Are you tired of living in an old, outdated home and lacking modern technology? Do you want to make your life more convenient, enjoyable and secure with just a click of a button? If your answer is yes, it is finally time to upgrade the smart home. With smart homes becoming more mainstream, turning your home into a technological haven has never been easier or more affordable. Here are seven reasons why the smart home upgrade is worth the investment:

Convenience

Convenience is one of the most significant advantages a smart home offers. Imagine walking into your home and simply saying, “Hey, Google, turn on the lights,” and the lights in your home illuminate. Say goodbye to the hassle of walking around the house flipping switches.

You can also control your other home appliances through voice assistants, such as Amazon’s Alexa or Google Assistant. For example, you can turn off your coffee machine, oven, or TV from your phone before leaving the house, or you can have your robotic vacuum turn on and clean your floors while you’re out.

Energy Efficiency

Smart homes offer a great way to reduce energy usage and, therefore, utility bills. Many smart home devices have an energy-saving mode that automatically turns them off when they’re not in use. For instance, smart light bulbs are designed to turn off when no one is in a room or control their intensity based on the natural light outside, which reduces electricity consumption.

Moreover, smart thermostats can detect when the temperature in your home is too high or too low and adjust accordingly, ensuring that you’re not wasting energy or money on heating or cooling an empty home. Some smart thermostats like Nest Learning also learn your daily routine and adjust the temperature based on your schedule.

Increased Home Security

A smart home security system offers homeowners a heightened sense of safety and peace of mind. With features such as doorbell cameras, smart locks, and motion sensors, smart homes provide a more sophisticated and effective security system than traditional homes.

One of the most convenient features is the doorbell camera, which allows homeowners to see and speak with anyone who comes to their front door, regardless of location. Smart locks automatically lock or unlock your doors as you approach or leave the home, eliminating the need to carry keys.

Improved Equipment

Smart homes enhance your entertainment experience with features like whole-house audio and video distribution, making your home the perfect place to entertain. With a smart home, you can stream your favorite shows, movies, and music throughout your home with just one device or remote.

Some systems even use AI to learn your preferences and habits, automatically anticipating what you want to watch or listen to and serving it up to you.

Customization

With mobile apps and voice assistants, you can easily control various smart devices around your home, including lighting fixtures, temperature regulation, smart appliances, and even your home security.

For instance, if you prefer to wake up in the morning to natural light, you can program your smart blinds to open at sunrise. Or, if you like your coffee to be ready right when you wake up, you can program your smart coffee maker to start brewing at a certain time.

There was this time I was looking for a customizable smart switch button. A friend recommended an online store that deals with smart devices, and surprisingly some of the equipment can be installed at homes. If you are looking for innovative solutions, you can find smart home devices here that can be customized to meet your needs.

Improve Your Home Value

A smart home can also make for a valuable asset. With advanced technology becoming increasingly popular and mainstream, many homeowners are considering smart home upgrades in their properties, making it a lucrative feature in real estate listings.

Smart home devices help to increase the home’s efficiency and provide added security, therefore, improving the safety and comfort of the dwelling. These benefits, in turn, make the property a more attractive to potential buyers.

Joining the Future

As we head towards a tech-savvy future, the concept of smart homes is becoming more popular and affordable. With technology advancing at an unprecedented pace, it’s no surprise that the smart home is the way of the future. Embracing this technology now can give you a head start towards a smarter, more convenient, and more sustainable home.

Smart homes are environmentally friendly, enabling energy-efficient practices that help homeowners save on utility bills while reducing their carbon footprint. For instance, smart lights that automatically turn off when you leave a room can save considerable energy. Hence, being energy-efficient benefits the environment and saves homeowners money in the long run.

Conclusion

With technology rapidly advancing, it’s clear that smart homes are here to stay. By investing in a smart home, you can enjoy a more convenient, safe, and sustainable lifestyle while adopting early future technology trends.

