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Minutes Matter

I consider myself adept with many things; however, driving directions are not my strongest point. If you experience this shortcoming as well, the purchase of a GPS (Global Positioning Satellite) could be just the product you need to prevent frustration and wasted driving time. Not only is it a great purchase for your business, it is very useful for personal trips as well. For instance, I was recently driving through St. Louis during some interstate construction, and ended up exiting on the wrong ramp in the pouring rain. My GPS instantly remarked "Recalculating." When a GPS says "Recalculating" you know you have made a wrong turn, and that sinking feeling settles in your stomach. The good news is, in just three minutes, I was redirected and back on the right track.

I tried a couple of different GPS products, and the Garmin C330, or the Garmin C550 with Bluetooth, is my favorite. Garmins are portable and have a touch screen, making them easy to operate. When you enter your desired destination and start to drive, the GPS automatically calculates your driving time until arrival. The GPS also announces how many miles until your first turn, then guides you the entire way, turn by turn. The Garmin C330 sells for approximately $400 and the C550 for approximately $800.

If you have a laptop, another option is to install a software program with a GPS locator (like Microsoft Streets and Trips 2006 with GPS Locator.) All you need is the software and a laptop. A couple of downsides; the laptop is large and can be hard to see since the laptop is in the passenger seat. The biggest upside; pricing is very reasonable (retail around $100.)

by Debbie Green, Minutes Matter & Minutes Matter Studio

1.800.343.0616