Archive for May, 2008
05.30.08
Posted in Internet Management at 9:18 pm by admin
As business managers we often feel as if we are asked to do impossible task. It really does not matter what industry or product you are trying to manage, obstacles are going to appear which seem insurmountable. Owners, bosses and fellow employees may seem like the enemy and not an ally in your goals. Everyone demands the impossible without regard to how it can be achieved. And this is how it should be!
It makes no sense to approach life with an “I’ll take what comes my way” attitude, and this is true in business management as well. As a leader of an organization, big or small, large things must be asked from all involved. Many times we are going to ask people to accomplish something that may be impossible in their eyes. It is your job as a manager to show them that it is possible through constructive and assertive leadership.
For example, sales are down and production in Europe is to blame because they have communication problems, and are focused on too many markets at the same time. In addition, the owner of the company cannot make a decision and communicate that decision to all levels of the organization. You could take the approach of simply accepting the outcome, because the owner is never wrong, or you can take another approach.
The constructive approach would be to focus on SELLing your solution to the problem, and there is always a solution. Given the above circumstance I would schedule a series of trips to Europe with a definite agenda to over come the obstacle. I would then go out of my way to play to the owner’s ego by showing them that my solution would generate more income for them personally, and or make their life easier. At no time would I become argumentative or demanding. I would just keep politely, and continuously selling my agenda until it becomes the “owner’s idea”. My ego is not important; getting results is the only thing that matters and you will not accomplish this by picking fights.
Now that example may seem a bit simplified, but this approach always works. Turning an obstacle into a win for you organization is like removing the blade from the stone. It may seem impossible, but it is not. At the end of the day, results speak for themselves, and it is really the only thing anyone will judge you by. Don’t let your ego, and your lack of vision be your personal obstacle.
Bill McRea is the publisher of Free Marketing Information Free marking information from a successful marketer that has created a wide range of legitimate and profitable businesses on the interent.
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Posted in The Medical Way at 9:09 pm by admin
Weight gain/weight loss is a serious issue, no matter what your stage in life. It is a major health concern and can serve to shorten your life if it is not addressed. Certainly, there are a large number of diet plans on the market today. Each has its strengths and weaknesses, its assets and liabilities. Ultimately, it is best to consult with your doctor and a registered dietician in order to find the diet plan that is right for you.
However, long-term weight loss requires more than just a stellar diet plan. It also requires a commitment to a lifetime of healthy eating, a sensible exercise program, and an understanding of the dynamics of overeating. If you can master these elements, chances are you will be successful not only when it comes to losing weight, but maintaining weight loss as well.
Dieting is not easy. Here are some quick tips that successful people use to lose weight so that others can benefit too.
• Drink 8-10 glasses of water each day
• Eat breakfast
• Eat at least 3 meals and 2 snacks each day
• Eat your veggies
• Prepare your own food as much as possible
• Invest in a good set of food storage containers
• Eat some protein at each meal and as a snack
• Drink a glass of water after each snack
• Eat slowly and enjoy your food
• Eat your larger meals early and smaller meals later
• Eat a fruit dessert
• Go easy on the meal replacements
• If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is
• Invest in good cookbooks
• Take a good multi-vitamin
Your weight loss success is totally up to you. Assuming that you are an otherwise healthy individual, your body will do its part. Just remember to adhere to the weight loss or diet plan that is right for you and add some variety to your meals to help you stay faithful to your health and weight loss goals.
Like this article on weight loss?
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Posted in Travel Tips at 6:56 pm by admin
“Yes” means “no.” “Now” means “later.”
My English student came by at the time of her lesson and pronounced this carefully rehearsed question: “Will you give me 30 minutes?” I wasn’t completely sure that she meant she needed 30 more minutes until the class started or that maybe she meant she could only stay for 30 minutes.
“Do you want to have class now?” I asked, trying to clarify the situation while still using English.
“Yes, now,” she replied.
“Ok. Come on over,” I gestured to my door.
“I have to eat first.”
Do you get it? Why did she say “now” when she really meant 30 minutes later? When you first live or retire in Mexico, you might be confused by this. After 4 years here, I got it right away.
In Spanish, when someone says “ahorita” they actually mean “in a bit.” My student was using an English word to express a Mexican cultural concept.
“In English now means right away, like in 30 seconds,” I told her, snapping my fingers to illustrate the point.
Of course this happens to us north Americans when we are speaking Spanish. Forget whatever impressions you may have left over from your high school Spanish class. Cultural differences define the ways things are expressed in Spanish. If someone tells you they will do something “ahorita” don’t hold your breath. It may take them a few hours to do it.
Another great opposite is “yes” means “no.”