LinkedIn’s Sales Navigator is a powerful tool for connecting with leads, discovering new prospects, and streamlining your outreach process. Instead of manually searching through thousands of profiles, you can utilize Sales Navigator’s advanced search feature to quickly narrow down the results based on industry or geographic region.

Additionally, you can customize contact lists with relevant details such as job titles and other criteria that fit your target audience, making it much easier to locate and connect with potential customers. In this discussion, we explore 9 tips to get more out of LinkedIn’s Sales Navigator. Keep reading;

1; Set up precise target criteria to easily find leads

You can tailor your search results by using the Advanced Filters, which allow you to define your target customers’ criteria precisely. For example, if you’re looking for senior-level executives in the tech industry based in the United Kingdom, simply enter those parameters and Sales Navigator will show you who matches that exact data set.

Similarly if you are looking for a remote-based software engineer, you can narrow down the criteria to someone with background education in computer science, engineering, mathematics or science. Setting a precise criteria saves time and helps you get the best leads to fit your needs.

2; Harness the power of personalized messages

Sales Navigator’s messaging feature allows you to add a personal touch to your outreach by including the customer’s name, profile details, and other personalized details. This is a great way to increase engagement and establish a connection with your leads.

For example, if you are trying to reach out to an engineer at a tech company, you can use their job title as well as some data points from their profile as part of your message introduction. Personalized messages are useful in sales because they deliver a message to the intended audience.

3; Utilize Sales Navigator’s insights

The Insights tab in Sales Navigator provides valuable data and information about the company and individual profile you are focused on. You can use this to better understand their values or needs, which could help you refine your messaging strategy.

For instance, you might gain insight into their career path, recent accomplishments, or favorite hobbies. With this type of information, you can tailor your message to make it more relevant and interesting for them.

4; Set achievable goals

The goal of any sales outreach should be to generate leads and close deals, but it’s important to set realistic objectives that are small and attainable. This will help you stay motivated by achieving your goals one step at a time.

A simple case study is where your goal is to acquire ten new clients in a month. In this case you can break it down into weekly or daily targets, such as reaching out to two or three potential customers daily.

5; Measure your success

Sales Navigator can provide powerful insights into how successful your outreach efforts are, allowing you to track and measure the results of your campaigns. For example, you could use the ‘conversion rate metric to see how many prospects have responded positively to your messages. This will indicate which strategies are working best, so you can focus on optimizing them for better results.

6; Track your progress

Keeping a record of the activities you have completed concerning a particular customer or sale can help you stay on top of where each lead is in the sales process and identify any potential obstacles or opportunities for improvement. It would help to keep track of the notes from each phone call and email exchange so that it’s easy to review what has been discussed and agreed upon.

7; Follow up frequently

In order to stay connected with customers and prospects, regular follow-up is key. Following up on leads within 24 hours can increase their response rate by as much as 50%. Moreover, keeping track of when you last made contact allows you to proactively engage the customer without being intrusive. A simple example is to use a CRM system or set reminders for yourself to never miss an opportunity to reach out.

8; Offer added value

Adding extra value to a sales pitch can go a long way in building relationships with customers and prospects. Ensure you’re offering something of real value tailored to the customer’s needs, such as free trials and discounts or helpful advice or resources. If you know the customer is looking for a specific product, provide them with additional information on how they can best utilize it.

9; Command attention

Since customers often receive many sales pitches daily, yours must stand out. Ensure your command is concise, clearly stated, and instantly appealing to the customer. Additionally, using visuals such as images or videos can go a long way in drawing attention to your message. Consider creating an eye-catching video presentation that outlines the benefits of your product and how the customer can utilize them.

Conclusion

When it comes to successful sales pitches, crafting a compelling message that resonates with the customer by providing value and commanding attention is important. Always take the time to research your target audience and tailor your message in order to get the best possible results. If you follow these tips, you can make a lasting impression with your sales pitches and build valuable relationships with customers. If you are new to using LinkedIn’s Sales Navigator, you can explore the guide to using Sales Navigator, a detailed resource packed with valuable information to help you get more out of the tool.

