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A Guide to Active Listening: How to Earn People’s Trust Using Your Ears
This post originally appeared on HubSpot’s Sales Blog. To read more content like this, subscribe to Sales.
Salespeople don’t hold all of the cards anymore. With a quick Google search and some browsing, people can gather as much information about a product as a salesperson has.
As a result, it’s harder for salespeople to demonstrate their expertise. And if they can’t demonstrate expertise, it becomes all the more difficult to establish credibility and eventually build trust. And without credibility and trust, a salesperson will likely lose the interest of their potential buyer … or worse, never really gain their interest.
So what should salespeople do? Simple: Invest in listening. Trouble is, listening can be very difficult. Too often, salespeople are waiting for their turn to talk or thinking about what to say next, instead of truly listening to the person on the other end.
To eliminate this habit, I’ve taught the reps who have reported to me over the years a very specific skill: active listening .
What is Active Listening?
Active listening isn’t only applicable to sales, nor is it a new thing. Dr. Carl Rogers, one of the founding fathers of psychotherapy research, originated the concept of “reflective listening” in the 1940s. In the following years, Richard Farson, a student of his, renamed it “active listening.”
Another student of Rogers, Dr. Thomas Gordon, a three-time Nobel Peace Prize Nominee, is largely responsible for popularizing the strategy. Gordon’s company, Gordon Training International, has taught thousands of people to build more effective relationships through active listening, among other skills.
While I haven’t received instruction directly from Gordon Training, I’ve stuck pretty close to their definition of the concept. To make it simple, I teach active listening as a four-step process:
- Truly listen to the prospect.
- Feed back the content and feeling of the prospect’s words.
- Confirm you heard the prospect correctly.
- Ask a relevant follow up question to further clarify your understanding of their situation.
1) Truly listen to the prospect.
Sales reps are often too busy talking to listen. Even if they are tuned in, they’re often just listening for a specific word or challenge that tips them off as to whether the prospect needs their product.
Salespeople who do this are not much different than a dog waiting for a command. (Yes, I might have just called you a dog.) When salespeople do this, prospects can sense it, and they come to the conclusion that the rep simply wants to sell them something regardless of whether they need it or not. It’s a downward spiral that usually leads to nowhere.
But the best salespeople listen differently. They forget about the script (and maybe even their own agenda), and really listen to the words and feelings that a prospect is conveying in their language, tone of voice, facial expressions, and body language. By observing auditory, visual, and physical clues as well as the prospect’s words, a salesperson can truly begin to understand the plight of their prospect and put themselves in the buyer’s shoes.
And this type of listening can make a huge difference by encouraging prospects to open up more, and fostering trust and commitment. So when you’re on the phone or in a meeting with a prospect, ignore the distractions around you, throw out the script, stop worrying about what you’re going to say next, and really pay attention.
2) Feed back what you just heard back to the prospect.
After a prospect makes a statement that reveals something important about their challenges or what they’re looking for, feed it back to them so they can hear it from you. Your goal with this step is to feed back your understanding; that is to say, your best guess at what’s going on with the other person.
Sometimes, this can be done non-verbally, as in an episode of The Office. But without the benefit of face-to-face presence, inside sales reps must do this verbally.
I usually show salespeople how to use one of the three approaches described below:
- Repeat what you heard verbatim. This is the easiest route, because the prospect will hear exactly what they just said and can either confirm their meaning or clarify their statement. But be careful not to overuse this approach with a prospect as they might start to doubt your understanding. (Parrots don’t actually understand, right?)
- Paraphrase what you heard. This is a better approach than simple repetition of what they said. By paraphrasing, you can condense what they said into something more concise. When you do this, your prospect knows you listened because you internalized their speech enough to summarize what they said. However, avoid oversimplifying and leaving out important details — this might shake the buyer’s confidence in you.
- Put what you just heard into your own words. This is the best tactic of all. By putting what you just heard into your words, you’re showing your prospect that you have a framework for understanding situations like theirs and can empathize with their struggle. Just be careful not to drift too far from their language. Use unfamiliar vocabulary or terms sparingly, and make sure to explain them when you do.
By feeding back what you just heard, you’ll make an immediate impression on your prospect. Since most people are not great listeners by nature, your prospect will be appreciative of your ability to listen effectively and summarize.
Convincing your prospect that they’ve been heard and understood is the most important outcome of this step in the process. But, don’t leave that to chance …
3) Confirm that you’ve heard them correctly.
This critical step is often overlooked. After you’ve paraphrased what your prospect has said, simply ask “Did I communicate that effectively?” or “Do you believe I understand what you have shared with me?” If the prospect says “no” you now have an opportunity to clarify your understanding by asking “Could you clarify for me what I might have missed or got wrong?”
Notice how those questions create an opening for them to give you honest feedback. In contrast, I don’t recommend saying “Does that make sense?” or “Could you explain that better?” or any other question that puts the blame on the prospect for not communicating effectively.
Michelle Adams, VP of Gordon Training says, “When you nail it, you know it and the other person tells you that you did by saying things like: ‘Yes! That’s it!’ or ‘Exactly, you’ve nailed it.’ Or they will begin nodding their head emphatically. If you miss on your active listening , they will tell you that too with: ‘Well, no, it’s not that. It’s more like this … ’ or they will look at you like you’re nuts.”
The following video from Gordon Training shows this step in action.
Once you get good at this part of the process, you’ll be able to create a confirmation bias in your prospect’s mind. Studies have found that we like to surround ourselves with people who think like we do. By repeating what this person has said and then confirming that you’re on the same page, the confirmation bias starts to form, and trust begins to develop.
4) Ask a relevant follow up question.
After you feed back what you’ve heard and confirm that you understand the prospect, your next step is to ask a relevant follow up question.
Resist the temptation to ask closed-ended questions that might make the prospect think that you’re only interested in making the sale. Instead, I recommend asking an open-ended question that encourages your prospect to share more about their goals, challenges, and current plans.
As Saul McLeod points out, open-ended questions allow the person to express what they think in their own words. If you ask the right question, prospects might come to the right conclusions themselves, solving their own problem, or at least starting to believe that a solution exists to help solve their problems. They might even conclude that your solution is the right one. In addition, by getting your prospect to continue thinking critically about their situation (out loud), you stand a better chance of to uncovering the compelling reasons your prospect will (or won’t) buy from you.
Given that HubSpot sells a complex product and methodology that most companies might not know they need (especially in the early days), I added this fourth step to my active listening process. As we tried to convince marketers that they needed to adopt a new way of marketing, I found it valuable to dig deeper into a prospect’s needs with relevant follow up questions, using our qualification framework as a guide.
Examples of active listening
While not sales-related, a great example of active listening comes from one of my favorite shows: Everybody Loves Raymond. Curious to see and hear what active listening looks like in action? Check out these two clips:
5 Uses For Active Listening
Here are a few scenarios in which active listening is particularly useful, and how to apply it in these circumstances.
1) Addressing resistance in the beginning of a call.
I advise salespeople to use active listening early in the sales process to communicate to prospects that they’re there to really listen and help them — not just sell them something.
Here’s what a very early conversation might sound like.
Prospect: I don’t really need help with X.
Salesperson: So, you’re feeling okay with X and aren’t looking for any help with it. Can you say more about that?
Prospect: Well … I don’t have a lot of time.
Salesperson: Seems like I caught you in the middle of something and your time is short.
Prospect: Yeah, but I guess I have a few minutes.
Salesperson: Okay. I often hear one of a few things in situations like yours: A, B, and sometimes C. If any of those are relevant, I have some ideas I could share with you that you might find valuable. Maybe we could talk for a few minutes now and schedule another meeting when you have more time?
Too often, salespeople rush to spit out another question or pitch their value. By repeating back what a prospect expressed (both words and feelings) and asking for clarification, you show that you’re actively listening to them. This clears the way to begin asking questions or positioning value.
2) Identifying compelling reasons for change.
Perhaps the best time to use active listening is when a prospect shares emotion about a challenge they’re having.
Here’s an example:
Prospect: I’m very frustrated that we didn’t achieve our goal of A this year. I thought about it all last month. This really set us back. Worse, I’m just stuck on what to do next year.
[Step 1: Listening]
Salesperson: Hmmm. I see. I can see how that would be frustrating. [Step 2: Feed back]
Prospect. Yeah.
Salesperson: So, it sounds like it’s really important to you that you achieve goal A this year. It really set you back when you didn’t achieve it this year and you’re at a loss on what to do differently next year. [Step 2: Feed back] Did I get that right? [Step 3: Confirm understanding]
Prospect: Yes. Exactly right.
Salesperson: Well, what are you considering doing next year? [Step 4: Ask relevant follow up question]
Prospect: Well, we’ve consider implementing plan B. But, I’m just not sure it’ll work given we don’t know how to execute plan B yet. We just don’t have the right skills within our team.
Salesperson: Have you considered getting some advice from someone who has implemented plan B at other companies like yours?
Prospect: That seems like it’d be a good idea.
3) Recapping an exploratory call.
While it’s never too early to restate the goals and challenges that a prospect has shared with you, empathize, confirm your understanding, and probe further, I find that the end of an exploratory conversation is a great time to showcase that you’ve heard them throughout the call.
Using HubSpot’s qualification framework, I often summarize what I’ve learned from the conversation like so:
Salesperson: We’re coming up on time. We can schedule more time if it makes sense. But, at this point, I suggest we review what we’ve discussed today.
Prospect: That’d be great.
Salesperson: As I understand it, your current goal is A. In order to achieve your goal, you implemented plan B — a plan that didn’t work this year despite your best efforts. You anticipate that challenge C may, once again, get in the way of implementing plan B and achieving goal A within timeline D and budget E.
Prospect: That’s exactly right. Impressive recap, actually.
Salesperson: We also discussed how plan F — a component of our solution — might be able to help you overcome challenge C.
Prospect: Well … I’m not sure I completely understand plan F.
Salesperson: Okay. We went through some of the aspects of plan F, but I agree that we haven’t fully covered it. In our next call, would you like to go into more depth on plan F, really sketch it out, and make sure that we’re in full agreement that it’ll help you achieve goal A?
Prospect: That sounds great. Thank you for your help so far.
Salesperson: You’re welcome. When would you like to schedule our next call?
4) Addressing objections.
The best way to avoid an objection is to anticipate and address it proactively. Effective application of active listening can help you do just that.
Nonetheless, it’s rare that you can anticipate and address every objection before closing time. Not to worry — active listening shines here too. Here’s an example.
Prospect: I’m really concerned about plan F. I worry it won’t work well for our team.
Salesperson: Got it. We certainly don’t want to get you started if you’re not clear on how you’re going to be successful with the plan. [Step 2: Feed back] Are there specific things about plan F that you don’t think will work? [Step 4: Relevant follow up question]
Prospect: Yes. Mostly, I’m just not sure we have the right people to implement G.
