Friday, December 31, 2010

Thank You And Happy New Year!!

Thank you for a wonderful 2010!! Our business grew dramatically in 2010 and we thank you!! We appreciate your confidence in our services and we look forward to an even better 2011 for all of us.

Happy New Year!

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Green Valley Floral Is A Treat - Go Treat Yourself, Even If You Only Look, It Is Worth The Time!


If any of you reading this have not been to Green Valley Floral, 4160-A Suisun Valley Road, Fairfield, CA, you are missing a real treat. I have seen a lot of gift shops and florist shops, but never before have I seen one that is so fascinating and engaging. I don't just mean interesting--I mean fascinating. The variety of items is astounding and all are high quality and personally chosen by the master eyes and taste of the owner, Peggy Nethery. Above is a photo slide show of just a small selection of the wonderful gift ideas and accessories that adorn her beautiful shop.

Give yourself a treat, go to her website, http://www.greenvalleyfloral.net/ and see more slide shows and many more photos. Oh, by the way, they sell flowers too.

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

'Tis The Time For Procrastinatin' - An Old Tireish Sayin'

"Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion."
~C. Northcote Parkinson, 1958

"To think too long about doing a thing often becomes its undoing."
~Eva Young

"Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday."
~Don Marquis


There seems to be more procrastination going on in December than any other month, particularly the last two weeks of the month. The only other time that even comes close is just before taxes are due around the middle of April. Is it because we are so busy with other things? Naw. It's that we don't want to think about it. We have other things on our mind. Even if it is something we need, our need is a relative thing.
 
I have loved the quote from C Northcote Parkinson that work expands to fill the time allotted for it. Give it more time, and it just absorbs it with no end. We just love putting the thinking about something off. But why?
 
I have a theory. It is because we don't know what to do. Here's an interesting quote that helps with this: "A man with one watch knows what time it is; a man with two watches is never quite sure." -- Lee Segall. More choices, more thinking, more unsureness, more discussion, more procrastination, claiming to want more information to make a decision. But, I find that what it really comes down to is an unwillingness to make a decision. What I have found about decisions in my wisdom years is that they are freeing and exhilarating! They make the earth move! They release all anguish and turmoil and it doesn't even matter if it may even not be the "right" decision, but it is the act of deciding that is so wonderful.
 
If we can accept that decision making is freeing and creates movement, then procrastination is like a drain clog, stopping up the sink. It keeps filling up until you can't fill it up anymore, then you are forced to make a decision at a time and circumstance that is far less enjoyable. Making decisions quickly is like keeping that drain open and running freely.

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Basecamp Customer Video: R.BIRD


This is a video of a product from a company called 37 Signals called BaseCamp. Upward Trend uses this product and we love it. It is an inexpensive and effective way to keep track of activities with clients. Check out this an a number of other products at http://www.37signals.com/.

Monday, December 27, 2010

Steve Case: Twitter Sceptic To Power User


Steve Case, co-founder of America Online, talks about his conversion from Twitter skeptic to power user with almost 350,000 followers. He originally found the social network "silly," but soon realized it could be used as a powerful tool for sharing useful information.

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Friday, December 24, 2010

STRATEGY: Kindness is Free


Tom Peters uses the example of patient satisfaction at hospitals to highlight the importance of kindness. Find out more at tompeters.com.

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Du Ya Creates "The Bone" T-Shirt For KSAN/FM 107.7 The Bone



Here's a bit of father and son sharing of the newest offering for Du Ya. This T-Shirt was designed for the crew at KSAN/FM San Francisco, 107.7 Radio The Bone. Get yours at our eBay store or our website, http://www.duyainc.com/. It's only been online for a day and they've already sold several! Check out the other T-shirts, women's intimates and sweat shirts.

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Owner Peggy Nethery Talks About Green Valley Floral


Peggy Nethery, owner of Green Valley Floral talks about her business and what her passion is about it. She also talks about the wide selection of quality gift items she stocks, and much more. It includes a little tour of her shop. This video was shot in October 2010.

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Kevin Snedeker Talks About Racks, Hitches, and Customer Service


Kevin Snedeker, owner of Vaca Valley Truck and SUV talks about his business and some of the different products he sells. He talks also about how some products are seasonal. In addition, he talks about his brand of customer service.


Visit Vaca Valley Truck & SUV's website at www.vacavalleytruck.com. Call them at 707-447-9905.

