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- Avoiding Financial Trauma Stress Disorder
Day after day we're being treated to news of the global financial markets being flushed further and further down the toilet. If you run a small business, it can be hard to hold onto hope and inspiration, because maybe this time things really are doomed. Makes you wonder and doubt--did someone not buy simply because they didn't buy, or is this the beginning of the end of your business?
Date of Article: 19Nov2008 Category: Business - General View(17) EasyPublish(11)
- Why Clients Don't Buy--The Hierachy of Choice
So you struggle over getting all the details just right, like pricing and timing, and all the other features included in your offers so your best clients will buy from you. So why aren't they buying? It's because all of those details are actually the least important part of a purchasing choice. Date of Article: 29Oct2008 Category: Business - General View(35) EasyPublish(28)
- The How and Why of Wrestling Your Inbox to Zero
Have you ever ended up TWO weeks behind in answering emails? An inbox full of missed opportunities, deadlines, and people you care about left with the sour taste that maybe you don't like them. Not good for business. Very good for encouraging an unhealthy sense of guilt, shame and pressure. Date of Article: 29Oct2008 Category: Business - General View(28) EasyPublish(27)
- When You're Too Exhausted to Run a Business.
“Fifteen years I've put into this business, and I'm just spent,” lamented one client. Another told me, “I pushed myself to get my website up, and I went over an edge with my health. It took me months to recover.” It's humbling to realize, but as you age, you just don't have the same ability to go all night, and to push through deadlines and projects as you did once upon a time. Date of Article: 16Oct2008 Category: Business - General View(53) EasyPublish(47)
- Can Branding Ever Be Heart Centered?
Sometimes the world delivers up vocabulary words that are just plain wrong. Painfully wrong. Words like "branding," which the world of marketing seems to love, but regular folks and cows just seem to hate. And it's because of how branding has often been used. Companies have done psychological studies on how to craft an environment that gets you to react in the way they want you to. It's like herding cattle into the searing-hot iron--ouch. Date of Article: 08Oct2008 Category: Business - General View(60) EasyPublish(39)
- How Do You Be Unique When What You Do Isn't Yours?
You come off the freeway exit ramp, and bam, you're stuck behind a long line of cars at the stop sign, all wanting to turn left, the same way you want to go. Slowly, one by one, they go through the stop sign. You inch imperceptibly forward. Suddenly one of the cars peals off and goes right, instead of left. You're bored by this time, so you figure, what the heck--let's try it out. Date of Article: 08Oct2008 Category: Business - General View(62) EasyPublish(39)
- Why You Shouldn't Handle More Than Three Projects.
As I write this, my wife Holly, myself, and our assistant Kate are planning to meet in a couple of hours. And why? So we can put a bunch of absolutely amazing and wonderful ideas on the back burner, and do nothing about them. It's probably not such a surprising idea for you, that you're supposed to prioritize your projects, and only focus on a few things at a time. Date of Article: 28Aug2008 Category: Business - General View(53) EasyPublish(51)
- Cookie Grandma's Secrets to a Unique and Powerful Business.
Your business probably seems like many others. There are billyuns and billyuns of therapists, consultants, retailers, and healers. Yet, in order to make an impact and deeper connection with customers that is so necessary for a sustainable business, you need to distinguish yourself. However, just 'finding your voice' and 'developing your uniqueness' aren't often helpful strategies. Date of Article: 27Aug2008 Category: Business - General View(75) EasyPublish(53)
- When Following-the-Leader Gets Your Business in Trouble.
On a hot summer day in the early 1990's, I was standing in the middle of a California freeway. Four cars were piled up around me, and ambulances, fire engines, and the California Highway Patrol were arriving one after the other. Our paramedic unit had parked where the first-in unit had told us to park, and we were working on the car that first medic on-scene had directed us to. Date of Article: 12Aug2008 Category: Business - General View(74) EasyPublish(52)
- Why your business needs a peer-led Mastermind group.
Every time I teach a class, and build in the buddy system, people are blown away by how much -easier- everything is, just from not doing it alone. And not just getting stuff done, but the insights, the perspective shifts. Everything changes when you aren't solo. Date of Article: 25Jul2008 Category: Business - General View(60) EasyPublish(54)
- The Curse of Professionalism in Your Business.