Salesperson: Okay. We talked about Mary potentially doing G, but you’re concerned that won’t work? [Step 2: Feed back]
Prospect: Right.
Salesperson: Is there anyone else on your current team that you think can do G? Or do you think that we could carve out time for Mary so that she can learn how to do G? [Step 4: Ask relevant follow up question]
Prospect: I think it’s possible to teach Mary, but is there a way that you could just do G for us in the meantime?
Salesperson: That’s outside of the scope we defined for our work, but let’s revisit. We’ve certainly done that for other clients and can jump in until you’ve identified an internal person to handle it for you.
5) Closing business.
Dave Kurlan invented my favorite closing technique: “The Inoffensive Close.” If you’ve done everything correctly during your sales process, closing should be something that just happens. if you need a little nudge, the Inoffensive Close is the simplest way to ask for the business.
As Dave describes in his book Baseline Selling, there are three questions involved in the Inoffensive Close:
- Do you believe I understand your issues, your problems, and your concerns?
- Do you believe I/we have the expertise to solve your problem effectively?
- Would you like my/our help?
As you can see, listening during the sales process as well as confirming understanding are necessary steps if you want to use this closing approach.
But even when you’ve run a great sales process, prospects don’t always answer with an emphatic “yes” after each of these questions. That’s when active listening can be very handy, once again.
Prospect: I’m not quite positive that you have the right expertise. I’m concerned that you’re not the best provider for a company like ours.
Salesperson: Okay. Let me make sure I understand. You’re concerned we wouldn’t be the best provider. [Step 2: Feed back] Is there a competitor of ours that you think might have more experience in your industry? [Step 4: Relevant follow up question]
Prospect: Well, not so much in the industry, but they’ve had more experience with cultures like ours. At least, that’s my opinion.
Salesperson: So it’s more about the culture of your organization as opposed to your industry? [Step 3: Confirm understanding]
Prospect: Yes. Exactly.
Salesperson: But it sounds like the rest of the team might disagree with you a bit? [Step 4: Relevant follow up question]
Prospect: A bit would be an understatement. Some of my colleagues speak very highly of the work you’ve already done for us.
Salesperson: I see. So, it sounds like my company has some mega fans amongst your team. And we certainly have done a lot to help them over the years. But you think that our competitor is better suited to help you, given the culture of your organization. Would it help if I could demonstrate to you what we’ve done for other companies with similar cultures to yours?
Prospect: Yes. I think that would make the decision a lot easier.
Salesperson: If I can do that effectively, would you hire us to help you instead of the other firm?
Prospect: Yes.
As you can see from these examples, active listening is a skill that can be used in almost any stage of the sales process, from the first interaction all the way to closing the deal.
Practicing Active Listening
While active listening is a relatively simple skill to understand, it is difficult to master. The good news is that as with any skill, excellence comes with practice.
The nice thing about active listening is that you’ll know it when you’ve learned to do it effectively. Your prospects will tell you if you’re on the right track. But I find that new salespeople need a safe environment where they can practice active listening . With this in mind, I asked a few HubSpot sales managers to share some tips for coaching active listening .
Here are a few from Greg Brown, a top sales performer turned sales manager:
If you feel yourself tuning out in the middle of a conversation or thinking about your next question or statement, do something to get out of your own head. Tap the desk or snap a rubber band on your wrist. Turn off all distractions including cell phones, extra tabs in your browser, your email and chat clients.
If you find yourself wanting to ask a question or make a statement, write it down so you can ask it later. This will free you up so you can listen to what the prospect is saying.
Jen Cooley, a HubSpot sales manager, plays a fun game with her new salespeople in order to teach them how to use this four-step active listening process. It’s had an impressive impact on her team:
Of the four steps to active listening , I find that #2 and #3 are fairly easy but #1 and #4 are more difficult to teach.
One of my favorite exercises to run is a “hot potato” game. I describe a real sales scenario and we do a role play. I start the role play by making a statement and then tossing the potato (or any object that I have handy) to someone in the room. When you get the potato, you have to keep the conversation going by feeding back and asking a relevant follow up question. After completing these steps, the rep then tosses the potato to another salesperson. We repeat this until we have the prospect’s complete story.
Usually, different people in the room hear different details because they’re listening more effectively. As the story unfolds and those details become critical to understand, the rest see the importance of step #1. They also learn different ways to ask relevant follow up questions, helping them improve at step #4.
As a result of these group exercises, I’ve seen some significant changes in individual performance. It dramatically improves reps’ ability to qualify effectively and tailor our services to the individual prospect’s needs.
Sales call film review provides another great opportunity to teach active listening . Dan Macadam, another HubSpot sales manager, does this frequently with his team. Here’s how he describes its impact:
When we review calls, I often hear my reps completely misunderstanding a prospect’s questions or statements. They end up taking the conversation in a direction that loses the prospect’s interest.
When I hear this, I rewind back to the part where they misheard something important. Then, I’ll ask the rep to repeat back to me what the prospect said. We’ll talk about why this phrase was important and how the conversation might have went differently had they practiced active listening .
As a result of this process, we’ve uncovered missed opportunities a number of times, enabling the rep to to get the opportunity back on track on the next call. I’ve even had salespeople call prospects right away, apologize, explain that they think they missed something important, and then have the dialog they should have had. We’ve won quite a few deals this way. And just as importantly, I’m teaching my salespeople how to use active listening in their future sales calls.
In a world where buyers don’t rely on salespeople for information, salespeople need to establish expertise and build trust quickly and with every interaction. The mutual understanding that active listening enables is one of the best ways to earn and keep that trust throughout the sales process.
If you begin employing active listening in your interactions and your sales increase as a result, share your story in the comments. In the meanwhile, if you need more encouragement before you start employing active listening in your sales calls, maybe Abbott and Costello can provide it to you. They gifted us with not only one of the most memorable comedy skits of all time, but probably the worst attempt at active listening ever:
With active listening, reps can start more conversations, uncover challenges and goals, handle objections, and close more effectively. When in doubt, close your mouth and open your ears.
Thank you to Michelle Adams, Mike Renahan, and Emma Snider for their contributions to this post.
YouTube App Rolls Out Interactive 360 Video: This Week in Social Media
Welcome to our weekly edition of what’s hot in social media news. To help you stay up to date with social media, here are some of the news items that caught our attention. What’s New This Week Google Introduces Interactive 360-Degree Storytelling on YouTube: Google brings Google spotlight stories to the YouTube app. This new storytelling […]
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Best apps for your new Apple Watch
So you’ve unboxed a new Apple Watch and now you want to unlock all the cool features and see what this thing is all about. Once you pair your Apple Watch with your iPhone, the Watch app on your iPhone will ask you if you want to add all your compatible apps. You can do this, but I recommend skipping that step for now and slowly adding apps to your Apple Watch over time to see what’s good and what’s not. Then check out my hand-picked list of Apple Watch app recommendations to add new features and unlock useful tricks for your new Apple Watch:
Dark Sky ($3.99)
Apple’s Weather app is nice for checking the forecast, but Dark Sky provides super useful hyper local precipitation alerts. These are essential if you’re looking to avoid a downpour or waiting out a quick shower.
Calcbot ($1.99 in-app purchase)
Let Calcbot add a calculator to your Apple Watch, then split the tip the next time you dine out or just crunch some quick numbers.
Fantastical ($2.99)
Fantastical is a more streamlined calendar than Apple’s, plus it’s the only way to add iCloud Reminders from your iPhone to your Apple Watch. You can even see scheduled Reminders from your watch face.
Shazam (Free)
No need to pull out your iPhone when you want to find out what song that is playing around you. Launch Shazam on Apple Watch and watch the lyrics play across the screen in sync with the music.
Overcast (Free)
Apple doesn’t have its own Podcasts app for Apple Watch yet, but the free Overcast podcast player is plenty capable. You can’t play podcasts directly on Apple Watch, but you can control what plays on your iPhone right from your wrist. You also get access to effect controls for Smart Speed and Voice Boost features not available in Apple’s app. Great for keeping up with the 9to5Mac Happy Hour podcast.
Spark (Free)
Spark is a very good alternative email app, and it has a few more bells and whistles than Apple’s Mail app on Apple Watch.
Social Apps
Some of my favorite essential apps for checking in and staying in the loop are social apps. Twitter’s app lets you peek at your timeline and check trending news, and Tweetbot or Twitterrific let you see your mentions and other activity.
Instagram lets you see recent posts and activity and there’s something about tiny square photos that just works. Pro tip: turn on alerts for your favorite people to see when they post something new.
Facebook Messenger lets you reply to messages with send audio clips, stickers, your location, and dictation. Plus there’s Skype if you chat there as well.
News Apps
Apple Watch is also excellent at sending breaking news alerts and popular stories as they’re trending. I use Nuzzel to get alerts for popular stories people are sharing on Twitter. Instapaper lets you control your iPhone and let it read stories from your queue to you. CNN, NYTimes, Buzzfeed News, and Breaking News are all excellent at sending major developing story alerts to Apple Watch. Don’t forget alerts from our 9to5Mac app for iPhone too.
More Apps
Looking for a few more picks? Square Cash lets you send and receive money from Apple Watch. The best notification is receiving cash, trust me. Time to spend that money? eBay has an excellent Apple Watch app that makes bidding and keeping up with auctions super convenient.
Deliveries app makes tracking shipments very easy. Finally, if you’re into Apple’s HomeKit setup for controlling appliances with Siri, you need the Home app to add a face to Siri and make commands a tap away when voice commands aren’t convenient.
Have your own Apple Watch app recommendations? Let us know in the comments and enjoy your new Apple Watch!
Filed under: Apple Watch, Apps Tagged: Apple watch, Apple Watch apps, Apps
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Now that you’ve got new Apple gear, get cash for your old stuff quickly and easily
Merry Christmas!
If you’ve been a good little boy or girl, Santa hopefully hooked you up with new iPads, iPhones and Macs. That likely means that what you were using yesterday will be retired to a drawer. Don’t do that. There’s significant value left in that gear and we can help you get as much cash as possible for it.
At Trade-in.9to5mac.com, you can get top dollar for iPhones, iPads, iPods, Macs…even Apple Watches if that’s what you are after. Compared to cash back sites like Amazon, Gazelle and others, we’re consistently at or near the top in refund amount. Cash comes via check in as little as 1 week.
Let’s face it, most old devices get put in a desk drawer and lose value every day they sit there. Give yourself a secondary Christmas gift by trading in that gear you just replaced now, while the iron is hot.
