Today, website owners and web developers are realizing the importance of SEO training courses. The truth is, if you want to drive more traffic to your website, you need to learn how to properly optimize your site. In order to do this, you must be fully equipped with the latest SEO techniques and information that will guide you along the way.The Importance of SEOThere has been an increasing number of websites you can find online. With this, the competition to get on top of search engines is getting tougher. A lot of website owners are doing their best in order to increase their site’s traffic.Search engine optimization, also known as SEO, plays an important role in driving more traffic to a particular website. SEO is considered to be a complex subject but with ample knowledge and skills, anyone can properly optimize a website. To effectively optimize a website, you need to learn the basics of SEO and everything you need to know about it.Why Take SEO Training Courses?Latest SEO Information and Techniques – If you want to become knowledgeable about SEO, you can find a lot of resources online for free. However, you cannot fully rely on these resources because they could be outdated ones. With this, taking an SEO course is the best option you can do. You’ll be ensured that with a course on SEO, you’ll only get the latest SEO strategies and information.Personalized Training – One of the best things about taking a course on SEO is the opportunity of obtaining a personalized training in which you are guided with a step by step learning.Less Expensive Than Hiring An SEO Company – Today, there are a lot of websites which hire an SEO company to help them reach the peak of success. However, opting for this kind of option can be quite expensive. With a good SEO training, you are ensured with a personalized training at an affordable price.A Deeper Understanding About SEO – When you want to learn more about SEO, you can always do a self-study by doing a research online. However, SEO is full of technical terms which you are not yet familiar about. By taking SEO training courses, you’ll be able to grasp a deeper understanding about what SEO is all about. A course on SEO will definitely guide you along the way.If you own a website, it is indeed beneficial to take an SEO training course for you to be well-informed of the latest SEO techniques and information. This way, you will be able to know how to effectively optimize your website. Knowing the most effective SEO strategies can be your edge among other website owners. If you are looking for a reliable SEO course, there are a lot of SEO training courses you can find online. With this, you’ll be able to find a reliable SEO training course to answer your needs.Whether you run a small business or a huge company, it is always beneficial to take SEO training courses.

When people ask, “What is CRM?” the literal answer is, “Customer Relationship Management,” but that doesn’t really convey much in terms of what all CRM does for a business. This CRM definition is too narrow to really explain everything the system does if it is working to its fullest potential and is user-friendly enough to expand and grow as a customer-client relationship changes and grows.CRM in the broader sense encompasses not only customer relationship management itself but how customer relationship management is handled and the most important elements of a CRM program that are essential to its being successful. The range of CRM software options vary from those that provide simple customer tracking and live chat capabilities to the more complex CRM solutions that can integrate all of the customer relationship data an enterprise has on each client past, present and future in a dynamic information data network.What should I look for in a CRM software package?If there’s an ideal CRM software package that works for every company and every situation, it hasn’t been discovered yet, simply because every company has slightly different needs for their customer relationship management needs as well as software implementation.In general, however, when you are looking for a strong CRM software package there are a few things to keep in mind. If you are shopping for a CRM package, try to forget about the initial price tag at first (as difficult as this may be) and focus on the adaptability, usability and integrity of each system you evaluate as it relates to your particular needs. A few things to consider:
o What are the most important facets of customer relations are we looking to address, and does this CRM software support tracking and updating all aspects of this? For example, if your company wants to customer service to have ready access to changes in customer spending habits and an opportunity to offer new product options based on these records, make sure this capability is built into the software. Customization down the line will be time-consuming and expensive — if you have a primary goal, make sure it is standard in your CRM software package.o Will the CRM software package integrate smoothly with all platforms currently in use at your company? If you will have to re-enter all databases such as client names, addresses and phone numbers, this will significantly increase the amount of money you’ll spend in the long run. Make sure that you can either integrate smoothly or import all information needed flawlessly.o Is the product more than you need? An enterprise solution that offers fifteen functions you don’t need and never will isn’t a bargain if you will never expand into that market niche. Just because it’s available doesn’t mean you have to have it. Selling custom-sewn hats? You won’t need a CRM software package for tracking million-dollar overseas accounts.o Has this CRM software package been used for a company of your size before? If it has been used for companies up to 10,000 and you have 150,000, the system may simply not be able to sustain the volume of data and crash or develop glitches. Look for something more powerful with a support system capable of understanding the size of your company.
Can you build me a dream CRM software package?Hmm…let’s see. The best CRM software package would be optimally functional across all platforms and have its own customer support backing it, and …. Well, let’s take a look at our own list of what we’d really like in a CRM software package if money was no object and we could “have it all,” so to speak:
o A CRM software provider that has partnerships with other vendors for support in the event you need it for integration of platforms.o Extensive training from certified CRM software technicians who will walk your people through the process of setting up, using and training others on the system.o Full data migration capabilities to and from all programs in current use to the new CRM software.o Offsite server storage backup for all information in the CRM system for added security.o A toolbox for company programmers for customizing templates for company use — this will save huge amounts of time by eliminating the need to write custom codes from scratch.o Either in-house consultants or a choice of contracted consultants they recommend (try not to be at the mercy of one consultant when there is a problem).o A CRM software package designed by a company familiar with our specific industry and its structural needs.
