I would like to thank all of my clients and co-workers for the opportunity to work with them this past year. It has been an interesting year and we all know that next year will prove to be just as interesting. This will be my last post in 2008, as I will be taking some time off to enjoy the holidays with my family. I will be back on January 5th.

Like you, as I am enjoying time away from the business, I will mentally reflect on where everything stands and what I need to do more of, less of and differently next year. As you look at your business, I would like to encourage you to take the following 5 suggestions to heart:

1. Don't Try To Be All Things To All People: When business slows, there is sometimes the tendency to try to add more offerings and come up with different revenue streams to attract more customers. Really think about how much you want to expand your offerings. It is often better to focus on what you are doing and do that at the strongest possible level with a level of customer service that exceeds your clients expectations. The shotgun approach doesn't really work that well with anything.
2. Treat Your Key Players Like Gold: In my opinion, the strongest element in successful businesses is having the right people doing the right jobs. Right now, when you have employees that are committed to the cause, capable of strongly contributing to the effort and have a positive but realistic attitude - you need to let them know how much they mean to the organization. Don't just tell them once, but often and then show them with your actions. Give these key players bonuses, extra time off or set them up so that they can personally weather this slow down in business. If they can't make it, you can't make it.
3. Trim The Fluff: Look for every way to trim the fat on all non-essential expenses.
4. Resist The Urge To Trim Advertising: Recessions clearly reward the aggressive advertiser and penalize the timid one. Yes, it is true that I represent two amazing radio stations, but I strongly encourage you to take the following actions:

• Google "Advertising In A Recession"
• Demand creativity in your advertising
• Only work with advertising consultants who understand business. It doesn't matter how cheap each commercial costs, if they can't help you in your business and come up with creative messages to move your potential customers to actions - then they are worthless to you.
• Understand and measure your advertising ROI. You may have to look at your ROI in different ways. You may see an increase in profits, you may be in a mobile text marketing program where you can track the number of participants or you may need to look at how well your particular industry is doing and measure yourself against that.

5. Take a little time away from your business to work on your business.

Happy Holidays!

Jeff

Hershey's Credits Radio For Successful Sales

It's not often a big, national advertiser -- especially a packaged goods company -- specifically credits Radio for selling more of its products. But that's what Hershey's president David West did when he recently detailed his company's earnings to investors.

"We've been tactical with some advertising, much more Radio than TV, with Kit Kat and with Twizzlers and we've been feeling pretty good about the brand responses there." The candy giant says Kit Kat sales jumped 7% in the third quarter, while sales of Twizzlers were up 9%.

This summer Hershey's conducted a "Cash 4 Gas" promotion at convenience stores, giving away gas and PayDay candy bars. As well as airing traditional spots, it worked with Radio stations in 36 major markets on the promotion and contests. Hershey's spent $103 million on advertising and promotions last year, according to TNS Media, but it's funneling more cash to marketing.

West says, "For the year we expect advertising to be up about 25%." He plans to grow the marketing budget another 20% next year, telling a Deutsche Bank analyst nervous about all that spending, "Once we get to the latter part of 2009 we'll take a look at how the brands are responding."
(source: Inside Radio, 11/25/08)

10 Things to Remember During These Trying Times

10 Things to Remember During These Trying Times

Times Are Bad? So What Are You Going to Do About It

1. Times are bad. So what? The fact is every economic downturn throws our industry on its head. If you have been in this business for a decade, you've been through bad times a few times already. It's happened before and it'll happen again. How well you do during tough times depends on how you approach overcoming them.

2. From every bad situation an opportunity appears. Many people lose their job ultimately say, "It was the best thing that ever happened to me." Why is that? Simple. Losing one's job forces a reevaluation of one's place. It affords a person the time to try something different or find something he's better suited to do. The same can be said for businesses. In the end, a business becomes better, more marketable and more competitive.

3. Don't forget to have fun. I've been through enough tough times to remember that you can't get through them unless you keep some perspective. The truth is, if you're sitting around worrying about what bad thing might happen next, you're wasting energy and time. Get busy doing what you love to do.

4. Be an optimist. You know those people who walk around with a little black cloud hanging over them? It seems that bad luck always befalls them. I find that these people bring bad luck upon themselves. If you worry that the worst is going to happen to you, it usually does. I believe the opposite is equally true. I'm not a Pollyanna, but I do believe that winning only comes when you believe you're a winner.

5. If you're going through it, so are your clients. Bad times give an agency a golden opportunity to be an even greater asset to its clients. You should know what your client's challenges are during the current economic conditions and offer solutions to minimize the negative effects of those challenges. How would you feel as a client if your agency did that without being asked?

6. Don't procrastinate. I've seen too many companies try to weather the storm without making any adjustments. I can't remember any who survived. Assess your business early and often and make adjustments for today, today.

7. Get better at what you do. An agency's capabilities must continually evolve. Just because times are bad doesn't mean you should put capability growth on the shelf. Invest in your company's future. During a struggling economy, these investments can be found at bargain prices.

8. Challenge your employees. Just as your agency should make an extra effort to help clients during a challenging time, your employees can do the same for you. Don't be surprised when they take on the challenge as if they owned the agency. In a very important way, they do.

9. Relax. If you've ever played a sport, you know that your best execution happens when you're relaxed. You don't worry about making the shot when you're taking the shot. You just take the shot. If you don't play loose, you can't do your best. Tensing up usually spells defeat. Get in the game and don't look at the scoreboard.

10. Look over the horizon. What will our industry be like when we come out of this recession? Will it be stronger or weaker? Will client expectations have changed? Will your agency's abilities match what clients need? Discover the answers to these questions now and you'll know where your agency needs to be when good times return. If history is any indication, they will be here before you know it.
(source: Posted by Bart Cleveland on 12.17.08 @ 10:47 AM)

Teacher Sells Advertising On Tests

I love this creativity and out-of-the-box thinking. How can you apply this kind of thinking to your business?
Jeff

(CBS) America's public schools are being sorely tested by the economic crisis, with states and cities across the nation cutting their education budgets. That's forcing teachers to come up with unusual solutions, CBS News correspondent John Blackstone reports.

At a time when there seems to be advertising everywhere perhaps we shouldn't be surprised it's come to this: San Diego teacher Tom Farber is selling advertising on the bottom of math tests.

The ads appear as lines of text - "Braces by Stephen P. Henry D.M.D.," for example.

"I think it's sad that we have come to the point where we have to do that," says Christine Rafla, one of Farber's students.

It may be just one line. But it crosses a line that surprises even the teacher.

"I would have never have done this five years ago or ten years ago," Farber says. "I wouldn't even have thought of it because there was never a necessity." But it is a necessity now, because San Diego area schools are facing a $51 million budget shortfall next year. Statewide, California schools are expecting at least $2.8 billion in cuts-and that number could grow to more than $7 billion.

At $10 dollars for a quiz, $20 for a test, and $30 for a final exam, Farber's ads don't pay for much- just the cost of printing the tests.

"I think this is one in the same time a story of American ingenuity and a story of American tragedy," says Arnold Fege of the Public Education Network.

Fege says the ads highlight a struggle teachers are facing everywhere.

School budgets nationwide are strained. Twenty-seven states have already cut their education budgets. Even in better economic times teachers have had to dip into their own pockets to keep classrooms going.

"Five, six hundred dollars buy a lot of supplies to do crafts and arts and things like that," says Joel Nydam, a teacher at Otter Lake Elementary School in Minnesota.

Countless of teachers like Nydam spend hundreds of dollars of their own money each year on classroom supplies.And those supplies are getting more expensive.

"It's hard to make the same amount go the same distance," Nydam says.

So now Nydam is one of the 5,000 teachers signed up on a Web site called "Gold Star Registry."

It's like a registry for wedding gifts. But here, here teachers can list the supplies they need and parents can make a donation.

Tom Farber has sold already most of his test page ads right through finals. "Anybody who criticizes this I challenge them to open up their wallets," he says.

In a tough economy, teachers like Farber and Nydam are offering lessons in survival, as well.
(source: CBSnews.com)

Ways To Bounce Back Stronger From Tough Times

1. Passion And Leadership Are ImperativeA Successful Brand Needs A Strong, Visible Leader Who Oozes Belief In The Business And The Consumer Proposition. That Passion Cascades Throughout The Organization And Becomes Infectious.

2. Invest In The Brand And Be CourageousDefy Conventional Wisdom And Spend To Grow Market Share. Studies Have Repeatedly Shown That Businesses That Increased Marketing Investments During A Recession Grew Market Share, Increased Margins And Had Better Long-Term Growth Trends Than Their Competition.

3. Let Creativity FlyInnovation Through Consumer Insights And Experimentation Can Produce Breakthrough Ideas.

4. Develop Trust And ConnectivityGive Them What They Need To Be True Brand Believers -- And Loyal Forever. At Ana'S Masters Of Marketing Conference, Coca-Cola Cmo Joe Tripodi Said, "We Went To Our Core Audience, Asked Them What They Wanted, And Gave It To Them." The Result: The Immensely Successful Launch Of Coke Zero.

5. Integrate All CommunicationsReach The Consumer Base Through Multiple Avenues -- But Creatively Deliver The Same Message Across All Platforms.

