Celebrating Our Digital Independence, One Meeting At A Time

Ah, the 4^th of July! Barbeques, fireworks, family fun…freedom. Yes, freedom. It’s at the core of what we value and celebrate as Americans. And, although we may not be fighting Red Coats or throwing tea in Boston Harbor anymore, we are still expressing our freedom every day. Here are some of our favorite acts of rebellion in our digital age:

• No more downloads: There is nothing more exhilarating than joining a meeting without having to download yet another piece of software onto your already messy desktop. Meetings from everywhere and anywhere with no delays. That must be what our forefathers had in mind.
• No more email clogs: Breaking PowerPoints into chunks to share them with co-workers or, worst yet, prospects is about as good an idea as making the turkey our national bird. With online data rooms, we can soar overhead and avoid the mess that email file “sharing” brings.
• No more dial codes: Is there anything worse than having to fumble around with dial codes to join a meeting? Imagine what would have happened if Paul Revere had had to rely on many of today’s conferencing solutions to let his countrymen know the British were coming.
• No more unnecessary expenses: Online conferencing and data sharing don’t have to break the bank. There is no reason that there can’t be reliable, affordable and secure choices out there, choices that don’t involve an IT department as crowded as the Mayflower. Thankfully, the cloud has delivered just that for us—simple, easily deployable solutions that make our lives easier without pinching our purse strings.
• No more traffic:  This has got to be our favorite. Today, with powerful web conferencing and online data sharing options, you can work from anywhere anytime. So don’t battle the 4^th of July traffic this week; work from home—or better yet, a vacation home—and miss that terrible commute.

And that, my friends, is the greatest freedom technology has brought us so far. So enjoy the 4^th, cherish our freedom, and don’t forget to save a hot dog for us!

Present with Confidence

There are many advantages to today’s virtual business world. You get to work from home and eat pizza at your desk in your PJs while jamming away on your documents. You don’t get stuck at the water cooler with that same guy—you know the one—every day. And you don’t have to do nearly as much business travel, meaning you can make all those critical sales presentations right from your desk, eating that pizza in your PJs. Awesome, right? Well, if we’re honest, not really.

Any great salesperson will tell you that to make a sale you have to win hearts and minds. And it isn’t easy to do that from thousands of miles away. Also, presenting without a room full of people offering you reassuring nods can be a bit daunting. How do you present with confidence in web meetings when you don’t even know what the person on the other end is doing while you present, never mind what they are wearing!

At YouDazzle, we’ve worked hard to give you the tools you need to present with confidence and get the results you need no matter where you might be. Here’s just a few ways how:

• Make your data room your new conference room: YouDazzle’s professional, secure data rooms mean you can easily send your audience to get the documents you are referring to, making information sharing effortless and effective.
• Provide that missing “personal touch” with co-browsing: Make your sales interactions more interactive and convert more leads by viewing your website and other sales materials in real-time with your prospects, recruits and customers. No more hoping folks visit your website and buy. Be there live to answer questions, solve problems and build stronger relationships. Shop together, fill out forms together, and grow your business.
• Meetings can be spontaneous again—no matter where you are: Simply share your personalized web address for real-time meetings. Instantly share your files and screen from any computer or device, including iPads, iPhones and Androids. Much simpler and faster than 1st generation web meeting products like GoToMeeting and WebEx, YouDazzle is the only way to share files live from tablets and mobile phones.

So, relax, take a deep breath. Have another slice of pizza even. And get ready to dazzle your prospects. And don’t forget to reward yourself for your success with a new pair of pajamas! (Seriously, we think you might need some.)

There is A Cure for the Summertime Blues

It’s that time of year again. Kids are counting down the last days of school. People at big corporations are putting in for their two weeks off in July. Everyone is asking you where you are going this summer. And, if you are like most small business owners, your answer is pretty basic: to my desk. It’s enough to get you down, especially when the temperature is going up.

But we have a cure for those summertime blues. It’s the cloud and YouDazzle.