“No” is a taboo phrase, and is therefore rarely used in Mexico. Instead people just say “yes,” albeit more vaguely.
“How can this be?” you ask. Let me tell you, it can be a real shocker when you first live or retire in Mexico. The real damage comes in when you, as a person from a country where “no” is an acceptable response, use the poisonous little word. I’ve flubbed up on this one many a time and, let me tell you, people’s faces fall. They feel terrible when you tell them “no.”
If you want to say “no” STOP YOURSELF. Try to say “yes” first, then add something that keeps things very vague. If saying “yes” feels too much like you will have to follow through on the “yes” then just give lots of excuses, say “thank you” over and over and leave the “no” out.
At first you will probably feel like you are lying, but if you KNOW HOW TO ‘NO’ it will be much more comfortable for you. When interacting with others tune in to when they are being vague and take note of the hedge words they use. By observing others you can build a “no saying” dictionary that will allow you to maintain good relationships with friends and acquaintances.–jt
Julia Taylor has been living in Mexico for 4 years as an American expat. She shares her extensive cultural knowledge with those who want to live or retire in Mexico. Visit her website at http://www.home-sweet-mexico.com to learn more about cultural differences, safety, making friends, setting up a home, getting around, and much more.
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Posted in Internet Management at 3:14 pm by admin
Delegation is a subtle, yet vital art in business. It can work very effectively for you – but only if you use it well. And use it for the benefit of all involved. There is a vital ‘ground rule’ that you must accommodate. And that’s around a clear ‘level of authority’ to act…
Most business owners, managers and executives who are successful have a clear strategy for making the most of their own skills. To quote Stelios Haji-Ioannou, founder of easyJet, the originator of no-frills short-haul airlines in Europe, in their latest in-flight magazine:-
“They find out what they’re good at and delegate the rest.”
Nothing too amazing there then. Yet so many bosses fail to do this. They sit on stuff they aren’t good at for all sorts of reasons, and key actions are performed late, or badly, or worst of all, never get done at all.
Delegation through your people effectively resolves this. Yet you need to ensure that they have the skills that you haven’t (which means that you creatively recruit people who can).
These people are capable of learning the stuff you want to delegate and even improve it, with their own particular capabilities, to deliver it better than you could yourself.
But they need help in getting this right. Picture something delegated, in the middle of a meeting, without clear understanding around how far they can go.
- Do they think about it and take action?
- Do they always check with you – which isn’t going to be very effective at all, is it?.
- Or do they take a special interest in the shine on their shoes, every time you start looking round for some help.
So, here are four sizes of delegation you can cut to fit both individuals and circumstances. You tell them that they judge each issue by the following ‘levels of authority’:-
- Level One
You make every decision in this area and deliver it without reference to me (the boss) (leaf).
- Level Two
You make every decision on this and inform me as you take action (branch).
- Level Three
You make decisions and discuss with me before you take action (trunk).
- Level Four
Decisions in this area are so vital that we take decisions together after debate, before any action is taken (root).
The descriptions at the end of each line come from Susan Scott’s excellent, if fearsome book Fierce Conversations. If you have a series of decisions you can take at leaf level, then they aren’t going to be too disastrous if they go wrong (leaf falls off – not the end of the world). Up to root – where a mistake here can easily be life-threatening. It’s a neat analogy.
For the boss, these levels give some degree of safety and analysis of a persons capabilities to make the right decisions. For the individual, they know how far they are permitted to go in an issue. This builds trust and confidence.
They also know the whole series of levels (the whole tree) exists and that they will be able to achieve a higher level if they show they can get this one right. Hugely rewarding and stimulating.
Having a boss who takes the care to set this up clearly also means, frankly, that they are probably setting up their individual employees to succeed and so will be around them as they need help and guidance (some might call it coaching!).
And a boss who is able to delegate a chunk of their work to people who may well be able to do it better and to grow their capabilities and confidence is the ultimate win-win.
Ah yes. And the business grows. What with all these employees growing in their skillset and confidence and with a boss who is working at peak, in a focused way, using his or her true strengths to the max.
Martin Haworth is a Business and Management Coach. He works worldwide, mainly by phone, with small business owners, managers and corporate leaders. He has hundreds of hints, tips and ideas at his website, http://www.coaching-businesses-to-success.com.
…helping you, to help your people, to help your business grow…
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Posted in Money Management at 7:28 am by admin
The end of the year is a traditional time of celebration, excitement, reflection and planning – not withstanding the hectic holiday shopping of course. However, the end of the year also holds another, lesser-known but more significant, importance – the optimal time of the year to complete year-end financial tasks. A new booklet in the Financial Booklets Series from Marshall Rand Publishing reveals the most essential of these tasks.