6. Be AccountableCreate A Culture Of Accountability And Partner With Finance, Research And Analytics To Measure Everything You Can. Ibm'S Success Is Grounded In A Disciplined Process That Started With A Cross-Functional Marketing And Finance Team That Reviewed All Activities.

7. Invest In PeopleBuild Skills, Build Capability, Build Knowledge And Watch The Bottom Line Grow. Zappos Brings Employees To Its Las Vegas Headquarters For A Week Of Training To Ensure They Embrace The Company Culture And Philosophy.

8. Trust Your AgenciesThey Are Your Ultimate "Brand Consultants" In Forming Strategy, Developing Breakthrough Creative And Expanding Media Platforms.

9. Strengthen The Marketing Supply Chain Aggressively Pursue Efficiencies And Productivity, And Watch The Dollars Flow.

10. Be Socially ResponsibleDo The Right Thing. Your Consumers Will Notice And Reward You For Giving Back. Jim Stengel, Former P&G Global Marketing Officer, Says It Is Time For Us All To "Go Beyond Cause Marketing Or ideals-Based Branding And Have An Inspirational And Motivational Reason For Your Brand."

(source: adage.com)

Cluttered Web Sites Benefit No One

Study: Cluttered Web Sites Benefit No One
by Gavin O'Malley, Yesterday, 10:14 PM

Web sites cluttered with ads hurt the publisher, the consumer, and the advertiser, according to a study from online media and technology firm Burst Media.

Put another way, ad clutter not only annoys audiences, but diminishes ad effectiveness, found the study of over 4,000 Web users administered to better understand how clutter impacts Web users' Web experience, as well as its impact on the perception of advertisers who place ads on cluttered sites.

"One of the main obstacles to getting consumers' attention online is ad clutter," said Chuck Moran, vice president of marketing for Burst Media. "It is critical for advertisers to ensure their messages are being placed in a high-quality content environment to receive the maximum exposure they deserve, and to preserve their brand's reputation."

A full 75.5% of the respondents who remain on a site they perceive to be cluttered say they pay less attention to ads appearing on its pages.

In addition, although respondents accept that advertising will appear on a Web page, for a majority--52.6%--there is low tolerance for more than two advertising units per Web page.

Nearly 30% of survey respondents immediately leave a site if they perceive it to be cluttered. Notably, women are more likely than men to abandon a site that appears cluttered--at 32.1% to 27.5%, respectively.

About 52% of respondents have a less favorable opinion of an advertiser when their advertising appears on a Web page they perceive as cluttered. About 56% of women claim that clutter negatively impacts their opinion of an advertiser, versus 48.3% of men.

The survey also found that ad clutter's negative impact on respondents' opinions increases with age. Less than half (46.8%) of respondents ages 18-24 were impacted negatively by clutter, whereas more than 63.% of respondents 55 and older were unfavorably impacted.

(source: Mediapost.com)

News Program Ads Don't Always Stick

According to consumer research from Experian Simmons, reported by Marketing Charts, only 28% of the audience of an average news program gets valuable information about products and services advertised there, making news venues less effective at conveying ad messages than all forms of media combined.

Advertising Effectiveness By Media Type

Get valuable information:

26% of News Media Viewers, 38% of All Media Viewers

Get high quality products and services:

33% of News Media Viewers, 42% of All Media Viewers

More likely to purchase advertised products:

21% of News Media Viewers, 33% of All Media Viewers

Source: Experian MME study, 2008 (extrapolated % values)

The latest Simmons Multimedia Engagement Study finds that consumers are less likely to purchase products and services they see advertised on news media, and are less apt to say products and services advertised on news media are high quality.

The MME defines and examines five key dimensions of engagement and examines how each plays an important role not only in how media connects with its audience. The five dimensions of engagement as reported by Experian are:
* Inspirational: Consumers are inspired by message and have an emotional connection to it
* Trustworthy: Consumers trust a particular program, magazine or website and believe it is telling the truth without sensationalizing
* Life Enhancing: Consumers feel they are learning about new things and places from a particular program, magazine or website, helping to make better life decisions
* Social Interaction: Fodder for conversations with friends and family.
* Personal Timeout: Provide an escape for consumers, who like to relax and unwind while reading or watching them

Americans gave news media highest marks for Social Interaction, indicating that they regularly talk with friends and family about things they see on news programs or read about in news magazines or on online news sites.

In addition, news media get high scores for Trust, meaning that while other research has shown Americans don't necessarily trust "the media" at-large, consumers believe that the news they personally consume provides them with accurate and trustworthy information, Experian Simmons said.

News magazines rate higher for Trust than online and TV news, but news websites are considered more Life Enhancing.

And, among the TV and magazine news properties evaluated, Experian Simmons found that the most talked about news property is The Drudge Report, followed by:
* The New York Times
* Countdown with Keith Olbermann
* The O'Reilly Factor
* The Wall Street Journal

Of the same 48 news properties, Google News was the least likely to generate any type of social interaction. Next to last was MSNBC's Morning Joe, followed by:
* Yahoo News
* CBS Evening News with Katie Couric

According to the study, Trust and Social Interaction don't necessarily go hand-in-hand. The most-talked-about Drudge Report scored 12% above average for Social Interaction and ranked #1 in that dimension, while scoring 10% below average for Trust, for which it ranked #46.

News media gets the lowest overall scores in the Personal Timeout dimension. When Americans want to escape, the last place they'll turn it to the news, says the report. But, TV programs that regularly feature news satire are less engaging than real news except when it comes to the Personal Timeout dimension.
(source: mediapost.com)

How Many Sales Staff Do You Have?

It is time to review budgets, and many business are (or should be) taking a long hard look at each line item. Over the past couple of weeks I have been asked by more than one of my clients if there is a ratio for the proper number of sales people you have on your staff to total staff?

Yes, there is a proper ratio and I am going to help you calculate it. But first, take a moment and think about your business. How many sales people do you have compared to your total number of employees?

If your answer was anything other than 100%, then you may want to examine the culture of your business. I would argue that both in good time and bad (especially bad), you need to have everyone on board with the concept that everyone sells.

Now, not everyone will be responsible for the day to day calls to current and prospective clients. However, everyone is responsible for spreading the word about your business. The person who answers your phone, HUGE salesperson! Your accounting staff will take calls from customers...how they handle them can sometimes make the difference of whether they continue to be your client or if they look to someone else. Even your staff that are out of the public eye are salespeople. They should be tasked with the responsibility of telling people they know about what a great place they work at and what they individually do to contribute to making it a great place.

You can't just depend on the people with "Sales" on their business card to get the word out about what you do. Everyone who is a part of the organization should be proud enough to shout it from the rooftops, tell everyone why they love it, what you do and what makes you special.

For fun, ask your team how many sales people you have.

Banks Put Value On Marketing Component

Bankers Put Value On Marketing Component
by Aaron Baar, Yesterday, 6:18 PM

Banks continue to see marketing as an important part of doing business, even as they face tough economic conditions.

According to the American Bankers Association's 22nd annual bank marketing survey, non-salary marketing expenditures exceeded $10 billion for 2007, down only 1.6% from 2006. Marketing was a key part of a bank's business picture in 2008 and will continue to be one in 2009, Maggie Kelly, the ABA's vice president of marketing, tells Marketing Daily.

"The marketing survey results confirm what we suspected: that in today's challenging and even more competitive banking environment, marketing remains one of the most valuable contributors to a bank's bottom line," Kelly says.

However, they may take a slightly different approach in their messaging. "What we're hearing is that it's back to basics: retaining your customers, customer acquisition and increasing deposits," Kelly says. "They're [also] doing more with less. The bank marketers going forward are not going to have growing budgets."

Advertising (which includes direct marketing) was the preferred bank marketing method during 2007, accounting for slightly more than half (58%) of overall marketing expenses. However, with tighter budgets and more ways to reach customers, they are employing more techniques such as social media and mobile banking, Kelly says.

Indeed, the survey showed that nearly every bank (99%) had a Web presence, with more than two-thirds of them conducting some form of online marketing. Rich media (audio and video) and business-related blogs were favored as Internet marketing methods, and will continue to be important moving forward.

Public relations were the second-largest marketing expenditure after advertising, according to the survey. Community relations, such as donations and contributions to local group, accounted for more than half of those expenditures. "All the banks are reaching out to their communities," Kelly says. "Small banks have always been doing it. The larger banks are focusing on their local neighborhoods."

One in three banks said deposit growth will be their biggest marketing challenge over the next year. Less than a quarter (23%) cited competition as a challenge, and only 22% cited the economy. As a result, banks will be gearing their messages to address those challenges, Kelly says.

"Banks will continue to put out a message of safety and soundness of their investments," Kelly says. "Recognizing there's going to be a decline for loans, banks are going to be providing more of a service to customers on saving strategies and financial education."

5 Tipson How to Start Filing Taxes Correctly

1. Consult a tax advisor, even if you are a start-up. A professional can save you both money and valuable time and keep you from running afoul of the Internal Revenue Service.

2. Pay estimated federal and state taxes four times a year. Your tax advisor can help you determine how much to set aside ahead of time for each payment.

3. Keep good records of both income and expenses. Save all receipts.

4. Ask your tax advisor about special deductions you can take as a small-business owner—such as allowances for health insurance, long-term care insurance, or self-employment tax.

