It seems as if my door to door nemesis has, to use the colloquial, bottled it.
No one turned up today (see my last two posts) despite my asking them to call to 'discuss' their sales pitch with me so I'm assuming that they decided there are much easier marks out there and have gone on to easier prospects.
Shame, I was looking forward to another go at them.
I am out of the office tomorrow seeing clients so I probably will not have time to put up a post tomorrow (in line with my not working later than 5.00pm rule on a Friday) so I thought I would mention two things that I thought readers might be interested in checking out.
Firstly, I wrote a post last week about the future of individual medical insurance and how it relates to both my clients and my business - this has proven to be the most popular post I've ever put up on Localventure - you can read the post by clicking here - so far we've had 143 hits on that post so please have a read if you get chance.
I will also take this opportunity to plug my audio podcast : PMICast. We're now nearly 40 episodes in, over two seasons and, if I were to blow my own trumpet, I'd say the content/quality is improving every episode. The podcast will suit anyone interested in insurance, medical insurance and business more generally. There are two episodes left to come in season two and at the moment I am keeping to my weekly recording and uploading schedule. You can find the podcast on iTunes - search for 'PMICast' or just stream from the internet at www.pmicast.podbean.com.
If you find the business podcast a bit dry, there is also my science fiction and fantasy podcast called 'Where's Wilson'. This is a bit more lighthearted and covers SF TV and movies - lots of Dr Who, Walking Dead with the odd movie review thrown in for good measure. There are around 10 episodes of this podcast available and the most recent ones are also in the PMICast stream so check in the above places if you're interested in having a listen.
Thursday, 27 February 2014
Wednesday, 26 February 2014
Don't worry I'm not going to sell you anything - Part II
Well the plot thickens.
On the way home this afternoon (school run) I was doorstepped by another door to door salesperson selling the same product as yesterdays. 'Free' cavity wall insulation.
Apparently I live in an energy poverty area and my style of house is definitely eligible for free cavity wall insulation.
The sales person declined to give me any printed information or his company website (he didn't even tell me his companies name) for me to look at the 'offer'. The only option is a 'free' energy survey which will take between one and two hours.
At this stage I have once again declined.
Doing some research, both Google and Leeds City Council tell me some people on benefits may be eligible for free energy grants including cavity wall insulation and the schemes (called ECO) are available through power generation companies and also some private businesses. I then did a little further research and found dozens of instances of said private companies misleading the public, especially elderly people about what is and isn't available (there's also a Green Loan scheme set up by the coalition government, seems quite complex but in essence loans against savings made by energy saving home improvements are available to have the work done in the first place).
Long story short, there is no such thing as a free lunch.
Don't be concerned about me though, my doorstepper told me they are doing a lot of work in our area and not to worry (aaaarrgghhhh!) another colleague will call on me again tomorrow to run me through the free offer.
I am terribly re-assured. They are certainly persistent.
On the way home this afternoon (school run) I was doorstepped by another door to door salesperson selling the same product as yesterdays. 'Free' cavity wall insulation.
Apparently I live in an energy poverty area and my style of house is definitely eligible for free cavity wall insulation.
The sales person declined to give me any printed information or his company website (he didn't even tell me his companies name) for me to look at the 'offer'. The only option is a 'free' energy survey which will take between one and two hours.
At this stage I have once again declined.
Doing some research, both Google and Leeds City Council tell me some people on benefits may be eligible for free energy grants including cavity wall insulation and the schemes (called ECO) are available through power generation companies and also some private businesses. I then did a little further research and found dozens of instances of said private companies misleading the public, especially elderly people about what is and isn't available (there's also a Green Loan scheme set up by the coalition government, seems quite complex but in essence loans against savings made by energy saving home improvements are available to have the work done in the first place).
Long story short, there is no such thing as a free lunch.
Don't be concerned about me though, my doorstepper told me they are doing a lot of work in our area and not to worry (aaaarrgghhhh!) another colleague will call on me again tomorrow to run me through the free offer.
I am terribly re-assured. They are certainly persistent.
Tuesday, 25 February 2014
Don't worry - I'm not trying to sell anything to you ....
I think I may have blogged on the following topic before but I was incensed so here I go again on another rant - sorry !
Knock on the door this afternoon, very loud and obnoxious so I suspected a sales call.
As a professional salesperson and marketeer I am usually fairly sensitive to fellow journeymen professionals doing a sales job, however annoying door to door selling is, it is a thankless task and I try to be as nice as I can when turning them away - as a general principle I just do not buy at the doorstep. Life is literally too short.
However, one thing about the practice really, really pisses me off and it is the following phrase :
"Don't worry, I am not going to sell you anything"
Which was of course the first thing the sales person said to me.
The two things about this phrase that piss me off are : it's my house, I'm inside in the warm and you're outside doing a minimum wage sales job (please note my earlier comments in mitigation) - I am not nor would I ever be 'worried' in that situation. Plus, I'm a 34 + year marital arts practitioner with two (count them) black belts in different styles, I work for myself with no salary as a safety net and I have two children under 16 - there is quite literally very little on this planet that worries me. But the door to door sales person still has the nerve to re-assure me - how very, unrelentingly, patronising.
Secondly. The statement contains a lie. Not a fib, not a sales related misdirection (naughty but [barely] acceptable) but rather an out and out lie. The sales person is clearly going to sell to me - why not tell me. I'm a big boy and can fence witty retorts with the best of them. I'm an atheist who enjoys nothing more than a doorstep debate with the Jehova's or Mormons as much (if not more so) than then next man - I love sales and sometimes don't mind seeing the cut of a fellow professionals jib, notwithstanding my rule in buying at the doorstep. Consider me then an objection machine, a way of honing your sales skills.
But please do not lie or patronise. It is insulting and leads to negative blog posts, every time.
The final sin this loft insulation sales person (for so he was) made was to react defensively to my comment that he was definitely selling to me so please don't lie about it - he decided that the customer was not right and in fact inferred I was lying to him about not having time to speak to him in more depth about his attitude and moronic sales spiel - insulation is after all for my benefit not his (so he is visiting my doorstep for the good of his health is he ?)
So a sales tip for this gentleman. The customer is always right, even when he's not and be honest, particularly about renumeration - don't try and kid a kidder that your presence to sell insulation to me is solely for the benefit of the customer.
Rant over. Happy Selling - but try and get it right.
_________
Knock on the door this afternoon, very loud and obnoxious so I suspected a sales call.