Managing your personal finances always begins with you. By not completing certain essential tasks, you risk making costly mistakes and placing your financial independence, control and security at risk. The benefits of completing these financial tasks typically include protecting and growing your investments, cutting your tax bill, jump starting your retirement savings, improving your credit rating and reducing your insurance costs.
“The end of the year is not only the optimal time to address all personal finances, but also is the deadline for completing some specific tasks,” says Scott Frush, president of Frush Financial Group and author of 33 Essential Year-End Financial Tasks (available at www.FinancialBooklets.com). “For example, the last trading day in December is the final opportunity to sell losing investments and offset resulting capital losses against existing capital gains for that tax year.”
Here Frush shares seven of the essential year-end financial tasks revealed in his new booklet.
1. MINIMIZE CAPITAL GAINS: Capital gains taxes can significantly reduce total portfolio performance and increase your tax bill. As a result, harvest appropriate capital losses to offset against existing capital gains.
2. REBALANCE YOUR PORTFOLIO: Due to fluctuating market prices over the year, your portfolio and respective holdings may have changed. To ensure that your portfolio remains optimal – or aligned to achieve your goals and objectives – you may need to sell some investments and buy other investments with the proceeds.
3. MAXIMIZE RETIREMENT CONTRIBUTIONS: Consider increasing contributions to your retirement account – 401(k), 403(b), IRA or other, if permitted. The compounding impact from increased contributions will become quite sizable over time. Take full advantage of employer matching.
4. ESTABLISH AN EMERGENCY FUND: An emergency fund is used to protect against a loss of income as a result of layoff, disability or death. As a general rule, your emergency fund should amount to between three and six months of your average monthly expenses.
5. CONSIDER BUNCHING ITEMIZED DEDUCTIONS: If you are close to benefiting from itemizing your deductions, consider “bunching” them in alternating tax years. One year you itemize deductions – and benefit from the excess itemized deductions over the standard deduction – and the next tax year you take the standard deduction.
6. DRAFT OR MODIFY ESTATE PLANNING DOCUMENTS: Having an estate plan (will, living will, trust, power of attorney, etc) is essential for avoiding probate, minimizing estate taxes and ensuring assets go to whom you designate.
7. MAKE TAX-EFFICIENT CHARITABLE GIFTS: Making gifts of highly appreciated assets, namely stocks, can be very beneficial by reducing your tax bill. In most cases, taxpayers benefit by obtaining both a charitable tax deduction and avoiding capital gains tax on the highly appreciated asset.
With the end of the year fast approaching, it is crucial that you address your personal finances and complete certain essential tasks, especially those with deadlines. Remember, managing your personal finances always begins with you.
To obtain your copy of 33 Essential Year-End Financial Tasks, order online at www.FinancialBooklets.com or mail $4.75 to Marshall Rand Publishing, P.O. Box 1849, Royal Oak, MI 48068-1849.
About The Author
Author Scott P. Frush, CFA, CFP, MBA is president of Frush Financial Group, a provider of investment solutions to individuals and families, and author of Optimal Investing: How to Protect and Grow Your Wealth with Asset Allocation (www.Amazon.com). Frush holds an MBA in finance from the University of Notre Dame and a BBA in finance from Eastern Michigan University.
Info@Frush.com
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Posted in Publishing + More at 1:44 am by admin
Article marketing works like this. The majority of webmasters are unwilling to pay for fresh content – so some content distribution websites have positioned themselves as the liason between content writers and content seekers.
Because the expectations of the article quality are low, it’s fairly easy to become an author who provides free content via articles.
Now, you can say to yourself, “well, I’m not getting paid so I’m not giving it away,” but the content distributors are smart and have provided several incentives.
1. You get to pitch your online business at the bottom of your article WITH an author bio and URL.
2. Your articles have the chance to be circulated and recirculated umpteen million times over.
Now, if you’re an opportunist, you will ask yourself how you can leverage this to your advantage.
You can really make this worth your effort if you slut your articles all over the net, and really drive your point home to the key consumer EVERY CHANCE you get. The point being, that YOU have a website that is worth checking out and buying things from.
If you do not have a website or a product, there is little point to writing articles and giving them away for free, unless you are a philanthropist of sorts. But the option is there for those who wish to take it.
Now, people who write for a living know that when anybody pays you for your content, you basically sign that content away to them, and they get nearly all the credit and sometimes ALL the credit.
Anyone who has worked as a ghostwriter or sold their content to someone else knows this. THEY call the shots, THEY give the direction, THEY deem the worth of your work by sheer opinion, and THEY steal your thunder AND make the most money off your hard labor. If you get a small mention for some writing work you did, you’re one lucky camper. Don’t expect much more than that. The paid writer is 90 percent anonymous.
