Marc Ostrofsky - Word of Mouse: 101+ Trends in How We Buy, Sell, Live, Learn, Work, and Play

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How the internet and technology continue to affect our daily lives, from dating to cell phone attachment, DIY health, civic responsibility, and organizing the content of our livesup to the last breaths we take

How the internet and technology continue to affect how we acquire and absorb new information, including social learning, lifelong learning, personal growth learning, professional development, lifestyle learning, and academic education

How the internet and technology continue to affect the way we seek and acquire goods and services using mobile payment systems, bargain-hunting apps, and a new trend thats seeing consumers become merchants

How the internet and technology continue to affect the way manufacturers and service providers get their offerings into consumers hands, taking into account a more connected and price-conscious buyer via a return to renting, mobile sales and marketing, social media, and relationship targeting

How the internet and technology continue to affect the way we make a living and adapt to a new social, interactive workforce via collaboration, networking, and crowdsourcing

How the internet and technology continue to affect our recreational choices and modes of entertainment

How the internet and technology continue to affect the way we exchange basic information with friends, family, and colleagues in our daily lives, using texting, apps, social media, and augmented reality

What you MUST know about how technology and the internet open your front door for criminals, from a wide range of scams (financial, job postings, gift cards) to terrorism and hacking of vital medical devicesplus what you need to know about social media predators

To be successful, you must know what you know you DONT know and hire your weaknesses!

I want to dedicate this book to my father,
Dr. Benjamin Ostrofsky,
who spent the last fifty years teaching me right from wrong, keeping me focused on the endgame, treating everyone with love and respect, and teaching me to always do my best at every turn.

He taught me to plan ahead and to always be more cautious than others because, as he put it: Its hard to make it, its even harder to keep it, and yet its so easy to lose it.

He has been the ultimate hero in my life and my mentor for fifty years.

I love him dearly!

Thank you, Dad.

This publication contains the opinions and ideas of its author. It is intended to provide helpful and informative material on the subjects addressed. The strategies outlined in this book may not be suitable for every individual, and are not guaranteed or warranted to produce any particular result.

This book is sold with the understanding that neither the author nor the publisher is engaged in rendering legal, financial, accounting, or other professional advice or services. The reader should consult a competent professional before adopting any of the suggestions in this book or drawing inferences from it.

The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for the authors website(s) or its content, and neither the author nor publisher has any control over (and such parties do not assume any responsibility for) any third partys website(s) or content.

No warranty is made with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the information or references contained herein, and both the authors and the publisher specifically disclaim any responsibility for any liability, loss or risk, personal or otherwise, which is incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and application of any of the contents of this book.

Clate Mask, CEO and cofounder, Infusionsoft

My world revolves around the success of small businesses. As the CEO of Infusionsoft, I am all about helping small businesses find more customers, get repeat sales, and save time, which means saving money! In todays incredibly competitive world, thats a lot harder than it once was. The Yellow Pages is dead. Print advertising is tougher than ever. As Marc said in his previous book, Get Rich Click!, suspects, prospects, and clients are hanging out online. The ultimate competitive advantages are automation and technology tools that simultaneously increase sales and lower costs.

The old world of business has changed dramatically. Its a digital world today. The process of efficiently finding, landing, and serving customerswhat our organization calls the Perfect Customer Lifecyclebrings with it a host of complexities. SEO, PPC, and blogs. Multiple tools and systems. Technologies that dont work well together. Information overload. It can quickly become chaos for anyone in business, the entrepreneur who simply wants to run a successful business, or a parent who simply wants to communicate with his or her teenager!

So what does all of this mean? It means that along with the digital revolution comes the cold, hard fact that companies today must assign technology the critical role of gaining the upper hand to help all of us succeed in business. If we want more customers, repeat sales, and better efficiencyif we want success in our businessesweve got to embrace technology, not just for our competitive advantage but also for our very survival. The writing is on the wall. Those businesses that adapt will succeed. Those that dont will be left behind.

And thats why this book is so important. Word of Mouse helps readers see the impact of internet technology and adapt to the futurein life and in business. Marc shows us the trends, the case studies, and the impact of the internet and its associated technologies in a way that readers cant ignore. He helps readers see how the gradual rise of the internet has changed everything, even though we may not recognize how it is impacting us.

This book will open your eyes to a world of opportunity you probably didnt know existed. In the pages that follow, youll read about the emerging trends and the ways that everyday people just like you are using technology to achieve breakthrough success. Through Marcs years of experience and his in-depth research, he brings a wealth of expertise that you can apply in your business to achieve greater levels of success or in everyday life to simply stay in touch with your friends on Facebook, via Twitter, or through Pinterest.

The case studies are my favorite part of the book. And thats not just because some of them feature Infusionsoft customers. (See more about their success at www.infusionsoft.com/casestudies.) While its true that I love to see our customers effectively using our software to find more customers, get repeat sales, and save time, theres another reason why I love the case studies: in working with entrepreneurs for many, many years, Ive noticed that most of them struggle to see the better way to use technologyuntil they see that same technology being used by someone like them in a similar business. Marc has done a great job of making these case studies vivid, real, and easy to understand, so that you can see how you or your firm can employ the same techniques and technologies. In short, Marc teaches the way they do at Harvard Business School: using real-life examples to show you how to achieve greater success in your business through the effective use of technology.

The digital revolution has thrust technology to the forefront of the small-business-success equation. It truly levels the playing field and gives any small or midsized business a huge leg up on the competition. It can be daunting to navigate the waters in this new world, but you can do it! My hope is that you will use this book as a resource in your sales and marketing efforts as you embrace the internet and adopt technology. I am confident that as you study the trends and the examples, your eyes will be opened to new ways that you can achieve small-business success.