Have you ever received (or written) an email like this one? "Thank you for your correspondence. We appreciate your desire to contact us, and someone will get back to you shortly." Kinda cold and stale, eh? I'm used to seeing things like this from corporations, and from the back of our refrigerator, but how about us teensy business folks? Date of Article: 24Jul2008 Category: Business - General View(79) EasyPublish(58)
- The true measure of money in your business.
Shiny new cars. Big mansions. The good life. Even if you're not a particularly material person, it's easy to be caught by those images, and to wonder: "Why don't I have that? Is there something wrong with me?" It's become especially popular to equate material wealth with spiritual attainment. "If you do good, and if you think abundantly, then the untold riches of the universe will pour forth for you. Date of Article: 14Jul2008 Category: Business - General View(76) EasyPublish(57)
- Why Attraction is a Mistake in Marketing.
Coffee shop. The background beat of some silly pop music. Buzz of conversation. The glow of laptop screens. And then, one near the counter, the other in a window seat, they both look up, and their eyes meet. Attraction! Next thing you know, they're picking out paint colors, and sharing chores in some nice little house in the neighborhood. It's a cozy picture, isn't it? If only your clients would move into your business as easily. Date of Article: 13Jul2008 Category: Business - General View(67) EasyPublish(51)
- Smoothing cashflow when your business is small or new.
A participant in the Opening the Moneyflow Course has a fairly minimal email list of potential clients, about 80 or so. It's enough to bring in a few clients, but not enough to keep her pipeline full. While she's ramping up to increase the list, which is growing every week, she's still facing that cashflow issue: how can you keep a steady cashflow with just a handful of clients, before your marketing gets traction? Date of Article: 06Jul2008 Category: Business - General View(87) EasyPublish(61)
- Why you make some business mistakes over and over.
Why do you make certain mistakes over and over again? No matter how hard you try to fix or control the situation, they seem beyond your control. For instance, I was working with a client recently who has a number of staff working under him, and wanted to delegate to them efficiently. And the same problem showed up in employee after employee. Date of Article: 05Jul2008 Category: Business - General View(71) EasyPublish(56)
- Does the cutting edge of social media really pay?
So someone asks you: "What's your Twitter name?" And you look at them like they are a loony. Twitter? Huh? And then the next person asks you, "You blog, right? What's the URL?" Hold it. What happened? In the seeming blink of an eye, suddenly there's all this new so-called 'social media' on the web, and you know nothing about it. What's worse, is that everyone else seems to be there already. Date of Article: 11Jun2008 Category: Business - General View(58) EasyPublish(51)
- Handling complaints without making things worse.
The email comes, or the phone rings, and there's an absolute flood pouring right at you. "Hey, you didn't do what you said you would do. This didn't work as advertised. You goofed!" Yup, a complaint. Ahhh! A complaint?! But you poured your heart and soul into it, how could they complain? Then you take a breath, and you read what they're asking for, and you realize... they were right. You DID make a mistake. Date of Article: 23May2008 Category: Business - General View(94) EasyPublish(60)
- How productivity contributes to global warming and debt.
There was an edge to my voice as I asked the question: "And so why haven't you finished what you promised to do?" I meant for it to come out nicer, more reasonable. But, it didn't. This is so often where we land, kerthunk, in business: are you getting it done, or aren't you? In the western world, we call this 'productivity' and we think it's a good thing. Date of Article: 16May2008 Category: Business - General View(68) EasyPublish(62)
- How to avoid reader fatigue in your subscribers.
There's some buzz I've been reading about in forums and on blogs about what's known as 'reader fatigue.' This is the condition that happens when you, as an individual, are confronted with sixteen hundred gazillion blogs, email newsletters, forums, and pdf downloads and you just get fed up with it. I can relate. Unfortunately, when you switch hats to being a business owner, suddenly you don't want to relate. Date of Article: 15May2008 Category: Business - General View(92) EasyPublish(61)
- Why giving clients more choices means they'll never buy.
You're really wanting to be thoughtful and accommodating. You want to make your clients and customers comfortable, so they can have things the way they like it. So you start making up offers, each with different options and flavors. Eventually you have a menu of ten options. And no one's buying. Is it your marketing? Or your menu? Date of Article: 01May2008 Category: Business - General View(88) EasyPublish(62)
- How to avoid being trapped in a niche.