5. Schedule a “tax tune-up” at least once a year. Update your tax advisor on your situation and your goals and get his or her advice on planning your tax strategy for the coming year.

(source: Score, www.score.org)

Non Traditional Ideas For Bank Marketing

Some interesting, non traditional, ways to market a bank.
Jeff

TD Bank Is 'At Your Convenience' Through January

In its ongoing effort to continue rebranding after absorbing Commerce Bank, TD Bank looks to bring its "convenience" positioning to life through a series of guerrilla marketing events through January.

"What we tried to do is replicate the surprise and delight tactics that happen within each TD Bank store," says Greg Siano, executive vice president of media services at Tierney Communications, the agency that developed the campaign. Commerce Bank (the predecessor of TD Bank) was known for its customer amenities, such as being open seven days a week, extended lobby hours, free coin-counting machines and treats for kids and dogs.

As part of the promotion, the bank is running an "At Your Convenience" sweepstakes, with prizes such as a personal chef, housecleaner or chauffeur-driven limo to and from work for a week. The company is also conducting "Random Acts of Convenience" in its markets along the Eastern seaboard. Among the acts: handing out free cups of coffee in the morning and TD-branded umbrellas on rainy days. The bank has also partnered with several local dry cleaners and restaurants to offer free pizza delivery and dry cleaning to random customers. For the holiday season, the bank will offer free gift-wrapping, shopping advice and TD-branded shopping bags at local malls. "We tried to explore things that were convenient," Siano tells Marketing Daily, of the promotion. "We're doing anything that makes people's lives more convenient."

In addition, in partnership with Yahoo Shopping, the bank created an online gift-finder that helps people identify and find the perfect gift for everyone on their list. The site, which went live earlier this week, asks a series of questions about the recipient (such as age, gender and interests) before giving gift advice. The gift finder will be promoted primarily online, Siano says.

One does not have to be a TD Bank customer to receive the random acts of convenience. In fact, the bank is counting on reaching potential customers, Siano says.

TD Banknorth purchased Commerce Bank earlier this year. The merged company has been reintroducing itself as TD Bank through television ads featuring Commerce Bank spokespeople Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa. The company is using the tagline "America's Most Convenient Bank." Other branding initiatives include blanketing train stations in Philadelphia and New York with advertising, as well as newspaper ads touting the in-bank conveniences. The company has more than 1,000 branches along the Eastern seaboard, with a footprint extending from Maine to Florida.

(source: Aaron Baar, November 28, 2008)

Initial Spending Stronger Than Expected Over Black Friday Weekend

While it's a little too early for full-fledged yodeling, early surveys of retailers show that shoppers were out in force last weekend, and spending more than many had predicted as they trolled for holiday bargains.

The National Retail Federation's 2008 Black Friday Weekend survey--which measured Friday and Saturday, and used estimates for Sunday--indicates that some 172 million Americans shopped in stores and Web sites over Thanksgiving weekend, an increase from last year's 147 million. NRF estimates they spent an average of $372.57--a 7.2% jump from the $347.55 spent last year, with total spending projected at $41 billion.

"Pent-up demand on electronics and clothing, plus unparalleled bargains on this season's hottest items, helped drive shopping all weekend," the trade group says in its release. "Holiday sales are not expected to continue at this brisk pace, but it is encouraging that Americans seem excited to go shopping again."

By day measurement, the NRF says one big change is the sharp increase in the number of people who didn't wait for Black Friday and took to the mall even before their turkey and pumpkin pie was fully digested. Some 16.2 million people shopped on Thursday, an increase of 48% from last year. Black Friday lived up to its reputation, with 73.6 million people shopping. Just over 23% were at stores by 5 a.m., while 57.6% punched in by 9. About 56.9 million people shopped on Saturday, an increase from 48.3 million last year. NRF estimated that another 26.2 million people planned to shop on Sunday.

By channel, the trade group says 54.7% visited discount stores, 43% shopped at traditional department stores, and about a third checked out specialty stores, including clothing and electronics stores, (36.0%) and shopped online (34.0%). And by category, spending was typical, except for a 10% decline in the use of gift cards.

ShopperTrak RCT, a Chicago-based company that tracks retail results, also saw encouraging levels of spending--reporting a 3% gain from last year, with Black Friday sales totaling $10.6 billion. Spending was strongest in the South, at 3.4%--followed by the Midwest, up 3%, the West, up 2.7%, and the Northeast, up 2.6%.

Forecasters, however, are reluctant to read too much into these early results. For one thing, ShopperTrak executives point out, a later-than-usual Thanksgiving means that consumers have just 27 days to shop this year, compared to 32 last year. And, perhaps because of intense consumer anxiety about the economy, many in this weekend's crowd were actually closer to finishing their shopping, not starting.

The NRF, still predicting a total increase of just 2% for the season, says Americans have completed slightly more shopping than they had one year ago (39.3% vs. 36.4%), "indicating that traffic and sales over the next several weeks will moderate."

(source: Sarah Mahoney, Sunday, Nov 30, 2008, mediapost.com)

How is Your Customer Service?

In an economic time, when it is now more crucial than ever to set yourself apart from the competition, businesses often look at many different ways to get noticed. Often, leaders forget that one of the simplest ways to stand out is to have exemplary customer service. Great customer service is remembered for a long time and the story is told to many people over and over again. It may cost you a couple of dollars at the moment, but this small investment will more than pay for itself.

I remember many years ago my wife and I took my eldest son on his first trip to Disneyland. We lived in Northern California at the time, so it was just a short drive down to Anaheim. We decided to splurge and stay at the Disneyland Hotel.

In the middle of the night, on the second night of our stay, my son got sick and began running a very dangerously high temperature. We called the front desk to ask if they had a physician or nurse on staff to find out what our local options were to get him checked out. They did have someone on staff and as soon as they found out what the temperature was they went into action.

What happened next is a lesson for everyone in customer service. The nurse told us that within 15 minutes an EMT would knock on our door to take us to Anaheim Children's Hospital....that knock came in 5 minutes. The EMT took us to an express elevator where they had an ambulance waiting with a very Disney interior decor to help soothe any child. They then called ahead to the hospital to have a doctor waiting for us.

When we arrived at the emergency room, we went past the waiting area and proceeded directly to a room. When the doctor walked in we were greeted by name and then got down to business. We figured out what was going on and then we went to leave the hospital to grab a taxi back to the hotel. However, the EMT was there to greet us and drive us to an all night pharmacy and then back to the Disney properties. From the time we left our hotel room to our return was only 3 hours. The entire cost for everything...nothing. Disney considered it simple function of taking care of their guests.

When I went back to Disneyland for future visits, do you think I ever stayed at any of the cheaper properties next door? Disneyland's actions made me a guest for life...and trust me we went back many times. It has been years since this event happened, but I can tell you I have repeated this story many, many times a year to people. Whenever I was asked for a recommendation of where to stay when going to Disneyland, I only gave one answer...the Disneyland Resort Properties. Disney has probably made 100 times the amount they spent to take care of me just on my recommendations and retelling of this story.

In effect, I have become a living commercial for Disneyland Resort Properties. Now, most businesses don't have the financial resources to go to the extent that I experienced. However, you can set up your culture and train your staff to be empowered to go above and beyond to take care of a customer and create memorable moment.

When you create a memorable moment for a customer, you have not only created a customer for life, but this person will become your personal billboard. Plus, there is no better way to say Thank You to a customer than giving them great service every day and with every experience they have with you.

Have a great Thanksgiving weekend!

Translating the Language of Search

Ever wonder what all those online search marketing terms mean? Here's a quick lesson.
Have a great weekend!
Jeff

Those of us who have been in this industry for a while are accustomed to throwing around industry-specific abbreviations and jargon. When I talk about search, I use industry terminology without even thinking about it -- until recently when a client stopped me and said, "Whoa, back up. You lost me."

For example:
"The Google dance has struck again and the SE algorithm has changed, so we might want to evaluate our linking strategies.

"Translation: Google has once again changed how it ranks sites. This might have an impact on our current search engine positioning, so we might want to explore other ways to get other sites to link to ours.

"We will deliver an SEM/SEO report, focusing on your organic and sponsored rankings, CTRs, CPCs and conversions.

"Translation: We will prepare a report on our search engine marketing and search engine optimization activities, specifically looking at where your site ranks in both the paid and unpaid search engine results, the click-through rate on our listings, the average price we're paying for a click, and the number of people who completed our desired action when they came to the site.

If you knew right off the bat what those two sentences meant without the translation, you're welcome to sign off. You know your search definitions. But if you had to stop and think for a minute, thinking about the abbreviations, then this column may be for you.

Here I have compiled a list of some of the most frequently used search industry terminology, jargon, abbreviations, and so on and simplified definitions:

Conversion: When a user completes a predefined desired action on your Web site (e.g., purchasing a product, signing up for a newsletter, registering for more information, etc.).

CPC: Cost per click is defined as the price you pay when someone clicks on your sponsored listing/paid search ad.

CTR: Click-through rate is the number of clicks divided by the number of ad impressions/views. It's the rate at which people see your ad and actually click on it.
Inbound links: Also know as external links, which occurs when other sites link to your site. It's generally accepted that a big factor in search engine algorithms (see below) is the number and quality of inbound links pointing to your site.