(And if you’ve got some broken stuff, head over to 9to5mac.ifixyouri.com to get your devices repaired.) Disclaimer
Filed under: iOS Devices Tagged: cash, Cashback, iPad, iPhone, trade-in
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9to5Mac Buying Guide: What to buy with your iTunes gift cards
One of the most common gifts every year is an iTunes gift card. For the techie that already has everything, it’s often the gift that many give out of a lack of other options. Nevertheless, it’s a gift that any iOS user will certainly put to use. iTunes gift cards can be used for basically anything, including music, movies, apps, TV shows, and subscriptions. If you’ve got some money to spend on iTunes now thanks to a gift card, keep reading for some of the best things on which to spend it…
Apps
Tweetbot 4 – The official Twitter for iOS app is good and getting better, but it still doesn’t compare to Tweetbot. With the fourth iteration, Tweetbot has gotten significantly better, too. The iPad app is now optimized for things like multitasking and better landscape viewing, and there’s also a new detailed statistics and activity tracking view.
Riptide GP2 – I’ve been playing Riptide for as long as I can remember and it has yet to get old. Riptide offers incredible console-like graphics on iPhone and iPad, as well as console-like performance. Paired with a gaming controller like the SteelSeries Stratus, it’s even better. It’s easily the best water racing game on iOS.
Asphalt 8: Airborne – One of the classic racing games iOS games, Asphalt has continued to get better with almost every iteration. The latest version offers things like 3D Touch controls for iPhone 6s users, as well as an Apple Watch app and Apple TV fourth-generation support.
Fantastical 2 – We’ve covered Fantastical numerous times in the past and for good reason. It offers arguably the best calendar experience on iOS and it’s lightyears better than the built in Calendar app on iOS. With a great Apple Watch companion app, Fantastical makes it nearly impossible to forget something you have to do.
Alto’s Adventure – Puzzle games have always been popular on iPhone and Alto’s Adventure is no exception. It offers a truly beautiful design with an equally fun story line of journeying through a snowboarding odyssey. It’s incredibly addicting, so be prepared to sink hours
Monument Valley – This app has received numerous recognitions from Apple, winning a coveted Design Award in 2014 and the title of iPad Game of the Year in 2014. Monument Valley is another popular puzzle-like game that’s purpose is to guide a princess through a “stunningly beautiful world.” It’s ever growing and has truly stunning graphics.
Dark Sky – Dark Sky is perhaps my favorite app on iOS. It offers incredibly accurate, like down to the minute accurate, weather information for your current location. You can enable push notifications be informed of when rain or snow is headed your away, as well as see detailed extended forecasts and radars.
Sky Guide – If you’re an astronomy nerd, Sky Guide arguably the best app you’ll ever purchase. The purpose of the app is very simple: simply hold your iPhone or iPad towards the sky and constellations are automatically identified and named, as are stars and satellites. It too was a winner of an Apple Design Award in 2014.
Workflow – This is an app that’s main goal is to help increase your productivity and make everyday tasks much more automated. The app allows you to drag and drop any combination of actions to create workflows. For instance, you can use it to more easily get directions, make animated gifts, send a message with the last screenshot you took, and much more.
Honorable Mentions…
Threes!, Madden, Minecraft: Pocket Edition, Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City, Piloteer, Twitterrific, Smashy Road: Wanted, Crossy Road, NBA 2K16, and Rop
Music
2015 saw a variety of insanely good new music come out across a variety of genres, as well as the release of Apple Music, so there are all kinds of ways you can spend your iTunes gift cards on music now. Perhaps most logical is to use them on an Apple Music subscription…
Apple Music subscription – Arguably Apple’s biggest move of 2015, Apple Music represents a way to get (almost) all of the music you find on iTunes for just $9.99 per month. If you have some spare balance on your iTunes gift card, you can’t go wrong putting it towards a few months of Apple Music.
Adele: 25 – If you haven’t listened to this album yet, you’re truly missing out. The hype surrounding Adele’s return is certainly warranted, and seeing that 25 is not available on streaming services, it’s a great investment with any iTunes gift cards you may have been given this holiday season.
G-Eazy: When It’s Dark Out – Out of the Bay Area, G-Eazy offers a wide range of styles on his sophomore album. Some of the tracks are perfect for getting pumped up before a big event, while others are introspective and deal with the struggle of fame. The album features appearances by artists such as Big Sean, E-40, Chris Brown, and Kehlani.
Kehlani: You Should Be Here – Arguably the best R&B album of 2015, Kehlani’s You Should Be Here offers up truly amazing production behind her equally great storytelling of every aspect of her life. The album earned Kehlani a Grammy nomination for Best Urban Contemporary Album.
Kendrick Lamar: To Pimp A Butterfly – Regarded by many as the top rap album of 2015, Kendrick Lamar does a stellar job of following up on his 2012 award winning album. The production is a mix of jazz, somber, and more. Lamar raps about everything you could ever imagine, including his stance on many societal issues.
Coldplay: A Head Full Of Dreams – Coldplay are headlining the upcoming Super Bowl, so you’ll want to get familiar with their latest album before the big show this February. A Head Full Of Dreams is a departure from the band’s classic melancholic tone and is instead optimistic and hopeful.
Death Cab for Cutie: Kintsugi – Named after the Japanese practice of fusing together broken ceramics, Death Cab for Cutie’s Kintsugi blends together a variety of styles and lyrical topics. Standout tracks include Binary Sea and Everything’s A Ceiling.
Gavin James: Live At Whelans – You may remember Gavin James as one of the very first guests on Beats 1 when it launched over the summer. His Live At Whelans album thrust him into fame and lead him to opening for artists such as Sam Smith and Ed Sheeran.
James Bay: Chaos and the Calm – English singer/songwriter James Bay received three Grammy nods for his debut album Chaos and the Calm, and rightfully so. His tracks Let It Go and Hold Back The River lead him to mainstream popularity around the world, and the rest of his album is even better.
Honorable Mentions….
Jamie Lawson: Jamie Lawson, Justin Bieber: Purpose, Kodaline: Coming Up For Air, Logic: The Incredible True Story, Grace: Memo, Troye Sivan: Blue Neighborhood, The Weeknd: Beauty Behind The Madness, Halsey: Badlands, Tori Kelly: Unbreakable Smile
Movies
Star Wars: The Digital Movie Collection – With Star Wars: The Force Awakens in theaters now, it’s perfect opportunity to do some catching up and rewatch the original six films before seeing the seventh. iTunes offers all six original Star Wars films in HD for $89.99, which isn’t a bad deal by any stretch of the imagination.
Ted 2 – Building upon the hit original Ted, Ted 2 brings the inappropriate teddy bear we all love back to the big screen. Starring Mark Wahlberg and Seth MacFarlane, Ted 2 offers a hilarious slapstick comedy journey of Ted trying to prove that he is not an object and has basic human rights.
The Martian – The Martian stars critically acclaimed actor Matt Damon. Damon has found himself on Mars with years to kill until he has any shot at being rescued. Perhaps most impressive in The Martian are the stunning visuals used to create an amazing environment as Damon wanders around Mars.
Interstellar – Staring Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway, Interstellar follows the journey of epidemic crop failures threatening the life on Earth as the two lead actors, as well as other astronauts, are forced to travel to another galaxy in search of a new habitable planet. The ending gets pretty confusing, but it’s a great flick.
Back to the Future Trilogy – 2015 was the year of Back to the Future, so if you don’t already have all three films in your iTunes library, now is a perfect time to do so. I personally think the first one is the best, but the second one is a close runner up. iTunes offers the tribology for $32.99.
Wrap up
Those are just a few of the ways to blow through your iTunes gift cards this holiday season. There are certainly many more options, so be sure to browse around the App Store and iTunes Store before you do anything. If you’ve got some holiday cash to burn through, check out my wish list here and see if there’s anything you might want to buy for yourself.
Filed under: Buying Guides, iOS Tagged: Apps, buying guide, gift guide, movies, Music
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9to5Toys Christmas bailout: last-minute deals on Apple products and email gift cards (in time to get under the tree)
You blew it. It’s Christmas Eve and you didn’t get your friend/colleague/ loved one a present. Don’t worry, the 9to5Toys team has put together some last second options which will get you some great gifts and still save you some money. In fact, if you play your cards right you might still save a lot of money.
Still get delivery
If you live in 16 metro areas in the US, Amazon will deliver a million items in about an hour. It is like Pizza, except for Christmas presents. Categories include: Health & Personal Care, Books, Electronics, Home, Beauty, Office Products, Kitchen and Toys so there’s probably a gift for everyone in there. Of course, we’d recommend the Apple at Amazon Store within a Store.
Brick and Mortar:
If you are like me and don’t live in one of these locations, you can always do the cave man option and head to a store. Most are open at least part of the day. Target has a Retina iPad Mini 2 for $194, the lowest price we’ve ever seen and $5 less than Walmart’s previous record low on an Apple tablet. If you are looking for a new Apple TV and Radio Shack still exists in your area, you can pick one up for $120 and it includes an HDMI cable, one of the best deals we’ve seen this year. And Best Buy is still discounting nearly every Apple product by at least $100. If you live in New York (or can trade tax for being a few days late), B&H still has the best deals on Apple Watches
Gift Cards!
Your best option at this late hour is usually a gift card, though we’ve found some ways to save even at this late date. Amazon is always the place to go and this year is no exception. The Online retail giant is discounting a bunch of email gift cards for restaurants and apparel retailers by 20% including Steak ‘n Shake, Aerie, Hooters, and others. Just use the specific coupon code from this deal page to save. Example: Get $5 off a $25 Famous Footwear gift card with coupon code SNSHAKE5 at checkout.
You can also save on email gift cards from PayPal’s eBay store. Top picks include a $100 Toys R Us for $90, $50 Skype for $35, $50 Lord & Taylor for $40, $25 iHop for $20, $50 Sephora for $45, and more. PayPal usually sends these gift cards within a few hours. Best Buy will give you a $10 savings code with the purchase of a $150 gift card.
And the fail-safe: Everyone loves to receive Amazon gift cards. Send one instantly via email or Print one out.
For Apple folks, you never go wrong with iTunes gift cards. Get some delivered in minutes from eBay using Paypal or Credit Card in $25, $50 or $100 denominations. Apple will also email you iTunes cards in any denomination.
Filed under: Tips and Tricks Tagged: 9to5Toys, Christmas, email gift cards, last-minute deals
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24 Iconic Santa Claus Advertisements From the Past 100 Years
When you think of Santa Claus, we’re willing to bet that words like “jolly,” “bearded,” and “rosy-cheeked” come to mind. After all, that’s the image of Santa many of us — regardless of age — have grown to know and love, right?
The mall Santa that our parents forced us to take an annual photo with (despite the trauma it caused). The Santa we watched Tim Allen transform into in the first installment of The Santa Clause trilogy. And the Santa we’ve seen used in countless holiday advertisements — from Coca-Cola to Kodak.