Bang! Bang! Bang! The hammer comes down again and again, nailing those wooden planks in place. Finally, it's done: you're trapped. No windows, and the only door nailed shut. Those business gurus told you to pick a niche, and so you did. And now you're stuck there, for the rest of your days. G'bye creativity. G'bye freedom. G'bye. Date of Article: 30Apr2008 Category: Business - General View(86) EasyPublish(78)
- When networking events feel like a drag.
Going to networking events is kinda one of those things you are 'supposed' to do for your business. Some people love'em, some people hate'em. But, the truth is, especially for a new business, making face-to-face and heart-to-heart contact with people is incredibly powerful. Unfortunately, networking events can seem like pretty gross, low-energy, artificial affairs, with people glad-handing left and right. Date of Article: 25Apr2008 Category: Business - General View(89) EasyPublish(67)
- Deciding whether or not to publish your prices.
Your website is up, your services/workshops/products page is finished. So... do you publish your prices along with it? If you do, won't that scare people away? If you don't, won't people think you're hiding something? It's a lose-lose situation, it would seem. So, do your clients need to see your prices, or not? Date of Article: 15Apr2008 Category: Business - General View(96) EasyPublish(52)
- How to stop being a piranha when you really need clients.
In a recent Opening the Moneyflow class, we were discussing the balance between working on foundations and systems, and the need to get clients, like, now. As in 'now' thank you very much. Now, please? Clients? The need for cashflow in your business through having enough clients is profound. Paying the bills, keeping food on the table, and a roof over your head is no joking matter. Date of Article: 09Feb2008 Category: Business - General View(109) EasyPublish(102)
- How to Keep Big Opportunities from Tearing Down Your Business.
"I love what you do. I want you to do project X, so we can reach a 1,000,000 people (or build that retreat center, etc.)" A few days ago I was reminded of this dynamic, when one of the current participants, using his newly-developed marketing message, started getting some pretty amazing results saying it to people. One of those results was a successful entrepreneur who shared his dream, and wanted to support him in "going big time." Date of Article: 08Feb2008 Category: Business - General View(138) EasyPublish(112)
- Losing business for want of "The Nudge."
Our friend Erica called my wife and me to invite us to a holiday dinner. We couldn't go, because we already had plans that evening. But, when we hung up, we remembered that weeks and weeks ago we had decided to go to a show that her husband was involved in producing, but had never bought the tickets. We went online right then and bought 'em. This was an example of "The Nudge" even if it was inadvertent. Date of Article: 02Feb2008 Category: Business - General View(115) EasyPublish(119)
- How to punish assistants for catastrophic mistakes
You finally did it. You decided to hire an assistant, or a virtual assistant, or even a full-on employee, with payroll and everything. Yahooey! You've hit the big time now. You're business is sure to take off. And then your new assistant sends you an email, or leaves a voicemail, or comes to your office. "Uh... I made a bit of a mistake. I hope it's not too bad." But it is. It's a big mistake. Date of Article: 01Feb2008 Category: Business - General View(165) EasyPublish(111)
- Is it okay not to give all your profit back to your clients?
You finally made the leap and are getting paid a price that feels good. Except that it's itching the back of your neck, the back of your heart. You're uncomfortable. Next thing you know, you're working twice as hard, putting in extra hours, doing all kinds of extras for your clients. You're exhausted. And you only raised your prices 20%-- why is it that you feel like you're working -harder- than you were before you raised your prices? Date of Article: 25Jan2008 Category: Business - General View(119) EasyPublish(100)
- How to be Consistently, Creatively Productive.
our business depends on your creativity. Your creativity in your marketing, in your product and service creation, and just in how you show up for your customers and clients. Without creativity, everything grows stagnant, you are unable to produce to meet deadlines, yours and others, and you begin to feel lifeless. And so does your business. And so do your profits. Date of Article: 24Jan2008 Category: Business - General View(135) EasyPublish(99)
- If you resist marketing, then you can be great
"I've tried to market myself for years. I've worked with coaches, counselors and healers of all stripes. They all tell me I need to work through my resistance to marketing, and yet I still hate it." My heart was breaking. I was speaking with someone who had the seeds of an amazing business, one that had been limping along for years, never expanding beyond a small handful of dedicated and raving fan clients. Is this you? Date of Article: 20Dec2007 Category: Business - General View(113) EasyPublish(99)
- Giving the awkward news that you're raising your prices.