Since article distribution sites don’t pay you, consider them an avenue by which you can:
- broadcast pretty much whatever you’d like to say
- retain the originality of your content
- retain the credit for which the work was due
- maintain control over how many viewers view the piece.
This is like that free speech that you never knew you could have.
With article marketing, you just got a bunch of BLANK SANDWICH BOARDS, and an unlimited amount of guys who are willing to walk the streets day and night displaying your message to the world.
So, WHAT are you going to put on your sandwich boards? AS MUCH MARKETING POWER as you can fit on them. As much SMART marketing as you can stomach in one lifetime.
This is the only time where you will retain control over what is said in your articles. USE IT to your advantage.
Dina Giolitto is the author of ARTICLE POWER: Create Dynamite Web Articles and Watch Your Sales Explode… a 49-page manual covering every aspect of article marketing on the web. Learn about article marketing, copywriting and more at http://www.wordfeeder.com
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05.29.08
Posted in Miscellany at 8:42 pm by admin
When looking at society, and seeing the constant hypocrisies, the inconsistencies, the lies, a person can be inclined only towards two mindsets. They will go along with what they see, they will believe what they are told, they will find it awkward that anyone could challenge things the way they are. Or, they will see the outrightly absurd nature of things, they will see the lies, they will see the propaganda, they will see the inconsistency, and they will refuse to believe it. They will cry out for anything but this society — they will seek out reason, logic, truth. Anything that is well-reasoned will sooth their heart, anything that is logically demonstrated will be at peace with their mind. Their life will be transformed into a journey, ceaselessly looking for the truth, wherever it is, whatever it tells us, no matter what must be sacrificed to discover it.
In our society, we find that there are two people. Those who will accept what they are told, will obey authority, will exist in the way that television and radio has commanded them to exist. And there are those who will condemn the way things are, will resist authority, will point out all the inconsistencies and lies given to us. In generations to come, they will be called heroes. In our own time, they will be called instigators. Historians will regard them as the cause to a change in society. Rationalists will treat them as the finest examples of intelligent people. But what is it that they can truly be called? Searching through the expanse of human language, what name can rightly apply to someone who uses their mind? A person without shackles on their mind, without a blindfold on their eyes, without bondage on their heart, without lies in their mind… may be called a Freethinker.
The theory which may be questioned most by any Freethinker, is the theory of the modern morality. By this, I mean the theory of monogamy, that a person ought to only have one sexual partner at one time. But this theory is more than just that. Not only is it a one-sexual-partner ideal, but it covers other ideas. Those who are promiscuous with their bodies are treated as heartless and brutal. A modern moralist will paint a picture of a slut, and every vice will be given to them. They will say that promiscuous lovers are cruel, are merciless, are vicious, will do anything to get sex, they have no values, they cannot understand love, they are beyond the scope of sympathy… A modern moralist will speak such great lies about the promiscuous lover. Yet, they are wrong. I contend that there is no such thing as a human being who is beyond the scope of sympathy, who cannot understand love. Sympathy and love: these are but the most simple, most basic, most true of all principles to any mammal. I have never known a human being who didn’t know the meaning behind tears; I never knew a lover who didn’t know the warm touch of affection; even to those who have betrayed me or otherwise believe me to be a vicious mongrel, I know that they too are capable of knowing the truth of love. To say that a promiscuous lover breaks this very basic, scientific rule — the rule that states that all can know love and sympathy — is to debauch the face of truth.
The modern moralist will commit more crimes against truth. It is believed that the person who is willing to be physical soonest is of the lowest character, and it is believed that the person holding out the longest is the greatest. A person willing to give a kiss on the face to a person who has been disappointed by life, a person willing to share intimacy and kindness through the physical act of love, a person who knows that being a lover means loving — this person will be called a “slut” or a “whore.” But then, there is another type of person… There will be a man or a woman, who will refuse to touch another from the opposite sex, who will look the other way when someone is attracted to them, who will resist any form of affection. This person, who has been taught to be revolted at the thought of sex or physical kindness, will be upheld as a saint, as a “true person of goodness.” These lies that we are told, they sicken me. There was once a time when, with a lover, my fingers caressed the smoothness of her palm, and she kissed my neck. A philosopher who believes in the sanctity of monogamy will look at this, and he will call her a tramp, a slut, a whore. But when I was in the peace of those most cherished moments, I see her angelic face, I feel her soft skin, and in my mind, every trouble is a thousand miles away. For those few brief moments with this lover (who I had known less than an hour), I discovered peace and love. A person who believes in monogamy can speak all they want, they can exhaust the human language as much as they can. But what they say, will never take away the sincerity my lover’s affection, will never remove these memories that I tend to revisit when I loss the peace I once had.