Keyword: A word or phrase that is typed into a search engine. Site owners typically want their sites to be visible in the search engines for specific keywords that relate to their product or service.

Link building: Since inbound (external) links influence a site's organic rankings (see below), many site owners will undertake the process of link building. This can consist of explicitly asking other sites to link to them, or encouraging inbound links by creating valuable content or tools, posting product reviews or forum comments on other Web sites, or partnering with relevant sites.

Organic ranking: The position that your Web site appears in the unpaid ("editorial") listings of the search engine results, which typically take up the majority of the page.

PPC: Pay per click typically refers to paid search marketing, where you pay for your ad to appear in the sponsored listings of the search engine results.

Quality score: The rating assigned by Google and other engines to keywords within a paid search account. The QS is calculated by taking into account maximum bid and relevancy (how closely your ad is targeted to the query; whether your landing page contains relevant information to the query).

SE: Search engine.

Search engine algorithm: A complex formula that search engines use to compute how to rank site A over sites B to Z. Apparently they are made up of thousands of unique factors, but we will likely never truly know since SEs make a habit of not disclosing details.

Search engine submission: A sort of archaic practice of submitting your site to the search engines for indexing. It was thought that this could speed up the time of search engines initially indexing, then returning to, your site. The traditional means of doing this is no longer widely practiced, but programs like Google Webmaster Tools enable site owners to make their sites more visible to Google and keep the engine up to date when changes are made.

SEM: Search engine marketing. This is where it gets tricky: sometimes this term is used mean both paid and unpaid search marketing, but sometimes it's used to mean only the paid activities. Industry organization SEMPO, uses "SEM" as the umbrella term. I'll let you decide how to use it.

SEO: Search engine optimization involves undertaking activities to make your site rank higher in the search engine results. Often it involves attempting to intuit how search engines rank sites and applying industry best practices.

SERP: Search engine results page, which is the page that comes up after you perform a query in a search engine.

Sponsored listings/ads: The text ads that typically appear along the periphery of the SERP (see above), such as along the top and the right hand side. Advertisers determine which terms they want their ads to appear for and compete with other advertisers to achieve top positioning.

I could go on, but this should give you a quick overview of some commonly used vernacular. That said, there are a number of lists out that provide a comprehensive compendium of search marketing terms. Check out SEMPO's Search Engine Optimization & Marketing Glossary for a well-rounded glossary of terms used in both search and Internet marketing.

(source: The ClickZ Network, Julie Batten, November 10, 2008)

Extinction Threatens Yellow-Pages Publishers

Out of all the marketing vehicles out there, the Yellow-Pages is the least effective way to build a brand or market your business - however does tend to be one of the most expensive. In today's technology savvy world, a forty pound book seems a bit archiac - and a poor use of our trees. Below is an interesting article that discusses the state of the business of phone books...something to take into consideration as you are reviewing your marketing budgets for 2009.
Jeff

The yellow-pages industry is running out of lifelines.

In recent years, as its customers migrated to the Web -- flocking to sites like Google -- the telephone-directory business followed, hoping the Internet would be its salvation. Bloomberg News/Landov Idearc publishes phone books for Verizon.

But that strategy hasn't panned out. Now, the economic downturn is sending the already ailing business into a tailspin.

The audience for online yellow pages remains relatively small, and traffic growth is slowing. So many directory services are vying for the ad dollars of local businesses that no single site has an authoritative roster.

Meanwhile, ad dollars are drying up as small businesses -- the industry's bread and butter -- find it harder to pay bills or have cut their spending sharply.

Print and online ad spending on yellow pages will plummet 6.3% next year, more than double the rate of decline expected for broadcast TV, according to forecasts by Wachovia analyst John Janedis. Within the next four years, ad spending will fall 39% in print directories alone -- the steepest projected decline across all local-media categories, according to media-research firm Borrell Associates.

"It's pretty darn hard out there for everybody, and those that have less staying power, it just looks like it's going to be a difficult environment to be able to hang on in the long term," said Dave Swanson, chief executive of R.H. Donnelley, a Cary, N.C., yellow-pages publisher, during a conference call on the company's third-quarter earnings.

Facing the real prospect of extinction, the publishers, many of which have considerable debt, have been slashing jobs, scrapping dividends and exiting unprofitable markets. Shares of two of the biggest publishers, R.H. Donnelley and Idearc, have plummeted 99% in the past year.

"The main pure-play companies do not have capital structures that would enable them to endure perpetual high-single-digit or double-digit declines in cash flow and remain viable entities or solvent entities over time," says Mike Simonton, an analyst with Fitch Ratings.

Yellow-pages publishers have spent the past several years attempting to reinvent themselves, launching a slew of digital offerings for advertisers, and retraining their sales forces to sell digital ads alongside print ads.

But Internet revenues remain anemic. At less than 10%, online-ad dollars make up only a modest portion of total revenues and aren't growing fast enough to offset steep declines on the print side, says Mr. Simonton.

Analysts say yellow-pages sales teams face an inherent conflict. While they are pressured to sell both print and online ads, Internet ads are often a third of the price of the print product. The top priority for the sales teams often is to sell the print book first, then sell the digital products.

Even if online revenues were growing at a faster clip, analysts are cautious about the prospects of online-only directories. Yellow-pages ads are the only form of advertising many small businesses buy, and the online ads are typically sold in conjunction with print listings, Mr. Simonton says. That means that if businesses aren't buying the print ad, then the online ad disappears too.

In a last-ditch attempt to succeed online, some publishers have struck ad-sale partnerships with Internet companies like Google. White Directory Publishers, which publishes directories in 90 small to medium-size markets, says it is often more effective for small businesses to have a presence on Google than on a directory Web site. But many small- to medium-size businesses don't have the expertise or time to create effective Web sites or buy and track search ads, so White Directory is offering to do it for them.

"They all believe they have the URL and the Web site that's going to win," Jeff Folckemer, chief operating officer and chief executive-designate of White Directory, part of Hearst Corp., says of the directory companies. "Our philosophy immediately was to go right to the big guys."

Mr. Simonton cautions, however, that even if publishers survive, any growth they achieved since the last downtown, in 2001, will be short-lived. "That extra growth coming from new businesses are the first to fold in a downturn. You basically give back in one downturn what took seven years to grow."

(source: Wall Street Journal Online, 11/17/08)

Banks Targeting Money-Conscious Consumers

SunTrust Banks Targets Money-Conscious Consumers

SunTrust Banks this weekend unveiled a new campaign with the tagline, "Live Solid. Bank Solid," which speaks to the state-of-mind of wary consumers affected by a slumping economy.

The effort, via lead agency Mullen, Winston-Salem, N.C., focuses on the idea that consumers are becoming smarter about their finances and looking for banks that offer "confidence, security and firm footing," per SunTrust.

TV spots broke during NBC's Sunday Night Football. Radio, print, and online ads also support. SunTrust, Atlanta, said it will continue advertising on prime time TV through 2009.

"We believe the new campaign will resonate with our clients and American consumers, especially in our current economic climate," said Rilla Delorier, SunTrust CMO. "The new SunTrust brand . . . provides the assurance that SunTrust is their financial partner as they build the foundation for their financial futures."

While timely given the recent meltdown on Wall Street, the bank claims its new campaign was underway months before and emerged following internal research that found the majority of consumers would rather spend "wisely" than spend "freely." The new tagline is meant to reflect those findings. SunTrust's old tagline was: "Seeing Beyond Money."

SunTrust spent $26 million on U.S. advertising last year (excluding online), per Nielsen Monitor-Plus, and $21 million through September of this year.

(Source: BrandWeek, 11/17/08)

Chief Marketing Officers See Black Friday, Cyber Monday Falling Flat

Do you have a way to incorporate Gift Cards into your sales mix?
Jeff

by Karl Greenberg, Monday, Nov 17, 2008 4:16 PM ET

While Black Friday and Cyber Monday--which both occur post-Thanksgiving--have experienced year-over-year sales growth in the past, they will not be doing so this time around, according to chief marketing officers at retail companies. The marketers were surveyed as part of accounting and consulting firm BDO Seidman's "Retail Compass," which queries 100 CMOs in retail firms with at least $100 million in yearly revenue.

Last year, Black Friday saw 8.3% sales growth and Cyber Monday had 21%. This year, retail CMOs are predicting essentially flat sales for those days.

Not surprising is the surveyed CMOs' grim outlook for overall holiday sales, which they see dropping by an average of 2.7%.

What sales gains there may be will come from gift cards, the Web and consumer electronics. The marketing executives surveyed by BDO Seidman expect Internet sales and gift card sales to improve 8% and 5.1%, respectively.

Forty-four percent of surveyed marketers predicted that in-store purchases would drive gift card sales this season. Smaller percentages of marketers predicted that online purchases and third-party vendors (such as kiosks and grocery stores) will drive the most gift card sales.

Ted Vaughan, a partner in the Retail and Consumer Product Practice at BDO Seidman, says that while the year is dismal, "it is important to remember that there are some bright spots on the horizon. There is still enormous growth potential in Internet sales, which remains a fairly new phenomenon. Further, gift cards will be popular this year because they allow the end user to decide on the gift based on their personal needs."

Forty-nine percent of those surveyed said consumer electronics will perform the best versus home goods, toys, lifestyle goods such as books and sporting equipment, apparel and jewelry.