The time has come- you've been waiting for it and dreading it at the same time. The time when you must, absolutely must, can't avoid it. You've got to raise your prices. You're sure about it, 100%, and it feels good when you think about it all on your own. Except... How DO you tell your current clients that your prices are going up, up and away? Your belly is flip-flopping, and your palms get cold and sweaty... Date of Article: 19Dec2007 Category: Business - General View(126) EasyPublish(113)
- When you feel so pressured to make money you can't think.
Your marriage falls apart, you or your partner is laid-off, or your spouse gets ill and you lose half your household income. The financial pressures sweep in like a sudden high tide, and as one of my clients wrote me, "I feel so pressured to make money I can't think." What do you do in a situation like this? "Forget about the bladdy-blah-blah of patience and organic growth, man! I need to make the rent like, yesterday!" Date of Article: 07Dec2007 Category: Business - General View(198) EasyPublish(135)
- How to use systems without turning into a heartless zombie.
You can tell as soon as you pick up the phone before the other person has even said anything. That little silence, the clattering in the background, tells you that it's a telemarketer on the other end of the line, and there is nothing they have to say that is worth your precious time. With those experiences, it's easy to have strong opinions about using systems, and to avoid them like the plague in your own business. Date of Article: 06Dec2007 Category: Business - General View(126) EasyPublish(134)
- How to avoid the funeral after a big breakthrough.
Okay, forget all this organic growth stuff. Let's say you hit the big time, and suddenly dozens, hundreds, even thousands of people are flooding towards your business. Exciting, isn't it? Sure, exciting as a funeral. If your business isn't ready, this could be The End. It's easy to want to hit it big. But, the truth is, rapid expansion is the most dangerous time for any business. Date of Article: 01Dec2007 Category: Business - General View(117) EasyPublish(125)
- What Moses knew about getting ready to teach.
There's a class you've been thinking about offering for some time now. But, you're not quite ready. A little more research, a little more thinking, and you're sure you'll finally be ready. But, despite your passion, it's flat. Even practicing it in front of a friend or colleague, it still feels flat. Oh no! When will you ever be ready to offer this to people? There is a missing ingredient, and Moses knew what it was. Date of Article: 29Nov2007 Category: Business - General View(127) EasyPublish(124)
- How to Choose a Business Name.
As far as making first impressions go, it seems like your business name is right up there. So you've spent a lot of time soul-searching, brainstorming, sweating up the perfect business name. And then, when you do, what happens? Date of Article: 25Oct2007 Category: Business - General View(163) EasyPublish(150)
- Why less passion is better for business.
I just googled 'Passion in Business' and came up with 82,900,000 hits. And, according to the first several pages of hits, everyone says that you must have passion to succeed in business. 'Fuel your passion' is the watchword. Why this quest for passion? Of course, passion can feel wonderful, but do you really need it to succeed in business? What happens when you don't have it? Date of Article: 24Oct2007 Category: Business - General View(138) EasyPublish(133)
- The one project missing from your strategic plan.
It's a given for your business: you want next year to be different than this year. And so all kinds of projects and tasks end up on your to-do list. Marketing, office structures, product/offer creation, client care, technology. Very important, this doing of things. Without action, very little manifests, no matter how clear your intentions are. And yet, will next year look different? What gives? Is it too much action? Date of Article: 22Oct2007 Category: Business - General View(158) EasyPublish(133)
- How your friends destroy your marketing message.
A lot of blood, sweat, and tears goes into crafting your 'elevator speech' (I hate that term). You've probably agonized over it, striving to catch just the right tone and wording. Finally, you're (hopefully) finished. For the final blessing, you turn to your friends and colleagues, and test it out. They respond: "That's great! I love it. Go for it." They've just killed you with kindness. Date of Article: 15Oct2007 Category: Business - General View(142) EasyPublish(137)
- The true measure of money in your business.
Shiny new cars. Big mansions. The good life. Even if you're not a particularly material person, it's easy to be caught by those images, and to wonder: "Why don't I have that? Is there something wrong with me?" Date of Article: 14Oct2007 Category: Business - General View(146) EasyPublish(130)
- How being outnumbered will gain you raving fans.