Below, we’ve put together a festive timeline of Santa-inspired print and video ads, dating back to the early 1900s. Check ’em out to see how different companies over the past century have used Santa Claus to sell more products.
24 Jolly Advertisements Starring Santa Claus Throughout History
1900 – 1950 Advertisements
1) 1915: White Rock
Image Credit: White Rocking
This joyful depiction of Santa Claus carrying a sleigh full of White Rock water and various toys appeared in the 1915 issue of the San Francisco Examiner.
2) 1919: Murad Turkish Cigarettes
Image Credit: Vintage Product Ads
This sinister-looking Santa Claus is shown smoking a cigarette in this vintage advertisement … but it’s not just any cigarette. According to the ad copy, Murad’s Turkish Cigarettes are what all the “grown-ups” are choosing for Christmas.
3) 1935: Whitman’s Chocolates
Image Credit: Bamboo Trading
Another classic depiction. This chocolate advertisement shows a simple, familiar Santa — with a festive piece of holly attached to his otherwise uniform hat.
4) 1938: Essolube
Image Credit: Etsy
This French motor oil advertisement from Essolube shows Santa Claus delivering a sack of oil to eager automobile owners. The ad copy translates to “Merry Christmas and Happy New Year for Your Car.”
5) 1940: Bell Telephone System
Image Credit: Bamboo Trading
In this holiday advertisement from Bell Telephone Systems, a phone-shaped Santa Claus is shown “ringing in the holidays.” It’s not directly selling a product, though — the ad aims to send Bell Telephone System’s warm wishes to its customers.
6) 1948: Time Magazine Subscription
Image Credit: Bamboo Trading
In this late 1940s advertisement, Santa is shown piloting an airplane to deliver magazine subscriptions to all. The plane is embellished with various headlines, and the ad copy highlights their “special Christmas rates.”
7) 1949: Prince Albert Smoking Tobacco
Image Credit: Bamboo Trading
Santa is smoking again. This vintage ad includes a twinkle-eyed, rosy-cheeked image of Old Saint Nick promoting the gift that “says ‘Merry Christmas’ with every puff”: Camel Cigarettes.
1951 – 2000 Advertisements
8) 1954: Coca-Cola
Image Credit: Bamboo Trading
I don’t know about you, but I’ve always loved Coca-Cola’s warm, jolly portrayal of Santa Claus. This classic Coca-Cola ad features Santa Claus enjoying a “gift for his thirst” while he takes a break and puts down his sack of toys.
9) 1956: Jell-O
Image Credit: Etsy
This fun advertisement for Jell-O shows Santa enjoying a few bites of the good stuff left out for him by the soundly sleeping child underneath the table.
10) 1969: Hoover
Image Credit: Vintage Ads
You can almost hear the laughter in this classic, black-and-white display of Santa Claus showing off his Hoover appliances.
11) 1972: Kodak Pocket Instamatic Cameras
Image Credit: Etsy
“Say cheese, Santa!”
This cheerful advertisement shows Santa Claus gearing up to take a photo using the new Kodak Pocket camera — the perfect gift for “anyone that has a pocket,” according to the ad copy.
12) 1977: Smith Corona
Image Credit: Bamboo Trading
In this late 1970s advertisement, Santa is seen showing off the Smith-Corona typewriter. (The perfect piece of technology for him to make his list — and check it twice.)
13) 1977: Quaker Sugar Cookies
Image Credit: Vintage Ad Browser
In this 1977 ad for old-fashioned holiday cookies, Santa Claus is shown spending some quality, fireside time with the Quaker Oats man himself. If you look closely, you’ll also notice a curious child trying to sneak a peek from behind the chair.
14) 1983: Seagram’s Crown Royal
Image Credit: Vintage Ad Browser
This advertisement challenges viewers to look Santa in the eye and tell him they really deserve Crown Royal this year. It’s hard not to smile at the dubious look on Mr. Claus’ face.
15) 1993: Got Milk?
Santa proves that you can’t have cookies without milk in this classic 1993 commercial.
16) 1993: BluBlocker Sunglasses
Image Credit: Bamboo Trading
Now here’s one we haven’t seen before: Santa in sunglasses. This clever advertisement positions Santa’s job in a different light — Old Saint Nick and his reindeers are “famous aviators.”
17) 1996: M&M’s
This 90s commercial from M&M is a timeless classic. We love the mutual look of surprise and shock on both Santa and the M&M’s faces when they bump into one another late at night.
18) 1997: Hewlett Packard
Image Credit: Bamboo Trading
This HP advertisement shows Santa Paws … I mean Claus posing with a fury friend. Snowball, the featured dog, seems to be eager to join Santa as one of his reindeer.
2001 – 2015 Advertisements
19) 2001: Decathlon
Image Credit: Coloribus
It’s hard not to laugh at this crew of Santa Claus staff members getting all suited up in their locker room. The chimney entrance game plan on the board is especially amusing.
20) 2007: Niko Motion Detectors
Image Credit: This Is Not Advertising
Santa? A criminal? This advertisement pokes fun at Santa’s “breaking and entering” skills while highlighting the security of the company’s burglar-proof movement detectors.
21) 2011: Pepsi
This Pepsi commercial pokes fun at Santa Claus’ well-known Coca-Cola advertisements by showing him sneaking a Pepsi on vacation in his red and white Hawaiian shirt.
22) 2011: iPhone
Santa shows off his tech-savvy side as he communicates with Siri in this amusing commercial for the iPhone 4S.
23) 2013: Chevrolet
Even when cleverly disguised as a car salesman, it’s easy to pick Santa out in a crowd. This ad pokes fun at the interaction this potential car buyer has when he realizes that he just might be buying a car from Santa himself.
24) 2015: Reddi-Wip
This quick-witted Reddi-Wip commercial shows a dad spraying on a whipped cream beard to disguise himself after being caught in the act by his son. Turns out his son is not buying it, as the real Santa Claus is standing right behind him.
What
Accomplishing Goals: A Guide to Getting Stuff Done
Did you set goals for the new year? Want to be more successful setting and achieving your goals? To discover how to accomplish goals, and to hear about the Kickstarter campaign for his new book, I interview John Lee Dumas. More About This Show The Social Media Marketing podcast is an on-demand talk radio show from Social Media […]
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– Your Guide to the Social Media Jungle
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The Realities of Scaling a Startup: Inside Wistia’s 10-Year Path to 200K Customers [Podcast]
In the beginning, Wistia had just a few guys working out of an apartment in Cambridge, Massachusetts. YouTube had recently launched, and the Wistia co-founders, Chris and Brendan, were determined to capitalize on the rising popularity of video.
Growth was a little slower than they anticipated. It took them a year to make their first dollar, and then another year to sign on 10 customers.
But the folks at Wistia never gave up.
Nearly 10 years later, the company’s persistence has paid off handsomely. They have 200,000 customers using their video marketing platform. They’ve moved out of their apartment into a huge office. And their team has grown to nearly 60 people.
In a world where only overnight success stories get most of the media’s attention, Wistia’s slower, determined path to success is one that doesn’t often get told.
Check out the following episode to hear from Wistia’s co-founder, Chris Savage, on what it’s really like to build a successful company. To listen in your browser, click the play button below, or subscribe on iTunes to download episodes directly to your phone:
Check out the latest recaps of The Growth Show episodes by clicking here.
2 Casos de Éxito (españoles) en Redes Sociales que te resultarán de mucha inspiración
¿No tienes la sensación de que, siempre que se habla de casos de éxito en redes sociales, se hace desde la perspectiva del mercado anglosajón?
Hoy te queremos mostrar 2 casos de éxito españoles de 2 tipos de negocios distintos que han utilizado las redes sociales como parte estratégica de su modelo de expansión y crecimiento.
Muchas veces, al hablar de medios sociales, nos quedamos en la publicación y en la gestión, pero menospreciamos elementos clave: cómo integrar lo online con lo offline, cuántas ventas proceden de nuestro trabajo en Social Media (el cálculo del ROI), qué reportes y métricas son imprescindibles para entender cómo lo estamos haciendo…
Hoy vamos a ver todo esto a partir de 2 casos de estudio.
Puesto que se trata de modelos de negocio muy distintos, la idea es que tanto los casos que te mostramos aquí como los que aparecen en el libro de forma mucho más detallada te resulten de inspiración, tengas el tipo de negocio que tengas.
# 1. Vintage by López Linares
Vintage by López Linares es una pequeña tienda de anticuarios del centro de Madrid. Este proyecto se ha convertido en un referente en nuestro país, reconocido incluso por Google.
Las redes sociales en un negocio offline
Vintage by López Linares comenzó como una tienda física que decidió crecer hacia lo digital, en principio como una manera de sobrevivir buscando captar nuevo público objetivo, finalmente como una estrategia integrada y multicanal.
La estrategia original se centró en utilizar las redes sociales para dar a conocer la tienda física y llevar a ella a nuevos potenciales clientes. Primero mediante el uso de Twitter, Facebook y un blog con contenidos sobre las joyas y antigüedades que ofrecen.
El enfoque en medios sociales era, por tanto, el de contar la historia de las piezas. Aplicando de este modo técnicas de “Storytelling” se buscaba el objetivo de replicar la experiencia de la tienda en el mundo digital. Esto le permitió conseguir un mayor engagement con sus clientes, así como mayor viralidad del contenido.
Siguiendo los preceptos STEPPS de Joshua Berger en Contagious, los contenidos eran una buena “moneda social”, emocionales, usaban disparadores como famosos o películas, fáciles de difundir, relevantes y se apoyaban en historias conocidas por su público objetivo.
En Diciembre de 2015 contaba con apenas 1.115 seguidores en Twitter, a pesar de sus más de 25.000 tweets, generados con una media de 3,5 por día que le permitían conseguir 1 favorito diario.
Sin embargo, la clave era la calidad, no la cantidad, y el enfoque hacia el público objetivo.
La tienda online y nuevas redes
A continuación se crea una nueva web donde se busca, al igual que con el blog, replicar para el cliente online la experiencia “vintage” del local físico.
Aquí se enfrentan a un primer problema típico de una pyme: la falta de conocimiento tecnológico.
El proveedor de la nueva web la hace en Flash, dinámico y con un diseño potente, pero problemático a la hora de posicionar en buscadores. Se vieron forzados a hacer otra versión en HTML y asegurarse de que el archivo “robot.txt” y el Sitemap facilitaban la labor a los buscadores.
Aprendida la lección, el siguiente paso en la estrategia fue vender online y ampliar los canales a Pinterest, YouTube y Google+ siguiendo con la misma estrategia. El nivel de excelencia llevó a que Google usara la página como ejemplo en Google My Business por su alta valoración y por encima de empresas con más recursos.