What arguments can I offer? What reasoning can I barter with? When I feel the warmth of another’s body close to mine, when I know the tender caress on my face… what can I say to defend this lifestyle? Call it “promiscuity” or “whoredom,” call it what you like. All the slanders and libels in the world will not detract from the pleasure of it, will not destroy the intimacy of it. When I am looking into the eyes of a lover, I will not be thinking of what they say about me. They will condemn me to hell, but I am deaf to their damnations. They will say I have no virtue, but still, I cannot hear them. So long as my lover is running her fingers through my hair, as my fingertips run down her back, they can say all they want about me, because I am not hearing it. I remember once, as a child, seeing a statue of a man and a woman. The woman was laying back onto the chest of the man, while their hands were met together. It was made by the Etruscan culture. Looking at this statue then, I saw intimacy and kindness. I saw “I feel I can tell you anything.” I saw “When I hear you breath, it makes me live.” I saw the gentle emotions of a lover not wishing to cause any distress… In this small Etruscan statue, I found respect, kindness, and truth. It was only several pounds of clay, but it may have contained the secrets of the Universe.
If there is any argument that can be offered on behalf of Free Love, or Polyamory, or whatever name one desires to give the belief that we should not have one sexual partner — if there is any argument, it is the naturality of sex. Any person who confesses they do not have lust is a liar. And any person who wishes to convince others that their natural lust is immoral, this person is a vagrant. When the passions that exist between the sexes are natural, when they are a normal part of our minds, when they the act of love is simply a bodily function, on what grounds can it be condemned? By playing a sport, or by conversating with a friend, or by putting your sincere thoughts on to paper, a person is using the parts of their body. There is nothing wrong with it. There is no crime in it. No one is hurt. But, when a person all of a sudden decides to use their sexual organs, to please their natural desires, to express affection, to know the depths of intimacy, our moralists will call it a crime! By using our body, as we please, for the ends that we desire, and by hurting no one, they call this a crime! But the search for our soul’s content, the endless journey of spirituality — whether it manifests itself in the arms of your lover, or in the books of the ancients — it has always been condemned by those who were too blind, too ignorant, too set in their ways, to see more than five feet ahead of themselves. The search to know what it means to feel gentle intimacy and friendly kindness, when this search becomes sexual and a person express their desires, the slanders I described above will be put against them.
A man who loves sex will be called a pervert and a woman who hates it will be called a prude. A woman who loves sex will be called a slut and a man who hates it will be called a misguided fool. We are told these lies, over and over, by a society too foolish to think for itself. It has been said by every liberal that freedom means, doing what you will, as long as you do not infringe upon the rights of others. If this is true, if liberty is not a guide but a path to happiness, then by what right can we condemn those who wish to be free form sexual dogma? Why, in fact, deny the natural instincts of one’s own sexuality? When we refuse what our heart seeks out, when we turn away from our desires, when the aching to know the truth that is inside all of us, when it is treated with an anesthetic — at this point, our soul begins to whither, and our spirit becomes something foreign from when we were first born. If all men are born free, then it is by rejecting our true selves that we become slaves to misery and vice. I do not believe, however, that all men and women seek out sex as the greatest good, nor do I believe they should. I believe that a person should look into their hearts, and see for themselves what they want. They should not be afraid of what society calls them. They should not be afraid of how their friends react. They should not be afraid of what may happen by discovering their heart’s desire. Upon discovering what sex means to them — whether it is a great means of pleasure, whether it is the most perfect way of expressing one’s affections, whether it is a combination of these and other ideas — once a person discovers what sex means to them, they should live a lifestyle accordingly.
Just take some hypothetical scenarios… If you were alone with a friend whom you cared about deeply, and you knew there was an attraction between you — and you felt that sex was the greatest way to express your soul — then what would be so wrong about making such a proposition? Feeling the gentle touch of a lover over your body, there is little more that can be seen as perfect security, as perfect tranquility. What then, would you have gained from such an encounter? Memories that will serve you in your darkest times, memories of kindness, peace, and intimiacy; physical pleasure; and knowledge. What would be the benefits of refusing such an encounter, when you know that you longed for it in your heart? I can see little. Peace and truth are the greatest ends of every humane person. There should never be a reason for avoiding the path that leads to these humble desires. I had once heard that a person was imprisoned by the government for oral sex, what the law had regarded as a “Crime Against Nature.” I contend that the greatest crime against nature is refusing what your heart tells you to do, allowing your soul to grow bitter and disenchanted with life.