You're sitting in class, and the teacher at the front has just said something that doesn't entirely make sense to you. "You see, the world is flat. It's always been flat. And it always will be flat. Flat, flat, flat." The year is 1400 A.D., and you're thinking, "But, what if it isn't flat? What if it's round?" Do you stick your hand up and tell the teacher? Date of Article: 01Oct2007 Category: Business - General View(142) EasyPublish(137)
- Repeat after me: "I have only one business."
Imagine you're ten years old, and there are huge stacks of cardboard boxes towering over you. It's a maze. It's a fortress. And you're allowed to climb all over them. Inside every single one of those boxes is a dozen bottles. Fine wines, liquor, you name it. It may sound like a caterer's dream, but I was just hanging out in the warehouse of my grandfather's wine store. My parents worked with him, and so I kinda grew up there. Date of Article: 30Sep2007 Category: Business - General View(157) EasyPublish(146)
- Why it's so hard to ask for money and how to make it easier.
"What's wrong with me?" Someone in the marketing class was complaining to us, about himself. "My bank account is near zero, and I have twenty thousand dollars in accounts receivable- and all I need to do is send out the invoices." "Why can't I send them out? I feel out of integrity with myself." Why is it so easy to be out of integrity with yourself by not asking for the money you are owed? Date of Article: 17Sep2007 Category: Business - General View(137) EasyPublish(135)
- The real reason success is so elusive (Hint: It's not fear of success.)
I'm guessing you spend a certain amount of time daydreaming... Daydreaming of what it will be like when you hit 'the big time.' When your finances are really abundant. When you become well-known in your field. When you make that next big step, whatever it is. Dreams of lolling around on silk sheets with peeled grapes and fizzy drinks. Dreams of giving away as generously as you've always wanted to. Dreams coming true. Date of Article: 16Sep2007 Category: Business - General View(158) EasyPublish(191)
- How to keep mistakes with clients from turning cancerous.
Don't you hate it when a client emails you: "You know, I feel really ignored. Why haven't you responded to my last email?" Or how about: "This class isn't working for me. I'm in a completely different place with my situation from the other participants, and you aren't following me at all." You make mistakes with them all the time. Really heartening, ain't it? Date of Article: 09Sep2007 Category: Business - General View(130) EasyPublish(154)
- Why your business needs two types of accountability.
The tide's coming in, fast. Your kayak is there on the sand, starting to get gently nudged. Meanwhile you're flat out on a beach towel. Hot sun. Cool breeze. Iced tea. Are you going to get up in time to save your kayak from floating out to sea? Your business may be calling, all kinds of important things to get done. But who can lift a finger when the sun is so bright? Date of Article: 08Sep2007 Category: Business - General View(142) EasyPublish(152)
- Why and how to create an information product.
Have you put off, or given up entirely, the idea of writing that book, or creating a CD or DVD, for your business? Maybe you've let that idea slip away because you thought your business wasn't suited to it. I mean, what you do is so individual and personal, or too complicated to explain, or so intuitive in nature, that it can't be captured in a product. Date of Article: 03Sep2007 Category: Business - General View(121) EasyPublish(141)
- How to chop days and hours off your article writing.
Ready to write an article? You even made the big step of scheduling time to do it. So here it is, and you're sitting at your desk, staring blankly at the screen. Just like you've been doing for the last two weeks. And still no article. Despite the fact it was supposed to go out 10 days ago. Ugh. Date of Article: 23Aug2007 Category: Writing & Speaking View(185) EasyPublish(164)
- When Innocent Questions Turn Into Hours Of Unpaid Time.
Someone calls you up and is interested in your offer. So, they start asking questions. And more questions. And more questions. Suddenly, you've been on the phone for over an hour. And, when you hang up, they still didn't sign up for your offer. Date of Article: 22Aug2007 Category: Business - General View(124) EasyPublish(168)
- Are We There Yet?" How To Create "Overnight Success" In Your Business.
