How BCERT Tokens turn your cloud cost center into a valuable asset
BCERT Tokens are a type of asset that come with a built-in budget. This means you have unlimited use of new cloud technology, without having to worry about license fees from centralized software companies. Now you're in control!
Read more >>What is the distributed cloud and “TOKENOMICS”
The days of being a user or investor in a company that is using old cloud technology are over. With BlockCerts Blockchain Distributed Cloud Platform, and the exciting tools like our (spoiler alert ORBITi “Orbiteye” browser and SearchExplorer), a new world of cloud has begun.
Read more >>Web 4.0 is like a box of legos.... Where anything can be built.
Answers from Tim Web 4.0 is Like a Box of Legos - Where Anything Can Be Built Questioner Comment from a Channel Partner: I'm not a salesman. If I had to earn a living through sales, I'd be living in a cardboard box. Can you give me some feedback on Web 3.0 vs 2.0?
Read more >>The Roboadvisor fintech platform revolution
Effective financial services are changing in a big way. The future is here now for wealth advisory firms, family offices, and any financial firms that are concerned about client service, portfolio management, and financial planning. The wave of what are known as “RoboAdvisors” will eliminate those firms and advisors who are not keeping up with technology. Which is a good thing.
Read more >>The death of employer/employee paradigm in the digital age
With the proliferation of connectivity, the measure of “an hourly wage” has become irrelevant. If a business can’t afford the national average for a particular task, the employer can simply go online, and find an equivalent skill set in a less developed economy with lower hourly wages. Not only has the world gotten more competitive – it has become more flat as to the wage scale. This is why “hourly and salary” no long make any sense. In the next years, I predict the minimum wage will evaporate, and benefits will be provided in new ways to those who earn them.
Read more >>Images of success
One of my favorite photo of Steve Jobs is where, late in his career and toward the end of his life, he is sitting at his desk (it looks as though he is in his home office), with an iMac Pro in front of him. He is leaning back in his chair. The view is his back, balding head, a slight profile of his trademark face adorned with wire rim glasses. Contemplative is the word that comes to mind when I see this image.
Read more >>No more excuses: the cloud, big data & CaaS (compliance as a service) how to use the cloud to eliminate fraud
No More Excuses: The Cloud, Big Data & CaaS (Compliance as a Service) How to use the Cloud to Eliminate Fraud & Ensure Compliance 19 years ago all of my data was on my thick and heavy Toshiba laptop. It was 1996, and this was the smallest device money could buy. Back then, I remember thinking having all your documents in one place was a great idea- it would improve organization, efficiency, and even protect in case of a fire or some other disaster. And it was great, that is, until the SEC seized that laptop as a part of an investigation into my business.
Read more >>The importance of being equitable: thoughts on the neo exchange
Today, March 27th, 2015 the NEO Exchange officially became a part of the Canadian financial landscape. And, after three and a half decades in the financial markets, I can only shake my head and say “Finally!” when I think of the changes about to come to fruition thanks to the innovative and courageous work of Aequitas.
Read more >>Planes, subway trains & convention centers
This July, I've been traveling- a lot ! I'm in Toronto at the moment, at the Microsoft WPC (World Partner Conference) 2012, along with "16,000 of Steve Balmer's closest friends..." as the CEO of Microsoft put it in his Keynote address this morning. The Air Canada Convention Centre and subways of the Toronto Metro are a far cry from the Haro Strait I was sailing upon yesterday. As our sailboat glided along calm waters, crossing the border from the US to back to our home port in Canada, I realized, no matter where I am- in the middle of the ocean or a metropolis- I am in the Cloud and connected.
Read more >>Airline lessons learned from the million mile high club
Editor's Note: This blog post is an edited version of a blog post Tim put up in 2006. Unfortunately not much has changed since then in the airline industry. I was recently sent a link to this video - a humorous take on the folly of discount airlines: Cheap Flights Most people would agree that it hits a nerve, but for me, it's more like hitting the entire spinal column.. I know this pain. Personally.
Read more >>Boot camp step 1: trimming down your technology tangle
Every month, every day, I hear about or am invited to use a "new tool" my business can't do without. Personally, I've had ENOUGH with this gluttony of software. We have enough software to run the planet right from our iPhones and Blackberries! All these programs are doing is distracting us from what should be our primary task - running an efficient business.
