Merry Christmas!

Everyone at BLI wishes you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

We hope you and yours stay safe, warm and happy during this blessed holiday season!

Sincerely,
Brian, Alan, Terry, Will, Steve, Kelly, Monica, Renee’,
Krystal, Sibyl, Carol, Jacque and Chrisy
(and Scott, Kathy, Tonya and Karen too!)

Start Good Habits

Image courtesy of http://angiealltheway.blogspot.com

Do you have a bad habit you would like to stop? I know I do.

With the New Year right around the corner, many people will soon be talking about their New Year’s Resolutions. Often people want to stop doing something. Stop eating out, stop smoking, stop drinking 12 cans of pop a day…  you get my point.

I read a blog entry from Michael Hyatt that challenged us to try something different. Instead of focusing on stopping the bad habit, try to start something good. Focus on developing a positive habit, and as you do, you will naturally eliminate the bad habits.

I was inspired by Hyatt’s thoughts. Instead of “stop drinking so much coffee,” I’m trying to “start drinking more water” each day. Similarly, instead of “watch less TV,” I’m working on “read more books.”

In relation to business, it’s not as easy to pick out bad habits to overhaul, but the mentality still stands: Instead of dwelling on the negatives, establish positive new attitudes and habits to improve your business practices.

What thoughts do you have? What positive habit(s) can you start?

Top 10 Website Don’ts

When it comes to design, there are concepts that can almost never go wrong.

Simple. Clean. Modern. Effortless.

These words should also describe the design of your website. The more clean it looks, the easier it is for your customers (and potential customers) to access the information they need. And the fewer distractions on your site, the longer they’ll spend on it.

The problem is when we fall in love with too many ideas, and we try to incorporate them all. In the end, all we get is a cluttered mess. So here is my Top 10 list of “don’ts” to help you de-clutter your website and make it more user-friendly.

10. No photos: Stock photos are cheap and easy to purchase, and good digital cameras don’t cost much these days, so there’s no reason not to have photos on your site. You should have photos of your buildings, lot, etc. (Photos of your staff on your “About Us” page are great too!)

9. More than two font colors: There’s no reason to go crazy with font colors, and the eye can’t take that much craziness anyway. Stick to one color for your main text and one for your clickable text (hyperlinks).

8. Too much scrolling: Instead of throwing every bit of info on one page, categorize it and spread it out. No one likes scrolling and scrolling forever to find what they want.

7. Long paragraphs: Keep sentences clear and to the point (read: short). Keep paragraphs to two to three sentences. Big blocks of text deter readers.

6. Illegible text: Consider your background color and choose an appropriate text color. And steer clear from hard-to-read fonts like scripts and novelty fonts.

5. More than two fonts: It’s a good idea to choose a serif font and a sans-serif font that complement each other. Choose two that are versatile, and use bold, italics, all-caps (sparingly), etc., to have some variety. They don’t have to be Arial or Times New Roman, but “simple” and “clean” are good here too.

4.  Music: Pulling up a website and having music blare from the speakers unexpectedly can be slightly annoying — especially if the music isn’t to your liking. Even worse is if there’s no way to stop the music so you can browse in peace.

3. Spelling/grammar errors: The bad news is that errors like these make companies seem unprofessional. The good news is that with Spellcheck and a friend/coworker serving as a proofreader, you can usually avoid them.

2. Clip art: This — like puff paint — is sort of a dated practice. And why use cartoonish images when you can use photos?

1. Flashing/moving/glittery graphics: These are Clip Art, Version 2.0. They were fun when we figured out how to use them in 1999, but people aren’t as enthused with them these days.

‘One Solitary Life’

I ran across this poem a number of years ago. The first time it was seen in print was in 1926. Dr. James Allen Francis had it in a sermon or in his writings. It was and is pretty special to me. Why is it special to me?

Because it is about Jesus Christ. He has affected the world more than any other person and continues to do so.

Because of His effect on me.

Because He is my friend.