2020 may have been an absolutely terrible year in a lot of areas. Socially we were all locked down and confined by a global pandemic. Politically the world has never been more divided. But there is one area that still stands strong amidst all this chaos. And that is the world of Video Games.

Every year it seems the gaming world is blessed with new fantastic titles, incredible gaming stories, and fantastic new technology to make our gaming sessions more intense. So as we leave 2020 behind us, we want to take a look at some of the most popular games of 2020. To remind ourselves that there was some light in the darkness.

Warzone

Call of Duty is a staple of the gaming world. You can always bank on there being a new CoD released in any given year. And you can guarantee that it won’t break from the winning formula that has made CoD such a success.

But Warzone did try something different. The battle royale genre has become rather saturated in recent years. Thanks to the success of Fortnite. Competition has increased with the Battle Royale mode of many games. So it’s no surprise that CoD would try to get in on the action.

But Warzone differs in one respect. It takes the winning CoD gunplay and combat systems to create a totally different experience. And with plenty of hacks, cheats and aimbots for warzone to help you win, it is no wonder Warzone was one of the most popular games of 2020.

Fall Guys

Move over Mario party, there is a new party game in town. Fall Guys appeared out of seemingly nowhere and became the summer smash hit. Everywhere we looked we saw articles and videos of Fall Guys. The charming take on gameshow such as total wipeout being played by 6ft tall bean men won hearts and minds everywhere.

The game uses the battle royale formula but is decided over a series of rounds where random mini-games are played. The stakes are always high as there can only ever be one winner. The game keeps things fresh by changing the theme every season. Everything from Wizards and Knights to Frozen winter wonderland. We personally cannot wait to see what exciting new minigames make an appearance in 2021

Among Us

Among Us has been around for a while now. But it was only this winter that it really came into its own. Moving from relative obscurity to being one of the most popular games on the planet. It takes the traditional werewolf/mafia gameplay idea and puts you and a small crew against alien infiltrators.

You have to use all your wits to complete the tasks and uncover the aliens before everyone is murdered. This seems simple but you have to deal with the fact that your teammates are often random people who seek only to troll you. Among us is playable for free on mobile or for purchase on other systems. We recommend playing the PC version as keyboard integration is much easier to use than a phone touchscreen.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Animal Crossing may not be everyone’s cup of tea. But for millions upon millions of gamers, the release of Animal Cross NH was a monumental occasion. Especially since people found themselves stuck indoors for a long time, this game offered everyone an escape to a more idyllic world full of friendly animals and comfy scenery.

The new iteration in the series added a lot of quality of life improvements the game has been calling out for. A crafting and milestone system to encourage continued play. Improved multiplayer and the ability to terraform the landscape.

Since the introduction of gaming in the 80s, gaming has had quite a hold on the world. When gaming was first introduced, gamers all over the world would absolutely lose their mind over some 2D characters with a very basic plotline.

Gaming has changed a lot since then and now gaming has surpassed what people would have ever imagined. Now games have complex plot lines and you can now even enjoy them in virtual reality. Though games have changed a whole lot, something that hasn’t changed is the fact that a lot of games have incredibly iconic soundtracks.

Even if we think of early games like Sonic, Mario, and Pacman, we can all remember the iconic songs that defined these games and when we hear them we can’t help to feel excited whenever we hear them.

As games have progressed, so has the music in the games. Instead of just having songs with a few funky notes, songs now have some fantastic soundtracks that are absolutely iconic.

The soundtracks that games have completely set the mood of your gameplay and some games wouldn’t feel the same without the music. Here is a look at the games with the most iconic music.