As a professional salesperson and marketeer I am usually fairly sensitive to fellow journeymen professionals doing a sales job, however annoying door to door selling is, it is a thankless task and I try to be as nice as I can when turning them away - as a general principle I just do not buy at the doorstep. Life is literally too short.
However, one thing about the practice really, really pisses me off and it is the following phrase :
"Don't worry, I am not going to sell you anything"
Which was of course the first thing the sales person said to me.
The two things about this phrase that piss me off are : it's my house, I'm inside in the warm and you're outside doing a minimum wage sales job (please note my earlier comments in mitigation) - I am not nor would I ever be 'worried' in that situation. Plus, I'm a 34 + year marital arts practitioner with two (count them) black belts in different styles, I work for myself with no salary as a safety net and I have two children under 16 - there is quite literally very little on this planet that worries me. But the door to door sales person still has the nerve to re-assure me - how very, unrelentingly, patronising.
Secondly. The statement contains a lie. Not a fib, not a sales related misdirection (naughty but [barely] acceptable) but rather an out and out lie. The sales person is clearly going to sell to me - why not tell me. I'm a big boy and can fence witty retorts with the best of them. I'm an atheist who enjoys nothing more than a doorstep debate with the Jehova's or Mormons as much (if not more so) than then next man - I love sales and sometimes don't mind seeing the cut of a fellow professionals jib, notwithstanding my rule in buying at the doorstep. Consider me then an objection machine, a way of honing your sales skills.
But please do not lie or patronise. It is insulting and leads to negative blog posts, every time.
The final sin this loft insulation sales person (for so he was) made was to react defensively to my comment that he was definitely selling to me so please don't lie about it - he decided that the customer was not right and in fact inferred I was lying to him about not having time to speak to him in more depth about his attitude and moronic sales spiel - insulation is after all for my benefit not his (so he is visiting my doorstep for the good of his health is he ?)
So a sales tip for this gentleman. The customer is always right, even when he's not and be honest, particularly about renumeration - don't try and kid a kidder that your presence to sell insulation to me is solely for the benefit of the customer.
Rant over. Happy Selling - but try and get it right.
_________
Two things to mention - podcast and You Tube
Firstly, there is a new episode of PMICast (season 2, number 18) about to go live on-line www.pmicast.podbean.com and also on iTunes and your podcatcher of choice - please download this one and tell your friends and colleagues. I'd suggest that it's one of the best of season two and I think I've found my podcasting feet again after several slightly lacklustre efforts - the new format gives me a bit more freedom to flit around various subjects more and I'm certainly enjoying it a little bit more and I hope you will too. I'm also conscious that I want to be more accessible to new listeners so I try and do a bit more re-capping of the format and topics too.
Since returning full strength this month the number on the podcast are looking great - we dipped below 4,000 downloads towards the end of 2013, beginning of this year but in the last 30 days we are back up to 5,144 D/L's and hopefully with another strong episode that will head northwards.
I also want to direct readers to my You Tube Channel at :
www.youtube.com/user/pkn439/videos
You can find video podcasts and blogs to add to the audio PMICast and things on this blog so please check it out. You'll find most recently PMICast Video podcast No. 6 which overviews a new tech purchase for my business all at : www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDt5CdlFThA
I've had a few views on that video already so please do check it out.
_________
Since returning full strength this month the number on the podcast are looking great - we dipped below 4,000 downloads towards the end of 2013, beginning of this year but in the last 30 days we are back up to 5,144 D/L's and hopefully with another strong episode that will head northwards.
I also want to direct readers to my You Tube Channel at :
www.youtube.com/user/pkn439/videos
You can find video podcasts and blogs to add to the audio PMICast and things on this blog so please check it out. You'll find most recently PMICast Video podcast No. 6 which overviews a new tech purchase for my business all at : www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDt5CdlFThA
I've had a few views on that video already so please do check it out.
_________
Monday, 24 February 2014
Monday updates and news
Lots happening today - as we move towards the end of February this week I have seven clients due to send me forms and information back to me to set up their plans for late Feb and early March - so apologies to people for chasing them up a bit more actively than I might otherwise do so. But as I mention in last weeks PMICast (my audio podcast at www.pmicast.podbean.com) it is vital that we get information and forms over to insurers in good time to ensure your cover is up and running as you expect.
As a word of warning in this vein : I had one client a week or two ago who came to me and apologised for not sending me his form to process and by the way his daughter now needs to make a claim for an MRI scan - because she had recently visited the doctor for a consult and treatment/diagnostic scans this meant the client in question now needs to stay with his current insurer for at least another year - this means paying over £ 50 per month more for his cover for at least 12 months - over £ 600 in total at least.
Had the form come in at the date we'd originally discussed (1st of January) we would have had the new cover in place with no problems well in advance of the accident his daughter had. That's an expensive delay for most people !
_________
I have, as per previous comments taken delivery of my most excellent Mac Book Pro, 13" Retina display and it is indeed one of the most spectacular pieces of kit I've ever owned. I didn't manage to get a proper unboxing video done due to time problems on Friday afternoon but I have done a quick overview on You Tube this afternoon - check it out here - apologies for the amateurish 'portrait mode' didn't realise until I'd finished I had made this school boy error !
I also have a number of other short business and medical insurance video blogs on my You Tube Channel so please do check them out if you get the chance.
__________
I have just put in place a link of a partner business of mine - Kennetts in Hull - an independent insurance broker that I work with regularly. You'll find me on their partner page in the next few days (www.kennettinsurance.net/partners) and we've put a reciprocal link here - please check them out for your general insurance needs.
Check out this link to the right of the blog column at www.localventure.blogspot.com.
_________
Lastly, make sure you watch out for the next episode of PMICast (audio version) probably to be recorded and put up tomorrow or Wednesday - we'll talk all things PMI, insurance and business news. More on iTunes - search for 'PMICast' and also on line at www.pmicast.podbean.com.
As a word of warning in this vein : I had one client a week or two ago who came to me and apologised for not sending me his form to process and by the way his daughter now needs to make a claim for an MRI scan - because she had recently visited the doctor for a consult and treatment/diagnostic scans this meant the client in question now needs to stay with his current insurer for at least another year - this means paying over £ 50 per month more for his cover for at least 12 months - over £ 600 in total at least.
Had the form come in at the date we'd originally discussed (1st of January) we would have had the new cover in place with no problems well in advance of the accident his daughter had. That's an expensive delay for most people !