El objetivo de negocio por delante de todo
Sin embargo en todo este proceso no olvidaron en ningún momento que su objetivo era vender.
Por poner un ejemplo, llegó un momento en el que el 65% de las personas que entraban en la tienda de la calle Claudio Coello lo hacían con una copia en la mano de alguna página o promoción del blog. En Vintage se preocupaban mucho de medir este tipo de campañas ROPO (Research Online, Purchase Offline), que les daban sorpresas inesperadas al ampliar su mercado potencial hasta límites inesperados.
class="twitter-tweet" lang="es">Georgette es nuestra Vintage Friend. ¡Vino desde Chicago para comprar los pendientes para su traje de Halloween! http://pic.twitter.com/qwdjVvsG7a
— Maria Vintage (@VintageByL_L) noviembre 27, 2015
Es más, incluso tras la creación de la tienda online, una de las claves fue mantener vivo el canal de comunicación tradicional.
Eventos, apariciones en revistas e incluso en televisión nacional: el proyecto era tan interesante y exitoso que se producía una especie de “SEO analógico”, posicionándose también en medios offline gracias al buen trabajo online y viceversa, ya que el offline les daba contenidos para promocionarse online.
Aprendizajes del Caso Vintage:
- Mensaje. Los medios sociales deben apoyar el mensaje de la marca. Si la marca es una historia, sus redes sociales deben contar historias.
- Dificultades técnicas. Es necesario evaluar las posibles dificultades técnicas y evitar que un problema de este tipo no paralice el negocio.
- Cliente en el centro. A pesar de lo digital el modelo de negocio y el cliente siguen estando en el centro de todas las acciones y, en una pequeña tienda física, es necesario potenciar las acciones offline.
La clave, en este caso, fue construir la comunicación poniendo en centro al público objetivo y generando contenido transmedia por todos los canales donde lo podemos encontrar.
# 2. LifeStyle Al Cuadrado: el apasionante mundo de los reportes
Frank Scipion es un emprendedor de Internet que lleva varios años con un proyecto personal. Frank comenzó llamándolo “Ingresos Al Cuadrado” y ahora es conocido como LifeStyleAlCuadrado.
Como muchos otros proyectos de este tipo Frank comenzó montando un pequeño negocio personal en Internet, sobre todo dedicado a generar ingresos vendiendo conocimiento.
Aprendía cómo usar Internet para hacer ventas, por ejemplo con email marketing, y luego ofrecía lo aprendido a sus seguidores. El propio Frank explicaba muy bien lo que uno podía encontrar en su web:
Lo que no se puede medir no se puede mejorar
La cuestión es que aparte de tener una modelo de negocio claro basado en la venta de su conocimiento y experiencia, lo más interesante de Frank es que predica con el ejemplo: todos los meses desde el inicio del proyecto genera un “Reporting Backstage” en el que analiza con detalle la evolución de su proyecto “a calzón quitado”.
Todo el mundo tiene claro que en Internet en general y en redes sociales en particular tenemos muchos datos y es muy fácil conseguirlos y analizarlos.
Sin embargo, uno de los aspectos más complicados cuando alguien comienza a hacer negocios en Internet es convencer a la gente de la necesidad de medir.
Pero no solo utilizar herramientas que nos den datos, sino diseñar procesos críticos, definir los KPIs que nos permitirán saber cómo avanzan estos procesos hasta los objetivos marcados y analizar los resultados para ver las desviaciones.
Los “reporting backstage” de Frank, disponibles en abierto para cualquiera, son un magnífico ejemplo y de gran ayuda con los alumnos para que vean la importancia de un cuadro de mando.
Vamos a ver el último reporte que nos ha regalado Frank, el de octubre de 2015, y para ello vamos a usar como hilo conductor el funnel o embudo.
Creando marca
Lo primero que hace Frank es explicar la cantidad de contenido que ha generado. En general la media suele ser de un artículo cada 2 o 3 días laborables; entre 8 y 10 cada mes, relacionados con la temática del blog. Este mes de octubre solo ha generado 6 artículos (uno cada 4 días laborables o 5 naturales) pero como dice él mismo, “Son muy buenos de verdad, con mucha chicha si estás experimentando dificultades para vender en Internet”.
En general entre ellos incluye los artículos de reporte, lo que puede dar una idea del nivel técnico de los mismos. Sin embargo en octubre la clave ha sido vender, varios llevan esa palabra en el título. También nos informa en uno de la nueva web de su proyecto. Y recordemos que el tiempo de generar contenido es también coste para nosotros: coste de oportunidad, coste de nuestro sueldo o como se quiera ver, pero no podemos dejar de tenerlo en cuenta siempre.
Este contenido lo utiliza para darse a conocer, transmitir los valores de marca, y además aportar valor a los seguidores que ya lo son.
¿Cómo consigue darse a conocer? Medios sociales y posicionamiento orgánico.
Por una parte están los buscadores. Frank analiza todos los meses su PageRank y el Moz Rank (4,3 y 5,3 para portada). Utiliza Google Webmaster Tools para ver las páginas indexadas por Google (935 en total) y los enlaces entrantes (92.069). Y no olvida a Alexa, tan a menudo denostado.
Por otra parte está la evolución del contenido en medios sociales. Los post generan 5,699 comentarios en el blog. Tiene presencia en las principales redes sociales: en Twitter cuenta con 15.868 seguidores, los suscriptores en YouTube son 6.015, se encuentra en los círculos de 8.575 personas en Google+ y en Facebook tiene 12.619 followers. Todas estas cifras crecen con moderación (entre el 1 y el 2%), lo que denota ya una cierta madurez.
En redes sociales se busca viralidad y engagement. Apoyan en las primeras etapas del embudo y en la última, fidelización.
Generando tráfico
El siguiente paso es analizar cómo funciona su estrategia de cara a generar tráfico, la siguiente etapa del embudo. Para ello tenemos que ver las visitas y sesiones que ha generado el contenido y las acciones relacionadas. Tenemos para ello las visitas que llegan a su blog y su evolución con respecto al periodo anterior. ¡Incluso cuando es negativa!
Los KPIs que analiza son los básicos que nos puede dar cualquier herramienta, no hace falta ser un experto. En este caso la permanencia en página no es tan importante como puede ser para un medio de comunicación. Vemos que hay una gran cantidad de nuevas visitas, pero también hay una tasa de rebote importante. La gente entra y navega poco, va directamente a lo que le interesa y se marcha.
Captando leads
La base de datos de suscriptores es ya de 48.700 y sigue creciendo. A estos correos envía Frank su newsletter, usando herramientas como MailChimp u otras similares.
El proceso sigue con la Tasa de Apertura y la Tasa de Clics. Es decir, de media se abren un 59,73% de los envíos y generan tráfico un 16,95% (la siguiente etapa del embudo). Cada mes realiza varias campañas, algunas segmentadas y otras no; algunas con los contenidos y otras para ofertar productos y servicios. En general la lista de correo crece poco a poco pero funciona muy bien, con una buena tasa de apertura y una muy aceptable tasas de tráfico generado.
Pero la clave aquí es la generación de Leads, es decir, convencer a la gente que llega al blog que se quede y deje su correo electrónico. El contenido puede animar a la gente a no esperar al próximo post, ya que hemos comentado que es de frecuencia irregular. Asimismo hay cursos y otros aspectos sobre los que puede interesar estar al día. Y sobre todo están los amables recordatorios, como el de la siguiente imagen.
Generando ventas
Todo esto tiene un objetivo final: generar ingresos. Frank nos detalla su cuenta de resultados sin ningún corte.
En octubre ha tenido un sueldo de 4.000 euros; ha invertido en proyectos 9.443 €, en los que incluye la cuota de autónomo y los costes de gestor. Total gastos son 13.443 € y Frank aporta el acumulado desde el inicio del proyecto.
¿Y los ingresos? En octubre alcanzan la salvaje cifra de 73.229 €, con un acumulado total de 600.541 €. ¿Cómo es posible? A partir básicamente de tres líneas de negocio.
Por un lado la afiliación de terceros le genera 1.442 €, lo cual puede parecer que no es mucho pero tampoco supone mucho coste en tiempo darse de alta en una red de afiliación y usar el blog como soporte.
Por otra lado la venta de infoproductos, tales como libros digitales o podcast, es la principal fuente de ingresos, generando 65.806 € este mes. Frank dedica una parte destacada en sus contenidos a este apartado, dado que es una de las principales fuentes de ingresos “pasivos” o automatizables. Esto es vital para conseguir escalabilidad y eficiencia.
De todos modos, este mes es bastante particular; lo normal es que le generen también unos miles de euros.
Por ejemplo, los Podcast y plataformas como iTunes o Google Play pueden ser muy útiles para la venta de este tipo de productos digitales, o también para generar marca con el contenido. Las descargas del podcast han sido 4.594.
El siguiente gráfico es parte de un ejemplo realizado analizando el proceso de venta de productos digitales, concretamente para el caso de un eBook.
En este caso lo que explica estas cifras es el reciente lanzamiento de una nueva línea de infoproductos, los podcasts, que se ha visto reflejado en esas majestuosas cifras de ventas. Es más, Frank analiza en clave de embudo los resultados de estos casos de estudio en formato digital: 17.400 visitas al blog; 18.400 descargas en total; 1.700 reproducciones en Stitcher; 14.200 en YouTube y 17 reseñas de 5 estrellas.
La tercera y última fuente de ingresos de Frank son los servicios de consultoría, la formación y otros servicios profesionales. Esta fuente de ingresos es menos escalable, pero también se puede automatizar bastante un curso de formación dejando una parte flexible para las dudas específicas de cada cliente. Esta última línea de negocio le genera 5.890 € en octubre de 2015, que es uno de los mejores meses del año. Esto explica en parte también el poco tiempo para generar contenido.
Frank termina esta parte analizando el resultado de explotación, ingresos menos gastos, que es positivo este mes y en general durante todo el proyecto. Solo meses como agosto o diciembre suele ser negativo, por la estacionalidad del proyecto.
Fidelizando
Pan para hoy, hambre para mañana. Frank tiene claro que en el largo plazo la clave es fidelizar, por lo que ha creado el concepto de la tribu.
El último bloque del “Reporting Backstage” es siempre un análisis de los cambios realizados, nuevos indicadores lanzados e ideas que se le van ocurriendo según la actividad. Como vemos, Frank utiliza lo aprendido para ponerse objetivos y reducir la incertidumbre que nos encontramos en un negocio como de la venta por Internet.
Aprendizajes del Caso LifeStyleAlCuadrado
- Mediciones. Lo que no se puede medir no se puede mejorar. La marca y las acciones cualitativas se deben reflejar en indicadores de algún modo.
- Herramientas. Las herramientas no son lo más importante, antes debemos entender nuestro negocio, definir objetivos, y desarrollar métricas y KPI para controlar cómo evoluciona.
