BizPal launched

Parkland County Council Chambers was a hub of activity as  many turned out to witness the launch of the County’s newest online service, BizPaL.   During the launch, County staff conducted a demonstration of the simple  online question and answer tool, showing how quickly entrepreneurs can find the  licence and permit information they need to start a business in Parkland County.   “Economic development is a priority in the County’s Strategic Plan,” said Mayor Rob  Wiedeman. “Anyone considering starting a business in Parkland County can use  BizPaL on the County’s website and quickly figure out what permits and licenses they  need as well as the cost as part of their research. This tool further promotes Parkland  County as the place to do business.”

BizPaL is a project initiated by Industry Canada in conjunction with provincial and  municipal governments. Parkland County joins other municipalities in Alberta, British  Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick,  Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Northwest Territories and the  Yukon who are already using BizPaL to promote business development in their  communities.

“Through Canada’s Economic Action Plan, our government is helping small businesses  by increasing access to financing, lowering taxes and cutting red tape,” said Minister of  State Rob Moore. “BizPaL is a great example of the government’s hard work to support  small and medium-sized enterprises across Canada as they innovate, create jobs and  generate wealth in our communities.”

How does BizPaL work?
1. Visit the Parkland County website at www.parklandcounty.com, Online Services, BizPaL.
2. Answer a short series of questions about your current or proposed business to create a customized list of the permits and licences you may need from all levels of government.
3. Save or print your results for future reference. For more information, contact Parkland County Planning and Development at 780-968-8443 or Economic Development and Tourism at 780-968-8406. You can also learn more about BizPaL by visiting the Industry Canada website at www.bizpal.ca

The company, which employed approximately 15 people locally, was unable to continue operations due to the current recession.

The Sign Cellar was known for its active community involvement, especially from owners Graeme Dawes, and Orville Eidick.  The company was an active supporter of Minor Hockey, the Saints, and the Great White north Triathlon.

Retraction notice: view here.

The ultimate goal of marketing is to get customers.

One way to build competitive advantage is by offering current and potential customers value on your web site.

You need to prove to your clients one thing: that they can trust you to work your butt off to offer them the best service possible. You need to know your stuff, you need to be creative, and you need to build trust.

Trust is key. This is the most important thing you will read today. When people trust you, they will be more willing to give you their hard earned dollars. So how do you build it?

Teach them something
This is an idea that comes from the owners of 37signals: people trust those that teach them. The best way to do this is to start a blog, and post at least every week.

Here are the rules:

• Be genuine: You know what I would love to hear, just once? A real estate agent telling me that now is not the right time to sell! Being consistently genuine, even when it means not making the “quick sale” will earn you long-term customers.
• Take a stand: This goes with #1, but the other thing you need to do is take a stand about the things you believe in, and be willing to lose a part of your “potential market” for it.
• Say something that matters: this is where your social skills come in. You need to listen to people around you. What’s the current “nerve” that you need to hit?  Let’s continue with the real estate example: right now, in Stony Plain and Spruce Grove there are a lot of people that bought 2nd and 3rd homes in the “boom” hoping to flip them and make a quick buck. Now they are freaking out because the market has crashed, and they are left holding the keys (and three mortgage payments). I just asked my agent if he, or anyone in his office, bought 2nd properties during the boom. He said: “Nope, none of us. We’ve always felt like it’s almost always too risky.” That’s good advice; I hope that he said that during the boom, when the trend was for every homeowner to use their home equity and pick up additional properties. That’s advice that matters.
• You have to write it yourself: Given everything I’ve just said, you can’t delegate this off on somebody else. You can’t go and buy some pre-written content. You can’t have your assistant do it. It has to come from you, or it will just look like all the other generic content out there

Once you have a blog, and you’re updating it regularly, you’re going to have a pool of great content. This is content you can use in other places: your email newsletter, articles you write for the paper, or that next talk you give at the Chamber meeting.

Equally beneficial, people are going to start visiting your web site regularly. Your organic search results (on Google) are going to improve. And your visitors are going to come back. Eventually, it’s very likely that they’ll ask you to serve them.

What if I’m not a good writer?

You don’t necessarily have to post writing on your blog. You could post video, images, or a weekly cartoon strip (illustrated by you). Gary Vaynerchuk, owner of winelibrarytv.com, realized early on that he couldn’t write; but he was great on-screen. For the past 3 years he has produced a new episode of his show every single day and amassed a following of thousands.

People have needs.  Scratch their itch and you could end up with a following of people who trust you, and want to be your customers.

Steady export and domestic processor demand has helped canola bids climb over that $10 per bushel level right across the Canadian Prairies.

Increased exports are being driven, in part, by demand from China.