_________
I have, as per previous comments taken delivery of my most excellent Mac Book Pro, 13" Retina display and it is indeed one of the most spectacular pieces of kit I've ever owned. I didn't manage to get a proper unboxing video done due to time problems on Friday afternoon but I have done a quick overview on You Tube this afternoon - check it out here - apologies for the amateurish 'portrait mode' didn't realise until I'd finished I had made this school boy error !
I also have a number of other short business and medical insurance video blogs on my You Tube Channel so please do check them out if you get the chance.
__________
I have just put in place a link of a partner business of mine - Kennetts in Hull - an independent insurance broker that I work with regularly. You'll find me on their partner page in the next few days (www.kennettinsurance.net/partners) and we've put a reciprocal link here - please check them out for your general insurance needs.
Check out this link to the right of the blog column at www.localventure.blogspot.com.
_________
Lastly, make sure you watch out for the next episode of PMICast (audio version) probably to be recorded and put up tomorrow or Wednesday - we'll talk all things PMI, insurance and business news. More on iTunes - search for 'PMICast' and also on line at www.pmicast.podbean.com.
Saturday, 22 February 2014
The Mac Book has landed
Well on time and in perfect condition it arrived yesterday lunchtime and we are now all unpacked, updated and running A-OK.
I will no doubt do a full overview and review in the next week or two but initial impressions are that the supercharged 16GB of RAM enable me to work at full tilt especially when compared to the slowing 2009 iMac that I was using as my main work machine.
The main advantage on first use is that apps open up instantly and I can have more than two or three open at once and still use them without slow down which is brilliant and really suits my work style.
Here's a selfie of me and the MBP :
And yes, that is an Eagle on the background.
________
I will no doubt do a full overview and review in the next week or two but initial impressions are that the supercharged 16GB of RAM enable me to work at full tilt especially when compared to the slowing 2009 iMac that I was using as my main work machine.
The main advantage on first use is that apps open up instantly and I can have more than two or three open at once and still use them without slow down which is brilliant and really suits my work style.
Here's a selfie of me and the MBP :
And yes, that is an Eagle on the background.
________
Thursday, 20 February 2014
Talk Health Partnership - new post
As longer term readers of this blog might remember I write longer form blog posts on health issues over at one of the largest UK health resource websites : www.talkhealthpartnership.com
This is a forum that enables me to talk for longer and often more passionately than I can here given that the Talk Health pieces are explicitly not business related in any way and are for the most part opinion pieces around a very specific healthcare issue.
I haven't had the time or to be honest the general inclination to put anything up at Talk Health for a while (the previous post being from August 2013 prior to today). However, I had started a three part article discussing a skeptical attitude to medicine and put up the first two parts in April and then May 2013. The final third part then sat idling away in my subconscious until I found an hour or two today to flesh out the ideas and finish off the series.
If you do have chance please feel free to visit the blog and have a read. I'm aware that to some the opinions may be controversial but I think that challenging the perceived wisdom (even if it is clearly non-scientific) can only be a worthwhile exercise and is part of my duty as a skeptic.
You can find the article here
I would welcome any feedback on this piece, the two earlier parts or indeed any of my other posts at Talk Health - just e-mail on pmicast@gmail.com
Thanks
_________
This is a forum that enables me to talk for longer and often more passionately than I can here given that the Talk Health pieces are explicitly not business related in any way and are for the most part opinion pieces around a very specific healthcare issue.
I haven't had the time or to be honest the general inclination to put anything up at Talk Health for a while (the previous post being from August 2013 prior to today). However, I had started a three part article discussing a skeptical attitude to medicine and put up the first two parts in April and then May 2013. The final third part then sat idling away in my subconscious until I found an hour or two today to flesh out the ideas and finish off the series.
If you do have chance please feel free to visit the blog and have a read. I'm aware that to some the opinions may be controversial but I think that challenging the perceived wisdom (even if it is clearly non-scientific) can only be a worthwhile exercise and is part of my duty as a skeptic.
You can find the article here
I would welcome any feedback on this piece, the two earlier parts or indeed any of my other posts at Talk Health - just e-mail on pmicast@gmail.com
Thanks
_________
Progress of my MacBook Pro as it travels the world
I know that most people are not going to be interested in my MBP or when it is likely to be delivered but forgive me for being excited !
Heres a screenshot of the UPS Tracking screen for the delivery :
I was fascinated to see the range of travel for one device - from Shanghai to Korea to Kazakstan before entering Europe (Germany) before flying on to Castle Donnington in the UK with projected delivery tomorrow before close of play.
A pretty well travelled laptop before I even get it. Putting aside the awful carbon footprint (apologies, but Apple stuff is so cool) I was most impressed by the timing updates given by Apple on their order website. From the very beginning of placing the order, which has non standard upgrades, so couldn't just be mailed 'off the shelf' (see my previous post on upgrading the RAM) the site said projected delivery was between the 21st and 25th of February - but the projected delivery has also been set at the 21st from the beginning. Taking into account the distance travelled and the relatively slim time window since order I think for the item to be in the UK on time and ready for delivery as stated is pretty fantastic.
Heres a screenshot of the UPS Tracking screen for the delivery :
I was fascinated to see the range of travel for one device - from Shanghai to Korea to Kazakstan before entering Europe (Germany) before flying on to Castle Donnington in the UK with projected delivery tomorrow before close of play.
A pretty well travelled laptop before I even get it. Putting aside the awful carbon footprint (apologies, but Apple stuff is so cool) I was most impressed by the timing updates given by Apple on their order website. From the very beginning of placing the order, which has non standard upgrades, so couldn't just be mailed 'off the shelf' (see my previous post on upgrading the RAM) the site said projected delivery was between the 21st and 25th of February - but the projected delivery has also been set at the 21st from the beginning. Taking into account the distance travelled and the relatively slim time window since order I think for the item to be in the UK on time and ready for delivery as stated is pretty fantastic.
Weekly update - a great week !
It's been a good week in Localventureland.
Firstly I feel I am kind of back up to speed here at the blog in terms of volume of content (not sure about the quality - I will have to leave that up to you guys). Not sure if I'm at the one per day posting schedule but not far off and I seem to be having some success in building it into my daily routine which is important.
It's nearly a year since I re-launched this blog to fit in with my medical insurance business more closely and in that time (it's actually a year on the 24th of February) we have had close to 20,000 hits on the blog (yesterday was one of our best days ever with 141 hits). This is tremendously exciting and goes to show that with little bit of effort, time and passion it is possible to build a credible web presence that adds value to both my business and (hopefully) in some small way the lives of my readers. Certainly I have attracted new clients and introducers on the back of this blog and gone some way to establishing credentials as a 'thought leader' in my market.
