Think of giving not as a duty but as a privilege.
-John D. Rockefeller

It has been said that our society is measured by how it treats its weakest and most helpless citizens. As URBaCS continues to grow we will continue to support those in need from our local community.

In Indianapolis alone, there are hundreds of charitable organizations supporting those in need. Most have a specific focus. Some include: underprivileged children, battered women, drug addicts, alcoholics, gamblers, homeless persons, military veterans and abandoned pets. In addition, organizations like the United Way exist to serve as a sort of charity clearinghouse where you can donate to a general fund and your monies are distributed as needed. The point of this post is not to tell you how to spend your money.

If you don’t have the financial latitude to donate money, why not donate some of your time? Sign up to read to an underprivileged child or play bingo with a lonely elder. I know your time is valuable but trust me that you will reap great emotional rewards for sharing with others.

With the vastness of all of the problems in the world, there must be something you can do, however small it may seem.

Don’t hesitate to get started today. Most municipalities have charity directories. Grab one today and see how you can help.

This is our first crack at a training video. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

A few big companies have started using viral marketing. Production costs are minimal and reach is exponential. Here are a few examples that I really like:

1. When MBNA merged with Bank of America merged two employees sang a song at a company meeting. Someone posted the video on YouTube.

2. The Indiana Pacers basketball team created a unique viral video to generate excitement for their opening game of the 2007-2008 season.

Our hearts and prayers go out to everyone effected by the massive fires in southern California.

I can’t help but wonder how this is going to effect the building industry. Will this be a boom to the industry, or just another nail in the coffin?

When Katrina hit New Orleans the home building industry was in the midst of the biggest boom in recent memory. The rebuilding efforts increased the demand for building materials and contractors. Increased demand lead to shorter supply with the consequences of higher prices. We were fortunate at the time because we were so busy no one noticed. Solution, raise prices, delay starts, problem solved.

Today we find ourselves in the midst of the largest market downturn in 20 years. How will the increased demand of supplies and labor impact us today? New Home prices are falling. Margins are almost non-existent. Builders are struggling to survive. Contractors have gone out of business. Can they absorb increases in hard cost of materials and labor?

On the surface it would appear that the answer would have to be no. But what if there is a silver lining to be found in the tragedy of the California wildfires? During the massive rebuilding effort of Katrina contractors flocked in from all over the country. Supplies also arrived in such large quantities it created shortages elsewhere. All of the goods and services required to rebuild the property destroyed in the California wildfires may be the saving grace for the new home building industry. It may keep some suppliers and contractors busy enough during this down turn to allow them to survive long enough for inventories to be reduced and the market to regain some form of equilibrium.

In nature fires are a way to cleanse the environment allowing for a renewal of growth. I for one hope this tragedy can clear some of the economic brush, providing new growth for our troubled industry.

If you’ve never heard of GrandCentral.com, just remember that you first heard about it from us. GrandCentral is a young company that was started by two guys: Craig Walker and Vincent Pacquet, both from Yahoo!. The company was recently purchased by Google for an undisclosed sum and is currently in BETA.

I was lucky enough to receive an invite to participate in the BETA and I must say that there are some really great things coming. In the span of a few hours I have moved all of my contacts from Facebook, Outlook and my cell phone to my new online address book on GrandCentral. I have setup my new voicemail and configured GrandCentral to work with my cell phone, home phone, work phone and Skype softphone.

Intrigued? Here is a how GrandCentral.com works: www.grandcentral.com/support/howitworks

On its own I have yet to find a more comprehensive online phone system. But pair it with Skype and you can achieve phone successes that have yet to be found online. Here is what I mean:

• I setup a free GrandCentral account
• I setup a SkypeIn number: $60/year (US dollars)
• I added all of my contacts into my GrandCentral address book
• Whenever I need to make a call: I click on the person’s name in my GrandCentral address book and it calls my SkypeIn number, then it calls them.
• No long distance. No fees.
• And the best part: my GrandCentral number shows up on the other person’s CallerID (a problem that Skype has yet to solve)

More info about GrandCentral
More info about SkypeIn

Now that the blog is starting to take shape, I thought it would be a good idea to add additional content that you may find useful. One of our goals with URBaCS is to make it so simple even a cave man can do it. Oops. Sorry big and powerful insurance company. What I meant to say is so easy even a middle aged executive can use it. Which when you think about it, it’s kind of the same thing. So our topic today is ‘how to get started.’