And half of retailers surveyed said they expect Internet sales to increase this holiday season, while 38% expect online sales to stay the same.

Vaughan says holiday sales can make up 35% to 40% of annual sales.

He also says the gift card and Internet increases are a bit misleading. "There was an uptick in gift card sales and Internet sales last year, so the increase this year is a continuation of that trend, but even that trend is slowing down compared to last year and the year before," he says.

"The plus is that if you sell gift cards, the general tendency for someone who redeems the cards is to buy more than the amount on the card."

For Internet sales, the positive for retailers is that when consumers come online looking for a particular product "the Internet makes it so easy to browse; they will be able to find other products they may not have had in mind."
Karl Greenberg can be reached at karl@mediapost.com

Ten Reasons To Keep Advertising in a Tough Economy

Ten great reasons to keep advertising in a tough economy!
Jeff

1. Dear Client: As your customers cut back on their advertising, your Advertising Voice is multiplied. When your clients do less, aggressive advertising works even better.

2. The closings of scores of national retailers makes it easier for a local retailer's voice to be heard. Here's a sample of national chains closing some of their stores: Zale's closing 105 stores, Sprint/Nextel-125, Disney-98, Gap-85, Linens-N-Things-120. There there are those who've shut down completely. Examples: CompUSA, Footlocker, KB Toys, Levitz, Hollywood Video, Pier 1, Wickes Furniture - all gone. Kaput.

3. Cutting Advertising is like amputating in order to get rid of an itch, or I'm going to quit selling because they'll probably say No anyhow. Successful companies consider their ad budget a fixed expense. When the number of incoming customers decreases - this isn't the right time to stop inviting them back.

4. Don't Cut Your Air Supply. Advertising helped get the business where it is - don't stop now. The reason you have customers is that someone heard your message. And you're going to abandon that?

5. When you stop advertising, your best customers become someone else's prospects. People go where they're invited. Your competitors are inviting your customers.

6. Your customers will have more confidence that you're THERE. We have confidence in the Post Office and the fire department. We perceive that they'll be there when we need them. Same with you. That's one of the reasons you have a steady return customers.

7. Consumers don't stop buying; they're just more choosey and looking for value. Good deals.

8. You know what consumers are looking for. Super-Sizing works now. Good Value works better than ever.

9. Add the new online tools we can offer, at a comparatively low cost, offer even more wallop for their dollar. Online products like Channels, coupons, streaming and texting are all NTR Heaven - that show accountable results and excellent ROI.

10. Think of what Advertising says to employees - Confidence. Ask for help from your employees to make the ad circle complete. Let them know about every offer. Let them HELP INVENT new offers. It's a time of opportunity.

(source: Jim Taszarek, Tazmedia.com)

Moms Shape New Culture by Cutting Back

Reviewing your marketing plans for 2009? You better factor in how those plans appeal to moms!
Jeff

Moms Shape New Culture by Cutting Back

According to a recent report by the allen & gerritsen (a&g) audience intelligence department, 80% of online mothers in the US say most Americans have been encouraged to overextend themselves, while 58% think the average American is too greedy.

Because moms manage the household (which means their behaviors drastically impact sales) and they teach and enforce family values (which means they are as influential in shaping our culture as is the media), a&g surveyed moms to understand just how the economy is affecting their purchase behaviors and economic outlook. The study reveals that most moms believe that cultural trends that demonstrate a belief that Americans deserve to regularly indulge, contributed to the financial crisis we are in.

But, says the report, the pendulum has begun to swing the other way, with moms taking the lead. In this countercultural trend, moms see themselves as shunning greed and are putting family needs before their own.

Moms are looking for ways to rein in their household finances, with 65% of moms surveyed eliminating purchases that are not absolutely necessary, and 52% cutting back in general. 71% say they have made more sacrifices this year than last.

Household Finance Changes Moms Made in 2008
Change % of Respondents (multiple response OK)
New source of income 29%
Cut back spending 52%
Eliminated unnecessaries 65%
No changes 12%
Source: Allen & Gerritson, October 2008

Though 71% of moms report they have made more sacrifices this year than last, childcare and medical needs will not be compromised. More of these moms blame the government (not enough oversight or regulation) for the economic crisis than blame the banks (32% vs. 16%).

Parties That Moms Feel Responsible for Collapse of Financial Institutions
Responsible Party % of Respondents
Government 32%
Everyone 27%
Banks 16%
Individual borrowers 6%
Corporations 6%
Wall Street 3%
No one 3%
Investors 1%
All other 7%
Source: Allen & Gerritson, October 2008

In addition:
* 94% of moms say it is more important to seek regular medical care for their families than themselves.
* 62% of moms say they are less greedy than the American average.
* 51% of moms say don't see the economic situation improving within the next year.

Catherine Kolodij, VP, audience intelligence director at a&g, summarizes by saying "For the last few years, there have been a number of cultural trends that demonstrate the idea that Americans deserve to indulge, buying bigger homes and better cars and other luxuries. Most moms believe this culture contributed to the financial crisis we are in... "

Please visit allen & gerritsen here to obtain the complete PDF file, including charts.

(Source: Mediapost.com)

5 Tips For Getting Noticed Online

1. Get your Web site listed on major search engines, such as Google or Yahoo! Two sites, Search Engine Watch at www.searchenginewatch.com and the Web Marketing Info Center at www.wilsonweb.com/webmarket, offer guidance.

2. Join a “banner exchange,” and trade advertising banners with other Web sites. Look under “banner exchange” on search engines.

3. Visit sites similar to or related to yours and offer to exchange links with them.

4. Write useful articles for other sites and include your Web address.

5. Get more online marketing help from such sites as www.zdnet.com/eweek/, workz.com and www.bcentral.com.

(Source: SCORE "Counselors to America's Small Business.")

Snapshot of Media Plans & Budgets For 2009

At the "Masters of Marketing" Conference by the Association of National Advertisers recently, 1,200 client-side marketers, media and creative agencies and others, were polled via handheld devices about their marketing mix, budgets, plans, and tactics throughout the event. The results are shown here:

Adjustment to current marketing and media plans to account for the recent downturn in the financial markets:

* 33% say spending will be reduced
* 33% say spending will be constant / marketing mix will be reallocated
* 27% expect to spend more
* 8% will keep everything status quo

CEO view of marketing efforts with respect to growth:
* 56% think of brand-building as an investment
* 21% think it's an unaccountable but necessary expense
* 15% are not sure
* 8% consider it an unnecessary expense

Preferred social media site for driving brand growth:
* 32% say none
* 20% say YouTube
* 18% facebook
* 12% like them all
* 10% say LinkedIn
* 6% MySpace
* 3% Twitter

Plans for Marketing expense in 2009 vs. 2008:
* 26% plan to increase spending more than 10%
* 13% plan to increase spending less than 10%
* 28% will hold stable
* 14% will decrease spending less than 10%
* 19% will decrease spending more than 10%

The largest branding discipline offering opportunity for growth:
* 17% choose traditional 30-second spots
* 7% like one page advertisements in a newspaper/magazine
* 16% pick web advertising
* 28% choose social media integration
* 7% feel direct Marketing
* 19% think grassroots, viral public relations
* 5% like radio

Company's current measurement method of brand growth:
* 70% say sales and net income
* 15% use third party brand equity valuations
* 9% think shareholder value
* 4% measure by household penetration
* 3% say company culture

(Source: Association of National Advertisers, October 2008)

What Marketers Can Learn From Obama's Campaign

No matter what your political views are, you have to admit that Barack Obama ran a very focased campaign. Businesses and marketing professionals can learn about his approach that focused on three key areas 1) Simplicity - his message was "Change" 2) Consistency 3) Relevance. No matter what happened, he kept to his message.
Jeff

What Marketers Can Learn From Obama's Campaign
Change -- and Positioning -- You Can Believe in
By Al Ries , Advertising Age
Published: November 05, 2008

Nov. 4, 2008, will go down in history as the biggest day ever in the history of marketing.

Take a relatively unknown man. Younger than all of his opponents. Black. With a bad-sounding name. Consider his first opponent: the best-known woman in America, connected to one of the most successful politicians in history. Then consider his second opponent: a well-known war hero with a long, distinguished record as a U.S. senator.

It didn't matter. Barack Obama had a better marketing strategy than either of them. "Change."

Nazi propaganda chief Joseph Goebbels was the master of the "big lie." According to Goebbels, "If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it."

The opposite of that strategy is the "big truth." If you tell the truth often enough and keep repeating it, the truth gets bigger and bigger, creating an aura of legitimacy and authenticity.

What word did Hillary Clinton own? First she tried "experience." When she saw the progress Mr. Obama was making, she shifted to "Countdown to change." Then when the critics pointed out her me-too approach, she shifted to "Solutions for America."

What word is associated with Ms. Clinton today? I don't know, do you?

Then there's John McCain. An Oct. 26 cover story in The New York Times Magazine was titled "The Making (and Remaking and Remaking) of the Candidate." The visual listed some of the labels the candidate was associated with: "Conservative. Maverick. Hero. Straight talker. Commander. Bipartisan conciliator. Experienced leader. Patriot." Subhead: "When a Campaign Can't Settle on a Central Narrative, Does It Imperil Its Protagonist?"