- Ventas. El objetivo final son las ventas, incluso si trabajamos solo en la parte de redes sociales somos parte del embudo de nuestro cliente y debemos medir nuestro impacto para con su negocio y sus ventas.
La clave, en este caso, es realizar reportes simples utilizando herramientas básicas para poder tomar decisiones eficaces. El uso del blog y las redes sociales está perfectamente integrado dentro del embudo para apoyar a la venta.
Conclusión
Como ves, la utilización de las redes y medios sociales puede llegar a ser una parte fundamental de cualquier negocio, y ofrecer resultados que pueden ir más allá de lo que espera o imagina la mayoría.
Lo “único” que hay que hacer es analizar y planificar, entender cómo puede funcionar nuestro modelo de negocio en Internet y apostar por ello.
¿Qué te parecen estos dos casos? ¿Conoces otros que te hayan resultado de inspiración?
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Review: Hori’s HoriPad Ultimate for Apple TV + iOS doubles Nimbus’s battery life, improves ergonomics
Between confusing implementations and unappealing prices, the first wave of iOS game controllers had a very rough launch, nearly killing a new accessory category that had the potential to be huge for Apple. Some of the earliest iOS game controllers only fit smaller iPhones and iPod touches, others had limited buttons, and most were originally priced at $70 or more. With the exception of Mad Catz’ more affordable, device-agnostic C.T.R.L.i series of Bluetooth controllers, iOS gamepads quickly racked up mediocre reviews and wound up in discount bins. The message to Apple and controller makers: follow Mad Catz’ template, and price the controllers more reasonably, or no one’s going to buy them.
Currently an Apple Store exclusive, Hori’s new HoriPad Ultimate ($50) is the latest acknowledgement that the lesson’s been learned: it’s the second Made For Apple TV game controller, including full MFi/iOS 7+ compatibility for use with iPads, iPhones, and iPod touches, plus Mac support. The pricing, design, and basic feature set are substantially similar to SteelSeries’ Nimbus, though Hori — a respected Japanese developer of game controllers — has outdone SteelSeries on the specifics. For the same price as Nimbus, you get a more PlayStation 4-like controller design with superior hand grips, twice the battery life, better-feeling buttons and a more substantial weight. HoriPad Ultimate uses a Lightning cable to recharge its battery, too…
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Key Details:
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While Sony and Microsoft collectively established the template for recent iOS game controllers, it’s clear that Sony’s PlayStation 3 controller DualShock 3 had the most influence on both SteelSeries’ Nimbus and HoriPad Ultimate. A D-pad’s on the front left, two rubber-topped DualShock-style analog joysticks are on the front bottom, and four convex action buttons are on the front right — just like a DualShock 3 with Xbox-style button labeling. The metallic blue side grips are smooth hard plastic rather than DualShock 4-style textured rubber, but they’re still very comfortable in the hand.
Rather than Select, Start, and PlayStation buttons, HoriPad Ultimate just has a gently concave Menu button on the front center, the only sign that the controller was specifically designed with Apple TV compatibility in mind — earlier iOS controllers had a pause button, instead. Like Nimbus, four red lights indicate HoriPad Ultimate’s pairing status; they’re invisible on Apple.com’s official pictures, but found directly above the Menu button within an otherwise glossy (and fingerprint-attracting) surface.
Where Nimbus and HoriPad Ultimate differ the most is up top. Hori’s L1, L2, R1, and R2 shoulder buttons are almost identical to the ones on Sony’s DualShock 3, clearly separated from one another with prominent, angular pressure-sensitive triggers on the L2 and R2 buttons. SteelSeries went with more organic button shapes that physically touched one another, indirectly increasing the potential for accidental presses of the wrong button; Hori keeps the buttons distinct, like Sony did. Both controllers have the same center array with a power switch, female Lightning recharging port, and Bluetooth pairing button, neither comes with a Lightning cable for recharging. The switch and button on HoriPad Ultimate are a little smaller than Nimbus’s, but not problematically so.
HoriPad Ultimate’s most obvious benefit over Nimbus is something you’ll only notice when you hold the controller: how it feels. Nimbus is somewhat lighter than you’d expect from a good controller, while HoriPad Ultimate has a greater density that’s most notable in the very center. Similarly, the buttons and D-pad all feel as precisely executed as you’d expect from a Sony DualShock. HoriPad Ultimate doesn’t feel cheap in any way, though it’s worth mentioning that Hori’s rubber-tipped analog sticks don’t have the delicate textures found on some controllers; they’re nearly smooth to the touch, rather than deliberately grippy.
The controller’s extra weight is partially attributable to a bigger battery. Just like Nimbus, HoriPad Ultimate includes a relatively power-efficient Bluetooth 4.1 chip, but promises 80 hours of play time compared with Nimbus’s 40. That’s a significant benefit, as Nimbus’s run time was on par with (if not better than) most console wireless controllers, while HoriPad Ultimate is at least twice as long-lasting as a DualShock 3 or Xbox One Wireless Controller. The iOS-to-console comparison’s not exactly apples-to-apples, as MFi controllers don’t have rumble vibrations, headphone ports, light bars, touchpads, or gyroscopes to worry about. But being able to actively play games for two weeks without recharging is great by controller standards.
Pairing HoriPad Ultimate to a device is nearly effortless: once the controller’s turned on, you just press the pairing button, go into the Bluetooth (iOS) or Remotes (Apple TV) settings menu on your device, and select HoriPad Ultimate. When connected to an iOS device for the first time, HoriPad Ultimate suggests that you should download an app from the App Store, but no Hori-specific app appears on the recommended downloads list. There’s only one reason a Hori app might be useful: SteelSeries offers its own Nimbus Companion App, primarily for firmware updates, and the automatic app download prompt suggests Hori is planning something similar. For now, it’s not needed, as the controller works perfectly with iOS and Apple TV devices straight out of the box.
Apart from the absence of a firmware app, software support for HoriPad Ultimate is virtually identical to Nimbus, which is to say that Hori’s controller is compatible with the same (slowly) growing library of iOS and tvOS games that began to add official Apple-sanctioned game controller support after the release of iOS 7. You can play cross-platform games such as Asphalt 8, Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions, and Oceanhorn using any of these controllers, as well as presently tvOS-exclusive titles such as Beat Sports. Hori’s analog controllers and buttons are perfectly calibrated, so I felt perfectly natural — and far, far better than with on-screen controls or the Siri Remote — steering my ship and pointing my weapons in Geometry Wars 3, which is just one of a bunch of iOS/tvOS games that practically beg for the dual analog sticks included in good iOS game controllers.
As a lifelong gamer who has been waiting for great controllers to use with iOS games, I’m glad that HoriPad Ultimate even exists — particularly at a competitive $50 price point. Two years ago, it seemed obvious that the “right” iOS controller would be device-agnostic, include Bluetooth, and offer PlayStation- or Xbox-like features at a PlayStation or Xbox-like controller price. SteelSeries came close to “just right” with Nimbus, and thanks to improved ergonomics and battery life, Hori has come even closer with HoriPad Ultimate. With the exception of rumble vibrations, there’s little more I could want in a console-style game controller; otherwise, Hori has basically nailed the concept here. If you’re looking for an iOS or Apple TV game controller, HoriPad Ultimate is the best option currently available.
| Manufacturer: Hori |
Price: $50 |
Compatibility: iPhones, iPads, iPod touches with iOS 7+, Apple TV 4 |
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More From This Author
Check out more of my reviews, How-To guides and editorials for 9to5Mac here! I’ve published a lot of different topics of interest to Mac, iPad, iPhone, iPod, Apple TV, and Apple Watch users, as well as a last-minute holiday gift guide for Apple fans, a great holiday gift guide for iPhone users, a detailed holiday gift guide for Mac users, and a separate holiday gift guide for Apple photographers.
Filed under: Apple TV, iOS, iOS Devices, Reviews
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Happy Hour Podcast 046 | Year In Review
This is our year in review. We’ll discuss everything we’ve seen, product releases, and how we feel about it all in the Apple ecosystem. The Happy Hour podcast is available for download on iTunes and through our dedicated RSS feed.
New episodes of Happy Hour are available every Wednesday. As mentioned, you can download this podcast via iTunes or plug in our RSS feed link into your favorite podcasting app. Send an email to listenermail@9to5mac.com (or click here) and your question/comment may be featured in an upcoming episode of Happy Hour.
Note: iTunes (web interface and app) may still be propagating the new episode which could take up to 24 hours. Subscribing to the podcast feed will guarantee the latest episode is downloaded.
Hosts:
Here’s what we discussed in this episode:
- Year In Review: Everything Apple released across 2015
- Apple promotes Jeff Williams to Chief Operating Officer, Phil Schiller will oversee all App Stores
- Opinion: Today’s Apple promotions cover executive losses, hint at Apple’s future
- How-To: Setup Photos and iCloud Photo Library with external storage + Time Machine backups
If you missed our 45th episode last week, you can subscribe and find every episode or start off from the previous episode here.
Remember: Subscribe on iTunes to catch all of the episodes as they go live and send in your questions/comments to listenermail@9to5mac.com.
Filed under: Happy Hour Tagged: 2015, apple news, Happy Hour, Technology
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Year In Review: Everything Apple released across 2015
Tim Cook teased Apple’s product pipeline to investors back in October 2013 by saying the company would enter new categories with releases that fall and “across 2014.” This set the expectation that the next year would include new releases in each quarter rather than staying mostly quiet until WWDC in June, then saving new iPhones, iPads, and Macs for the fall.
Perhaps that was a promise better made a year later as most new products in 2014 were once again kept for the fall, but 2015 has been one where Apple has truly released new products all across the year. So many, in fact, that it’s probably difficult to recall every single new hardware and software product without referencing the history books. Starting with the X released in X to the X released in X, we’ll take a retrospective look at everything new that came out of Apple this year and what to expect in 2016.
January
At the start of the month, Apple released the SIM-free iPhone 6 and 6 Plus for the first time in the US. Then the year really kicked off with a polarizing new MacBook, equipped with only a single USB-C port, unveiled courtesy of Mark Gurman’s reporting a couple of months before being officially announced.
We also got an early look at the Apple Watch app plus rumored launch details including battery targets ahead of time. Toward the end of the month, Apple released iOS 8.1.3, which was notable for requiring less space to update, addressing a common complaint from 8 and 16GB devices.
February
- OS X 10.10.3 Pre-Release, first hands-on with Photos
Previously only demoed briefly on stage at WWDC and promised for “early next year,” Apple released the iPhoto-replacement app Photos with iCloud Photo Library in beta with the pre-release version of OS X 10.10.3. The second month is most memorable for the start of Apple Car rumors. Referenced internally as Project Titan, knowing that Apple is working on a Tesla-like electric vehicle became as mainstream as knowing that Apple was working on wearables for the Apple Watch was unveiled. Apple has treated the rumors exactly the same, not officially saying anything but letting the interest satisfy people who ask “what’s next?”