During this season when we celebrate His birth, let’s take time and reflect on how that One Solitary Life has impacted our lives in 2010. Let’s allow Him to go deeper into our lives and affect us even more.

One Solitary Life
by Dr. James Allen Francis

He was born in an obscure village,
The child of a peasant woman.
He grew up in still another village,
Where he worked in a carpenter shop
Until he was thirty.

Then for three years
He was an itinerant preacher.
He never wrote a book.
He never held an office.
He never had a family or owned a house.
He didn’t go to college.
He never visited a big city.
He never traveled two hundred miles
From the place where he was born.
He did none of the things
One usually associates with greatness.
He had no credentials but himself.

He was only thirty-three
When the tide of public opinion turned against him.
His friends ran away.
He was turned over to his enemies.
And went through the mockery of a trial.

He was nailed to a cross
Between two thieves.
While he was dying,
His executioners gambled for his clothing,
The only property he had on Earth.
When he was dead,
He was laid in a borrowed grave
Through the pity of a friend.

Twenty centuries have come and gone,
And today he is the central figure
Of the human race,
And the leader of mankind’s progress.

All the armies that ever marched,
All the navies that ever sailed,
All the parliament that ever sat,
All the kings that ever reigned,
Put together have not affected
The life of man on Earth
As much as that

One  Solitary  Life.

Create a ‘Buzz’ around Your Home Show Booth

Image courtesy of onehourairofwa.com

The home show season is coming quickly and already here for some. Shows are an ideal way to showcase your products to a large number of prospects at one time and one location. There will be thousands of people actually paying to see your product. The competition will be there. The objective is to make as many contacts as possible. So you want to be prominent and make the most of the opportunity. I have been doing some research about attracting potential customers to your booth and ultimately making the sale.

First, know the size and location of your booth. This will help in planning how you want to coordinate your display. Balloons, music, motion and lighting are all helpful in bringing attention to your booth. You will want to be in contact with the event’s coordinator to be within the guidelines.

Your booth should be an extension of who you are as a company, and you want to stand out from the crowd. Banners are lightweight, portable and easily displayed. Your banner should be clear and simple. You want to communicate who you are and your product. If attendees are unclear as to your offering, they will continue to walk. Feel free to use vertical space: place your banner above the crowd so it can be seen by attendees looking above those crowding around your booth.

Banners will bring people to your area; use posters or a big-screen TV to bring them closer. Have brochures with contact information and business cards available for prospects. Pens, magnets, pads or other appealing giveaways will keep you in front of them after the show. (Be sure to have enough.) A backdrop of a yard with your product would give people a visual application as to what you offer. Consider an instant sweepstakes promotion, like a dartboard, one-arm bandit, etc., to create a “buzz” around your booth. During the show, check out other booths. See where people gather and ask yourself what drew them there.

Your representatives must be on their “A” game. They need a good night’s rest and a good breakfast. There should be no food or drink, no reading material or chairs in the booth. They should be sharply dressed – one step above attendees. They need to be outgoing, able to make eye contact and smile. They represent your company, so they must be professional at all times. They need to be familiar with your product and company. The goal is to make contacts, so they want to get information quickly and in a relaxed manner. Give them breaks to keep them fresh.

A successful show is dependent on following up with leads. Research shows 70 percent of leads are not followed. The longer leads are left unattended, the colder they will become.

I hope this gives you ideas to create a commotion around your booth.

Our Mitten Tree

“So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.” –2 Corinthians 9:7

Starting today, BLI is partnering with Trinity Property Group to sponsor a “Mitten Tree.”

Employees and customers of both companies can stop by the office to donate mittens, gloves, scarves, caps, etc., to be distributed to people in need in our community. These are on display in the office lobby on a Christmas tree.

We are privileged to be a part of this community — and to have this opportunity to share our blessings with others.

Our Mitten Tree campaign ends Wednesday, Dec. 22, and we’re hoping to have our Mitten Tree completely covered by then!