Speaking of which the reason for this post primarily is to let you know that the latest episode of PMICast is now available to download on iTunes or your pod catcher app plus to stream on the net at www.pmicast.podbean.com - this is the second ep with a slightly more relaxed focus and I'm enjoying recording it a bit more than some of the more structured recent ones.
If you scan the PMICast stream you'll also see that yesterday I also uploaded episode 10 of my science fiction and fantasy podcast : Where's Wilson. This is a much more light hearted affair that I host with my two kids : Megan and Ryan. If you're not into SF I'd still suggest a listen - it will let you engage with me when I'm 'off the clock' so to speak (the reason we don't do it more regularly is that I rarely have time in the evenings to stop work and put together this fun podcast) and having listened back to recent episodes I find it (if I do say so myself) quite amusing - definitely worth a listen is you have a spare 15 or so minutes. The SF podcast sits in the PMICast stream by way of pure expedience - there is a separate Where's Wilson stream but it's much easier and quicker to publish both podcasts to the same stream.
I'm also working on a couple of other podcast formats - one serious (a skeptical podcast) and another more light hearted one to partner Where's Wilson - if you have an interest in co-hosting a skeptical podcast with me by Skype please drop me a mail at pmicast@gmail.com
As a last thought, we reached around 6,000 regular downloads of PMICast in early summer last year. The break in uploads over X-Mas and early in the New Year doesn't seem to have caused a major drop off in numbers. Last week we were at 4,600 downloads in the previous 30 days and today, prior to uploading episode 17 this morning we're now at 4,763 - so going in the right direction. I'd hope to be back at the 6,000 plus level by the time we get to the end of Season 2 in three episodes time. To assist with this I would of course be really grateful if you could retweet my posts about the podcast and also tell your friends/colleagues about the podcast and see if it is of interest to them - remember it's free and I would love to have more listeners and general feedback.
Thanks for listening and watch this space.
Firstly I feel I am kind of back up to speed here at the blog in terms of volume of content (not sure about the quality - I will have to leave that up to you guys). Not sure if I'm at the one per day posting schedule but not far off and I seem to be having some success in building it into my daily routine which is important.
It's nearly a year since I re-launched this blog to fit in with my medical insurance business more closely and in that time (it's actually a year on the 24th of February) we have had close to 20,000 hits on the blog (yesterday was one of our best days ever with 141 hits). This is tremendously exciting and goes to show that with little bit of effort, time and passion it is possible to build a credible web presence that adds value to both my business and (hopefully) in some small way the lives of my readers. Certainly I have attracted new clients and introducers on the back of this blog and gone some way to establishing credentials as a 'thought leader' in my market.
Speaking of which the reason for this post primarily is to let you know that the latest episode of PMICast is now available to download on iTunes or your pod catcher app plus to stream on the net at www.pmicast.podbean.com - this is the second ep with a slightly more relaxed focus and I'm enjoying recording it a bit more than some of the more structured recent ones.
If you scan the PMICast stream you'll also see that yesterday I also uploaded episode 10 of my science fiction and fantasy podcast : Where's Wilson. This is a much more light hearted affair that I host with my two kids : Megan and Ryan. If you're not into SF I'd still suggest a listen - it will let you engage with me when I'm 'off the clock' so to speak (the reason we don't do it more regularly is that I rarely have time in the evenings to stop work and put together this fun podcast) and having listened back to recent episodes I find it (if I do say so myself) quite amusing - definitely worth a listen is you have a spare 15 or so minutes. The SF podcast sits in the PMICast stream by way of pure expedience - there is a separate Where's Wilson stream but it's much easier and quicker to publish both podcasts to the same stream.
I'm also working on a couple of other podcast formats - one serious (a skeptical podcast) and another more light hearted one to partner Where's Wilson - if you have an interest in co-hosting a skeptical podcast with me by Skype please drop me a mail at pmicast@gmail.com
As a last thought, we reached around 6,000 regular downloads of PMICast in early summer last year. The break in uploads over X-Mas and early in the New Year doesn't seem to have caused a major drop off in numbers. Last week we were at 4,600 downloads in the previous 30 days and today, prior to uploading episode 17 this morning we're now at 4,763 - so going in the right direction. I'd hope to be back at the 6,000 plus level by the time we get to the end of Season 2 in three episodes time. To assist with this I would of course be really grateful if you could retweet my posts about the podcast and also tell your friends/colleagues about the podcast and see if it is of interest to them - remember it's free and I would love to have more listeners and general feedback.
Thanks for listening and watch this space.
Wednesday, 19 February 2014
Follow the blog by e-mail
You can now follow all my posts by subscribing to e-mail updates - just input your e-mail into the 'Follow me by e-mail' box at the top left of the blog and follow the instructions - every day I post you will receive an e-mail notification.
Enjoy !
Enjoy !
Tuesday, 18 February 2014
The Future of individual Private Medical Insurance
Was contacted by a reporter today writing an article on the above issue which got me thinking in broad terms about where the market for individual medical insurance is going.
A year or two ago I would have have been more concerned. There had been some consolidation in the market - Standard Life merging into PruHealth, BUPA pulling out of first the switch, then the entire intermediated personal market.
In 2014 I've never had more insurers to choose from for my personal clients though - with the recent re-entry of BUPA onto the personal side of things, April UK and Passport2Health there are lots of options to think about in addition to the old faithfuls of Aviva, Pru, AXA PPP etc.
So there's lots of choice but what about pricing and product ? Well, at the moment there is no clear price leader. Most insurers offer complex modular products than enable us to create bespoke benefit options for clients to the point where I put together a report for a client this morning (currently uninsured) and all eight insurers were within £20 or £30 of each other on a range of benefits. In a way having no insurer way ahead on price is a good thing - it enables me to focus on important areas around what the client actually needs and wants rather than being driven towards always recommending the lowest cost option.
As insurers make their plans more malleable and therefore more complicated it does tend to mitigate away from clients, even quite financially sophisticated ones, buying their PMI cover direct from insurers or comparison sites. This is good news for me personally in two ways. First of all, I get more clients and secondly as I am very active in working with professional introducers they are also more likely to refer their clients to me as they can no longer cope with an increasingly technical market.