March
- Refreshed MacBook Pro 13 with Force Touch
- Refreshed MacBook Air
- iOS 8.2 with Apple Watch app, Health improvements
- iOS 8.3 Public Beta, first for iOS
- Apple TV 3 drops to $69
In March, Apple held its ‘Spring Forward’ event where it announced ResearchKit, officially revealed the 12″ MacBook, shared Apple Watch launch details, and dropped the Apple TV 3 to $69. Apple also refreshed the 13″ MacBook Pro with a Force Touch trackpad, and upgraded the MacBook Air internals. iOS 8.2 launched to include the Apple Watch app a month before the device became available, and iOS 8.3 Public Beta became the first version of the iPhone and iPad software to be tested outside of the developer program.
April
- Apple Watch Sport, Apple Watch, Apple Watch Edition
- Apple Watch Magnetic Charging Cable (0.3, 1, 2m)
- MacBook (Early 2015, Retina)
- USB-C Charge Cable, 29W USB-C Power Adapter, USB-C to USB Adapter, USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter, USB-C VGA Multiport Adapter
- Final Cut Pro X, Motion, Compressor
- iOS 8.3 with diverse Emoji characters
- OS X 10.10.3 with Photos app
After two media events and more than six months of being hyped, Apple Watch finally launched in April, but orders were limited to online-only at first and several models wouldn’t ship for several weeks after others. Remember when Apple had only said $349 and up, and stainless steel was rumored to be priced at dramatically high prices? How’d you feel when you heard Apple Watch Edition would range $10,000-$17,000? Apple’s radical new MacBook also shipped in silver, space gray, and gold, and mine’s still holding up well. A single USB-C port wasn’t the end of the world after all.
Apple’s video production apps — Final Cut Pro X, Motion, and Compressor — got their big annual updates. iOS 8.3 and OS X 10.10.3 shipped with a new Emoji character picker with multiple skin tones, and the Mac update included Photos for all users after the pre-release period.
May
By May, the Apple Watch was still an online-only purchase and launching in additional countries, but there were a few new Apple products in stores before WWDC. Apple updated the 15″ MacBook Pro with new internals and the same Force Touch trackpad found on the smaller notebook, and the 5K iMac introduced the previous fall got upgraded internals as well. The most significant new think of May was the smallest: Apple’s first Lightning Dock for iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. Apple previously sold a 5/5s Lightning Dock, but this new version was designed with bigger and better devices in mind.
June
- iOS 8.4 with Apple Music and Beats 1
- OS X 10.10.4
WWDC kicked off in June where Apple previewed iOS 9, OS X 10.11, watchOS 2, and officially unveiled Apple Music for the first time. By the end of the month, iOS 8.4 and an update to iTunes was out with a 3-month free trial to Apple Music and access to Beats 1, Apple’s live streaming radio station. Apple Watches finally hit retail stores two months after the initial launch as well.
July
Apple didn’t launch any new hardware at WWDC, but it had some new gear ready the next month. After a couple of years without any real updates, Apple upgraded the iPod touch with new hardware colors including blue, pink, and gold and a much faster chip inside with a greatly improved camera. iPod shuffles and nanos also got tweaked with new colors to match. Previously saved for major music events in the fall, the long-awaited iPod lineup update was a press release and an update on Apple.com, but still got everyone talking about the music players for a few days.
August
Save for a couple of small software updates, August was generally quiet in terms of new releases from Apple. But being the month before iPhone season, rumors about pink iPhones with double cameras and debates about just what Force Touch on iPhones might mean were in full cycle. Mark pretty much nailed what we’d come to know as 3D Touch in his reporting.
September
- iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus
- iPad mini 4
- Protective Case, Smart Cover
- Apple Watch Sport in Gold and Rose Gold
- Sport band colors, Classic Buckle refresh and new color, Space Black with black Sport band
- iOS 9, 9.0.1, 9.0.2
- watchOS 2
- OS X 10.11
Then in September, Apple unloaded almost everything else it had planned for the year. Faster iPhones with new rose gold colors, larger iPads with digital styluses, an upgraded iPad mini, new Apple Watch Sport colors, and tons of new band colors for the fall, plus the new Apple TV. iOS 9 and watchOS 2 also shipped, but with a slight delay for the latter release. OS X 10.11 El Capitan also shipped to the public on the last day of the month, marking an earlier release than the last two cycles.
October
- Apple TV 4
- Siri Remote
- Magic Trackpad
- Magic Keyboard
- Magic Mouse
- First 21.5″ 4K iMac, updated 27.5″ 5K iMacs
- Beats Pill+
- Apple Watch Hermès
- SIM-Free iPhone 6s and 6s Plus
- iOS 9.1 with over 150 new Emoji
- watchOS 2.0.1
- OS X 10.11.1 with over 150 new Emoji
- iWork updates
Even without a separate media event like we’ve had in the past few years, October was a stacked month in terms of new products shipping and being revealed. The new Apple TV actually shipped (but on the last day of the month), the first 4K 21.5″ iMac was released, the 5K 27″ iMac was upgraded with a better display that shows more colors, and Apple upgraded its mouse and keyboard lineup. The Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse 2, and Magic Trackpad 2 all gained Lightning ports for recharging their new internal batteries. We also saw the fist truly new hardware product out of Beats since Apple bought the speaker company. The Beats Pill+ debuted with its own app and a Lightning port for recharging.
November
- iPad Pro
- Protective Case, Smart Cover
- Apple Pencil
- Smart Keyboard
- Apple Watch Magnetic Charging Dock
- iPhone 6s Leather Case (PRODUCT)RED
Then in November the iPad Pro finally shipped, and sooner in the month than some had expected. What did not become readily available and still hasn’t yet is the Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard, the two accessories that only work with the new tablet. Just when everyone thought Apple was done for the year, Apple surprised us all with its first official Apple Watch dock that was previously unannounced.
December
- iPhone 6s Smart Battery Case
- Lightning to SD Card Reader
- iOS 9.2 with iPhone SD Card Reader support
- OS X 10.11.2
- tvOS 9.1 with Apple Music Siri
- watchOS 2.1 with Apple TV 4 Remote
Apple really surprised everyone at the end of the year by going out with a bang… or bump… and introducing its first iPhone battery case. Priced at $99 and curiously designed, the iPhone 6s Smart Battery Case (review) doesn’t work with Plus models and likely won’t fit next year’s iPhone 7, but it’s surely the first of many future power packs from Apple. Apple’s Lightning to SD Card Reader (review) got upgraded to USB 3 speeds for the faster iPad Pro, but otherwise looks nearly identical. Apple wrapped the year with a software update for each platform: iOS, OS X, watchOS, and tvOS. The iPhone got support for Apple’s camera adapters, Siri learned how to control Apple Music on Apple TV, and Apple’s Remote app on iOS and Apple Watch learned how to control the new Apple TV.
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As we discuss on this week’s 9to5Mac Happy Hour podcast (coming later today), 2015 ultimately turned out to be the year of the Apple accessories. Docks made a comeback, iPads got keyboard covers and digital styluses, iPhones got battery cases, and all those Apple Watch bands… Apple also did a fairly good job of pacing itself throughout the year with releases and news spanning the whole calendar year.
With Apple Watch 2, a 4-inch iPhone, and possibly an updated iPad Air in the cards for another spring event next year according to Mark Gurman’s reporting, 2016 looks to be an even more packed year for Apple releasing new hardware outside of the fall quarter. Compared to recent years, I personally quite like this new approach of seeing new and exciting announcements all across the year. My own prediction for 2016? I suspect we’ll see Apple Car rumors ramp up higher than ever. What do you think? Let us know below and tune in to this week’s episode of Happy Hour later today to hear our discussion on Apple in 2015.
Filed under: AAPL Company, Opinion Tagged: Apple TV, Apple watch, iOS, iPad, iPhone, Mac, OS X, tvOS, watchOS
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iTunes is hosting a rare sale on HD movies, including $5 titles + heavily discounted bundles
From 9to5Toys.com:
Typically iTunes is the last place you want to shop for media deals, but right now you can score a number of popular movies at all-time low prices. Take this opportunity to fill your iTunes library with brand new content.
You’ll find a selection of popular movies priced at just $4.99 a piece to own, which is just about the same price as a rental. Titles include: The LEGO Movie, Gravity, American Hustle, Divergent, The Expendables 3, and The Skeleton Twins.
Dozens of HD movie bundles have also received major price drops. Here are our top picks:
- Harry Potter Complete Collection: $49.99 (Reg. $120)
- The James Bond Collection: $99.99 (Reg. $345)
- The Godfather Trilogy: The Coppola Restoration: $14.99 (Reg. $30)
- Jurassic Park Collection: $29.99 (Reg. $40)
- Superman 6 Film Collection: $29.99 (Reg. $50)
- Tarantino 6 Film Collection: $29.99 (Reg. $80)
Terminator Genisys is the $0.99 rental of the week, but be warned: it’s received pretty terrible ratings.
While you have iTunes fired up, be sure to take advantage of the best iOS and Mac holiday app deals.
The first-ever full-length theatrical LEGO movie follows Emmet, an ordinary, rules-following, perfectly average LEGO mini figure who is mistakenly identified as the most extraordinary person and the key to saving the world. He is drafted into a fellowship of strangers on an epic quest to stop an evil tyrant, a journey for which Emmet is hopelessly and hilariously underprepared.
Filed under: Tips and Tricks Tagged: Deals, iTunes, Media, movie bundles
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Want to Grow Your Business? 7 Smart Strategies for Acquiring More Customers [Infographic]
Struggling to grow your business?
You’re not alone. Customer acquisition is no easy undertaking … but it is important.
The internet has completely changed how modern customers shop. As a result of this change in behavior, you need to reevaluate the way you’re marketing your business. No more billboards, direct-mail, radio spots, or carrier pigeons — you need a new strategy.
To help, I’ve detailed seven data-backed strategies for acquiring more customers in the infographic below. Check it out.
What are your favorite strategies for attracting and closing new customers? Share them with us in the comments section below.
Advice from the Field: What Makes a Successful PMO?
Advice from the Field: What Makes a Successful PMO?
By Michelle Greer
Recently, I had a lunch with a newly-appointed Project Management Office (PMO) leader for a major retailer here in SF. He was just hired to reinstate the PMO, processes and tools for his organization. He shared his approach to this exciting new challenge and from […]
from Project Management Articles – PM Hut http://ift.tt/1IqA1eR
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Review: Sugr Cube, the cute wooden portable AirPlay speaker with gesture controls
Portable Bluetooth speakers are a dime a dozen these days – Amazon lists more than 37,000 of them! Though our shootout should help narrow the choice if you’re in the market for one. But portable AirPlay speakers are rather rarer, pretty ones even rarer and the Sugr Cube goes one step further in its bid to stand out from the crowd: it offers gesture-based control.