Actually, Mr. McCain did settle on a slogan, "Country first," but it was way too late in the campaign and it was a slogan that had little relevance to the average voter.

Tactically, both Ms. Clinton and Mr. McCain focused their messages on "I can do change better than my opponent can do change."

"Better" never works in marketing. The only thing that works in marketing is "different." When you're different, you can pre-empt the concept in consumers' minds so your competitors can never take it away from you.

Look at what "driving" has done for BMW. Are there vehicles that are more fun to drive than BMWs? Probably, but it doesn't matter. BMW has pre-empted the "driving" position in the mind.

The sad fact is that there are only a few dozen brands that own a word in the mind and most of them don't even use their words as slogans. Mercedes-Benz owns "prestige," but doesn't use the word as a slogan. Toyota owns "reliability," but doesn't use the word as a slogan. Coca-Cola owns "the real thing," but doesn't use the words as a slogan. Pepsi-Cola owns "Pepsi generation," but doesn't use the words as a slogan.

As a matter of fact, most brands follow the Pepsi pattern. Every time they get a new CMO or a new advertising agency, they change the slogan. Since 1975, BMW has used one slogan: "The ultimate driving machine." Since 1975, Pepsi-Cola has used these advertising slogans:
1975: "For those who think young."
1978: "Have a Pepsi day."
1980: "Catch that Pepsi spirit."
1982: "Pepsi's got your taste for life."
1983: "Pepsi now."
1984: "The choice of a new generation."
1989: "A generation ahead."
1990: "Pepsi: The choice of a new generation."
1992: "Gotta have it."
1993: "Be young. Have fun. Drink Pepsi."
1995: "Nothing else is a Pepsi."
2002: "Generation next."
2003: "Think young. Drink young."
2004: "It's the cola."

Thirty-three years ago when the "Ultimate driving machine" campaign started, BMW was the 11th-largest-selling European imported vehicle in the U.S. market. Today it's No. 1.

Thirty-three years ago, Pepsi-Cola was the No. 2-selling cola in the U.S. market. Today, many advertising slogans later, it's still No. 2.

The average Pepsi-Cola advertising slogan lasts just two years and two months. The average chief marketing officer lasts just two years and two months. The average corporate advertising campaign in BusinessWeek lasts just two years and six months.

The Obama campaign has a lot to teach the advertising community.

1. Simplicity. About 70% of the population thinks the country is going in the wrong direction, hence Obama's focus on the word "change." Why didn't talented politicians like Ms. Clinton and John Edwards consider using this concept?

Based on my experience, in the boardrooms of corporate America "change" is an idea that is too simple to sell. Corporate executives are looking for advertising concepts that are "clever." For all the money being spent, corporate executives want something they couldn't have thought of themselves. Hopefully, something exceedingly clever.

Here is a sampling of slogans from a recent issue of BusinessWeek:
* Chicago Graduate School of Business: "Triumph in your moment of truth."
* Darden School of Business: "High touch. High tone. High energy."
* Salesforce.com: "Your future is looking up."
* Zurich: "Because change happenz."
* CDW: "The right technology. Right away."
* Hitachi: "Inspire the next."
* NEC: "Empowered by innovation."
* Deutsche Bank: "A passion to perform."
* SKF: "The power of knowledge engineering."

Some of these slogans might be clever, some might be inspiring and some might be descriptive of the company's product line, but none will ever drive the company's business in the way that "change" drove the Obama campaign. They're not simple enough.

2. Consistency. What's wrong with 90% of all advertising? Companies try to "communicate" when they should be trying to "position."

Mr. Obama's objective was not to communicate the fact that he was an agent of change. In today's environment, every politician running for the country's highest office was presenting him or herself as an agent of change. What Mr. Obama actually did was to repeat the "change" message over and over again, so that potential voters identified Mr. Obama with the concept. In other words, he owns the "change" idea in voters' minds.

In today's overcommunicated society, it takes endless repetition to achieve this effect. For a typical consumer brand, that might mean years and years of advertising and hundreds of millions of dollars.

Most companies don't have the money, don't have the patience and don't have the vision to achieve what Mr. Obama did. They jerk from one message to another, hoping for a magic bullet that will energize their brands. That doesn't work today. That is especially ineffective for a politician because it creates an aura of vacillation and indecisiveness, fatal qualities for someone looking to move up the political ladder.

The only thing that works today is the BMW approach. Consistency, consistency, consistency -- over decades, if not longer.

But not with a dull slogan. Hitachi has been "inspiring the next" for as long as I can remember, but with little success.

Effective slogans needs to be simple and grounded in reality. What next has Hitachi ever inspired? Red ink, maybe. In the past 10 years, Hitachi has had sales of $786.9 billion and managed to lose $5.1 billion. When you put your corporate name on everything, as Hitachi does, it's difficult to make money because it's difficult to make the brand stand for anything.

3. Relevance. "If you're losing the battle, shift the battlefield" is an old military axiom that applies equally as well to marketing. By his relentless focus on change, Mr. Obama shifted the political battlefield. He forced his opponents to devote much of their campaign time discussing changes they proposed for the country. And how their changes would differ from the changes that he proposed.

All the talk about "change" distracted both Ms. Clinton and Mr. McCain from talking about their strengths: their track records, their experience and their relationships with world leaders.

As you probably know, Mr. Obama was selected as Advertising Age's Marketer of the Year by the executives attending the Association of National Advertisers' annual conference in Orlando last month. But one wonders if these CMOs are getting the message.

As one marketing executive said: "I look at it as something that we can all learn from as marketers. To see what he's done, to be able to create a social network and do it in a way where it's created the tools to let people get engaged very easily. It's very easy for people to participate."

Whatever happened to "change"?

5 Tips on What Employees Want from You as a Leader

Today, our country moves forward with the process of transitioning to a new leader. As a nation, we will be asking a great deal of our new leader to be. Think about your employees and what they want from you. Here are five tips to consider.
Jeff


5 Tips on What Employees Want from You as a Leader

1. Employees want to trust you and you to trust them. Begin by being trustworthy and extending trust.

2. Employees want good two-way communication. Begin by being a good listener.

3. Employees want to be challenged. Set forth your vision and goals clearly and then let your workers exercise their creativity and authority in meeting your goals.

4. Employees want accountability. Not only should you hold them accountable for their own performance but you should measure your own performance as well.

5. Employees want recognition. Offer praise and express appreciation at every opportunity.

(Source:SCORE "Counselors to America's Small Business." )

Now Is The Time To Build Relationship With Your Customers

Now Is The Time To Build Relationships With Your Customers
by Jere Doyle , Friday, October 31, 2008

CONSUMERS AND BUSINESSES ARE TIGHTENING their belts and their budgets, but brand marketers need to look at today's recession economy as an opportunity. Now is the ideal time to ramp up your marketing efforts and build stronger relationships with your customers.

Direct marketing approaches have proved highly effective in all kinds of economies -- but especially during a recession. A recent BusinessWeek article provides examples of some of the most successful brand campaigns in the past sixty years -- all of them conducted in a down economy. Also, during economic downturns consumers are more likely to forego brand loyalty for cost or value savings. That gives you two more good reasons to market more aggressively. First, protect your brand and hold onto your existing customers by letting them know you value them and you offer the best value. Secondly, entice customers to change from competitors to your brand and products just when the competition is cutting back and going quiet on customer retention and loyalty efforts.

So instead of hunkering down and slashing marketing budgets, brand marketers should jump on the opportunity to build and strengthen their online relationships with consumers. Many brand marketers are doing this through online lead generation and email marketing

Online lead generation can help consumer brand marketers reach the right consumers wherever they may be online -- whether on a news site, a health and nutrition portal, or an online community for new and expectant parents -- and begin the process of opting-in to an advertisers in-house email list. Building and maintaining a strong in-house list of qualified consumers who request to be marketed to, and sending these consumers relevant email campaigns, is the most effective marketing tactic to reach your customers. Research shows that consumers want information, ads and offers from their favorite brands and products, and they will respond to them

As consumers do more research online during tough economic times, they also spend more time researching and comparing brands and prices. In a Prospectiv poll conducted earlier this year, 84% said they had changed their shopping habits due to concerns about recession. In further clues to consumer behavior in this economic downturn:
• 66% are logging more hours online researching and comparing brands and prices
• 74% would welcome more online offers, coupons and e-newsletters from their favorite brands and products
• 60% are more likely to sign up/join a Web site or online community that offers recipes, healthy meal ideas, cooking tips and savings they can use at home

Another consumer poll reveals that even with the recent decline in fuel prices, consumers are still concerned about the economy and are increasing their use of coupons -- especially for savings on everyday grocery products.

Seventy-two percent surveyed say they are using more coupons to make their money go further than they did six months ago (since March 2008). The majority polled (75%) said that economic concerns are their main reason for using more coupons. Eighty-one percent said they are most interested in coupons for grocery items (food and household products).

Not only are consumers under financial pressure doing more research online, comparing brands and prices and using more coupons, consumers are also considering switching from favored brands to generics to save money. Brand marketers must find ways to engage consumers online, using direct-response interactive marketing to reinforce the value of brand.