So although I won't necessarily say that people are buying their personal PMI cover in droves (in fact I think we still have some of the same issues around a slow growing market now as we had in the mid 1990's) there are a number of reasons to think that personal PMI cover, as I deal with it is in a pretty good state.
A year or two ago I would have have been more concerned. There had been some consolidation in the market - Standard Life merging into PruHealth, BUPA pulling out of first the switch, then the entire intermediated personal market.
In 2014 I've never had more insurers to choose from for my personal clients though - with the recent re-entry of BUPA onto the personal side of things, April UK and Passport2Health there are lots of options to think about in addition to the old faithfuls of Aviva, Pru, AXA PPP etc.
So there's lots of choice but what about pricing and product ? Well, at the moment there is no clear price leader. Most insurers offer complex modular products than enable us to create bespoke benefit options for clients to the point where I put together a report for a client this morning (currently uninsured) and all eight insurers were within £20 or £30 of each other on a range of benefits. In a way having no insurer way ahead on price is a good thing - it enables me to focus on important areas around what the client actually needs and wants rather than being driven towards always recommending the lowest cost option.
As insurers make their plans more malleable and therefore more complicated it does tend to mitigate away from clients, even quite financially sophisticated ones, buying their PMI cover direct from insurers or comparison sites. This is good news for me personally in two ways. First of all, I get more clients and secondly as I am very active in working with professional introducers they are also more likely to refer their clients to me as they can no longer cope with an increasingly technical market.
So although I won't necessarily say that people are buying their personal PMI cover in droves (in fact I think we still have some of the same issues around a slow growing market now as we had in the mid 1990's) there are a number of reasons to think that personal PMI cover, as I deal with it is in a pretty good state.
Monday, 17 February 2014
Half term this week - took today on holiday
Well, I worked from 8.00am til 10.45am then from 7.00 to now (around 9.00pm ish I'm guessing I will finish today) plus took a few client calls and some e-mails during the day but did manage to visit York for some family R & R plus a nice lunch.
Wanted to check in anyway before close of play today and highlight (hopefully) a new episode of PMICast to record and post tomorrow - will of course blog and tweet etc when it goes live.
Nothing much else to say except that The Walking Dead is due on at 9.00pm on Fox TV this evening so please check it out and of course see my review of last weeks episode from yesterdays blog post.
Wanted to check in anyway before close of play today and highlight (hopefully) a new episode of PMICast to record and post tomorrow - will of course blog and tweet etc when it goes live.
Nothing much else to say except that The Walking Dead is due on at 9.00pm on Fox TV this evening so please check it out and of course see my review of last weeks episode from yesterdays blog post.
Sunday, 16 February 2014
Awaiting new MacBook Pro
Following some on-going slowdown and re-booting issues with my trusty 2009 iMac (Maisie) I have had to invest in a move to a MacBook Pro to give me a little more flexibility in where and when I can work at full tilt.
I chose the MacBook Pro over a new iMac (which are now fantastically spec'd machines) as although I work 9 to 5 in my home office I also tend to work away from my desk in the mornings from 6.ooam onwards and again in evenings til 9.30 or 10.00pm so to avoid having to always sit alone in my office I've decided to go for a powerful, fully capable machine that can move with me.
The 13 inch screen is more than enough (I'm used to working on my fairly low end MacBook Air 13") so I've gone for the mid level MBP Retina 13" with the 2.4 Ghz processor and 256 GB SSD but I have paid the extra to upgrade to the maximum 16GB of RAM to really add some torque to the processor and give me some future proofing. I've never had a Mac last me less than four years (and the iMac is now getting on for five and is still for the most part working OK) so I want to ensure I have a little more 'under the hood' for later in the computers life to prevent the slow down and rotating beach ball issues I'm having with Maisie and my Air.
The new machine, being fitted with upgraded RAM will be here in a week or so all being well but I will of course offer an update and my initial thoughts on arrival - I've never bought an Apple laptop from new before (the Air being a refurbished purchase a couple of years ago as a 'back up' to the iMac) and am quite interested to see how first the set up and then the enhanced RAM compare to the iMac which is an (admittedly older) dual core chip set with a slightly faster (again older) 3.06 Ghz processor but with only 4GB of basic RAM. There's also the issue of the SSD in the MBP versus the spinning disk in the iMac - I'm expecting some decent performance boosts from this feature alone. although moving from the 500GB storage capacity in the iMac might be an issue. For this reason I'll almost certainly keep the iMac as my main iTunes/home cinema repository. The joy of iCloud of course helps vastly here as I think large storage drives become less important over time.
I am re-tasking the iMac though - this will remain the main family computer, stripped of some of the more processor intensive apps and data I use for work and the MBA will move over to Localventure jr. - Ryan my 8 year old as his first Apple computer.
Watch this space for an update on the newest member of the Localventure family.
_________
I chose the MacBook Pro over a new iMac (which are now fantastically spec'd machines) as although I work 9 to 5 in my home office I also tend to work away from my desk in the mornings from 6.ooam onwards and again in evenings til 9.30 or 10.00pm so to avoid having to always sit alone in my office I've decided to go for a powerful, fully capable machine that can move with me.
The 13 inch screen is more than enough (I'm used to working on my fairly low end MacBook Air 13") so I've gone for the mid level MBP Retina 13" with the 2.4 Ghz processor and 256 GB SSD but I have paid the extra to upgrade to the maximum 16GB of RAM to really add some torque to the processor and give me some future proofing. I've never had a Mac last me less than four years (and the iMac is now getting on for five and is still for the most part working OK) so I want to ensure I have a little more 'under the hood' for later in the computers life to prevent the slow down and rotating beach ball issues I'm having with Maisie and my Air.
The new machine, being fitted with upgraded RAM will be here in a week or so all being well but I will of course offer an update and my initial thoughts on arrival - I've never bought an Apple laptop from new before (the Air being a refurbished purchase a couple of years ago as a 'back up' to the iMac) and am quite interested to see how first the set up and then the enhanced RAM compare to the iMac which is an (admittedly older) dual core chip set with a slightly faster (again older) 3.06 Ghz processor but with only 4GB of basic RAM. There's also the issue of the SSD in the MBP versus the spinning disk in the iMac - I'm expecting some decent performance boosts from this feature alone. although moving from the 500GB storage capacity in the iMac might be an issue. For this reason I'll almost certainly keep the iMac as my main iTunes/home cinema repository. The joy of iCloud of course helps vastly here as I think large storage drives become less important over time.