You tap the top of the speaker to pause/play, tilt it 45 degrees left to return to the previous track or 45 degrees left to skip to the next.
When I saw this on our sister site 9to5Toys, I wondered whether this would be a gimmick that you use a few times, or a genuinely useful form of control. There was only one way to find out, so I took delivery of one earlier this month to put it to the test …
Look & feel
Once upon a time, there was a simple rule for selling premium products: you had to feel the quality from the moment you first set eyes on the box. The packaging, as much as the contents, had to sell you on the quality.
With today’s environmental concerns, brands have to strike a balance. The packaging still has to convey quality, but without seeming needlessly wasteful. Sugr has done well here. First impressions on seeing and opening the black cardboard box are of something stylish, while at the same time the materials are relatively basic.
A Nietzsche quote under the lid forms the finishing touch.
I’m always a sucker for a nice chunk of wood, and the Sugr Cube likewise made a good first impression. It’s available in Cherry and Maple, and the unit I tested was the Cherry version. It looks good. It has a very smooth matte varnish that makes it silky to the touch.
It’s not quite a cube. At a little over 4 inches in each dimension, it’s very slightly deeper than the height and width.
There is a single visible control, a combined volume and on/off switch at the rear. A green LED serves as a combined power and volume position indicator. It’s very attractive.
Features
I describe it as an AirPlay speaker, as that’s the use most here would put it to, but that description does it something of a disservice. The app controlling the speaker actually offers a range of music service. These are:
- Cube Music, which imports from iTunes into its own 4GB internal flash storage
- Pandora Radio
- Radio, offering access to a small-ish but well-selected range of radio stations
- Relax Radio, offering a small choice of natural sounds designed to be relaxing
- Spotify
But from an Apple device, you can use it for any app that supports AirPlay. This of course includes iTunes on the Mac and Music on iOS devices, allowing it to be used for Apple Music.
I talk about the gesture controls below.
Setup
When you switch on the speaker, it immediately starts playing Relax Radio. This is my single biggest complaint about it. A short chime to tell you it’s on would be great, but immediately – and always – playing the sound of waves on the shore meant that after the first few times using it, that sound was associated with anything but relaxation!
You need to download the app to your iOS device to configure it. To do this, you open the app, tap the ‘I have Cube’ button, enter your Wi-Fi router password when prompted and then tap the ‘Connect’ button. The app prompts you to hold the phone speaker close to the Cube. The app chirps the encoded password in audio form, and the speaker pairs over Wi-Fi. You only have to do this once.
After that, you just open the Music app and connect to it as an AirPlay device in the usual way: flick up the Control Center, tap the AirPlay icon and select the Cube.
I did discover one snag during this process: the Cube only supports 2.4GHz Wi-Fi. I usually run everything on 5Ghz. With a Time Capsule, as with many routers, this isn’t a big deal as the router simultaneously broadcasts on both frequencies, but it did mean I had to connect my iPhone to the 2.4GHz version and tell it to forget the 5Ghz network.
Sound quality
For such a compact speaker, both volume and sound quality are impressive. Obviously you’re never going to get fantastic bass out of anything this small, but it did a lot better than I expected. My main audio kit is a mix of B&O and B&W, and it was clear it was never going to compete on those terms. Also, unless you buy two of them and network them together, it’s only a mono speaker.
But in portable speaker rankings, it’s definitely one of the best I’ve tried. So long as you’re not expecting it to replace your hifi system, I don’t think anyone short of a full-on audiophile would be disappointed. (Someone posted rather a lovely quote to the hi-res audio story a couple of days ago: a music lover uses their sound system to listen to music; an audiophile uses music to listen to their sound system. I have mildly expensive taste in hifi, but am definitely a music lover rather than an audiophile.)
I’ve heard some people describe the Sugr Cube’s volume as room-filling. That is definitely an exaggeration, but it does pump out 90dB at one metre, which is quite an achievement from something just four inches square! It also manages this without distortion.
The speaker did cut out several times in use. Once it completely dropped off AirPlay, and other times it paused or skipped. Unfortunately, this seems to just be part of the territory with AirPlay – a topic I’ve ranted about at some length. However, while it’s always hard to quantify these things, my impression was that the Sugr Cube cut out a little more frequently than most AirPlay devices.
Gesture controls
Which brings us to the question I asked at the beginning: what about the gesture control? Pointless gimmick, or genuinely useful?
I must confess that while I was intrigued, I was fairly confident I’d end up dismissing it as a novelty feature. After all, if I’m playing music from my phone – the most likely use for a portable speaker – my phone is probably to hand, and if not there’s the remote app on my Watch. How useful is it really to play/pause by tapping the top of the speaker, and to change track by tilting it left or right?
To my surprise, the answer turned out to be ‘actually, it’s rather convenient.’ Even on my desk, with my phone stood in its dock within easy reach, it actually proved less fiddly to simply tap or tip the speaker than touching the on-screen controls in the Music app. It’s just like listening through headphones, where the inline control is more convenient than the phone.
Gesture control is by no means a must-have feature, but it is a genuinely useful one – a nice-to-have.
Portability & battery life
As an AirPlay rather than Bluetooth speaker, this is more likely to be used as a flexible speaker you can move from room to room at home, rather than something you’re going to take to a social gathering elsewhere. For this kind of usage, it’s extremely easy to pick up and take to another room.
It has the type of look that works with pretty much any decor, so if you want to use it semi-permanently – say putting it in a home office or study while working and then moving to a bedroom on the evening – it’s not going to look out of place.
Sugr claims a battery life of 24 hours. I haven’t yet used it enough to put this to the test, but with a 6000mAH battery in there, that seems a reasonable claim. Certainly I’ve used it for 10-12 hours on a single charge and it’s still showing as green.
Conclusions
At $229, the Sugr Cube is definitely at the premium end of the portable speaker market, but it’s not a crazy price. There are Bluetooth speakers out there at a similar price, and in AirPlay terms it’s actually at the cheaper end. Given the great looks, decent sound and claimed 24-hour battery life (which I didn’t hit, but certainly it would get you through even a long music session), I would say it’s reasonable value for money.
I am slightly concerned about the fact that the drop-outs seemed a little more frequent than other AirPlay devices, but it is – as I say – hard to be sure about this. I wouldn’t let this put you off: buy from a retailer with a decent returns policy and you can judge for yourself.
The Sugr Cube Compact Smart Wifi Speaker is $229. If you’re looking for other potential audio purchases, check out my premium audio guide.
Filed under: Reviews Tagged: AirPlay, AirPlay speakers, Sugr, Sugr Cube, Sugr Cube review, Wifi speakers
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17 of the Best Out-of-Office Messages We Could Find
Without fail, I almost always forget to put up an out-of-office email message when I’m headed out for vacation. It’s one of those things I remember just as I’m shutting down, or sometimes even after I’ve already left. (Heh, sorry guys.)
Since I usually throw them up in a hurry, I don’t take a lot of time to get creative. However, I remembered to put up my OOO message early this time around — so I decided to do some Googling for funny, clever, and snarky messages people have used in the past.
Here are some of the gems I found.
Download our free guide here for more tips on office etiquette and workplace productivity.
Funny Out-of-Office Messages
1) I am currently out at a job interview and will reply to you if I fail to get the position.
Bold move.
2) Hi. I’m thinking about what you’ve just sent me. Please wait by your PC for my response.
Still waiting …
3) I am out of the office from mm/dd to mm/dd and will not be checking email. It’s likely your note will be swallowed in a sea of inbox banality, never to be seen again. If you require a response, please re-send your email after mm/dd.
Even then, not gonna guarantee anything.
4) On vacation. Hoping to win the lottery and never return.
So much for passion.
5) I am away from the office right now. Unfortunately, I will be back tomorrow.
Womp.
6) Some variation on this clever, funny approach from Josh Kopelman:
“I am currently out of the office on vacation.
I know I’m supposed to say that I’ll have limited access to email and won’t be able to respond until I return — but that’s not true. My blackberry will be with me and I can respond if I need to. And I recognize that I’ll probably need to interrupt my vacation from time to time to deal with something urgent.
That said, I promised my wife that I am going to try to disconnect, get away and enjoy our vacation as much as possible. So, I’m going to experiment with something new. I’m going to leave the decision in your hands:
- If your email truly is urgent and you need a response while I’m on vacation, please resend it to interruptyourvacation@firstround.com and I’ll try to respond to it promptly.
- If you think someone else at First Round Capital might be able to help you, feel free to email my assistant, Fiona (fiona@firstround.com) and she’ll try to point you in the right direction.
Otherwise, I’ll respond when I return…
Warm regards,
Josh”
Clever Out-of-Office Replies
7) If you’re reading this, Doc Brown was unable to make lightning strike the clock tower, and I’m stuck in 1985. I won’t be able to respond to emails or voicemail until 9ish on mm/dd, or until email is invented — whatever comes first.
This is the one I’m most bummed I didn’t think of first.
8) I am currently out of the office. I have a cell phone, but I will not be giving the number out. If you can guess the number, however, I will take your call.
I support the logic here.
9) 404: Marketing Manager not found.
The nerds will get it, at least. (Idea by Mary Beth Folger.)
10) I am on vacation from mm/dd to mm/dd. I will allow each sender one email. If you send me multiple emails, I will randomly delete your emails until it is pared down to one. Choose wisely. Please note that you already sent me one email.
Now that’s what I call an optimized email.
11) Thank you for your email. Your credit card has been charged $5.99 for the first ten words and $1.99 for each additional word in your message.
Brevity is the soul of wit.
12) The email server is unable to verify your server connection. Your message has not been delivered. Please restart your computer and try sending again.
If you receive this message a second time, I haven’t done my job.
Snarky Out-of-Office Messages
13) I’m not in the office right now but if it’s important, tweet me using #YOUAREINTERRUPTINGMYVACATION.
I’m actually more likely to check email than Twitter on vacation.
14) You are receiving this automatic notification because I am out of the office. If I was in, chances are you wouldn’t have received anything at all.
Just sayin’.
15) I am out of the office until mm/dd. Enjoy the quiet.
… possibly indefinitely.
16) I am currently out of the office and probably out-of-my-mind drunk. Enjoy your workweek.
Please drink responsibly.
17) I cannot handle your emails until I return on mm/dd/yyyy. Please be patient and your mail will be deleted in the order it was received.
Honesty is the best policy.
What clever out-of-office replies have you come across? Please share with us in the comments.
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in July 2014 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.