Marketers should consider countering the effects of the downturn by stepping up programs that build strong relationships with consumers who have exhibited interest in their goods and services. For instance, an in-house opt-in email newsletter list. The most important ingredients of effective email campaigns to your in-house email list are quality and relevance. Consumers under financial pressure are focused on purchasing the necessities, and relevance is key. Lead-generation campaigns that build your own opt-in email lists and produce consumers who are interested in your product and brand are particularly useful because they can collect data points about consumers that make it easy for marketers to ensure relevance. Ask consumers what they want and have them give you important information about themselves that will allow you to email them content that is relevant.

Lead-generation best practices also need to be a focus for brand marketers in a down economy. Best practices ensure high quality leads and maintain a respectful relationship with consumers to build trust and discourage abuse of consumer privacy.

The economy may be down but now is not the time to sit back and wait for things to improve. Marketers need to seize the opportunity to build their brands and strengthen their relationships with consumers. A best practices online lead generation program is one of the most effective ways to get a leg up on the competition, especially during an economic downturn.

Recession-Proofing Your Brand

Now more than ever, it is critically important to think about your brand - both in the short term and long term. This article has 3 very important points to keep in mind as you are taking a look at your current business plan.
Jeff

We all know that the current economic situation is a heavy load on the shoulders of the U.S. consumer. Night after night, the evening news bombards us with even more bad news, making everyone wonder how much worse it can really get. Consumers are making tough choices that affect almost every spending category from the essential (food, gas) to the discretionary (clothing, entertainment).


Historically, most companies do one of two things during a recession: cut spending and do only the bare minimum until the economy bounces back, or move full steam ahead with their marketing plans, taking advantage of the ability to build or strengthen their brands while the competition is weak. Unfortunately, for those of us in the marketing business, too many companies go with option No. 1 and dramatically cut spending. But the irony in this approach is that it can end up damaging a company's most valuable asset: the brand.

When you choose to cut marketing, you put your brand at risk, increasing the likelihood that your brand will lose relevance to your target audience and your retail partners. During a recession, consumers have to make the hard decision of determining whether their preferred brand is worth paying more for. If the brand is truly perceived as a better or even a safer choice, then consumers remain loyal.

But if the brand loses relevance, then there is the risk that consumers will leave the brand for lower-priced competitors. Retailers also make hard choices about the brands they continue to promote with their limited funds. The brands that get the greater share of co-op dollars are the ones that either have the power to drive consumers into the store or warrant a price premium.

The key to making your brand survive--and dare I say even thrive--during a recession is to outthink your competition. Following are three strategies to recession-proof your brand.

First, redefine what value means. Value is not just about having the lowest price. There are many attributes of a brand that can be used to measure its value to a consumer. Mission Foods makes tortillas, wraps, taco shells and chips. But it has recognized that it's not in the food business; rather, it is in the meal solutions business. It delivers value to hungry families, not by just being priced right but by giving families the tools they need to save time in the kitchen. By providing recipes, cooking tips, and shortcuts, Mission Foods delivers value by saving families time, which is often a more scarce resource than money.

Value can also mean better performance. Consider Craftsman tools and its lifetime replacement guarantee. When a consumer buys a Craftsman product, the company justifies that the product is worth paying more for because of the guarantee it comes with, thereby giving it a higher perceived value. Performance also comes into play in categories that represent a much smaller investment, such as toilet paper. Even in a recession, many consumers may be pinching pennies, but they aren't willing to sacrifice the softness offered by Charmin.

Number two is being unique. Despite cutting back in areas considered luxuries (like their daily caramel macchiato), consumers are scrimping so that they can splurge on unique experiences and products. Consider summer movie revenues, which are down less than 0.5% from last year. The most successful movies were either part of a larger experience, had special effects that couldn't be replicated at home, or had huge talk value. There were no runaway hits from the independent film category, because consumers were spending only on movies they thought were the sure "winners."

"Sex and the City" earned $57 million in its first weekend and was the best box office debut of a film with a female main character. The film inspired an experience that extended beyond the theater, with 80% of moviegoers indicating they planned to attend a "Sex and the City" get-together before or after the movie, 68% planning to drink cosmopolitans and 51% planning to dress up for the event. The movie inspired a multi-layered experience that benefited everyone from Cointreau (an essential ingredient for the perfect cosmopolitan) to Manolo Blahnik.

The Apple iPhone is another unique, "I have to have it" product that did well this summer. On July 14, Apple announced that it sold its one millionth iPhone 3G, just three days after its launch. By comparison, it took 74 days to sell one million iPhones following the initial launch of the product in 2007 and almost two years to achieve this milestone with iPod. Why the urgency? Simple ... the iPhone is cool, there is no substitute, and tech junkies were cutting spending in a multitude of other places to make sure they could splurge on the device.

A third strategy: Reframe your competitive set. During a recession, understanding your consumers becomes even more critical. If you think the research you have from two years ago on how they are making choices in your category is relevant, forget it! Go back to the grocery store and watch the trade-offs that cash-strapped consumers are making. One critical thing you may notice is that your competitive set is larger than you think.

Consider the Kool-Aid brand. Many marketers, when evaluating the Kool-Aid competitive set, would include Crystal Light, Tang, generic brands, and juice brands. How many would include soda? To a consumer, they are all options that quench thirst, and if you examine how much the price of a case of soda has shot up in the past two months, you might notice an opportunity. The wise people at Kraft did just that. They are reframing the competitive set for Kool-Aid and repositioning the brand by focusing on its low price: one-third that of soda.

A final word of advice. Whatever you do, don't give up on marketing. When you cut marketing during a recession, you stop the conversation with your consumer. You are out of sight and ultimately out of mind, putting your brand at risk. The key is to rethink your strategy. Understand your current target mindset to make sure your message is relevant. Reallocate dollars to more effective mediums. Whatever it takes. Use this opportunity to build or strengthen your brand. A recession can be a great opportunity to gain market share and position your brand for the future. So don't just weather a recession--seize the opportunity to thrive.

(SOURCE: Nicole Davis Granese. Nicole Davis Granese is an account director at Slingshot LLC, a full-service advertising agency based in Dallas. She can be reached at Nicole.Granese@slingshot.biz)

5 Tips on Budgeting

1. Think of a budget as a useful tool—a written financial plan that helps you set goals and measure progress.

2. Start by coming up with a sales revenue target. Make it your best estimate.

3. Based on past experience, estimate your cost of goods sold (e.g., 70 percent of sales) and subtract it from the sales revenue to come up with your estimated gross margin.

4. Forecast variable expenses (items such as travel and commissions that vary according to the level of sales) and fixed expenses (items like taxes and rent that stay the same, regardless of sales). Subtract these expenses from your gross margin to arrive at your estimated net income (before federal taxes).

5. Break your annual budget into quarters and monitor your progress every three months to detect problems and make corrections.

(Source: SCORE "Counselors to America's Small Business." )

Cost-Conscious Consumers Responding to Restaurant Deals

"In the quarter ending August 2008, 23 percent of all visits to restaurants were prompted by consumer-perceived deals." Normally, I am not a huge believer in discounting. However, in the restaurant industry you do need to look at different ways to provide value. This could be as simple as a day with discounted or free pricing for children, or maybe a special partnership with local schools where you set a day and give a small portion of the profits to their PTA. Try to be creative with the consumer-perceived deals so that it doesn't hurt your restaurant's perceived quality.
Jeff

Cost-Conscious Consumers Responding to Restaurant Deals

Restaurant industry's modest gain is driven by discount offers and deals

Discounted price, dollar menus, and other promotions are driving customer traffic and keeping the restaurant industry in the black, according to market research company The NPD Group. NPD reports total restaurant industry traffic is up 1 percent for the quarter ending August 2008, and the modest gain is driven entirely by deals.

As consumers look for ways to moderate their overall food budget without cooking more, restaurant operators have been offering more deals -- including value menus, coupons, discounted prices, and buy-one-get-one-free promotions -- to increase traffic, according to new data from NPD's CREST service, which tracks restaurant usage.

"More so than we've seen in many years, consumers are looking for savings and ways to stretch their dollar," says Bonnie Riggs, restaurant industry analyst at NPD. "Restaurant operators are responding to economic concerns with enticing value offers and deals."

In the quarter ending August 2008, 23 percent of all visits to restaurants were prompted by consumer-perceived deals, which represented an increase of nine percent compared to the same quarter a year ago. Non-deal restaurant traffic was down by one percent. The quick-service segment accounts for 78 percent of all restaurant visits and is largely driving deal activity.

Quick-service deal traffic is up by 10 percent and is being driven by hamburger and other sandwich restaurants, according to NPD. Thirty percent of all visits to these outlets were prompted by deals, an increase of 20 percent over a year ago. Value menus and discounted price offers found the most favor with consumers.

Overall, while deal traffic is up at breakfast and dinner, consumers use deals most often at lunch. The latest NPD CREST data finds that 38 percent of all deal visits to quick service restaurants occurred at lunch. Dollar or value menus tend to drive lunch traffic, coupons are used most at dinner and discounted prices are used at both lunch and dinner. "

Deal offers are complex and risky for restaurant operators, and this is at the same time they are faced with rising food costs," says Riggs. "But operators understand that in order to get the customers in the door, they need to make them an offer they simply can't refuse."
(Source: The NPD Group, 10/28/08)

CRM Systems Rapped for Lacking Personal Touch

While this article is specific to auto dealerships, the issue is one that touches many industries. CRM systems can be great tools and allow you the ability to keep track of information to build stronger relationships with your customers, IF used properly. They should never try to be used as a replacement for a good personal relationships. The further you take the personal relationship out of the business, the more transactional you become to the customer.
Jeff

CRM Systems Rapped for Lacking Personal Touch

Customer-relationship management systems, designed to keep businesses close to their clientele, can have the opposite effect.