I am re-tasking the iMac though - this will remain the main family computer, stripped of some of the more processor intensive apps and data I use for work and the MBA will move over to Localventure jr. - Ryan my 8 year old as his first Apple computer.
Watch this space for an update on the newest member of the Localventure family.
_________
Be there or being a walking corpse - thoughts on AMC's The Walking Dead
Yes, this is my business blog but on weekends I do occasionally take some time off and talk non- business topics.
Today I want to chat about The Walking Dead (non genre/SF aficionado's can now stop reading) currently showing on Fox TV in the UK. We've just arrived at the start of the second half of season four with the mid season premiere episode : 'After' picking up events, literally seconds after the climatic storming of the prison by the Governor and the (SPOILER's) dramatic deaths of series regular Hershel and nigh beating to death of Rick.
Rick's group at the prison have fled in various directions, the prison being all but destroyed and now uninhabitable. The Governor is also dead, as a lingering shot of his body reminds us early on.
The writers though resisted the temptation of going ever larger with the scale of the story and instead focus on the smaller personal stories of the next moves of Rick and his son Carl, staggering off into the wilderness alone with Rick severely injured following his beating by the Governor and also fan favourite Michonne who is back to her original ruse of capturing two neutered walkers (arms and jaws removed to avoid biting/scratching) to 'disguise' her from the attentions of other zombies.
We see, through an ingenious and cleverly filmed dream sequence some of Michonne's 'secret origin' and as suspected the loss of a child has created severe cracks in her psyche. During the episode her travels take her through depression to one of the very few happy endings I can remember on TWD as she is reunited with Carl and Rick in a (for the show) quite an uplifting final scene - involving actual laugher !
Meanwhile Rick and Carl find temporary safety in a small middle class housing estate, with Carl looting supplies and (not) tending to his fathers injuries. At this point Carl is in need of some serious growing up and surrenders to both cockiness in the face of two zombie attacks that he barely survives all the while undergoing a major teenage strop at the ineffectiveness of his injured dad in protecting the destroyed colony. To underline the situation we see Rick seemingly turn into a zombie but not, and then the tense moments as Carl holds his gun on his father but then this gives way to the realisation that things are not perhaps so bad as they seem and Carl miraculously puts aside his simmering resentment and everyone is 'happy' again. It's also worth pointing out that Ricks injuries then seem to heal faster than medically possible - but this is of course not a medical documentary !
Putting aside the unrealistically quick mood switch Carl undergoes (the limitations of a 42 minute episode doesn't necessarily allow for days of moody soul searching) at the end of the episode and the potential annoyance factor of having an episode dominated by a solo performance from teenager Chandler Riggs (Carl) whose surly teen portrayal can be a little tiresome on occasion (although here is is better performance if only frustratingly slow in picking up on zombie dangers given his recent experiences - but I suppose that's the writers problem not Riggs) this is a damn fine episode. The strength of the Walking Dead comes not from the Zombie menace alone but rather the juxtaposition of the human drama as it interweaves with the survivors stories. The canvas that the series concept creates allows for massive, terrible spectacle but also low level, one on one human experience, fear and triumph. Often all at the same time.
So 'After' is a great start to the next chapter of the Walking Dead - well paced, fascinating and (at least in my case) jumping off your chair in revulsion and agitation at what is thrown at you from the screen.
AMC's The Walking Dead - Monday's on Fox TV 9.00pm - Be there of be a Walking Cadaver !
Today I want to chat about The Walking Dead (non genre/SF aficionado's can now stop reading) currently showing on Fox TV in the UK. We've just arrived at the start of the second half of season four with the mid season premiere episode : 'After' picking up events, literally seconds after the climatic storming of the prison by the Governor and the (SPOILER's) dramatic deaths of series regular Hershel and nigh beating to death of Rick.
Rick's group at the prison have fled in various directions, the prison being all but destroyed and now uninhabitable. The Governor is also dead, as a lingering shot of his body reminds us early on.
The writers though resisted the temptation of going ever larger with the scale of the story and instead focus on the smaller personal stories of the next moves of Rick and his son Carl, staggering off into the wilderness alone with Rick severely injured following his beating by the Governor and also fan favourite Michonne who is back to her original ruse of capturing two neutered walkers (arms and jaws removed to avoid biting/scratching) to 'disguise' her from the attentions of other zombies.
We see, through an ingenious and cleverly filmed dream sequence some of Michonne's 'secret origin' and as suspected the loss of a child has created severe cracks in her psyche. During the episode her travels take her through depression to one of the very few happy endings I can remember on TWD as she is reunited with Carl and Rick in a (for the show) quite an uplifting final scene - involving actual laugher !
Meanwhile Rick and Carl find temporary safety in a small middle class housing estate, with Carl looting supplies and (not) tending to his fathers injuries. At this point Carl is in need of some serious growing up and surrenders to both cockiness in the face of two zombie attacks that he barely survives all the while undergoing a major teenage strop at the ineffectiveness of his injured dad in protecting the destroyed colony. To underline the situation we see Rick seemingly turn into a zombie but not, and then the tense moments as Carl holds his gun on his father but then this gives way to the realisation that things are not perhaps so bad as they seem and Carl miraculously puts aside his simmering resentment and everyone is 'happy' again. It's also worth pointing out that Ricks injuries then seem to heal faster than medically possible - but this is of course not a medical documentary !
Putting aside the unrealistically quick mood switch Carl undergoes (the limitations of a 42 minute episode doesn't necessarily allow for days of moody soul searching) at the end of the episode and the potential annoyance factor of having an episode dominated by a solo performance from teenager Chandler Riggs (Carl) whose surly teen portrayal can be a little tiresome on occasion (although here is is better performance if only frustratingly slow in picking up on zombie dangers given his recent experiences - but I suppose that's the writers problem not Riggs) this is a damn fine episode. The strength of the Walking Dead comes not from the Zombie menace alone but rather the juxtaposition of the human drama as it interweaves with the survivors stories. The canvas that the series concept creates allows for massive, terrible spectacle but also low level, one on one human experience, fear and triumph. Often all at the same time.
So 'After' is a great start to the next chapter of the Walking Dead - well paced, fascinating and (at least in my case) jumping off your chair in revulsion and agitation at what is thrown at you from the screen.
AMC's The Walking Dead - Monday's on Fox TV 9.00pm - Be there of be a Walking Cadaver !
