Written by Dallea Caldwell

With each passing year I find myself more relieved over the lack of man vs. cyborg wars, zombie outbreaks, and post-apocalyptic societies where an endangered humanity enters the twilight of its existence.

On the other hand, I am perfectly despondent over the lack of genetic enhancement options, intergalactic travel, alien encounters, and flying cars.

But, 2014 is a shiny new year ripe with unimaginable possibility. Still, if history tells us anything, 2014 is bound to be yet another year of some-or-other earth-shattering breakthrough as well as yet another year of some sort of heartbreaking disaster somewhere.

It’s just the nature of a year: a lot of things can happen in 365 days, and Murphy’s Law is never…ever repealed.

So, there are only 3 things you can do in the face of such boundless uncertainty:

PLAN: Get serious about your New Year’s resolutions. Decide what you want to accomplish for yourself and your family in 2014, and build a plan to get you there.

And, do more than set it and forget it: hold yourself accountable. Inform your support system about your goals. Let them in on your progress. Let them help in any way. Make yourself a promise, and don’t let yourself down.

PREPARE: As they say, you can plan a pretty picnic, but you can’t predict the weather. Incidentally, when it comes to financial goals, the truism certainly rings truest.

Luckily, that’s why rain-dates, alternate locations, and pavilions (or their financial planning equivalent) exist. Being prepared can mean the difference between a setback and a life-disrupting wrecking ball.

Sometimes choices like…

> Weatherizing and well-insuring your home against the kind of crazy weather patterns we’ve increasingly seen over the years

> Handling needed home and car repairs before they further endanger your safety and your wallet

and…

> Living a healthy and active lifestyle to potentially reduce future healthcare costs

…can become cases where preparation meets prevention. Of course, many of these choices alone require financial planning.

Which brings me to another point. How could you possibly be serious about a new year’s resolution to save money if you haven’t gotten an early start on filing your taxes?

If your taxes owed become an unforeseen expense midway through the year, then you, my friend, lack foresight. Get your house in order. Get an accountant.

PERFORM: What better time than a fresh new year to get serious about your goals? Well…how about now? What can you do…today…to take you one step closer to your goals? Why not skip dessert today instead of Thursday, or find an accountant today instead of 3 months from now?

Why not make this — the first day of the rest of your life — a bigger event than a Puff Daddy NYE bash smack dab in the middle of Times Square. You’d be surprised how many simple opportunities pass you by with each passing second.

Take the 30 Day Plank Challenge, for example. To participate, all you have to do is assume the plank position for 20 seconds. You can even join the movement today on Facebook before the 20 seconds are even over.

As the saying doesn’t go, you can’t have a pretty picnic, without preparing the meal. So, snap to it!

Here’s TalkLocal wishing you the persistence to make 2014 a very happy, healthy, and productive New Year.

Click here to preview and download your Resolution Solution Pledge, and hold yourself accountable to making your dreams come true this coming year.

And now, a holiday poem from TalkLocal with our seasons’ greetings.

‘Twas the week before Christmas,

When all through the house.

Not a chore was complete.

There’s even a mouse!

You finished your shopping,

Mostly… pretty much.

But still so many things to do

Around the home and such.

And family’s in town,

So come Christmas morning.

Your house must look perfect,

Clean, pristine, and warming.

No time to clean.

No time to paint.

No time to fix

The heater that’s faint.

Then out of the blue,

You hear birds sing.

‘Twas just a dream,

So you give a ring.

Calling the cleaners.

Calling to fix.

Calling the painters,

Time flies, tick, tick.

Lucky for you,

There is way.

To get all these helpers,

So shout “Hurray!”

For TalkLocal’s arrival

This holiday season.

They make calls for you,

Though not only the reason.

It’s one click away,

Just go to the link.

Try TalkLocal, free.

Stay home, eat, and drink.

If you’re reading this, it’s likely because you got a call from a 202-559-1111 number and want to know more about it. To clarify, the number is associated with TalkLocal (TalkLocal), a Potomac, MD-based startup which connects consumers with local professionals. You received the call because none of our member companies could assist an actively searching customer seeking services you provide.

Still, in a world rife with spam and scams, it’s natural that legitimate opportunities, too, are met with a healthy sense of curiosity – if not full-out skepticism. In fact, here are  just a few of the various responses we found online:

Not looking a gift horse in the mouth: “We still don’t understand how it works but it seems to get us work.” – ECMECH

Playing it really safe: “Robo call at my work. Saying there was a customer on the line waiting to talk to us about roof repair.  I pressed 9 to end call. Didn’t see what company it was calling from so I didn’t take it seriously.” – LA

Draw their own conclusions: “I will be shocked if these ‘great leads’ aren’t costing you $100.00 + every time you press 5 whether you get the job or not. Don’t expect TalkLocal to screen any of the consumers as a qualified customer before passing them on to you for a fee.” – CD

As a TalkLocal customer service representative, I know that this type of feedback is far from uncommon. So, whatever your initial reaction was, here are some FAQs to clear things up:

Q: How does it work/”get us work”?

A: The 2 minute video explains it best.

Q: Do you “screen any of the consumers as a qualified customer”?

A:  Yes. Myself and others in the customer service department personally screen all customers.

Q: Are the “‘great leads’…costing…$100.00 + every time you press 5”?

A: No. Member companies pay a small flat rate per live conversation and immediately pass on the leads they don’t want (or are too busy to handle) to non-members – like you – who aren’t charged at all.

Q: Why am I receiving this robo-call?

A: An actively searching customer has submitted a service request, but our member companies, for some reason, declined the call. So, we passed it on to a reputable nonmember company.

Q: Can I always expect to get free leads of this quantity or quality as a nonmember?