Read more >>January is business fitness month & you're invited to boot camp!
It's always a bit melancholy to say goodbye to the holidays - helping put away the decorations while thinking about all the family, friends and smiles that make this time of year so special to us. This past year my family received more cards than ever from our loved ones - cards about triumphs, about struggles in work and health, but all laced with hope, strength and love.
Read more >>How every marathon runner wins the race
I was recently in New York during the famous NYC Marathon. The city was packed with runners from all over the world. What struck me was that many of them didn't look like they could walk to the end of the block, much less run a marathon! Yet, there they were, ready for a grueling 26 mile race.
Read more >>Not all leads are created equal
According to most sales experts, no matter how many leads you receive only 2% of them are ready to buy right away. At least 25% of your leads will turn out to be no good, and the other 73% will need a whole lot of nurturing, coaching and maybe even cajoling to get them to a point where you'll know if they'll convert to sales.
Read more >>The age of Wikipedia
Ever gotten into a good natured argument with a friend about a fact neither of you are totally certain about? For example, are Baboons monkeys or apes? This simple question, completely unrelated to anything important became a hotly contested item of debate for one CMAEON staffer. She solved the problem the way so many people in her generation do - she checked Wikipedia. Victorious in her assertion that Baboons were monkeys, life went back to normal.
Read more >>1TO1REAL: 50 years in the making
I just received this email. Names withheld to protect the innocent. Looking at the content of this email - the list of questions being asked and the choice of solutions being offered. it suddenly becomes easy to answer the question of what the Connected Market Space is, and what 1to1Real is.
Read more >>Why you need more than IQ to manage leads
Imagine a business where a lead comes in, is entered into the CRM system and then. just sits there. This lead, let's call her Ms. Smith, didn't come in through traditional channels, so she was routed through an employee who didn't really know how to use the CRM system; the wrong ranking was assigned to Ms. Smith, so nobody knew she was a hot lead, ready to buy, and worst yet, no salesperson was assigned. Long story short, Ms. Smith sat there, unattended until she phoned back again. Is this an unlikely nightmare situation? You may be thinking to yourself unattended leads. in my system? It's more likely than you think.
Read more >>Why your CRM solution is killing your business
Read any white paper or marketing brochure for a CRM system and it will have an extensive list of features. Contact management? Check! Customer Tracking? Yup! Project Management? OK! Report generation? Got it! Email? Sure, why not! The list goes on and on.
Read more >>All this connection talk - what have we learned?
We have learned that getting people to "know about each other" is a difficult and full time job, and this is most likely the most difficult product to deliver for any business, no matter what size. "Knowing" about each other involves many stakeholders - marketers, business people, sales people, and financial people and, of course, interested and qualified searchers that become buyers.
Read more >>Accurate information and the efficient marketplace
This blog talks a lot about the Connected Market Space - a marketplace state we can get to when accurate and relevant information flows between all parties, enabling everyone to efficiently access to the information they want and need. Today, we have created some of the capability to create the Connected Market Space with the way technology is evolving and how we use it.
Read more >>The future of information on the internet - word of mouth, responsible connections
In today's world there is almost no need for journalists, and no need for ink on paper. This is not to say ink and paper will go away - they won't. They are great comforts, like junk food, or mom's cooking. No matter how bad it is for us, - there is something satisfying about a burger, a big fat piece of home-made chocolate cake.
Read more >>Everyone is connected - will you use this power for good or evil?
For better or for worse, it has been proven over and over again in the last two years that everything and everyone in the world is connected. Of course, we are all connected in the online ecosystem, plugged into each other with social networking sites, search engines and blogs.
Read more >>The missing connection: comparing CRM to CRM? Why feature comparison doesn't work
It makes no sense, for any business, to invest in technology based on a comparison of features. Today, the basic features of CRM are well-defined - any CRM will provide the basics of contact relationship management.
Read more >>Beyond CRM - why connected companies need better customer relationship management
Everyone today knows that CRM solutions save money and make moving information between employees, customer and clients much easier. Between 1999 and 2005, it seemed everyone was jumping on the CRM bandwagon - and with good reason - who doesn't want to streamline their data capture and make more money? However, more than 10 years into CRM, some interesting statistics start to emerge:
Read more >>Leaving the ferrari in the driveway
I've seen it happen time and again. Beautiful, well designed web pages, with flash and media, that cost the equivalent of a Ferrari are delivered, deployed, the companies and executives are excited. It rolls out, like a brand new red Ferrari slowly backing out of the garage. Then - nothing! It sits there.