Friday, 14 February 2014
Social Media Update
It has been a busy week at Localventure Towers. The latest episode of PMICast - No 16 from episode 2 is now live and with a slightly updated, more wide reaching format. You can find that on iTunes - search for 'PMICast' or at www.pmicast.podbean.com. Even with the lull in episodes (only 2 in 2014 so far but hoping to get back the weekly/bi-weekly schedule) we are still getting good download stats - for the last 30 days its over 4,600 downloads. So please keep listening and downloading and make sure you tell anyone who might be interested in this kind of business podcast.
As I'm now finding a bit of time to update the blog and get back into promoting myself via social media I thought it might be a good idea to remind my readers of how to follow/get hold of me in this context.
So here's a list :
Podcasts - as above, load the PMICast into you pod catcher or directly from iTunes or you can stream live at www.pmicast.podbean.com
Linkedin - I'm pretty active on Linkedin. Here's my main profile link :
If you're an introducer (IFA, Accountant) or would like to be, passing your clients to me to advise on medical insurance I also have a special group on Linkedin to support this called 'IntroMed' - you can join or view here : www.linkedin.com/groups/IntroMed-4945586?trk=my_groups-b-grp-v
Business Website - my Premier Choice Healthcare business webpage can be found at :
www.pch.uk.com/consultants/phil-d-knight/
and gives you a little bit of background as to my regulated insurance business.
Twitter - My two main Twitter accounts are : philknightPCH & localventure1 feel free to follow or DM me.
Facebook - I'm not a massive fan of FB, don't really use it too much but I will post all my business and podcasting updates there are a matter of course.
I'm at : www.facebook.com/philip.knight.775?ref=tn_tnmn
Google Plus - As a general rule I'd prefer to use G+ more than Facebook but I'm still finding my way around. Obviously I use hangouts fairly regularly for business purposes and can see this becoming more important over time. You can track me down on G+ at :
https://plus.google.com/116316601747539224729/posts
Please feel free to follow me as and when. The only restrictions I really put in place are on my personal Twitter feed (localventure1) where I don't follow any more than 30 people (and I'm up to 28 at present) to ensure I can keep on top of my timeline effectively and on Linkedin where I'm a little more choosy than some with regards to who I will add as a contact (again just from a busyness and effective communications standpoint) but happy to message back and forth through other media anyway.
Look forward to getting to know you all more !
As I'm now finding a bit of time to update the blog and get back into promoting myself via social media I thought it might be a good idea to remind my readers of how to follow/get hold of me in this context.
So here's a list :
Podcasts - as above, load the PMICast into you pod catcher or directly from iTunes or you can stream live at www.pmicast.podbean.com
Linkedin - I'm pretty active on Linkedin. Here's my main profile link :
If you're an introducer (IFA, Accountant) or would like to be, passing your clients to me to advise on medical insurance I also have a special group on Linkedin to support this called 'IntroMed' - you can join or view here : www.linkedin.com/groups/IntroMed-4945586?trk=my_groups-b-grp-v
Business Website - my Premier Choice Healthcare business webpage can be found at :
www.pch.uk.com/consultants/phil-d-knight/
and gives you a little bit of background as to my regulated insurance business.
Twitter - My two main Twitter accounts are : philknightPCH & localventure1 feel free to follow or DM me.
Facebook - I'm not a massive fan of FB, don't really use it too much but I will post all my business and podcasting updates there are a matter of course.
I'm at : www.facebook.com/philip.knight.775?ref=tn_tnmn
Google Plus - As a general rule I'd prefer to use G+ more than Facebook but I'm still finding my way around. Obviously I use hangouts fairly regularly for business purposes and can see this becoming more important over time. You can track me down on G+ at :
https://plus.google.com/116316601747539224729/posts
Please feel free to follow me as and when. The only restrictions I really put in place are on my personal Twitter feed (localventure1) where I don't follow any more than 30 people (and I'm up to 28 at present) to ensure I can keep on top of my timeline effectively and on Linkedin where I'm a little more choosy than some with regards to who I will add as a contact (again just from a busyness and effective communications standpoint) but happy to message back and forth through other media anyway.
Look forward to getting to know you all more !
Wednesday, 12 February 2014
Welcome back to PMICast !
The new episode of PMICast is now finally available for download on iTunes/your favourite pod- catching app or to stream on-line at www.pmicast.podbean.com .
The theme of the podcast is to tie it in a little more to this blog so some of the issues I raise in my post yesterday on pancreatic cancer are covered in more detail in the 'cast too.
Please download the podcast and tell your friends and colleagues if you find the content of use.
If you'd like to contact me about the cast please feel free to leave feedback here or e-mail on pmicast@gmail.com.
Thanks !!!
The theme of the podcast is to tie it in a little more to this blog so some of the issues I raise in my post yesterday on pancreatic cancer are covered in more detail in the 'cast too.
Please download the podcast and tell your friends and colleagues if you find the content of use.
If you'd like to contact me about the cast please feel free to leave feedback here or e-mail on pmicast@gmail.com.
Thanks !!!
Tuesday, 11 February 2014
1st Dan Grading
For those who regularly follow this blog and my twitter account (@localventure1) you'll know that I am a keen martial artist.
I am a 2nd dan black belt in a Wado Ryu based style called Tai Sabaki Do (the way of the avoiding body) having trained in that style from 1980. Then in 2010 I started a new karate style at a club in Leeds practicing Shukokai karate and have trained there twice a week since then. I took and passed my Sho dan (1st dan) black belt grading before Christmas last year bur received my certificate last week and wanted to share this with my readers.
Here's the picture :
I am a 2nd dan black belt in a Wado Ryu based style called Tai Sabaki Do (the way of the avoiding body) having trained in that style from 1980. Then in 2010 I started a new karate style at a club in Leeds practicing Shukokai karate and have trained there twice a week since then. I took and passed my Sho dan (1st dan) black belt grading before Christmas last year bur received my certificate last week and wanted to share this with my readers.
Here's the picture :
Is one type of cancer worse than any other ?
Last week there was a brief contretemps in the national press both newspaper and television, regarding the advert created by Pancreatic Action to highlight their charity and goals.
Can I suggest that you watch the advert (follow this link).
Te basic premise in the advert campaign is to raise the issue of the severity and poor survival rates for pancreatic cancer and uses the conceit of pancreatic cancer patients 'wishing' that they had other forms of cancer such as breast cancer or testicular cancer.
The outcry seems to have been broadly caused by this comparison with the press seeming to imply that it is unfair to compare and in some way this belittles or offends other cancer survivors or patients.