GTA V

If you are someone that has played the fifth installment of the GTA game, then something that you will probably remember is just how fantastic the songs in the game were. In the game, you spend the majority of your time driving around the city, and within the car, you can use the radio.

The radio had a lot of different stations and on these stations, you could find a vast selection of music from a lot of different genres. Though it felt like there was a lot of music, there were some set songs that you probably hear to this day and remember GTA.

As well as being able to hear the songs on the radio while you drove around, you could also hear the iconic songs in various locations on the map. The GTA soundtrack had a lot of iconic 2000s songs and they all hold a lot of nostalgia for us all.

You can actually find playlists from all of the radio stations from the game and so if you want to jump back and listen to them all, all that you need to do is jump online.

Minecraft

It is likely that at some point or another you have played Minecraft. Minecraft is one of the most iconic games to ever exist and it has been a big part of all of our lives. Something that we all agree on is that Minecraft has some songs that we can all remember fondly.

The funny thing about the songs in Minecraft is that none of the songs has words, but we are all still able to remember them and we still think of them fondly.

A song that we all remember fondly is the introduction music on the game and for a lot of us, it was a very defining part of our childhood. Recently, a lot of memes and videos online have been using the iconic Minecraft music that we all remember and if you hear it, then you naturally get the need to play the game again.

If you are someone that hasn’t played the game in a long time, then you may be glad to know Microsoft now have a new Minecraft version that you can download and play. So if you feel as though you want to play the game, something that you can do is download the new version and hop on.

Skyrim

Skyrim has been around for quite a long time and if you are a gamer you have definitely played it by now. Something that we can all agree on is the fact that Skyrim has some of the best ambiance music out there.

When you play Skyrim, you are going to spend a whole lot of time exploring and venturing into deep caves and so the game offers you some brilliant relaxing music that helps ease the tension of the game.

As well as having a lot of ambient music, Skyrim also has a lot of brilliant songs with words. If you head into any tavern in the game, you are going to run into a bard playing an instrument and singing a song. You can actually request for the bards to play a song of your choosing and if you have never requested a song again, I would recommend that you ask them to play the Dragonborn.

Sack Boy

This is a game that was only released last year and when it was released, nobody expected that it would have so many fantastic songs in it.

If you are not sure what Sack Boy is if you remember Little Big Planet, then Sack Boy follows the life of the main character that you would play in the game.

In Sack Boy, the aim is to try and assist the ruler of a kingdom to try and allow their world to return to normality. Throughout the game, you play a number of different levels with different objectives and when you play the game, the map will change and move in motion to a certain song.

I won’t spoil the songs that are used in the game, as they are a big part of the experience and it is something that you have to see for yourself.

The internet has been completely transformative for the world as we know it. It has changed the way we do just about everything in the world and it has made even the most basic tasks even easier to complete. Thanks to the internet, you can also change your financial situation and here is how you can do it.

You Can Get Online Jobs

A big way that the internet has created more opportunities to make money is by creating a whole new category of job opportunities. In the past, the idea of being able to make money online was completely alien. Right now, you can do pretty much every job that you can do in person remotely. This has created a lot more job opportunities and it has made work more accessible for those that may live far away from a lot of work opportunities. Remote working has also made work a lot easier for people suffering from disabilities.

You Can Sell Goods Online

Another big way that people have been using the internet to make money is by selling their unwanted goods. In the past, it would be a lot of effort to sell unwanted goods and so most people would just get rid of the goods that they have. Now, selling goods online is easier than ever. All that you need to do is take a picture of the goods you want to sell, upload it to your chosen website and then wait for responses. Once someone has bought it, you just need to post it to them through the post office.

You Can Seek Legal Advice Through The Internet

We are living in a pretty difficult economic time and for a lot of us, staying on top of our finances has been really hard and we have often become very overwhelmed by the cost of living right now. People have been able to use the internet to budget the money that they do have and they have also used the internet to contact people who can give them good advice. For example, if you live in the country, you may want advice from the bankruptcy law center in San Diego. Well, you can contact them online so that you do not have to go there in person.