Until now, people who were self-employed or running a small business couldn’t go anywhere. Say, for example, you are a marketing consultant. No client wants to hear that you are going to the beach for a week with limited connectivity because frankly who wants to lug a laptop onto the beach, even if there was available WiFi….which somehow I doubt exists at beaches anywhere, even in California. Plus, what are you supposed to do when that client inevitably asks for you to lead a meeting or better yet simply find a file when not even your rental cottage has connectivity? It’s enough to make a grown professional return all their sunscreen to the drugstore and shut the office shades until summer is over and everyone else is back in their work caves too.

But now, with YouDazzle, your phone or device really can be your office. YouDazzle lets you not just attend meetings but even host meetings from your phone. And with branded data rooms where you can store and share all types of files, from Word docs to PDFs to Excel spreadsheets to videos to CAD drawings and more, you never have to worry about not being able to access and share your information while you are away. You can even co-browse with your clients and help them make a purchase while you sit under a shady elm as your kids play. Whether you have an iPhone, iPad, Android or newer Blackberry device, you can put your office in your pocket and head out to enjoy the sunshine this year.

So, yes, Virginia, there really is a summer vacation. And this year, even you get to have one.
So go get some sunscreen pronto!

Mobile Web Meetings: They Not Only Matter, They Really Can Exist!

There are many reasons why our lives are better when we can host web meetings from our mobile devices. It gives us flexibility and portability. It makes it easy to hold a meeting on the fly from wherever you are. And, even more importantly, it lets us as businesspeople connect with our customers, partners and prospects no matter where they are.

The stats on smart phone usage and mobile web browsing are just staggering. Consider this recent 2012 data from mobiThinking:

• There are 5.9 billion mobile subscribers—that is 87 percent of the world population—with smart phones showing the largest growth.
• There are now 1.2 billion mobile web users worldwide.
• 25 percent of mobile Web users in the US are mobile users alone. In other worlds, they do not use a desktop at all.

That last statistic is pretty staggering but so obvious. People are not only ditching their cameras in favor of their phones, they are now putting away their desktops (not surprising when increasingly people work without physical desks!). Why lug around their work when it can fit in their pocket?

Let’s face it, we are living in a mobile world and to give your business a competitive edge you need to be mobile too. This is especially true for busy network marketers, who are often holding meetings and growing their businesses on the fly. With reliable, powerful mobile web conferencing, you can conduct business wherever you are.

And don’t forget that we are also living in the age of instant gratification so you have got to get a solution that requires no downloads. Make it simple and they will come—and stay to hear what you have to say.

So, don’t wait to try out mobile web conferencing. It is no longer the wave of the future—it is happening now.

It’s Dropbox, But With Personality!

Here at YouDazzle, we don’t mind telling you that we are fans of Dropbox. It’s a great tool! But frankly we’ve long thought that it is a bit too impersonal and not quite powerful enough to share with prospects and partners. So, we’ve spruced it up, and our users—and longtime Dropbox users—are loving the results. PC Magazine even pointed out our Dropbox integration as one reason why we are one of its 25 Best Small Business Apps for 2012.

So, what’s our secret sauce? It’s simple:

• Custom branding: Add your own branding to Dropbox folders and make your brand stand out whenever you share content and collaborate online. Add your logo and color choice in seconds to present a consistent and professional image.
• Web meetings: Instantly share Dropbox files with up to 100 people at once. YouDazzle web meetings are 100% browser-based, require no download, and work with virtually any computer, tablet, or device.
• Commenting: Extend the collaboration capabilities of Dropbox by adding comments to your files. Exchange feedback and ideas with team members, clients, customers, and prospects, and keep everyone in the loop.
• Activity analytics: Keep on top of who’s looking at your files. Stay in touch with trends and decision-making processes with instant feedback on deals and projects! No more wondering if someone viewed your files.
• Enhanced viewer: View Dropbox files without leaving your browser in large format with helpful viewing tools like zoom and multiple page display. YouDazzle viewer supports 300+ popular file types including MS Office files, PDFs, and many more.

So, give it a try today and let us know what you think. We believe that together YouDazzle and Dropbox bring Cloud-based information to life in a way never before possible!