Friday, December 17, 2010

Kevin Snedeker On Tonneau Covers and Tool Boxes


Kevin Snedeker, owner of Vaca Valley Truck & SUV talks about Tonneau Covers and Tool Boxes and why he has such a large selection to choose from.


Vaca Valley Truck & SUV is located at 1240 Callen Street, Vacaville, CA 95688. The phone number is 707-447-9905. Kevin is a hands-on owner, so you will be able to talk to him directly. His website is http://www.vacavalleytruck.com/.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Folsom Lake Ford Is Newest Trend Setter Package Client

Upward Trend is pleased to announce that Folsom Lake Ford of Folsom, CA has become the latest Trend Setter Package Client. Upward Trend will be building a separate website for their large Fleet and Commercial Department which includes Government Division, Mobility Division and Commercial Truck Division. Also as part of this package, we will be doing a blog, facebook, twitter, and other social networking, a monthly HTML newsletter, video, and more.

Dan Raimondi, Fleet Director, whose staff is larger than some dealership sales department staffs, said that he looked forward to a long and mutually beneficial relationship. We agree completely. Thank you, Dan for giving us the opportunity to serve you!

Welcome aboard, Folsom Lake Ford. You will be hearing a lot more about this group of people in the coming weeks and months.

Monday, December 13, 2010

Top 10 Tips for Small Business


Entrepreneurs discuss tips to help business get started and growing. Tips include getting a mentor, testing the idea and more.

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Innovation Keynote Speaker Jeremy Gutsche - 30 Minute Speech


Innovation keynote speaker http://www.jeremygutsche.com/ Jeremy Gutsche is an innovation expert, futurist, trends expert, founder of TrendHunter.com and "one of North America's most requested keynote speakers." In this innovation keynote speech, Jeremy is speaking for 3,000 Meetings Professional International members sampling his: strategy, marketing and innovation keynote speech, Exploiting Chaos.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

The Ultimate Customer Service Story Is Inspiring


Maria Garcia turned Ross Shafer into an unpaid spokesperson for this room service associate and the Marriott Hotels when she went 30 seconds out of her way. This is funny and important. Find Ross: http://www.rossshafer.com/.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Amazing Customer Service Ideas


Customer Service expert, author and keynote speaker Scott McKain - to hear more of Scott's great ideas find him here http://www.thesweeneyagency.com/

Sunday, December 5, 2010

What Convinces Is Conviction

"What convinces is conviction.
Believe in the argument you're advancing.
If you don't, you're as good as dead.
The other person will sense that something isn't there,
and no chain of reasoning, no matter how logical
or elegant or brilliant, will win your case for you."

-- Lyndon B Johnson


Believing in what you do is the single most important quality and your belief shows in many ways even without speaking it.

When I was first learning about sales and sales management in the auto business in the 1970s, I listened to tapes and read books from Zig Ziglar. I'll never forget as we was telling how he advised a salesperson in how to succeed in the company he was involved in. He sold cookware. He asked the salesperson if he owned the cookware and when he answered no, Zig told him that without owning and using the product, convincing others would be a serious challenge.

When I started in the auto business, I made sure to own the product as soon as I could, and I think it made a huge difference. As a sales manager, I talked about that often to my staff. A lot of car sales people would think that because of their knowledge of the business that it would be in their best interests to own a used vehicle and avoid the initial depreciation of a new vehicle, but if they never bought a new vehicle they wouldn't be able to relate to that special feeling that only comes from buying a brand new automobile. While I was in the auto business I bought about 15 brand new vehicles and a couple of used ones. I wanted to make sure that I led by example, but more than this, I loved that feeling of owning a brand new vehicle and so it was very easy for me to sell a new vehicle to others.

I've seen a sales person work at a Chevy dealership, making their living selling new and used vehicles. Then, I would see them go out and buy a brand new Honda. That act speaks to their conviction, or lack of it. What does that say to potential clients if they found that out? In this example, the best thing to do for this person is to go sell Honda products. This way their conviction will match their behavior.

Nothing convinces like conviction.

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Seth Priebatsch: The Game Layer On Top Of The World


About this talk

By now, we're used to letting Facebook and Twitter capture our social lives on the web -- building a "social layer" on top of the real world. At TEDxBoston, Seth Priebatsch looks at the next layer in progress: the "game layer," a pervasive net of behavior-steering game dynamics that will reshape education and commerce.

 

About Seth Priebatsch

"Proud Princeton dropout" Seth Priebatsch runs SCVNGR, a mobile start-up trying to build the game layer on top of the world