By this new morality, this idea that it is no crime to rub your face in the neck of your love, to let your fingers speak for your soul… By this new morality, I propose that there should never again be a girl full of tears, because she is lonely but feels sex is immoral. I propose that there should never again be a man frustrated with sex, because his hormones are building up but he feels sex is a crime. I propose that men and women everywhere should throw off the chains of an antiquated morality, of a slavery that kept their heart in bondage. There should never again be a person who compromised the desires of their heart with a vicious society, there should never again be a person who is content with the daemons of loneliness, there should never again be a person who knows the stinging pain of being alone, there should never again be a person doomed to pain — never again should we allow these tears to amount to nothing, never again should we allow these cries to go unheard — I propose that every man and woman should not be afraid of sex, that they ought to do as their heart tells them, as long as they make no one suffer… I propose that our culture adheres closer to the sentiments of kindness and charity, and closer to the principles of truth and reason.
www.punkerslut.com
For Life,
Punkerslut
[Author's Note: Written on Wednesday, June 11, 2003.]
Punkerslut (or Andy Carloff) has been writing essays and poetry on social issues which have caught his attention for several years. His website http://www.punkerslut.com provides a complete list of all of these writings. His life experience includes homelessness, squating in New Orleans and LA, dropping out of high school, getting expelled from college for “subversive activities,” and a myriad of other revolutionary actions.
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Posted in Ads at 11:50 am by admin
What do your customers say about your company?
Would you let your major competitor control your sales strategy?
Public relations is an inevitable consequence of being in business. Whether you like it or not, your corporate image evolves with every interaction with clients, investors, competitors, and even between your own employees. Thus, managing perceptions of your company is just as important to the bottom line as what you sell and who buys it. Unfortunately, many companies see PR as a reaction to external forces and lose control over market direction as a result.
As with all other corporate activities PR should be treated as a strategic process. Adopting a strategic PR campaign enables a company to not only compete better in the marketplace, but also be successful across market boundaries. Being proactive rather than reactive means establishing long-term goals that are measurable and repeatable and that will ensure longevity and achievement for the company. The setting of objectives, milestones, and metrics guarantees that any and all PR activities are aligned with the company’s objectives and will deliver real results.
By answering the following questions, a strategic process will emerge for PR that will support all of the company’s process and goals.
Who are you?
What do others say about us?
What are the corporate objectives?
How can we control the PR process?
Your Internal Identity
The reality is that good PR begins at the office: possessing a strong sense of corporate identity on all levels is key to having a consistent and credible public image. It is the responsibility of management to articulate to all employees the company’s mission statement and make it actionable. This is a message that will be repeated and demonstrated to external audiences daily through virtually every company interaction. Employees who believe in the mission statement will display the corporate image through their actions. Indecision, multiple, or conflicting messages at any level will have a negative impact and inadvertently kill any momentum that might be achieved.
By making PR a strategic process and not a reaction to external situations, a consistent message will be developed across all corporate segments. Applied correctly, it is a message that will eventually evolve into corporate attitude and culture. Actively defining the image of your company ultimately impacts the credibility obtained from all sectors: employees, investors, customers, competitors, and the general public. Actions speak louder than words and govern how all outsiders will interact with you. Establishing a mission that is accepted and adopted by every segment of your company will aid in verifying your value.
Your External Identity
Initiating a strategic PR campaign allows your company to control its place in the market by defining perceptions across all segments of the value network. It is more than just a clever marketing campaign to support your products – it is an extension of the corporate identity. Think about what others say about you – your customers, competition, shareholders, and the general public. In today’s economy the response needs to be in harmony.
A coordinated PR strategy is critical to delivering a consistent and compelling message across all of your company’s interfaces. The focus is on establishing the company image, and will impact the reception you garner from each of these audiences. Confirming the corporate message needs to practiced with all departments working in unison because conflicting signals will undermine the significance of any future efforts. For example, your marketing team cannot be contradicting what the product team asserts for product capability.
A company’s image is most important for non-customers. What do your competitors say about you? Do they take you seriously? Do your suppliers? How about industry analysts? Do potential employees want to work for your company? These impressions do count and can determine the company’s maneuverability in a dynamic market by determining access to needed resources and strategic options. Strategic PR delivers a consistent, credible message that establishes a foundation for future efforts and results.