If you are a builder, the easiest way to get started is to visit www.tryurbacs.com/trial.php. This will take you to the sign up page. All you need to do is put in your company name, website address, an email address, and a password. Click on the ‘Create Free URBaCS Account’ button and you are done. That’s it.

You will immediately receive a couple of emails outlining how to start using your new URBaCS account. Each page inside the system includes a set of operating instructions and we have also created Tour and Frequently Asked Questions sections. In addition, I will be posting the next steps in upcoming blog entries.

If you’re not ready to sign up for a trial account, please visit www.urbacs.com to find more information about how URBaCS can help your company.

We would also love to speak with you directly. Please email us or call us.

As we grow the URBaCS brand we have asked our closest friends and family to offer suggestions along the way. Rob and I are so immersed in URBaCS that sometimes we don’t see the forest for all the trees.

Last week I got a phone call from my mother telling me that the tour on the URBaCS site had a grammar problem. Apparently, I had typed ‘there’ instead of ‘their.’ I told her that it was a work in process and that I was planning to fix it soon.

Two days ago, she calls to remind me that I still haven’t changed it. At first I was somewhat frustrated because of all of the things that have to be done…this seemed very insignificant. Then I realized that this is exactly why we’ve enlisted help from our closest allies. I would have probably kept ignoring this change and forgot about it indefinitely. But because my mother took 30 seconds out of her day to remind me of my lack of follow up, I took 30 seconds out of mine and fixed the problem. And who knows, maybe this intangible item will lead to a future sale.  At least we know we don’t have to hire copy editors.

Thanks mom!

Author: John G. Miller Publisher: Putnam Publishing Group Pagecount: 128

This was an easy read. John Miller’s writing style is conversational and compelling and the short length makes it a single-sitting read. The Question Behind the Question (QBQ) defines what you should be asking yourself every time you get the desire to place blame, procrastinate or help the world make you feel like a victim. This book is not about taking control of your environment but rather taking personal responsibility for how you react to your environment.

How many times have you heard/thought: “It’s not my fault” or “That’s not my job”

The QBQ aids in shifting our focus to that of personal accountability. To be a true leader we must accept responsibility for decisions we make.

I strongly recommend reading this book. Especially if you aren’t in control of the decisions made at your company. It can be easy to start asking, “Why can’t we get more support from the marketing department?” or “Why can’t we lower our prices to become more competitive?” But the QBQ reminds us that if we focus our actions on things inside of our control we will increase our productivity, sales and happiness.

You can buy QBQ at Amazon.com

On my way to my Aunt & Uncle’s lake house yesterday I noticed a big manufacturing facility that was out of business. Swingsets, Inc. was a swingset manufacturer that sold its products online. 300 pound swingsets delivered to your door. The only problem: $750 shipping & handling on a $250 product.

I have been to many seminars over the years. Some lasting for days, some lasting for only hours but seemed like days. The one outstanding sales trainer I have seen many times is Bob Schultz. Every time I’ve been to one of his seminars, I have come away with something useful. Bob Schultz is one of the leading sales trainers in the new home building industry. In 2006 Bob was named to BUILDER Magazine’s Power on 50 list: a list of the 50 most influential people in home building.

As sales people we hear the word ‘NO’ more often than we hear the word ‘YES’.’ Bob teaches my very favorite way to turn a ‘NO’ into a ‘YES.’ The next time you feel uncertain about asking for the sale try this, “Do you have any other questions before we start the paperwork?” It’s genius! No becomes yes, and yes brings out hidden objections. Either answer gets you closer to the sale.

Try it sometime, it really works.