Showing posts with label Personal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Personal. Show all posts

Friday, October 28, 2011

Siri, the iPhone's Personal Assistant, Will Only Grow in Power Over Time

Apple unveiled Siri, the iPhone's new personal assistant, this past Tuesday (October 4th) at the iPhone 4S announcement presentation. It had become largely forecasted that a "personal assistant" of some sort or other would be a part on the new iPhone, particularly after Apple's purchase of mobile application startup Siri back in 2010.

The key to good voice recognition is having a computer device really know what a person necessarily mean, not merely that which you articulate. Apple is right on point in this regard. Asking Siri about the weather could take various forms, from "What will the weather end up like today?" to "Should I bring an umbrella today?"

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Forbes is naming Siri a "sleeper hit," and they're without doubt correct. The technology is undoubtedly amazing and it's only going to get greater. It is crucial to bear in mind this is the very first time bringing voice recognition in the mainstream. Even though voice recognition has been in existence in the past, it has in no way yet been this accessible and valuable.

To all you entrepreneurs here, now is the time to start the thought process. What will the next decades of voice recognition hold? There will be likely to be many big and thriving companies and buyouts over the years to come connected with Siri. From ordering food to organizing reservations at restaurants, Siri will create computer communications later in life. Devise an idea, begin doing the service, and wait for the Siri API to open up or even get acquired by Apple themselves.

Siri's speech will get more organic with time, Siri should be able to conduct an increasing number of things, Siri will start to understand more intricate directions. And this is perhaps all going to take place at a fast rate during the next several years.

We should keep in mind that Siri, even though operating very complex technology, remains to be very much in her infancy. Having Siri schedule things in your calendar or set up reminders and alarms are quite basic tasks. The particular enjoyment of Siri will be in the complex projects that the cellphone personal assistant will soon execute. When you have an electronic assistant who understands exactly what words suggest, not simply what words are, the limitations come to be nearly none. How much time might it be until you can begin prompting Siri for guidance on daily dilemmas?

Seeing that society possesses an accessible type of A.I. that can be go into a shirt pocket, we're going to need to start addressing numerous additional concerns. Exactly who could be responsible for coding Siri's ethics? As the technology learns and grows, what person are going to be guiding its course? Does it work similar to Cleverbot and learn advice through owners? Can it base advice through accepted internet results? Or will Apple be involved in results? Will we get to decide on several personalities?

Steve Jobs has left us with a technology that's full influence will be realized for many years. Although many people were let down that Apple launched the iPhone 4S rather than an iPhone 5, Siri will result in making a larger effect to the future of handheld technology than could be probable by using almost any hardware presentation.

Siri, the iPhone's Personal Assistant, Will Only Grow in Power Over Time

Grow Calendar 2011

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Grow Your Personal Training Business With Free Advertising

Recently I've had the opportunity to work with a few personal trainers on growing their business. There have been a few common challenges that seem to come up for each trainer. They are;

- Finding new clients - Motivating clients outside of the gym - Sporadic hours throughout the day

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This week I like would like to focus on the challenge of finding new clients.

Whether you are a seasoned trainer with many clients to fill up your day, or new to the profession and wondering why people are not knocking at your door, listen up. This advice is going to help build your business.

Let's start with those who have a handful of clients. You need to ask yourself some questions. How are you performing as a personal trainer? The first step is to know that you are offering and delivering the best possible service to your clients. In short, the way to do this is to ask your client questions. Let's be clear. For you to be delivering your client the best service it's not about how much you know and tell your clients or how many courses you've taken. Seems contrary to what you've been taught, doesn't it? Allow me to let you in on a little secrete. It's not about you; it's ALL about your customer.

Serving the customer This not a new concept as people now realize the only difference between them and the guy down the street is customer service. But do you really know what that means? Let me ask you this, what is the ratio between ears and mouths on the human body? 2:1 correct? See what I'm getting at. We need to listen to our clients and fully understand why they are here to see us. When the middle aged lady is here to see you to lose weight, get healthy and 'feel good', what does that actually mean? You need to be digging a bit deeper here. Summer is upon us and people want to feel comfortable taking off their shirts and walking down the beach. That's what it means to 'feel good'. We have to paint that picture for our clients for this, and only this, is truly going to motivate them. The very first step in customer service is to know why your customer is here to see you. Keep on asking yourself "why" until you've hit the core reason. This will also help with motivating your client outside of the gym. Once you have found their 'why', use it at all times.

How this relates to free advertising? As you gain happy customers and they feel that you truly care for their success, your business is going to grow. There's a catch though. This is not going to happen on its own. The way to grow your business and not have to spend a dollar on advertising in the newspaper is to ask for referrals! You can see why it's important for us to first have a happy customer. Now you can ask, "You know Sandra, I looking to grow my customer base, do you have any friends who would be interested in my service?" And here's a little tip after asking for the referral - keep your mouth shut! I've seen it too many times where trainers then interrupt the client by filling in the 'awkward' silence and then moving away from the topic. Ask and you shall receive. When people are happy with your service, they will actively seek out new clients for you.

This means we have some work to do. Whether you are a new trainer or a seasoned pro, call up your past clients, friends, and relatives and let them know that you are actively building your customer base and would like to ask if they know anyone who might be interested in; losing weight for the beach this summer, or any other of your core focus you have. This is where you have to be specific! Paint a picture of that person you would like to work with. The key here is to ask for the referral and not seek out business from them. Chances are they know what you do and don't want to be pitched to. This also alleviates any pressure on you.

Grow Your Personal Training Business With Free Advertising

Grow Calendar 2011