Corporate Strategy Alignment
Knowing your company’s short-range and long-term aspirations is vital in setting the tone for any and all PR campaigns. Having a clear direction allows definition of long-term goals and short-term milestones to be set and success to be measured. As with other corporate processes, the PR campaign should be aligned with management’s objectives and reinforce the other corporate efforts. Buy-in is needed from all rows and columns in the company’s organizational table. Through strategic public relations initiatives, the necessary steps will be developed to implement the plan that will support and promote reaching desired results. Ultimately, by transmitting the company’s mission through the attitude and actions of all stakeholders, a common vision will take hold that will ensure success
Increasing Your Perceived Value
Obviously, not all of the aspects of external perception mentioned above can be controlled (i.e. competitors). This is the reason, however, that strategic PR must be implemented as a proactive process. A consistently delivered message, encompassing both words and deeds, across all facets of the corporate identity will mitigate even the worst things that others might say about your company. To ensure success, PR needs to be managed with the same seriousness as sales, product development, and marketing activities. The entire corporate team must believe in the goals (which will be infectious to all who hear the message) and the process (which will generate buy-in at all levels). Most importantly, an executive must be assigned to shape and coordinate the message across the various outlets and channels. Inclusion of an outside PR professional can be a valuable addition, to avoid group-think and maintain objectivity (which underlies credibility).
Conclusions
A strategic PR campaign is an often-neglected component in establishing a company’s market position and chances of success. It is not focused on just the marketing or sales team, but provides them with a strong foundation to leverage, built on the attitude and image of the total organization. Like all other important corporate activities, PR must be implemented as a well-defined process that is proactive instead of reactive, with short- and long-term goals as well as objective metrics. By developing this new mindset, your company can maximize its potential by controlling external perceptions.
Agnes Brousseau has more than 14 years of public relations, sales and marketing experience with emphasis on corporate communications. She joined BlabberMouth PR a Vice President of Client Services from JPMorganChase Bank, a leader in investment banking, financial services, asset and wealth management and private equity. As an Austin, Texas-based Branch Manager, she was responsible for over $7 million in sales and increasing the overall ranking for the branch to a top position. As a direct result of her expert communications strategies and sales planning, the branch assumed the number one position in Texas for portfolio growth.
The native Australian began her career in 1988 as a paramedic with Halifax County EMS /Hollister Volunteer Rescue Squad. She transitioned to public relations, where she headed the public relations initiatives for the organization. She was also an EMS, CPR and First Aid Instructor for the State of North Carolina and was the designated community spokesperson for EMS. In 1996 she received a Dedicated Service Award.
For more information, visit http://www.blabbermouthPR.com.
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Posted in Ads at 8:20 am by admin
Those of you familiar with my personal history know that I have a strong background in, and affinity for, digital marketing. Now that my bias is fully disclosed, I’m going to tell you what most traditional ad agencies will not…that the digital medium is far and away the most powerful, cost effective and measurable form of media available today. Advertising and MarComm budgets can no longer focus solely on traditional communications mediums; rather budgets must be spread across a broader spectrum inclusive of digital mediums.
Digital content is diverse. Like print advertising and direct mail, the content of the Internet is largely based on the written word. As with printed media, much of Internet related media relies on graphic images to support marketing messages. However, unlike print and direct mail, the Web enables moving graphics and sound to be conveyed to the prospect or customer. In that respect, it is more like radio or television and like the telephone, the Web can enable one-to-one, interactive communication with e-mail, instant messaging and voice. Yet, unlike any direct response medium, the Web can present the customer with a virtually unlimited amount of marketing information in multimedia format.
Print advertising is delivered through magazines and newspapers. Direct mail is delivered via the U.S. Postal Service or another delivery service. Radio and television are delivered via airwaves through passive listener or view devices. Telemarketing is delivered over telephone lines. Only the Internet is delivered directly via a computer. This is perhaps the most intriguing part of Digital Marketing and one of the primary differentiating factors that sets this medium apart from any other. Unlike any other medium, the computer delivers Internet based content in nonlinear information format. All other mediums are linear, meaning they have a beginning, middle, and end.
Digital Marketing is direct marketing at its most developed potential. It is the logical extension of a measurability mentality that is already inbred in business-to-business marketers. They recognize the importance of the brand, and they understand the need for awareness, but they also know that marketing must go well beyond brand image and awareness advertising. They need marketing that produces results.
As a marketing medium, the digital media has become the easiest, most cost-effective route to global marketing. The stunning cost implications of Digital Marketing in part, fuel the Internet’s unprecedented growth. The Internet is not only cost-effective; it is downright cheap in comparison to other media. It is often estimated that Digital Marketing is 60 to 65 percent cheaper than traditional direct mail marketing.
Used effectively, digital media can deliver personalized content to each and every customer, or even automatically to another computer desktop via push technologies. As a result, a marketer can initiate a one-to-one relationship via e-mail and the Web with a prospect, customer or business partner. The marketer can also learn from that relationship via database marketing and grow the relationship over time.