The best CRM software packages enable customer service representatives to review the account information of each client or customer when they are talking to him or her and immediately understand something about that person’s needs, wants and spending patterns.For banks, CRM software can indicate their banking patterns — are they investing through the bank? Have they recently looked into a money market fund? Do they have substantial funds that could be put to better use than languishing in a simple CD?A mail order company can note your shopping tendencies and make Christmas shopping suggestions based on past purchases by seeing that you buy a lot of kids’ clothes and that you spend about $200 each holiday. Used correctly, a toy company can steer you toward some bargains and suggest alternatives, enriching your shopping experience and building customer loyalty.Why does CRM software fail so often after it’s put into place?You’ve heard the stories about a company buying a CRM software package and then realizing it hasn’t really changed anything. The big-wigs are disappointed, customer service is frustrated, and the clients are aggravated with the new changes that don’t seem to show any improvements in customer service or client relations. How does it happen?Because CRM software was purchased that wasn’t appropriate, was purchased too soon, or wasn’t implemented properly. If you don’t purchase CRM software that specifically addresses what your customer concerns are, you may have software that is very detailed in an area you don’t need and somewhat lacking in exactly what you do need.Purchasing too soon means you bought the software before you had evaluated what you really wanted. Many companies by CRM software with a goal “to improve customer relations,” which is not a clear business goal! You should have a very specific, well-defined objective that your CRM software solution can address, and you company should have developed a formal objective before you went shopping for a solution. Retaining customers? Improving the size of current customer portfolios? Penetrating a new market niche? Reduce customer complaints? Improve customer repair response? Determine what it is you want to focus on as a goal, and then choose your CRM software solution based on how it will address it.Finally, implementation of a new CRM program requires proper management support and effective training. That means that management must be behind it one hundred percent, and not have “head in the sand” approach where they determine that “that’s for customer service, I never did understand that stuff,” and avoid learning how the CRM software works. It is an attitude that will pervade the company.Second, training is essential and must encompass the company to ensure that all levels of personnel will embrace the new system and understand the genuine need for it and the real goal of what you are trying to achieve with your new CRM software solution.Some CRM software options for small and medium sized businessesFor small and medium businesses, the most common customer relations management software request is for anything that enhances online communications and improves the time between a customer complaint or question and resolution of the issue for them.For many companies, there are software solutions that can be purchased or downloaded to be used through their Internet website for basic services such as online customer support through live chat and customer assistance with online purchasing that is both efficient and relatively inexpensive. If your need is primarily to improve sales volume, improve response to customer questions and complaints and to make your company website more personalized, look into these solutions that are at the lower end of the price spectrum while providing solid CRM products:
o LivePerson offers two different versions, Basic and Enterprise that provide live chat, email and a variety of interactive forms customized to meet companies’ needs for customer relations. This company has developed live chat solutions and online forms for everything from universities to financial services firms. This company provides a wide range of services, including online marketing, case studies, and software designed to improve online shopping cart capabilities.o LiveHelper offers many of the same features, and adds real time traffic monitoring and other data assessment features as well. For the price, LiveHelper is a very good CRM software value.o GroopZ includes customer routing software so that you can transfer entire chat strings from one customer service rep to another if you need be, along with an efficient filing system for chat transcripts and customer records. For improving customer relations, the software support suggests pre- and post-service questions for all customers who contact you.Also included are templates you can set up with specific, pre-scripted answers to frequently asked questions in online chat to save customer service representatives time and make the process clearer and more efficient. This company does a bit more customizing on the front end to fit your needs, and pricing is adjusted accordingly.o SupportWizard gives you three CRM options that give you some flexibility — you can buy, lease or let them host your customer service/relations solutions. Interactive FAQs, live chat, standard answers to frequent questions, and Boolean search capabilities to review past interactions all make this package extremely effective. SupportWizard also has more customizable features than some, including an “escalation alert” that can be tailored to specific situations when a supervisor would be notified if a customer service situation exceeds certain parameters.This is one of the more expensive packages available, but rather than a monthly fee you are paying for lease or outright purchase options, so factor this into the cost. You will also get spectacular customer support and constant upgrades and patches when necessary. The integration of email, live chat and telephone information into one database is also a plus with SupportWizard.o BoldChat offers free CRM software for online customer service chat that you can use for a limited time, and offers a $9.95/month and a $39.95/month customized version of their CRM software. Both offer live customer service chat, but one adds customized windows and more options on buttons and the number of available customer service reps you can add.o CSLive offers the most comprehensive CRM software solution available for small and medium businesses, with live chat, email, and the usual customer service features you expect from a small business CRM solution, but with plenty of extras. CSLive also offers an extensive tracking and filing system, an Internet server site where you can upload and store files of customer help articles that customers can be referred to that can by emailed directly to clients by your reps. Throw in the message center and online meetings, and this is practically an enterprise sized solution at a small business price of $29.95 a month.
