STS PowerPoint Sampler
Sell-Through Solutions creates a LOT of PowerPoint presentations. Lately we've gotten several requests for 16:9 widescreen versions. (Yea, progress!) I've put together a sampler of some of my favorite recent 16:9 PowerPoint presentations, for your viewing pleasure. I made a Flash video out of the sampler--no downloading--just click here to watch. The sampler will load in your browser and begin playing automatically within approximately 30 seconds. Slides will advance on their own after a moment. Playing time is 11 minutes. The Flash version isn't as smooth or pretty as PowerPoint, but you'll get the idea, after which you should contact STS for a PowerPoint makeover for your own training program!
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Online Music Services Redux: The Latest Insult
 You've read my ravings before on lo-fi music service downloads, and you know that I think they're the work of the Devil. Downloaded music's 800-lb. gorilla, iTunes, offers girly-man 128kb/s downloads for 99 cents. But if you want a "high-fidelity" option from iTunes, you can now get a whopping 256kb/s for $1.29 per song. Either way, you must manage it through the increasingly buggy and bloated iTunes, the Windows version of which is Steve Jobs' middle finger to Microsoft. Here's where the math is all wrong: First, 256k is still less than a fifth the bit rate of a CD. And $1.29 a song, with no artwork, no liner notes or lyrics, and nothing to listen to in the car? For what, convenience? Let me tell you about convenience. For $9.97 (91 cents/song), you can order Bruce Springsteen's new CD from Amazon.com, have it brought to your front door for free, and listen to it on the main system, computer, laptop, and car--as well as rip it lossless, listen on ANY portable music player, and stream it everywhere. And I mean everywhere, because you OWN it. Check out the stats below from the CEA. Of the top five things customers would improve about their PC/home listening experience, #1 is sound quality. Also, 64% of PC listeners stated that the CD is still their #1 choice.  Your job: help customers get more from their music. Sure, keep selling iPod streaming devices. But make sure the customer gets the biggest iPod and streams lossless. Show them the price and performance differences between downloaded and CD-based music. They'll get the quality they crave and, by bringing high-performance audio back to the conversation, you'll be more profitable. |
For PDA Owners...
 Some Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) are set to receive HTML newsletters as Text-Only. Without HTML's larger fonts and colorful graphics, the newsletter appears on the PDA screen as a relentless torrent of tiny words. To read the newsletter as it was meant to be seen, forward it to a PC or Mac email client (Outlook, Outlook Express, Mac OS X Mail, Windows Vista Mail, Entourage, etc.) that can read HTML, and set the email client to view images and links. Report any problems viewing the newsletter here. | |
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Greetings, CE Industry Titan!
By now, you've recoverd from CEDIA, just in time to prepare for the big selling season and CES. Sell-Through Solutions wishes you the most prosperous Holiday Season ever--and don't forget what's important: family, friends, and football!
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Commentary
By Charles Thompson
HDMI is the most sophisticated connection technology in the history of Consumer Electronics. So why is it such a nightmare? Confused customers, record HDTV returns, massive piles of perfectly good HDMI cables, returned with "no problem found."
HDTV, with its excellent CI and attachment potential, is one of our few great profit avenues--at least for the foreseeable future. How can we boost that profitability further, and bring unhappy customers back to our side? Charles Thompson explores
the sorry state of HDTV connectivity,
and highlights the mavericks who are doing something about it. Get the report here.
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What Your Hands Are Secretly Telling Others
By Marjory Abrams, Bottom Line Magazine
Finger-pointing, like pounding the table, is considered an act of aggression.
Leaning back with both hands behind your head during a conversation may be perceived as arrogant.
Wringing your hands can be interpreted as a sign of discomfort.
Hands on your hips can be seen as either arrogance or aggression.
Jiggling coins, twisting your hair or wedding ring, tapping your feet, etc. communicate nervousness--not something you want to do during negotiations, interviews, or even conversations with family or friends. These habits can also be very distracting.
Crossing your arms can be perceived as defensiveness.
Hand motions aren't all bad, of course. They help emphasize key points--as President Truman did with his famous "chopping wood" gesture (he moved his hands up and down with the palms facing one another).
They communicate emotions and enliven conversations and presentations. Just watch what you're "saying" when you talk with your hands. Tips:
Keep gestures above the waist to convey strength and confidence.
When someone is talking, keep your
hands still.
When you're speaking, keep your hands motionless some of the time.
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Download This Wallpaper!
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If STS sponsored a race car, this would be it. The Corvette Racing C5-R and C6.R have won their class in virtually every road race you can think of, for as long as you care to remember--Le Mans, Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona, Petit Le Mans, Sebring--with the two Corvette racers finishing 1-2 a record 29 times since 2000. Get your entry into the Winner's Circle, emblazoned with Sell-Through Solutions logos, here.
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