Read more >>Getting connected 4 "Real" part 1
Through travel, I've had the rare opportunity to view businesses, entrepreneurs and work forces from many different industries to watch how things are shaping up and changing. From E-Health in Pharmacies, to RealEstate, Mortgage Banking and Wealth Management -every industry is shifting to become more closely connected.
Read more >>Getting connected 4 "Real" part 2
Here is part two of Tim's series on staying Connected 4 REAL. You can find part one here. How does something that piques your interest on a web site get answered by the company behind that site?The sad truth is that most answers from business are too late, too hard to find, or are never answered. Even worse, most businesses don't even know what revenues bounced away to a competitor.
Read more >>Why google isn't "Everything": how to beat google ppc
The latest and greatest online buzz marketing tool seems to be Twitter. It's all the rage. Business guys like me are wondering though, will it stick? Obviously, no one really know - so a better question is this: Does it matter to your business?
Read more >>Global recession watch & trends
In the last three weeks I've covered the ground from West to East across Europe - on the hunt for depressed economic conditions. They seem to be more rare than the sighting of the Loch Ness Monster. From London to Paris to Budapest - Piccadilly to the Champs Elysees - and East to Andrassy Avenue in Budapest - the crowds fill shop floors and business workers I've spoken with say "...business is good..."
Read more >>All looks tip top in London - seen directly from "London's eyes" on the world financial scene
I met with a good friend of mine who deals in the financial sector in the UK today. It was great to see Andre - haven't seen him since last August when the markets went to hell! The last time we met, I was just discovering that our largest health client had filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy - it was a distraction during our regular board meeting in Toronto.
Read more >>It's just smarter marketing to connect (1 of 2)
Do you still pay $3.00, $5.00, $10.00 per minute for international phone calls? Ever hear of Skype? Of course if you were a business person who was paying $5.00/ minute for a phone call (if you still use the phone at all with email, SMS and your Blackberry in hand) you'd be working for the Government and have an unlimited budget. Oh wait, Governments are cutting back and getting smarter too...
Read more >>Seismic upgrade: reprogramming our companies and our lives
I'm walking in Montreal - looking at the buildings around me - all of which are at once historic and modern. The City is vibrant and alive with activity - no signs of a recession here. There are bikes sponsored by the city that anyone with a credit card can use for 30 min for free. This is a place that has started to connect to a new model from and ancient history. A place where history has been preserved and upgraded to a modern stability - where the cross-communication between French culture and language to those of English is just a way of life - the natural way of connecting in a multi-cultural structure.
Read more >>"Bing"-dong! The connected market space: the world is knocking @ the front door - here comes relevant information
In 1997 (Wow! Thirteen years ago - time flies when you're thinking), while I was a full time Professor at the University of Victoria - I wrote and published a small paper called Technomics: How Access to Information Will Change Global Business. That was before the term "search engines" was part of common, everyday discourse (and before Google was even a company).
Read more >>Another one bites the dust: the 5 top mistakes that keep developers from selling their properties today (part 5 of 5).
Over the last four days, I've talked about the dangers of developers and sales people "knowing too much" and thus not doing the jobs they should be doing. Yesterday, I spoke about what can happen when a Print Media Expert is hired to do an Online Media Expert's job. Today, I'm going to switch gears a bit, though, and wrap up this week with one of the biggest mistakes I see developers making today.
Read more >>Another one bites the dust: the 5 top mistakes that keep developers from selling their properties today (part 4 of 5).
Yesterday I discussed the mistake developers often make in presuming that they themselves are Media Experts. In that same vein, I will show you today how hiring a Print Media Marketing Expert is a not only an outdated but also wasteful mistake many developers often make.
Read more >>Another one bites the dust: the 5 top mistakes that keep developers from selling their properties today (part 3 of 5).
Just as dangerous as assuming a salesperson has an intimate knowledge of media and marketing - as I touched on yesterday - is a developer who assumes that he or she has that same intimate knowledge. Mistake #3 - Being a Media Expert. Would a developer hire a general contractor to do an architects job? "Hey, here's a piece of property, Joe. Go ahead and build something, we'll get it sold..." I don't think so, either.