I personally had the misfortune of watching the inept presenters on DayBreak (ITV's breakfast, and I use the term here in its loosest possible sense, 'News' program) last Thursday morning interviewing a representative from the cancer charity under discussion and asking her had she thought of the feelings of people with other forms of cancer ? The two presenters actually made a senior representative of a cancer charity justify raising the profile of her condition/charity on national TV and I for one found it uncomfortable viewing.
This negative attitude is to miss the point absolutely. The premise of the advert is that pancreatic cancer is different to other cancers, not better or worse necessarily, but rather different in terms of survivability and so those diagnosed with it really might wish they had received a different diagnosis/prognosis that you or I, as healthy individuals might still find devastating. It is not only fair to compare and contrast differing clinical outcomes but vital. This is how progress is made and research is moved forwards.
Of the 22 most common cancers in the UK pancreatic cancer has the lowest survival rates and less than 1% of UK research money goes to this type of cancer.
There is an interesting table on this website showing the diagnosis rates and deaths from common cancers in the USA in 2013. Interestingly, of the 12 cancers shown, pancreatic cancer has the lowest number of diagnoses at 45,220 but the third highest mortality rate at 38,460. Only breast and lung cancer cause more deaths but both have more than 200,000 new cases each each year.
So maybe it would be better to get lung cancer than pancreatic cancer ?
No one wants anyone to get any kind of cancer, that is a given. Unfortunately it is also a fact of human existence is that these cancer do exist. So my view would be that the people, mainly the press, who are detractors of this advert should, politely, get the hell over themselves. The ad and the sentiment it expresses is in my opinion valid and more than achieves its goal - which is to begin a discussion of this vitally important subject. Even if the smaller minded cannot understand the more subtle nuance of the campaign.
Can I suggest that you watch the advert (follow this link).
Te basic premise in the advert campaign is to raise the issue of the severity and poor survival rates for pancreatic cancer and uses the conceit of pancreatic cancer patients 'wishing' that they had other forms of cancer such as breast cancer or testicular cancer.
The outcry seems to have been broadly caused by this comparison with the press seeming to imply that it is unfair to compare and in some way this belittles or offends other cancer survivors or patients.
I personally had the misfortune of watching the inept presenters on DayBreak (ITV's breakfast, and I use the term here in its loosest possible sense, 'News' program) last Thursday morning interviewing a representative from the cancer charity under discussion and asking her had she thought of the feelings of people with other forms of cancer ? The two presenters actually made a senior representative of a cancer charity justify raising the profile of her condition/charity on national TV and I for one found it uncomfortable viewing.
This negative attitude is to miss the point absolutely. The premise of the advert is that pancreatic cancer is different to other cancers, not better or worse necessarily, but rather different in terms of survivability and so those diagnosed with it really might wish they had received a different diagnosis/prognosis that you or I, as healthy individuals might still find devastating. It is not only fair to compare and contrast differing clinical outcomes but vital. This is how progress is made and research is moved forwards.
Of the 22 most common cancers in the UK pancreatic cancer has the lowest survival rates and less than 1% of UK research money goes to this type of cancer.
There is an interesting table on this website showing the diagnosis rates and deaths from common cancers in the USA in 2013. Interestingly, of the 12 cancers shown, pancreatic cancer has the lowest number of diagnoses at 45,220 but the third highest mortality rate at 38,460. Only breast and lung cancer cause more deaths but both have more than 200,000 new cases each each year.
So maybe it would be better to get lung cancer than pancreatic cancer ?
No one wants anyone to get any kind of cancer, that is a given. Unfortunately it is also a fact of human existence is that these cancer do exist. So my view would be that the people, mainly the press, who are detractors of this advert should, politely, get the hell over themselves. The ad and the sentiment it expresses is in my opinion valid and more than achieves its goal - which is to begin a discussion of this vitally important subject. Even if the smaller minded cannot understand the more subtle nuance of the campaign.
Thursday, 6 February 2014
When is the best time to focus on your marketing ?
Well that's finished for another day - my on-going, unrelenting marketing push in 2014 continues and it is good.
One of the questions I considered during the Festive break was how to enhance what I do in my marketing and one of things I thought about was when was the time to really double down on the marketing. My usual pattern has been to market, acquire new clients and then as I become busy with those new clients to ease up on the marketing until things quieten down again. Therein lies the problem. I've been suffering a kind of feast and then famine cycle that has proven difficult to break and or work around.
The solution then, which seems blindingly simple is to keep up the pressure on myself to market harder when I'm busy with a view to ensuring it is always a feast period, even if it means working long into the evening hours.
So the question, when is the best time to focus on more marketing - the answer is I think if all the time, if you're quiet, obviously you need to market to acquire new clients but if you're busy, more marketing means more clients, more success and you're building a better, stronger business.
So market until the only problem you have is to cope with the extra money you're making !
One of the questions I considered during the Festive break was how to enhance what I do in my marketing and one of things I thought about was when was the time to really double down on the marketing. My usual pattern has been to market, acquire new clients and then as I become busy with those new clients to ease up on the marketing until things quieten down again. Therein lies the problem. I've been suffering a kind of feast and then famine cycle that has proven difficult to break and or work around.
The solution then, which seems blindingly simple is to keep up the pressure on myself to market harder when I'm busy with a view to ensuring it is always a feast period, even if it means working long into the evening hours.
So the question, when is the best time to focus on more marketing - the answer is I think if all the time, if you're quiet, obviously you need to market to acquire new clients but if you're busy, more marketing means more clients, more success and you're building a better, stronger business.
So market until the only problem you have is to cope with the extra money you're making !
Wednesday, 5 February 2014
Apologies !!!
I am really letting the side down at the moment with regards to social media and the blog/podcast.
I am just really so busy that I'm not getting time to do the regular updates I would like and am taking this opportunity to apologise most profusely.
The next episode of PMICast is prepped and ready to record I just need to sit down and do it - although downloads of the older episodes is holding strong at around 4,000 per month which is great given my increasingly irregular recording schedule. The podcast will be continuing with a format that hopefully will interest some new listeners too - bear with me.
I am just really so busy that I'm not getting time to do the regular updates I would like and am taking this opportunity to apologise most profusely.
The next episode of PMICast is prepped and ready to record I just need to sit down and do it - although downloads of the older episodes is holding strong at around 4,000 per month which is great given my increasingly irregular recording schedule. The podcast will be continuing with a format that hopefully will interest some new listeners too - bear with me.
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