Current Tech I Use as a Legal Marketer

A reader asked, "What tech do I carry and use daily":

PC laptop (could probably do just fine with netbook here)

• Outlook
• Firefox
• MS Office
• InterAction CRM
  

Personal MacBook (13") loaded with:

• Photoshop - DUH!
  
• Tweetdeck - Gotta keep up with the real-time news
  
• Hulu Desktop - I don't watch regular TV and get my fix here
  
• NeoOffice - free, as good as MS Office, compatible, nuff said
  
• KeePassX - so many passwords need a safe garage
  
• Chrome - quick, clean, glad Google finally ported their browser to OSX
  

iMac (27" home desktop with dual monitor) loaded with EVERYTHING!

Blackberry Storm

• Synced to firm email/calendar/contacts
• Gmail - another DUH!
• Opera Mini - Much more functional that BB browser
  
• Ubertwitter - Fast and cleaner Twitter client
  
• Facebook - Gotta keep in touch with m peeps
  
• Google Voice - One number to rule them all
  
• Google Maps - but of course!
  
• Viigo - Newsreader
  

Online data storage and real-time sync to all of my computers via Dropbox

I route all of my personal email into Gmail, firm mail remains isolated via firm service on PC and Blackberry

All phone calls and voice mail including office line are fed to Google Voice (one number for life!)

At some point in every day I touch everything on the list above. I still carry my Moleskin notebook and keep old-school notes, but technology has really amped up (in a GREAT way) how I get things done.

I am certain that within days my tech will evolve to new tools... Call me an early adopter but THAT is so cool! I can hardly wait!!
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Cooking Your Way into a Great Rolodex

Many of you know I love to cook -- being the Chef-de-Cuisine is not only a fun activity but incredibly productive for business networking.

On Saturday evening I catered a private dinner for 12 at the home of a highly regarded CFO in SoCal. The guests were people in business of influence within his circle of contacts. My role -- cook. I prepared an Autumn menu using fall harvest ingredients including basil, spinach, lamb, bacon, baby greens, potatoes, late season vegetables and a variety of cheeses. The hit of the evening was my acorn squash soup with bacon. I could go on about the food (just cause I am such a tireless foodie) but the point in this article is creating relationships.

At this event I met and connected with a partner-of-influence at Deloitte, a political consultant that could help me gain a seat on a State commission and the CFO at one of SoCal's most successful nutritional supplement companies. As the Chef-de-Cuisine I had a captive audience and everyone begging for recipes -- the perfect recipe for initiating great relationships with people I need to know!

The lesson here is not that you should learn to cook. The lesson is that we need to find new and interesting ways to connect with people. Doing what we love can be fun and productive!

I served dessert (sweet corn blintzes with sauteed apples and bacon bits) at 9:30PM. The last guests left at 2:00AM -- I think the evening was a complete success!

What do you LOVE to do that you can share!

"What Keeps You Up at Night?"

The most important question, and the most cliché question of the decade! It has every possibility of making it into the Cliché Hall of Fame right alongside "paradigm", "synergistic", "stickiness" and "game changer".

The whole meaning of the question, "What keeps you up at night?" is to uncover the right--now issues that are a real concern. To be in a position to ask such a question requires you to be a trusted peer. It is NOT something to ask of a stranger or casual acquaintance. Unfortunately, too many people ask the question hoping for an answer to sell to -- not actually caring about the pain behind the answer.

Allow me to suggest that if you have a desire to know the answer to that question, spend the time it takes to be in a good relationship with the person before you ask.

Anyone can ask that question. Only someone I trust who knows me and my business will receive a truthful answer.