Create a Go Fund Me

If you are someone who is dealing with a really bad financial position and you feel as though you cannot get out of it without help, something that you can do is set up a go fund me account. On your go fund me page, you basically describe all of the problems that you have been having and how you ended up in the financial situation that you did. There are a lot of compassionate people out there and they want you to do well and be happy, so they will happily donate whatever they can to help you through difficult times.

Connect With People You Can Learn From

Something that sets the internet apart from anything else is how you can use it to connect with people from all around the world. There are some pretty spectacular people in this world and they all have something that they will happily teach you. If you have been finding it hard to make money and you feel as though no matter what you do, you are always short by the end of the month, you may be in need of a mentor. You can find people willing to give you advice on forums all over the internet and they may become good friends in the process.

Do Online Quizzes and Other Exercises

If you are really desperate and you have not got a steady income at the moment, you can do quizzes online that allow you to make money from your own home. You can do surveys and quizzes for businesses and they will give you a couple of dollars. Though a couple of dollars may not feel like a lot, you can do dozens within a couple of hours so it really starts to add up, making it a great option for anyone in a bit of a pinch.

Smart homes are taking the world by storm. You can get a fully integrated smart home tech from door locks, security systems, toilets, lighting systems, garage openers, and mirrors. Without a doubt, such advancements are likely to increase the value of your home. This discussion shall explore whether homes with integrated smart home tech do better in the housing market. Read on.

Overview

Smart technology is the next big thing in the real estate industry as companies roll out huge portfolios in home automation. Some notable aspects include smart thermostats, lighting, blinds, electric outlets, voice-activated assistants such as Google Home and Amazon’s Alexa, and smart home security. Already, home buyers are considering home automation as one factor that influences their decision to buy.

Here are 5 ways that smart home tech is transforming the housing market:

Increased Value Of Investment Properties

It’s no wonder that today’s home buyers are looking for the latest smart home technology. That tech makes your life more convenient and has the potential to increase your property’s value and take your resale price to the next level.

Experts predict that by 2030, smart homes will become commonplace, with more than 50 percent of Americans living in one. There are many benefits to having a smart home: You can save money on utility bills, increase security and improve energy efficiency.

In a survey conducted by Coldwell Banker Real Estate 2021, 66 percent of buyers said they’d be willing to pay extra for smart home technology in their next home. However, when asked how much they’d be willing to pay, the average price was $2,876—a good chunk of change when you think about it. But making your house more appealing could benefit you in the long run if you’re selling your home.

Typically, you can expect a return on investment between 10 and 15 percent if you add smart tech to your property before selling (more on what kind of return you can expect for specific investments later). So if you have a $2 million house, adding smart tech could make it worth an extra $200.

Attract More Buyers And Sellers

Home automation technology is no longer just a luxury or novelty that can be installed into a house. Instead, it’s becoming a necessity, and people are looking for it when shopping around. In fact, there are many house buyers out there looking for homes with automation systems. This shows a profound value for your house and high demand.

If you’re selling your home, integrating smart devices into your existing system can make the difference between selling your home and having to lower the price. If you’re thinking about buying a new home, making sure there is some type of automation system already installed will increase the value of the house you’re investing in.

Less Time Is Spent on The Market

A recent article in Forbes magazine states that homes with smart home tech sell for about 4% higher than those without. Also, they spend less time on the market than their less tech-savvy counterparts, meaning they may be easier to sell overall. The article cites several studies and reports showing that buyers are willing to pay more for tech-integrated homes. So if you’re ready to raise your asking price and make room in your life for something new, an investment in smart home tech could eventually pay off when you put your house up for sale.

Introduces New Smart Developments

A home with integrated smart home technology is bound to be more attractive to buyers looking for the latest and greatest – and that’s not just because the tech itself is new. In the case of these homes, the new developments allow for entirely new features and features that have never been feasible before. These factors often differentiate between an “OK” house and one that a buyer falls in love with.

