Is a tablet right for your business?

Posted on August 12, 2011 by cimsolutions

The number 1 question I have been asked for the past 6 months is, “Should I get a tablet?”

The answer I give to this question every time is, “It depends”. It really depends on many things. The best way to determine if tablets can help your business is to spend 30 minutes with a mobility specialist. They will be able to go over some of the key benefits and see if your business is setup to handle tablet computing. Here are some of the key business questions.

  1. Do you currently have a way for employees to have secure remote access?
  2. Do your employees need access to a CRM or sales system?
  3. Do you have sales people that still carry around catalogues and price sheets?
  4. Should you get a laptop or a tablet?
  5. Do you want to keep all of your notes and files with you?
  6. Do you have to take freehand notes in meetings and share them with a team?
  7. Do you have to carry a portfolio of work with you?

Once it is determined that your company can benefit from tablet computing you then have to determine which tablet platform is best for your business. It is usually best if your entire company uses the same platform so data and apps are easier to share. Here are some facts to help you determine which platform is best for your business.

  1. Apple iPad
    - 9.7” display, dual core, pseudo multitasking, Apple iTunes focused.
  2. Blackberry PlayBook
    - 7” display, dual core, real multitasking, strong Blackberry integration.
  3. Google Android
    - there is dozens of Android tablets. They range from very low end to high end corporate models. The new Android OS is a very robust platform with larger support than the Apple iPad.
  4. HP webOS
    - this is a very new platform that may not get enough support behind it to last. Going with this platform is real gamble currently.
  5. Windows 7 Tablet
    - the only reason to run this current version is if you need a very strong support for Microsoft applications and easy access to a corporate network. This platform is being replaced next year by Windows 8 Tablet and will be a much better tablet platform.

There are some additional tablets on the market but they are specialized products made for certain uses and industries.

If you are an Apple Mac user or you live your life through iTunes then an iPad is probably the best choice for you. Otherwise there are some very good tablets about to come out that have very strong enterprise features and security. The new Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet will be the first fully secured and managed tablet on the market and you can get a 3 year onsite warranty.

Let us know how your business is using tablets to save time and money.

Sean Jennings is a Mobility Specialist at C.I.M. Solutions Inc.

He can be reached at (905) 458-5090 x322 or sjennings@cim-solutions.com

Filed under: Business Tips, Technology | Tagged: , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Our Top 15 Categories of Interest

Posted on August 11, 2011 by bnicorporatestrategicpartners

15 Top Categories of Interest

Our financial, facility, communication, wealth and consulting services teams are looking for referral partnerships in the following business categories.

  • Leasing Company
  • Real Estate Lawyer
  • Commercial Realtor
  • Commercial Property Manager
  • Commercial Interior Designer/Builder
  • Office Supplies
  • Cabling Services
  • Logistics
  • Benefits Consultant
  • Sales Recruiting
  • Executive Recruiting
  • Virtual Assistant
  • Independent Marketer
  • Printer (Digital & Litho)
  • Business Event Planner

For more information about joining, please contact our Membership Committee.

Filed under: Chapter News | 2 Comments »

Quote of the week – Orison Swett Marden

Posted on August 1, 2011 by melachaman

The golden rule for every business man is this: “Put yourself in your customer’s place.”

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Outsourcing the Design Headache

Posted on July 15, 2011 by Renee, RBKartworks

“I hate doing flyers. I’d like to have an idea for a product flyer and a few days later have a sample for me to approve.
That would be great…Is that possible?”

Yes it is.
For many companies the answer is outsourcing.

If you are the owner of a growing business, you know your market and likely have a sales manager or business development person who comes up with great ideas to go after those sales. The gap in growing sales with materials is often design.

Here’s some benefits of outsourcing design:

1. Saving time and money

Templates are created to evolve as your business grows. They allow for quicker turn around times while keeping your costs predicable without the need to hire a full time designer.

2. Building your brand

With each new edition, your audience will spend less time trying to figure out who is sending them information and more time paying attention to the product sale you want to tell them about. Quality and consistency builds trust and loyalty, a foundation to growing a business and sales.

3. Expand sales initiative 

You and your team have the ideas, a graphic designer creates the materials to support it and get it done. Your team works on developing outlines for things like product sheets and catalogs while the design work is done. Your staff now have the time to get the sales you’ve hired them to get.

Renee Brisson-Khan is the owner and Creative of RBK Artworks in Brampton, Ontario. Companies outsource to her for for branded sales material and exhibit designs.
For the full version of Renee’s  post “Outsourcing The Design Headache” visit her blog: Renee’s Head Space

Filed under: Business Tips, Communication and Promotion | 2 Comments »

Elite Commercial Real Estate Professional Invitation

Posted on July 14, 2011 by bnicorporatestrategicpartners

We are currently identifying a Real Estate professional with a primary commercial focus to join/compliment our group of Industry Leaders for our Mississauga Chapter.

