Gene Marks

Gene Marks: Program Outlines

Obama, Bernanke, and Bezos: How Events in 2012 Will Change The Way We Do Business
We're looking at a volatile year ahead of us. 2012 will bring big changes in our government, our economy and the technologies we use to run our companies. What decisions should you be making now that will lead to profits and increased value in the future?

Presidential and congressional elections are in November, 2012. What impact will a new Obama administration have on your business? What if the Republicans take control of Congress? How will the political agendas of both parties affect taxes, our deficits, our exchange rate and the future prosperity of both our country and our companies?

And what about the Fed? Chairman Bernanke has steered us through the last Great Recession. But what actions is he taking now and throughout 2012 that will affect inflation, interest and exchange rates? How will these actions ultimate impact what you buy, who you buy from and when you're buying? What metrics should we be following to truly understand what's going in the economy? Where do we turn for the right answers?

And of course the other big trends that are affecting the way we do business: technology. It's not just Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos who's leading the wave. Exciting companies and new startups are creating industries around us. How are smart executives leveraging the latest services, applications, devices and processes to maximize employee productivity, expand their operations and increase their profitability?

Join New York Times columnist Gene Marks as he explains the meaning behind today's numbers, the trends in Washington, the new technologies coming on the market, and where he expects tomorrow's opportunities for smart executives lie.

During the presentation, Gene will discuss:

• The key economic metrics driving today’s economy and the meaning behind the numbers;
• Recent legislation passed that directly affects the business community;
• What the business community can expect from the next Congressional session;
• How healthcare reform legislation will affect the business community;
• What industries and markets will grow the most over the next five years;
• How social media and cultural influences are changing customers’ behaviors;
• Recent and pending technologies that will drive economic expansion for the business community;
• New tax laws to watch;
• Other political and economic trends affecting the business community.

GADGETS, GIZMOS AND GEEKS:25 NEW TOOLS, TECHNOLOGIES AND WEB-BASED SERVICES THAT SMART BUSINESS OWNERS ARE USING EVERY DAY TO INCREASE THEIR PROFITS
Hosted solutions. Mobile apps. Smart devices. Tablets. Netbooks. Today’s technology is changing. Really changing. And the smart business owners are learning how this stuff can be used to make them more money.

In this presentation, national columnist, best selling author and successful business owner Gene Marks will discuss 25 great new tools, technologies and web based services that smart business owners are using every day to make more money.

You will learn about:

• Technologies for keeping yourself and all of your employees productive when mobile.
• Web based services for lead generation and marketing that will generate more revenues.
• Applications for improving customer service and product delivery.
• New searching and buying technologies to find the lowest priced goods around the world.
• Free and inexpensive communication and time management tools that will keep everyone closer;.
• Online applications for project management, time and billing, job costing and collaboration.

Still working in the old world? Afraid of losing the competitive edge? New startups are appearing every day, run by a generation of people that understand how to use these technologies to operate more efficiently and profitably.

Isn’t it time to get up to speed?

Google This! How Smart Business People Are Using Google To Increase Their Profits
Google has gone way beyond search. And smart business people are figuring out how to use these tools to change the way they’re doing business.

The world of online applications has exploded over the past few years. And the way we’re doing business is changing along with it. Are you keeping up?

Google has lead the way with free and inexpensive tools that are helping business people cut costs and increase profits. Are these offerings better than Microsoft or other software companies? Some are. Some aren’t. But good managers are no longer ignoring Google. They’re adopting the technologies that make sense for their companies.

During this user friendly, easy to understand presentation Gene Marks will walk attendees through his favorite Google applications that are helping him and his clients run their businesses quicker, better and wiser. Gene will demonstrate a few of these tools, share many links and resources and discuss with participants his no-nonsense opinions of what applications work best for a small or medium sized business.

Whether you’re a beginner or an advanced Google propeller head, you’ll walk away with new ideas for running your business more profitably.

During this presentation, Gene will discuss how smart business owners and managers use Google to:

• Setup GMail to effectively replace their in-house email systems;
• Share documents, spreadsheets and presentations using Google Docs;
• Use Google Calendar overlays to see when people are available, send invitations and get RSVPs and integrate with GMail
• Send out and manage surveys using Google Docs;
• Synchronize documents and files on your desktop to Google Docs using Google Gears;
• Use GMail, Google Calendar and other apps from a mobile device;
• Publicize external company events by publishing a calendar to make it searchable in the Google Calendar gallery. Easily embed calendars into web pages;
• Use Google Sites to centralize documents, spreadsheets, pre- sentations, videos, slideshows and more to help keep teams organized;
• Best ways to use AdWords to grow your business;
• And more...

THE NEW NORMAL: HOW SMART BUSINESS OWNERS/MANAGERS ARE MAKING PROFITS IN 2010-2011
During this presentation Gene will discuss how smart business owners have:

• Figured out how to follow the money (especially the stimulus money) and what new tools they are using to get the most of their marketing dollar.
• Learned about new economic and financial indicators that give a better barometer of the overall economy and their company's health.
• Re-visted their banking and financial partners to increase their credit lines and improve their relationships.
• Invested in new technologies that have allowed them to improve customer service and communication.
• Discovered new online tools to help them purchase better and cut their overhead.
• Created more creative ways to make their employees happy while controlling costs.

QUICKER! BETTER! WISER! SEAL OF APPROVAL: Companies, Products, Services and Processes That I Approve Of!
I've seen a lot of business owners and managers do a lot of things that really work well.

They deal with companies like Intuit and Fedex because these companies understand business owners. They use products like GoToMyPC and Constant Contact because they're reliable and work as promised. They get the most from their service providers, vendors, employees and partners. And they implement simple processes for collecting and servicing and managing. They do things quicker, better, wiser and for making more money.

During this presentation, I discuss the companies, products, services and processes that business owners and managers need to know about so that they can do things quicker, better and wiser. What companies are good to work with and who to avoid. What products and services actually….work as promised. And what basic processes need to be in place to bring in more revenue and keep costs low.

You will learn about:

• Companies that understand the small and medium sized business marketplace and provide the best service;
• Technology and products for sales, marketing, and employee management that are reliable, tested and meet my seal of approval;
• Services that are worth the money, as well as how to negotiate the best prices;
• Processes that successful business managers use to increase productivity, raise revenues and keep costs low.

OTHER KEYNOTE AND SEMINAR TOPICS INCLUDE:

• Politics, The Economy, and The Business Community - How Today's Current Events Impact Tomorrow's Profits
• How To Keep Customer Service At Its Best When Money Is Tight
• 25 Lessons Successful Business Owners Have Learned From The Recession
• How Entrepreneurs Can Profit With Obama
• GOOGLE This!
• 20 Ways To Increase Business Through Outsourcing
• 50 Ways For A Business Owner To Increase Profits In 2010
• In God We Trust: Everyone Else Pays Cash - Simple Lessons From Smart Business People
• Politics, The Economy, and The Business Community: How Today's Current Events Impact Tomorrow's Profits
• The Coming Tidal Wave: 10 Ways Health Care Reform Will Affect Your Business