A: Not likely. As more businesses see the advantages of membership, connecting with choice leads in real time – before it’s sent to local competitors – you’ll find that the number and quality of leads will go down as premium members will take the best jobs.

Q: Can I adjust my job preferences?

A: Yes, just click here to define your location, job category, and availability so that we’ll only contact you regarding your ideal customers.

Q: Impress me.

A: Okay, I’ll try. TalkLocal (formerly known as SevaCall) raised 1.3 million in Fall 2011, was named DC’s Hottest Startup and a Leading in Local Future Star in 2013. We’ve also been covered by Washington Post and Chicago Tribune.

Q: What if I’m still uncomfortable with these complimentary leads?

A: Then please accept my sincerest apologies and email help@talklocal.com with the the number you need removed from our referral system. Please allow a few days for your request to be processed.

Q: I need more FAQ’s.

A: No problem. Click here and feel free to post any additional questions below/on Twitter or our Facebook page. To speak to someone live, call 1-844-282-TALK and someone from my team will be happy to answer any questions.

So, let’s have a dialogue: what were your first impressions of TalkLocal and what still confuses you about the service?

Written by Dallea Caldwell

Jeepers creepers and car exhaust leakers! Happy Halloween from TalkLocal! What will you be for Halloween… other than conveniently served through our eerily efficient TalkLocal virtual concierge service, which can help you find the perfect party planner for your big monster bash?

Beware, if you’ve never used TalkLocal before, because it’s pretty spooky!

For example, say you need new windows. Your phone rings and you answer to hear that a mysterious voice is on the other line. “Do you like new windows now,” the voice asks. “Yes”, you answer, although it’s not exactly true.

The truth is, you love new windows now; and were just thinking about how badly you needed them when you got the call. Don’t be alarmed – this isn’t a strange coincidence implying possible telepathic or precognitive powers, it’s just the mysterious power of TalkLocal.

Because you went to TalkLocal and entered a few basic details, up to 3 service professionals are now calling to help, and it all happened in minutes. That’s pretty spooky, right? What matters, of course, is that the professional on the phone is available, affordable, friendly, and knowledgeable — although he can’t seem to explain why your current windows rattle at night, open on their own, and emit an ice cold fog that seemingly roams the house every Halloween.

Remember, this Halloween and every day: you can go to Talklocal to be connected with a party planner for your costume party, a landscaper for if your lawn gets tee-pee’d, and car repair if you snub an overgrown trick-or-treater who then fills your gas tank with sugar, or any common professional services you need on Halloween or any day of the year!

Greetings, citizens of Spartanburg, South Carolina! We have news, but don’t kick the messenger into a bottomless pit while shouting “THIS IS SPARTAnburg!!!” in your manliest, maniacal yawp. This is good news! Still, just to be safe, I’ll step aside and pass this message over to Seva Man.

(Seva Man bravely steps forward, and with a swoop of his cape, kneels graciously at your feet — though not within kicking distance.)

“We humble servants of TalkLocal,” Seva Man begins ceremoniously while looking around for swinging, sandaled feet, and bottomless pits, “would like to forge an alliance with the magnificent people of Spartanburg.”

Well, that went over without bloodshed. And that’s right Spartanburgers, TalkLocal — the local pro finding virtual concierge (formerly known as Seva Call) — is sending it’s time-saving troops to Spartanburg to banish the twin evils of inconvenience and incompatibility.

With TalkLocal, finding one of the 1,200 local search professionals in Spartanburg is this easy:

Our algorithm constantly researches local pros and vets them based on location, availability, skill set, and even quality assurance indicators like call analytics, online reviews, and social media interaction.

In about 90 seconds, users talk to a top-rated local professional who knows their problem and wants to help on the consumer’s schedule. Plus, because we connect them through our secure line, their contact information remains private unless the consumer chooses to share it.

So, no more battling phone directories, review sites,  voicemail, and email to get help for your local service needs. Our army features over 50 service categories including plumbers, painters, and handyman. So, when it’s time to call the cavalry, get convenient, secure, personal attention on the line using TalkLocal!

Written by Dallea Caldwell

The sun rose this morning, prompt as usual. It’s hump-day, and you’ve resolved to drag yourself out of bed and muddle through it with varying degrees of gusto. A litany of deadlines, to-do’s, and distractions digs into your mind. All the while, a sobering fact floats above your consciousness, barely grazing your dim and befuddled awareness.

Today marks the 12th anniversary of one of the darkest days in American history, this National Day of Service and Remembrance.

And the call for remembrance is an earth-shattering whisper for all of us. Whether initially shaken by horrific news or utterly broken by personal loss that day, remembrance still threatens to undo the normalcy we’ve managed to hobble together in the years since. The senseless tragedy openly mocks the fragile sense we’ve managed to make of our everyday lives.

Except one thing: the day the Earth stood still has long passed and we, as a community, as a country, and as part of the human family…continued to move forward.

If you’ve been to New York City since the opening of the 9/11 Memorial, then you’ve noticed a few bittersweet features at the site.

The NY skyline remains marred by the horrors of that day. Yet the unfettered blaze of the sun fills the void where neither ghost nor shadow can lurk unbrightened. And with the names and memories of those lain low immortalized in bronze, the twin reflecting pools lay, deepening the space where the towers stood soaring.

Visitors watch the perpetual waterfalls cool and cleanse the pools’ depths and let the experience cool and cleanse their own.

And the 9/11 memorial is merely a symbol of human resilience and our power to redeem the darkest of moments. By serving, we create new memories, which further show proof of the resilience which is ours and bring light in place of darkness.

TalkLocal shares in your remembrance of 9/11 and calls on everyone to be the light that endures despite it…in any way they can.