As the Golden Horseshoe’s #1 rated BNI Corporate Chapter we are committed to also bringing a massive value added addition to you as our newest member.

If you are considered a centre of influence and looking to share that same level of engagement with other similar professionals please reach out to us as we would love to speak further.

For more information about visiting and joining, please click on our B2B logo to contact us. 

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Welcome to HR on Demand

Posted on June 7, 2011 by bnicorporatestrategicpartners

Our chapter membership welcomes Jocelyne Cossar of HR on Demand.

A bilingual senior Human Resources generalist with over 20 years of multi-industry experience driving long-term human resources strategies and change management.

She has led Human Resources improvement initiatives as Vice President of Human Resources in high profile organizations such as Federal Express, Energizer Battery, Ryder Transportation/Logistics, Bell Mobility, Oceanex and others.

With expertise in all aspects of Human Resources and Business Management processes and programs, we look forward to learning more about HR on Demand and how it can help our network and clients.

For more information on HR on Demand visit: www.hrondemand.ca

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Congratulations Apple from a PC guy

Posted on February 3, 2011 by cimsolutions

On Wednesday January 19, 2011 I had a graphic designer customer contact me to ask about a problem with her MacBook Pro.  I suggested she bring it into our office Thursday morning so we could take a look at.

We tried a few things with it that were suggested by Apple for a MacBook Pro that would not turn on.  We informed her that it was probably the main system board and not worth fixing from our experience.  The big problem is that her warranty had expired in November on her $4000 laptop and she did not have the money to replace it. I suggested that she should take it to the Apple Store just to make sure and see if there was anything they could do.  It was 9:30 am so she rushed off to the Apple Store at Square One so she could be there when it opened.

She called me at 10:30 am to report that it was the main system board but Apple was going to honour her warranty and they had the parts in stock and it would be fixed in 30 minutes.  She was so happy.

Now here it the problem, I have had this happy many times with various PC manufactures and not once have they ever honoured an expired warranty.  Come on PC manufactures.  This is just proof why people that have gone Apple never come back.  Apple is known for going the extra mile in customer service.

This is a challenge to the PC manufactures to be more understanding and realize that if you go the extra mile you will have a customer for life.

Let us know some of your experiences good or bad with Apple or other PC manufactures.

Sean Jennings is the Sales Manager for C.I.M. Solutions Inc. You can read his blog : IT Support

He can be reached at (905) 458-5090 x322 or sjennings@cim-solutions.com

Filed under: Technology | 1 Comment »

New Member: Stooke Media

Posted on January 10, 2011 by bnicorporatestrategicpartners

Welcome to our newest member Trevor Stooke of Stooke Media, a strategic web design company focused on brand.

When 70% of all new sales involve research on the Internet, a clear strategy and plan is needed if it is going to attract an ideal client.  Stooke Media’s creative talent and technical expertise develop websites to maximize their effectiveness in reaching an audience. Whether a business is small, medium or large, Stooke Media is a strong and effective partner to help grow a business.

Visit StookeMedia.com to see what Trevor and Stooke Media can do for you.

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Our Newest Member: Backspin Marketing Group

Posted on January 5, 2011 by bnicorporatestrategicpartners

Our chapter welcomes Leslie Priest of Backspin Marketing Group in the promotional product category.

Backspin Marketing Group is your one-stop shop for all of your promotional marketing and corporate apparel needs, offering leading edge products and services. From corporate identity, business gifts or employee motivators their customized promotional products will make a positive impact on your goals.

Visit http://backspingroup.com/promotions.html to see what they can offer your company.

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Goals, Achievements, and Making Membership Work.

Posted on December 9, 2010 by bnicorporatestrategicpartners

Thanks to Judi Johnstone, our regional Corporate Chapter Director, for a terrific end of year presentation.

Opening her time by providing each individual member with their year referral stats helped us all focus on what has been achieved in the past year and set up the discussion for goal setting in 2011. Whether we are each conservative or aggressive in our goal setting, it was clear that having goals written helps set them in motion. The handouts “Member’s Annual Goal Sheet” and “Time Management/ Goal Setting” were helpful in getting those thoughts organized.

Each member joins and pays fees to get results, the third sheet “10 ways To Make Your Membership Work For You” was a terrific end to the presentation. Getting us all to focus on ourselves and what we individually do to capitalize on our opportunities and to make our membership truly valuable each year. With a membership that is 51% original founding members, it’s clear that the value is there and recognized year over year.

Many thanks to all our members who contributed to our banner year, closing at just over 1.6 million dollars in revenue tracked.

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