Read more >>Another one bites the dust: the 5 top mistakes that keep developers from selling their properties today (part 2 of 5).
Yesterday, I spoke about the first mistake any developer can make in project marketing and sales. As I said, I've seen a lot of developments stall or self-destruct at the hands of a developer who felt like he or she "knew it all." I told you about my friend the hotelier, who became a developer, then a travel "guru," then a marketing and sales "expert" capping off this illustrious and varied career with a stint as a financial products broker. His development is still just a patch of dirt.
Read more >>Endangered species: what gm has in common with the real estate brokerage industry
An excerpt from a conversation between Michael Tuff, CEO of Racaria Capital Financial Solutions and Myself MT: Why has it been so difficult for the process of buying real estate to make the jump onto the internet?
Read more >>Another one bites the dust: the 5 top mistakes that keep developers from selling their properties today (part 1 of 5).
I've recently watched several developments either stall, or implode completely. This is not because of the economy, nor is it because people aren't buying. Rather, it's because the developers "knew too much" - or so they thought. In order to sell a partially completed project, a new development, or a completed project with the balance of inventory, developers need to wake up and get into the Connected Market Space where 85% of buyers are searching or "hiding out".
Read more >>Tribute to my Dad - Frank T. Vasko 5 May 1930 - 22nd Dec 2006
I promised to write in my Blog prior to the holiday with three thoughts - a promise I was never meant to keep. My father and mother were visiting from California. They had just arrived at my home on December 19th. After only a few minutes, my Dad, a happy, health (as far as we knew) and positive soul had a massive stroke - he passed away on December 22nd.
Read more >>Welcome to the new CMaeON blog!
Here we'll update you on changes in the industry, and also on what we are up to in the office. Blog posts will mostly be updated by Tim Vasko, CMAEON/s CEO, we will also be having guest bloggers contributing to the CMAEON blog, who are experts in a number of fields, including marketing, real estate and mortgage banking.
Read more >>It's just smarter marketing to connect (2 of 2)
In the last few posts I've been talking about "Smarter Marketing" - which is why we call "Smart Marketing" in The Connected Market Space iQ3. I talk about it in my Video. Leads are about (1) Quantity, which is the aggregation or volume game - in essence, making sure you are as visible as possible throughout the web to bring in a large volume of leads.
Read more >>Lost connections: how the "Sharper" brand lost its market connection
I'm in a cab at 58th & 7th in NYC - broke my Bluetooth Jawbone headset. No worries - it's hanging by wires, still working - sort of, if I hold it just right. Anyway, I bought the extra protection plan from the retailer who sold it to me - Sharper Image. "Drop me off on 51st". - I figure I'll stop in at the Rockafeller Center Sharper Image and get a replacement. I walk to the Bank of America Building - I find the Sharper Image sign - and the image in the blacked out windows tells the story - the one time leader, high end brand, is closed for good. What happened?
Read more >>Generation gap: how I view the computer as a "Boomer" - how my son views the computer as a "Millennial"
My Son turned 20 the other day - he's a great guy - I'm a proud Dad. I was talking to him "man to man" about social networking on the web. "You know what makes you different than me?", I said. "Other than the fact that I'm 6'1", and handsome...", he responded - ok, a little humility is in order. "Yea, other than that - I mean online", I said.
Read more >>"Ground hog day": real estate marketing needs a new day
I'm speaking at the Luxury Council event in New York at the beautiful Hotel Plaza Athenee along side some very impressive collegues in the industry. Greg". From Halogen.com, Michale" From Protero.com, Susie Ellis from Spafinder.com and Steve Nobel from the Luxury Council. I'm #4 - ugh! These people are SMART - what should I say? We're talking to executives from luxury brands - I don't want to repeat what the panel members have already discussed - I listen - I'm watching the nods and reactions from the audience.
Read more >>Analysis: why a "Down market" - is really - a "Corrected value market" the time to buy? Now.
Assume a $400,000 home in California became an $700,000 home in the period of a few years based on no real tangible value - here's how: Side note for mathematicians: I'm taking the liberty of the J.M. Keynes approach to this economic analysis and the numbers - ' I'd rather be approximately correct, than precisely incorrect...' (I've also heard this "approximate" quote attributed to W. Carr). Thus, if my math is "off" don't get too hung up on the figures - the concept is to identify economic reality, not the ten grand here or there of value ...
