Tracy
Monday’s - Week in review!(May 28th)
Published on 28 May 2007 at 11:52 pm.
No Comments.
Filed under Tracy Rambling, Week in Review.
Welcome to the Calgary Business Marketing Blog! I am hoping that with this blog that you and your fellow business members will be able to get some useful information, ideas on how to market for business needs and every week I will list what is going on in
But first you ask who am I? Well my name is
The plan for my blog is to assist you in planning your week, discussing an idea that is either submitted by you or one of my own, and then to cover the upcoming events of the next week.
So for today’s blog, Monday, I would normally cover the week in review. However, since this is my first entry not much to cover. So……. My next entry will be on Wednesday which will be “Idea of the Weekâ€, then on Friday I will cover upcoming events for the next week.
Let me know what you want to discuss, ideas, comments or just vent!
Signing off
Tracywork@zedbiz.com