A person I admire has a very successful business. He's sharp, personable, funny, smart, and helpful. And, the products and services he provides are top-notch. He's sold thousands of them, and his business is operating at a level much higher than mine. Then he announced that he was celebrating three years in business. What! Only three years? How'd he get so far, so fast? Date of Article: 18Aug2007 Category: Business - General View(168) EasyPublish(140)
- How the Silent Treatment Creates Customers
Sooner or later you will have to ask someone to buy something from you. Whether you have a retail store, and a couple has been admiring an expensive couch for the last 20 minutes, or you are a consultant or coach who has just finished an initial conversation with a potential client, the question is waiting to be asked. "So, are you ready to buy?" Date of Article: 17Aug2007 Category: Business - General View(113) EasyPublish(116)
- Grief- Your surprising tool for momentum
Business momentum is when a series of "events" build upon each other, and multiply their efforts. It's when your business starts to have some steam of its own, and you get carried along for the ride. For instance, we had some February sunshine here in Portland, and I went bicycling. Each time I pedalled was an "event." But, that pedaling only creates momentum that carries me forward when I'm not peddling IF... Date of Article: 12Aug2007 Category: Business - General View(130) EasyPublish(139)
- Why strangers are worried your business is stalking them.
There you are at a party, and you notice someone you'd like to get to know. So, you start staring at them. And staring. And staring. You're hoping that your googly-eyed stare is communicating your interest in them. No surprise what happens next. He or she gets up, crosses the room, and whispers to the host, "That weirdo in the corner keeps staring at me... I'm worried... is he a stalker?" Date of Article: 11Aug2007 Category: Business - General View(145) EasyPublish(210)
- Are We There Yet? How To Create "Overnight Success" In Your Business.
A person I admire has a very successful business. He's sharp, personable, funny, smart, and helpful. And, the products and services he provides are top-notch. He's sold thousands of them, and his business is operating at a level much higher than mine. Then he announced that he was celebrating three years in business. What! Only three years? How'd he get so far, so fast? Date of Article: 26Jul2007 Category: Business - General View(170) EasyPublish(218)
- When To Get Business Help And When To Go It Alone
It's a sorta no-brainer when you need help in business: flummoxed, bewildered, stuck. But what kind of help do you really need? It's a big question. Without the right support and education, everything you're working for can fall apart. But, the wrong support can be expensive, time-consuming and overwhelming. Date of Article: 25Jul2007 Category: Business - General View(136) EasyPublish(150)
- What You Need To Do To Avoid Burning Money On Advertising.
Advertising. Curse? Money hole? Or powerful venue? It seems so obvious: where else, for a few hundred dollars, could you get in front of thousands of people? And it's true that many of them are really wanting what you're offering. Unfortunately, the vast majority of advertising ends up being good to wrap fish in, and not much else. People cry up "But it's getting me exposure," and that's true, to a point. Is it really increasing sales? Date of Article: 24Jul2007 Category: Business - General View(160) EasyPublish(197)
- Offering A Guarantee Without Losing Your Shirt
You may be offering a guarantee, but nervously, or perhaps not offering one at all. What if a bunch of your clients ask for their money back? Sluuurrrrrpppp... there goes your business, down the drain. What makes a guarantee safe for you? Date of Article: 23Jul2007 Category: Business - General View(132) EasyPublish(211)
- Why the practical always beats up on the sacred in business.
When you're doing your best work with your clients, it's magical, sacred. There is almost something holy about what you do, like you aren't there at all. And that's what your clients love most too- those moments of transcendance. Yet, when you try to talk about this sacredness in your marketing, it doesn't make an impact. It gets swallowed up in the marketplace, like an insignificant cotton ball swept away in a hurricaine. What gives? Date of Article: 22Jul2007 Category: Business - General View(155) EasyPublish(190)
- Is it okay to cancel if no one responds?
You've planned the class. You've marketed it like all git-out. The early-bird deadline has come and gone. You're five days out, and you've got 3 people registered. The big question: Do you cancel? Date of Article: 14Jul2007 Category: Business - General View(155) EasyPublish(229)
- "How Long Does It Take To Get A Business Going?"
Question: What would you think of someone who said this to a five year old? "It's about time you start earning your keep! I want you to get out there and get a job so you can pay your share of the mortgage. And, while you're at it, here's the keys to the car". Doesn't make sense, does it? This person is either cruel, crazy, or out to lunch on the next planet over. This is exactly what many folks do to their new businesses. Date of Article: 13Jul2007 Category: Business - General View(172) EasyPublish(223)
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