How To Be Successful From Your Home Without Even Trying…

Well, OK, You do have to try, but today’s virtual workplace gives us endless opportunities to create not just our own businesses but our own business “lifestyles”. We can work from a desk, from a patio, from a local Starbucks. However, no matter what lifestyle we might choose, there are still some constants in what makes a “virtual”  business person successful in mind, spirit and pocketbook.

• Put on some polish: Although you may be working in your sweatpants, nothing about your business needs to be rough and tumble. Create branded data rooms for your files and make sure you have a consistent look and feel across all that you do.
• Connect with people in meaningful work ways: Even if you are operating from your mobile phone in your neighbor’s backyard, you can hold web meetings that can be interactive and insightful. Opt for solutions that require no downloads, work on all platforms and feature co-browsing, which is the new feature that everyone is going to expect of your meetings in the future. Don’t just show people something, guide them to solutions.
• Connect with people in meaningful non-work ways: Feel like Facebook is your only outlet for human interaction? That is not good, my friend. Give yourself time every day to escape from your work cave, no matter how glamorous it might be, and see friends. Heck, even make some new ones. Let’s face it, no one likes to be alone all the time.
• Start a blog: People love to learn from other’s experiences (including their mistakes). Let your customers and prospects hear your real voice, despite the miles between you. It will do wonders for your personal brand equity and allegiance.  And it will get the word out on your business too.
• Do everything in moderation:  Rome was not built (or even destroyed) in one day. The biggest peril of working virtually is that your office goes with you everywhere. Your best work in not the work you are going to do at 2 a.m. Even though you have the ability to work around the clock, try to establish regular work hours and stick with them. The most successful people aren’t the ones that work the hardest; they are the ones that work the smartest.

So, you can see how these tips will help your mind and spirit, but what about the pocketbook, you say? Well,  if you use these tips to create balance in your life and power in your business, the money will follow…and thanks to GPS it can find you no matter where you are!

Why Traditional Web Meetings Often Fail—and Never Succeed

A long time ago, web meetings were created to augment face-to-face meetings. They were yet another tool technology was offering to bring us closer. Then, the economy crashed and web meetings became the only way to get close to anyone, be it your colleagues, partners, customers or prospects. This technology, created to be an aid to interpersonal communications, became the whole shebang. And, frankly, it just doesn’t work.

Think of it. Have you ever had a web meeting that was actually satisfying? Or even actually worked? Traditional web meetings have a horrible track record and a bad reputation, which is unfortunately well deserved. But you know all this. Enough with the problems. What about the solution?

We wish the simple solution was to double that travel budget of yours, but that sure isn’t happening anytime soon. So, instead, here are the top three pitfalls of traditional web meetings and some ways around them:

1)    It’s The Download, Stupid: Let’s face it, most of the reasons why web meetings don’t work is that they aren’t really, simple web solutions. They require downloads. In this day and age, no one should have software sitting on their computer. Say no to downloads, say yes to the cloud.

2)    Roam Where You Want To: The whole idea of the mobile office is to be mobile. It is ironic that in this time of virtual everything, people would be tied to their desks to have a meeting. Think of it, when you meet people in person, you aren’t always stuck in the board room. So, find a solution that works on any device and get out there.

3)    A Little More Conversation: Traditional web meetings are all lecture, little conversation. You don’t actually share anything, unless it’s those awkward glimpses at someone’s mailboxes or an unfortunately timed IM from the presenter’s boyfriend. There is a whole new world of interpersonal relationships out there in cyberspace, people! It’s called co-browsing and it will let you take people with you to find what they need and even to fill out online forms (like purchase orders—you get where we are going with this!). Now, this is what web meetings should be about!

So, long story short, there is hope out there! So clear your hard drive of any of those dinosaur web meeting solutions you might have, and start anew! You’ll be glad you did…although we’ll all kind of miss those awkward glimpses into our co-workers’ email! Hey, we’re only human after all!

Co-Browsing: The Ultimate Personal Touch

One of the challenges of today’s virtual business world is finding a way to still make human connections with colleagues, partners, customers and prospects despite the miles between us. Gone are the days when people visited prospects’ offices and made cold calls, now salespeople can quickly get on same page (literally) and control the customer experience from beginning to end.