CRM software, whether on a monthly user basis or purchased outright and downloaded onto your own server, will make serving and understanding your clients and customers a more productive experience, and you will all be happier for it.Copyright © 2004-2005 Evaluseek Publishing.

The three T’s to becoming a speculator: trading plan, trade worksheet, and trading journal. Without a doubt, if you want to develop trading into an avocation or you want to improve your demo trading, or you wish to trade for a living, you cannot ignore either of these three tools. This particularly goes for your demo-, paper-, or test-trading account. Utilizing these three tools effectively makes your day-to-day trading go a lot smoother.First Tool: The Trading PlanYou want to ask yourself as many questions as possible when developing a trading plan. Here are five quick questions to begin your trading plan.The first question you have to ask yourself is: What markets do I want to trade?How you answer this question will ultimately determine your longevity in trading. There are many factors that determine which markets are best suited for you. Do you want to trade very volatile markets or low-volatility markets? Do you live on the West Coast where it’s difficult to see the 5AM opening bell for some markets? Do you travel a lot and you can’t stare at your screen all day long? The market or markets you pick to trade should best suit your lifestyle.It is also best to pick only two to three markets that you sincerely want to trade. It is difficult to understand and trade the subtleties of every single market available. While technical analysis can be applied across the board, as a specialist, you begin to understand what actually makes a particular market tick. You can then manage your money and your trades according to the rhythms in that market. By focusing on a handful of markets, you can become a specialist. Without a doubt specialist in any field tend to fare better.The second question you have to ask yourself is: What am I trading for?Knowing why you are trading stocks, futures, forex, and options is imperative. Is it for fun, like a gambler, or is it a true desire to speculate? Or are you trying to “hedge” your overall investment portfolio? What many investors forget about trading markets like futures and forex is that there are two aspects to it. It can be both the riskiest investment and the least risky investment at the same time, if you use it properly.For example, during the dot-com bubble, many investors had mutual funds and stocks that closely matched the Nasdaq 100. When the market began to slow down and investors found themselves in the precarious position of not knowing if they should liquidate their tech stock and investment portfolios, they could have simply used Nasdaq futures to protect themselves from any quick drops in value.By looking at futures from both sides, speculating and hedging, you can come up with more versatile strategies of managing your money over the long haul.This leads us to questions three through five: What am I hedging against/for?, How many contracts would it take to accurately hedge part of my portfolio?, and How many contracts would it take to accurately hedge my entire entire portfolio?These questions are designed to get you to think outside the box as a trader. Look at how your current investments are linked to interest rate fluctuations, the S&P 500, or the Dow Jones Industrial Average. Calculate how much you stand to lose when these markets move against you, and from there you can figure out how best to hedge yourself. None of these markets operate in a vacuum; there are ways for you to protect yourself from stock market adversity if you open your eyes to the hedging side of futures and forex investing.Second Tool The Trade Worksheet:The trade worksheet is designed to break down the numbers of any trade you are planning to execute before you enter it. It is designed to ask some fundamental questions. Once these questions are answered, you can see in black and white what the potential profit is, what the potential loss is, and if the trade is worth taking at all.The vital information that it gathers is:1. Entry price2. Profit exit price3. Loss exit price4. Margin level5. +/-% return on margin6. +/-% return on account7. Cost of optionA notebook that you can write in on a consistent basis will suffice. The goal is to get you used to doing the numbers.Keep track of the trades you entered and exited throughout the day. Tally up your profits and losses and how much you risked attaining your results. The information just may be the food for thought you need to help you make better choices during your trading experience.Third Tool The Trading JournalIt’s been said that you don’t know where you are going unless you know where you have been. The trading journal does just that. Throughout your trading career, you will have multiple journals. In fact, you should do your best to never stop journaling when you are a trader.If you cannot, a great alternative is to journal in 20-day trading cycles at a time. By journaling your trades, you will be able to understand why you do the things you do and when you do them. If they are good habits, keep them; if they are bad habits, do your best to modify them to help you succeed.The typical trading journal should have the following:1. A copy of your trading plan, so you can constantly refer back to it.2. At least 20 trade worksheet forms, complete one for every trade you execute.3. A copy of the entry chart of every trade you execute, a long with a small three- to five-sentence synopsis on why and how you entered the trade, including your feelings and emotions at the time.4. A copy of the exit chart of every trade you execute, along with a small three- to five-sentence synopsis of the profits or losses and why and how you exited the trade, along with your feelings and emotions at the time.By consistently documenting your experiences, you will become an expert at knowing how fear and greed wreak havoc on your decision-making process.Building confidence isn’t easy when it comes to perfecting how you speculate in the markets. They say that in order for a new activity to become a habit, you have to do it 30 times consistently. Trading is no different. Avoiding the top 10 mistakes of trading, putting together a trading plan, working with a trade worksheet, and utilizing a journal are all activities that have to be done consistently in order to build confidence. While your confidence boost won’t happen overnight, one day you will wake up and find yourself skilled and confident.