Free Business Advice ~ "Podcasts"

[Melensdad]

I've never really looked into "Podcasts" before today so this may be as new to some of you as it is to me. But part of the Apple iTunes music store is an area that offers free "Podcasts" to anyone who wants to download them. You do have to download Apple iTunes (Version 7 is now available). iTunes is a FREE download. Many of the materials available are absolutely FREE.

PODCASTS are free of charge.

A "Podcast" is a short audio download (typically from 2 to 30 minutes), and typically from an author or a radio broadcast. The Podcasts cover a wide range of topics. There is an entire section of BUSINESS Podcasts.
I found 5 pages of Business related Podcasts including downloads available from:

• CBS MarketWatch (at least 6 or 7)
• Wall Street Journal (several)
• Zig Ziglar
• Tavis Smiley
• ABC News Money Minute
• Fidelity Investing
• Vanguard Mutual Funds
• Kiplinger's
• BBC
• NPR
• Rich Dad
• MOTLEY FOOL
• Business Week - Jack Welch
• Jim Cramer's Real Money
• Business Week
• and many many more providers!

You do NOT need an Apple 'iPod' to listen to the Podcasts! You can download them to your computer and listen to them from your computer.

I've listened to several of these podcasts and some are EXCELLENT, and you can subscribe to the regular updates (subscriptions are FREE too). If you are looking to learn how to invest, or stay up to the minute on various business topics, then these little Podcasts are a wonderful free resource that you might want to look into.

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[Melensdad]

Did you ever stumble across something that is so damn cool for a totally UN-intended purpose that you consider yourself an idiot for not realizing it long ago?

I've played with, and summarily dismissed Apple iPods a couple years ago. Fun little toys, but nothing more than that.

Now I've bought 2 of them in one week, put a radio transmitter link into my sales manager's car, put in a couple stereo interface units and now am sold on the use of these little iPods as management training tools. The free Podcasts are a blessing from some of the best business gurus on the planet. Sure, I have also downloaded some Science Fiction TV shows (Firefly) from the iTunes store (OK I'll even admit I downloaded the whole 1st season). But most of what I have been listening to are audio tapes of business advice and Podcasts from some of the various business advisiors who provide them free of charge.

I'm planning on installing an iPod adapter to my car so it is integrated into the stereo system. While I often listen to CDs in the car, I am finding the Podcasts, which are updated regularly, are more interesting to listen to.

 

[Melensdad]

If any of you are involved in SALES or SALES TRAINING, I've stumbled upon a series of very short topical podcasts that are great, and some that are very tedious to listen to. The worst are the 30 to 45 minute podcasts that have a lot of useless chatter and banter in them and really only talk aou the topic for just a short time but waste a good deal of time.

There is one that I found that I really liked. It is called SALES RANT and each podcast lasts for only 1 or 2 minutes. So they are nice quick little bits. The Sales Rant series is updated with a new podcast every week or two so you will only end up investing about 5 minutes a month listening to them.

• There are a few things I like about them, first they can be used by a sales rep on the street who is in front of a customer. These are very practical.
• Secondly, they can be used in sales meetings to TEACH sales people.
• Third, they are short and limited to one topic. So you pick the topic, listen for about 90 seconds and then you move on.

If you are intereseted in sales, sales training, etc, go to the iTunes music store and look up SALES RANT by JEFFREY GITOMER and I think you will find some very helpful tid-bits that will work on the street, and will also work to train regular sales reps.

Oh by the way, I finally got my iPod adapter for my car.
Much better to listen to it over the car speakers and have it mute when a phone call comes in than
to wear headphones (illegal to do that in my state) while driving.
The iPod adapter is mounted to a leather KUDA mounting base that matches the car trim,
under it is a Parrot 3100 Bluetooth cell phone screen that allows any bluetooth equipped phone
(and some other bluetooth devices) to be integrated wirelessly into the car stereo. The iPod
adapter is a Dension Dice cradle, it also contains a video out so I could run videos off the iPod
to TV monitors in the back seat if I wanted to (but I don't want to!). I modified the Dice cradle
and cut a hole in the KUDA mount to give me a flush mount for the Dice cradle, it also allowed
me to completely hide all the wires for a much cleaner install into the car. Now to get the iPod
to play over the car stereo I simply select the AUX imput from the stereo screen and the iPod
plays through the speakers. Volume control is accompished from the steering wheel controls, etc.

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