A marketer can build and host a Website and reach a worldwide audience at a cost that is far less than the cost of one national television commercial. E-communication has a whole different cost structure from traditional print, direct mail, telemarketing or television media. There are no media placement costs associated with launching a corporate Website or employing e-mail as a marketing medium. You may have to rent e-mail addresses, but you do not have to engage printers or mail houses, or pay postage when you disseminate e-mail. There are no hotel, travel or on-site materials costs for Webinars and other virtual events. There are no printing and mailing costs for e-fulfillment. Even order fulfillment is cheaper with the Internet, especially if electronic catalogs are used to replace traditional paper catalogs.
Research indicates that Digital Marketing represents a threefold cost-savings over traditional direct marketing. Moreover, Digital Marketing can bring up to 10 times the return of a traditional direct marketing campaign. The areas in which you will achieve the largest amount of savings are likely to be: fulfillment, delivery, the medium used and the analysis of campaign metrics.
Digital media turns traditional media cost structures upside down. With Digital Marketing, there is nothing to print and mail, there are no advertising materials to reproduce, no telemarketing calls to handle. Websites can reach one, a hundred, a thousand, or millions of prospects or customers for about the same cost. With the proper in-house tools, e-mail can be widely distributed without unit cost implications, unlike direct mail, and at least so far, the Internet is a tax-free commerce zone.
The question is not whether Digital Marketing works, or is Digital Marketing here to stay, but rather how can a business leverage an integrated Digital Marketing strategy that will service their needs both now and into the future. So next time your ad agency is getting ready to pitch, make sure that they include a sizeable allocation for digital media.
Mike Myatt is the Chief Strategy Officer at N2growth. N2growth is a leading venture growth consultancy providing a unique array of professional services to high growth companies on a venture based business model. The rare combination of branding and corporate identity services, capital formation assistance, market research and business intelligence, sales and product engineering, leadership development and talent management, as well as marketing, advertising and public relations services make N2growth the industry leader in strategic growth consulting. More information about the company can be found at http://www.N2growth.com
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Posted in Universe Of Sports at 7:46 am by admin
Carlisle maintained their position at the top of League Two with a late rally against Boston. Chris Lumsdon and Karl Hawley put the 6/10 Cumbrians 2-0 ahead inside 20 minutes but a Chris Billy own goal on 63 put Boston back in the game. Simon Hackney restored the two goal advantage on 75 but Simon Rusk set up a tense finish with six minutes left on the clock. Hackney netted his second in injury time to secure a 4-2 victory for Paul Simpson’s side.
Grimsby remain in the automatic promotion places despite a humiliating 5-0 thrashing at play-off hopefuls Lincoln. The 6/4 were the safest bet of the day as Luke Foster, Jamie Forrester, Paul Mayo and Marvin Robinson gave them a 4-0 lead at the break and Lee Beevers added a fifth seven minutes from time.
Northampton put their promotion push back on track with a 2-0 victory over Notts County. The 15/20 Cobblers broke the deadlock through Jason Lee six minutes before the break and Josh Low scored a second deep into stoppage time.
Leyton Orient moved above fellow promotion-chasers Wycombe Wanderers with a 1-0 victory at Brisbane Road. Paul Connor’s goal after six minutes was enough to seal victory at odds of 5/4.
Cheltenham Town strengthened their case for a play-off berth but added to Rushden & Diamonds’ relegation woes with a 3-1 win at Whaddon Road. John Melligan, Brian Wilson and John Finnigan wrapped up a 4/6 win 33 minutes into the match.
Jim Smith got off to a winning start as manager of Oxford United and dented Peterborough’s hopes of a play-off place. On loan Tcham N’Toya scored on his debut after 67 minutes to secure a 6/4 win at the Kassam Stadium.
Bristol Rovers scored two quick-fire goals against Mansfield Town to set up a 5/4 win at the Memorial Stadium. Sammy Igoe on 14 and Richard Walker three minutes later ended the Stags eight-match unbeaten run.
Tresor Kandol scored the only goal of the game to give relegation-threatened Barnet a boost against Darlington. Kandol had a goal ruled out for offside in the first half but made no mistake 10 minutes from time to set up a 13/10 victory.
Macclesfield took a huge step towards retaining their League Two status with a comfortable win over mid-table Shrewsbury. Matt McNeil netted for the 5/4 Silkmen after 33 minutes and Martin Bullock made sure of victory on 61.
David Walker runs free bets and UK poker websites. A free email course: “Seven Days to Better Betting” is available at both of these websites.
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