Also, there are long-term benefits to having smart home technology integrated into your home’s infrastructure. For example, installing a smart thermostat as part of your HVAC system will adjust its settings according to your daily schedule, so you’re not wasting energy when no one is home. Likewise, suppose you have smart lighting installed. It can detect when there’s enough light coming in through the windows (from the sun or streetlights) and turn itself off automatically, so you’re not using electricity unnecessarily.

The availability of smart devices makes it easier than ever before to automate many aspects of life around your home. Thus, smart home techs play a significant role in the housing market— you can easily find innovations that make life easy.

Transforms Marketing Of Real Estate

Home automation has changed the way homes are marketed when they’re up for sale. The Internet of Things (IoT) gives sellers the ability to remotely monitor and control things like temperature, lighting, and security without even being there. Then, with an app on their phone or tablet, homeowners can adjust these settings from anywhere to make sure their property is being shown in its best light.

This allows them to personalize each tour according to what they know about potential buyers’ preferences, which helps establish a strong connection right from the start. Also, they can use IoT technology to create a personalized experience by making sure lights are on when visitors arrive and playing music that matches their mood or interests.

Smart Home Tech Is A Game Changer In The Housing Market!

Smart home tech has transformed the housing market significantly. Among the various ways are increased value for a property, more demand for smart tech homes, less selling time, and an easy time in marketing. Therefore, embrace smart tech in your property for increased benefits.

Due to being forced to spend a lot of our time indoors,  all of you gamers out there have most likely had the chance to really play some of the games you know and love. For most of us, this is the most spare time that we have ever had, so obviously we would want to spend this time playing some of our favorite games. 
Though having all of this time to play games seemed like a blessing at first, there are only so many hours you can play the same game until you start to feel a little worn out.  If you are someone that plays multiplayer games with a group of people, you may be able to recognize this pattern. At the start, your entire game group seemed to want to do nothing but play your favorite multiplayer game and you would spend countless hours playing without many breaks. Then as you play more and more, you probably noticed a few of your gaming friends not playing as much and the games that you do manage to squeeze in do not have as much enthusiasm.  
If this is something that you can relate to, then it is time to find a new multiplayer game. Here are some of the best casual multiplayer games perfect for your game group.  

Among Us 

Though this game has started to fizzle in the last year, there is no denying that it is extremely fun. Among us requires you to work as a crew and complete tasks, while also trying to locate a blood thirsty imposter that is on a mission to kill. This game is the perfect mix of spooky and tactical and if you play this, you will notice your friend group start to slowly turn on each other in the best way possible.  
Not only do you have all of the exciting game elements, you can also design your own individual character, which may be appealing to those of you that love a customizable avatar. 

Town Of Salem

This game has the same kind of premise as among us, as you have to try and locate a murderer that is plaguing your town every evening. This game is a digital version of Mafia and everyone has their own role to play within the town in order to try and find the murderer.  
The best part of this game is the discussion time you get every round, as this is where people can share their own thoughts about who they believe the murderer to be. This is where the game gets very interesting, as every person in the team pleads their innocence, though we know one of them is lying. 

Minecraft 

Minecraft is arguably the most famous multiplayer game in the world. This game allows you to mine caves, build homes and explore vast terrain. If you are looking to start a multiplayer game with your friends, then you can start up your own world or even join one of the game’s pre-existing Minecraft servers.

If your gaming group is looking for a long haul project, then Minecraft is your best call. You can build an awesome base together or even start exploration projects. Minecraft is so diverse that there is something that everyone in your group will like, so nobody will get bored or feel unincluded.  
If you have someone that loves farming games, then you’re in luck. If you are someone that is super into combat games, then you are in luck. Minecraft really has it all.  So why not download the game and see how far you can go?