After the web site addresses for foreign trade development organizations appeared in Agency Sales last month, a MANA member suggested that we include other sites that may be of interest to readers. To start off such a list he offered a number of sites that he and members of his agency regularly visit.

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According to the rep, who begins his business about 6:00 every morning, “Before attacking my work, one of the first things I do is access my hometown newspaper online. I’ve got to admit that I’m one of those people who said he would never adapt to reading the paper online. As my business grew, however, and time became more and more precious, there were never enough hours in the day to read the business, national and international news I felt I needed in order to knowledgeably communicate with my principals (many of whom are overseas) and customers.” Among the sites he visits daily are:

• General News

The New York Times (www.nyt.com); Washington Post (www.washingtonpost.com); FoxNews (www.foxnews.com); NBC News (www.nbcnews.com); and Cable News Network (www.cnn.com). The rep stresses that “In about 30 minutes I’m confident that I’m fairly attuned to anything important that might have happened overnight.” He continues that “Business people ought to feel free to vary where they go for their national news. The sites I read — many of which I’ll admit are a bit biased in their coverage — provide me with the general information I need to go forward.”

Before leaving the world of general news, he points out another site, www.ajr.org, that reports on the companies and outlets that are doing the reporting. “This site is the home of the American Journalism Review — and it does just that — it reviews journalism. It does a very good job of describing how the media do their job. On any given day, I’ve been able to learn how a non-profit news outlet sheds light on the operations of U.S. companies or what the impact of Twitter has been on news reporting.”

Since international business is a growing part of this rep’s business, he also makes use of a site devoted entirely to international news (www.wn.com). Once there, according to the rep, “I can easily refine my informational search by region or just scan the site’s home page. In just a few moments I’ll have access to information anywhere I conduct business. As an example of how valuable this can be, when the earthquake struck Japan, I read all I could about how it was affecting the country. This guided me in my contacts with several companies in Japan that I conduct business with.”

• Weather

“Since I and the other salespeople in the agency spend a good part of the week on the road, it’s important that we know what the weather is going to be. On a daily basis our local newspaper keeps us fairly well informed but looking out a couple of days we generally consult www.weather.com and www.noaa.gov.” The latter site is the Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that operates under the U.S. Department of Commerce. “I find that the NOAA site is especially valuable in that in addition to comprehensive local, state and national weather reports, it also offers a wealth of timely weather-related news reports concerning matters that could impact my business.”

• Business Updates

When it comes to news and information specifically related to business, the rep recommends www.ceoexpress.com. “If there was only one site I could make use of each day, this is the one I’d go to,” he says. “I actually make this my default site so that when I go to the Internet each morning, this is what I open to.” Once there visitors will find links to daily newspapers and international news, business magazines, scholarly publications, social media information, banking and finance, law, sales and marketing, and much more.

• Statistical Information

While admitting he does no work with the federal government, the rep notes that “I’ve read several articles in Agency Sales detailing how agencies have devoted a great deal of time and effort to governmental work. I’ve visited www.fedstats.gov which recently marked more than 10 years of providing statistical information from more than 100 agencies available to businesses and citizens everywhere.”

While he may not do any work with the federal or state governments, the rep did note that he’s always on the lookout for information about the cities, towns, etc., that make up his territory. One especially valuable site is www.epodunk.com, a location that provides background information on any city or town in the United States. Upon arriving at the site, all visitors have to do is type in the city name, state and hit “search.” Then all manner of information pops up including a brief history, population, census information, employment, housing and business information. “A quick reference to this site has been especially valuable prior to my making sales calls on customers and principals.”

• Techno Stuff

The rep admits his love of the world of technology when he recommended two sites devoted to the world of technology. “One site, www.slashdot.org, is self described as the source for ‘news for nerds, stuff that matters…’The site offers a wealth of information on technology as it relates to the cloud, hardware, software, security, science and more. Then there’s www.techcrunch.com that provides information on such diverse subjects as to how to use my iPhone more effectively, to locating the best hotel deals, to general and specific news on the world of technology.”

This initial foray into listing favorite rep web sites is by no means the be-all-end-all. If readers have other favorites that they find especially valuable, they are urged to send along their recommendations to the editor of Agency Sales.