Read more >>A practical view: what is driving an emerging new real estate model? Behind the scenes "Sub-prime", housing and real estate - another distribution evolution based on the internet
[NOTE: The market trends we are basing the RealEStock.com model on -RealEstock.com is a new distribution model - beyond just "pretty pictures" ... this blog stream of thought is the beginning of a series on the current real estate market ... ] First, please excuse the "academic" nature of this article - I realize I am going back to my old "Professor Vasko" days. However, I felt an overwhelming urge to run through a discourse on what's really going on in the financial and real estate markets. Mostly because, right now is a great opportunity for "smart money" looking to buy real estate from around the world and for our RealEstock model - so here I go ...
Read more >>Realestock: transforming the way we think about buying and selling real estate
After nearly half a decade of research and development, and a couple of decades in experience, RealEstock is born. On March 25th, 2008 we announced the launch of RealEstock.com - I encourage you to visit, if you haven't already, and begin to understand the meaning and significance of what RealEstock.com is today for the real estate, and considering the current global financial scene, for the related sectors of finance and mortgages.
Read more >>No free lunch - how open source goes away for business
The old adage, "you get what you pay for" never has really applied to technology. Sometimes business pays tons of money and gets nothing more than a big tax write off. Sometimes developers are nearly free or actually free (for love of the innovation in an 'open source' spirit) and the returns are astronomical in productive tools and value to the world. It is hard to tell, who or what you'll get - that only comes with experience - at painful price. It's a school I've personally paid dearly to attend (don't try this at home. Unless you hope to get into the tech business - get some help!)
Read more >>Bravo a quote I just received from another innovator ... A year of silence broken
After a year of "quiet perseverance and thought" - a period in my personal and professional life that has compelled me to keep my thoughts and opinions to myself - readying for a major launch of our latest innovations - I just received this quote and excerpt today from another forward thinker in a business out to change the world for the better.
Read more >>"Tech-knowledge-E&Trade;" part 1: expertise on evaluating saas (software as a service in web 2.0 - 3.0 vs. The lake wobegon era of software
I recently observed an RFP process that used the standard "old school" methods to replace some seriously outdated marketing systems. It was interesting to see in action the classic "definition of insanity" - expecting different results by doing the same thing over and over again. As Einstein once spun it, "we can not solve the significant problems we face today at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them".
Read more >>Happy holidays - a look back at connecting during 2006: three observations, predictions for a new year
Observation - Prediction #1 of 3: As I wind up my year, I am thinking about how connections that have evolved further in 2006 will change our future forever as new Connected Market Spaces emerge for business.
Read more >>Connecting in my market: planes, boats and automobiles
My mad dash to the catch the ferry at 5pm started my 24 hour journey for a 2 hour meeting. I felt like Steve Martin in Planes, Trains & Automobiles as this connection to build a new business relationship began. An hour and a half on the ferry, red eye to Atlanta, change of planes to Nashville. I picked up my rental car, drove to the hotel, quick shower. Three hour drive to my meeting. A talk for 2 hours, 3 hour drive back - crash; ah sweet sleeper bed.
Read more >>Summer's here!
I've not written for some time - over a month; in this blog anyway. I believe that to write something, anything, you should have something to say (see my latest 'favorite' quotes in the sidebar)! So, sporadic entries, which seem far between, are more a matter of my adherence to a rule, I believe, we should all respect. That goes for companies, individuals, and YES you spammers out there. Say what you have to say, to those, and ONLY to those, who want to hear what you have to say.
Read more >>Global connections, brain waves and corona
I'm just back from Puerto Vallarta Mexico for a few weeks. I didn't even go near a computer (well ok, once to check on an e mail from some new friends we met in Yalpa on the beach over a few beers -- we had agreed to meet up again and go to another secluded beach after the weekend -- but not until then). The only screen I wanted to be near was sun screen. I was ready for the break - and to "unplug" my brain and digits from the digital ..
Read more >>Patents pdas and pills
In the recent, very publicized events surrounding Research In Motion's (RIM) struggles on patents for their popular BlackBerry devices in the United States (where even the US Government claims special rights or "statement of interest" in the fight), the Supreme Court of the US refused to hear the NTP v. RIM patent case. The count down to the "end result" is rapidly approaching, February 24, 2006, and the issues are still in hot debate -- will the doors for BlackBerry in the USA remain open?
Read more >>