There is a great online tool you can use to bring back those bygone days of stopping by with a box of chocolates or yet another mug: Co-browsing.

Co-browsing basically means that you can share your website—and anyone else’s website—with someone else in real-time. Co-browsing makes it feel as if you are actually sitting in a room with someone else again, surfing the web and working together. And, if you are in sales, that personal touch and in-the-moment responsiveness helps you achieve your ultimate goal: converting more leads.

Things you can accomplish with co-browsing include:

• Reacting in real-time to prospects’ needs: Rather than waiting and see what sales materials seem to spark the most interest, you can browse your secure, Cloud-based data room in real-time with your prospect, finding the most relevant information quickly and even demoing your product effortlessly and effectively.
• Filling out forms together: Let’s face it, countless sales opportunities are lost because someone gets tripped up by a question, has a submission error or simply just loses steam half-way through the process. With you by their side, you will never lose a sale to a form again.
• Shopping together makes you stay together: Co-browsing is the perfect way to make sure your prospect finds exactly what she wants—or better yet what you want her to find! There is no better way to make online shopping more effective and efficient than by being there to give your customer a hand.

So, you can see how easy it is to grow your business online with co-browsing. And if you really, really miss those mugs? Well you and your customer can design one online together!

25 Best Small Business Apps for 2012 by PC Magazine

2012 is looking to be a great year as we have some exciting news to share! We have been chosen by PCMag.com to be featured in their “25 Best Small Business Apps for 2012”. PCMag.com has chosen their 25 favorite apps ranging from cloud services to financial services and everything in between. What they have in common is the ability to enhance, grow and improve the success of your business. YouDazzle is ecstatic to be apart of such a great list. YouDazzle has been working hard to provide you with the tools you need to grow your business through affordable online file sharing, easy web meetings, seamless integration with Dropbox and a professional way to present your company through custom branding. With 2012 off to a great start we will be continuing to provide you great service and great features to help you succeed! Check out the article at www.pcmag.com Do you use any of the apps on the list? If not, then what are you waiting for? Get started today!

Four Easy Steps to Go From Virtual to Mobile

Remember when having a virtual office meant that you worked from a bedroom with some dirty dishes, coffee cups and presentation print-outs scattered around you, happily still wearing your bunny slippers at 3 p.m.? Those days were great but today is even better. Because now, at 3 p.m., you can be out picking up your kids or an afternoon coffee with a friend, with your desk waiting at home free of clutter because you already ate lunch out without any worries of not having time to get back by 12:45 to dig up the conference call dial-in and download the software needed for your 1 p.m. call.
Welcome to the world of the mobile office.

You aren’t alone. A recent mobility study by International Data Corporation (IDC) found that the worldwide mobile worker population will reach 1.3 billion by 2015, representing a massive 37.2 percent of the total workforce. So, what do you need to be a part of this sweeping trend? Here are four easy steps:

• Invest in a powerful smartphone: 2012 will mark the first year that 3G and 4G devices will make up the majority of all worldwide smartphone sales, according to ABI research. With these powerful data networks in place, you can now work from your phone as easily as your desk, multitasking while having crystal-clear conversations.
• Move your business to the cloud: The cloud has endless storage, endless billing choices and powerful infrastructure. Don’t rely on servers; don’t even rely on Outlook anymore. You can accomplish more with a YouDazzle account.
• Make your data work for you: Create secure, branded cloud-based data rooms where you can store your files in an orderly manner and, more importantly, share files easily with colleagues and prospects wherever you or they are. Imagine how amazing it would be to never have to worry about retrieving something from your C Drive. You can find what you need through a simple web browser on your mobile phone, post it to your data room for your customer to view, all without missing a word on your conference call. And you can do this from the park.
• Simplify your web meetings: Abandon all those complicated meeting solutions and go with a solution that requires no downloads whatsoever and can be accessed from basically any kind of device out there. Seriously, those solutions exist (hint, hint)!

With just these four changes to how you do business, you are freed to do business anywhere. Oh, and those bunny slippers? Wear them to that coffee date. Hey, we’re from California, we’re used to that kind of thing!