Some auto dealers fret the sophisticated and expensive software programs, for all their touted efficiencies, overshadow a key part of automotive retailing: "the personal touch."

"CRM systems have become a handicap by removing the one-on-one relationship with the customer," San Diego dealer Michael Baker says at the E.N.G. Automotive CRM conference here.

The systems are electronic equivalents of a Rolodex, but with much more customer information, ranging from data on buying preferences to the number of driver-age people in a household and when they last bought and serviced vehicles.

CRM offers an array of sales, marketing and management functions. Those include tracking the progress of a sale, following up with prospects, delivering timely service reminders and sending birthday wishes.

But a feared drawback is that dealership employees can rely too much on CRM and not enough on their own human skills to cultivate customer relationships. CRM defenders say the systems were designed, in part, because employees weren't doing enough on their own in the first place.

"I'd prefer that dealership people have relationships with customers, but we've established these fancy systems as a backstop because the employees are not establishing the relationships," says Todd Stainbrook, a digital-integration manager for Ford Motor Co.

Dealerships' high employee turnover rates often mean individual staffers don't maintain long-term customer relationships, he says. "That's why we've systemized and centralized it." But something such as a personal telephone reminder from a service advisor is more effective than a CRM-related recorded message, Baker says. "That's so impersonal," he says.

He adds: "Training needs to reinforce personal relationships. I can't emphasize that enough. It's about having good relationships with customers. It's not all electronic."

Experts say dealership personnel can be trained to use CRM systems and still offer the human touch in consumer interactions. Dealers need not conduct the training themselves, but they're advised to give their blessings to it.

"If the dealer is not involved, there's a problem," Stainbrook says. "It starts at the top. Dealers are getting it, as CRM evolves. I've seen a whole new perspective from them."

"But it's still about people, still about listening to customers," says Scott Waldron, president of Experian Automotive, an information services division. "Too many CRM programs focus on talking rather than listening."

Another potential drawback of CRM systems is that their information capacity can be overwhelming. "

Our biggest challenge is not a lack of data but figuring out which is useful," says Grant Paullo, BMW of North America's manager-after sales marketing and communications. "We need to make sure we have the right data in place."

Adds Stainbrook: "There is a proliferation of information. What do we do with all of it? I notice with the generation coming up that their expectations are high; they're focused on themselves; and they are shocked if they get something that is not relevant to them.

"They've grown up with modern technology, and it's our job to make sure we get to them and are relevant to them."

An Accenture study cites a gap between what today's consumers expect and what they get.

Modern technology is partly to blame for that, says Michael Keranen, American Honda Motor Corp.'s assistant vice president-dealer communications, training and customer relationship management. "We've done it ourselves by replacing a real human on phone calls to customers."

The true meaning of "personalization" can be questioned when businesses use computer systems to massage customers. Says Keranen: "A personalized email is not personalization."
(Source: Ward's Dealer Business, 10/28/08)

Staying Healthy in a Sick Economy

...an interesting article from the New York Times that discusses not only how to stay healthy in our current economy, but also looks at what some in the fitness industry are doing to be creative, be thinking of thier customer's needs and remain competitive.
Jeff

Staying Healthy in a Sick Economy
By MANDY KATZ

ON Wall Street, when the going gets tough, will the tough get yoga mats?

Adding classes in yoga, meditation and other so-called mind-body regimens is just one way fitness professionals in the financial district are responding to recent economic uncertainties roiling their corporate clientele. Some are also offering shorter, cheaper personal training sessions and, in at least one health club, quiet discounts for members who lose their jobs.

Amid layoffs, concerns about staying buff could seem trivial. (Imagine the headline “World Markets Near Collapse: Muscle Tone Under Threat.”) Yet, businesspeople themselves wonder how a perilous financial climate will affect their physical fitness — and if exercise could help them weather hard times.

Some struggle to squeeze in any workouts at all. But others, like Amy Sturtevant, an investment director for Oppenheimer & Company in Washington, find themselves doubling down on conditioning for relief. “Professionals are doing their best not to panic, but I know a lot of professionals who are panicking” about the markets, she said. “The only way to get away from it is to have some kind of outlet.”

Ms. Sturtevant, a mother of four, is training for her fourth marathon. With brokerage clients needing more hand-holding, she said, she stints on sleep rather than skip her 5 a.m. daily boot camp and 20-mile weekend runs.

But one of Ms. Sturtevant’s training partners, a portfolio manager, said in an e-mail message that she had not been as diligent as Ms. Sturtevant and had been “scarce” at their workouts. The portfolio manager said she had weathered some tough financial cycles, “but this one has been uniquely disabling.”

“Forget the 5 o’clock wake-up to run,” she wrote. “Who is sleeping?”

One business owner, Sheri David, is backsliding for business reasons. As chief executive of Impressions on Hold, a company based in New York that sells corporate voicemail systems, a tougher sales environment has meant Ms. David sees more of her customers and less of her personal trainer. Over the summer, she dropped from five sessions a week to three; by mid-September, she said, “it turned into one day for one hour.”

Her trainer, Chris Hall, chides Ms. David to make time and, when she does, to tune out her BlackBerry, she reported. “But I say, ‘You don’t understand — there’s 27,000 reasons I have to pay attention,’ ” referring to her accounts.

For his part, Mr. Hall — whose clients have included Catherine Zeta-Jones — is now offering 30-minute, “high-core, high-intensity” sessions and shared workouts, he said, “because people don’t necessarily have as much time as they used to, and they don’t want to spend as much money.”

About a third of the 42 million Americans who exercise join fitness centers (a number that’s been flat for several years), according to American Sports Data. To keep them on the roster, clubs may be willing to bargain. Most customers who quit the Telos Fitness Center in Dallas, for example, must pay to rejoin. But, for suddenly strapped longtime members, “I’ll put a note in their file and we’ll let them pick up their membership without any fees,” said Clarisa Duran, the center’s sales and marketing director.

For Plus One, which operates in-house fitness centers, corporate accounts are the issue; until recently, its major accounts included the investment banks Bear Stearns, Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley. Though still operating in all of those except Bear Stearns (which closed in March), the company now must look to its recent expansion in other regions and industries for growth, said Tom Maraday, the senior vice president. (Google is one new client.)

“We’re a little experienced with stress because we went through 9/11 down here,” said Grace DeSimone, Plus One’s national director of group fitness. When disaster strikes, she noted, demand for yoga goes up, and onsite gyms exert a special pull: “People come and they want someone to talk to — it’s like Cheers.”

And, as in a bar, the televisions stay on. “In the banks, we have to keep the news on,” Mr. Maraday said. But at Cadence Cycling and Multisport Centers, TV’s show training videos rather than CNBC, because “we want this to be an escape,” said Mikael Hanson, director of performance for Cadence in New York.

During the Bear Stearns collapse, as becalmed financiers sought their escape, midday classes at the in-house gym grew crowded, according to a former Bear Stearns trader who declined to be named. When the final ax fell, they lost not just jobs but access to a club offering “everything,” she recalled, a hint of longing in her voice.

“They even gave you the shirts and shorts so you didn’t have to worry about laundry.” Now she can no longer get in her daily 5:30 a.m. workout. Her new employer has no gym and, with the markets erupting, her workday starts even earlier. “I wish there was a gym that opened at 5 in midtown,” the trader said, “but there isn’t.”

Stephanie Shemin Feingold misses a cushy fitness center, too. Since leaving a Midtown law firm in June to work at a nonprofit in Harlem, she’s been using her apartment building’s spartan fitness room. “When there are only three treadmills, it can get crowded pretty quickly,” she said.

“I’m lucky if I get in 20 minutes instead of the hour I used to do,” Ms. Shemin Feingold said. “My pants are getting tight. I’m going to have to figure out a new routine, because I can’t afford a new wardrobe.”

Fitness matters more than ever if you’re laid off, career counselors advise, not just for health, but to network and stay positive. “The last thing you want is to gain 20 pounds during a job search, ” said Dr. Jan Cannon, author of “Finding a Job in a Slow Economy.” “That just compounds that sense of, ‘What’s wrong with me?’ ”

Exercise, she added, can also spur creativity. “You know how we always have those ‘aha’ moments in the shower?” Dr. Cannon said. In the same way, “a good brisk walk can be very helpful.”

Jenny Herring, a Des Moines financial writer, usually walks or bikes for respite from the fulltime job search she began in June, after being downsized as part of the subprime mortgage fallout. But one day last month, feeling frustrated when her phone refused to ring, she varied the routine: “I said, I’m going to get outside, and I mowed the front and back yards” for exercise.
For a motivated few, extra time for conditioning actually proves a rare upside of unemployment. “A lot of people who are between jobs are using this downtime to go after a goal,” like a triathlon, said Mr. Hanson of Cadence Cycling.

Dr. Cannon recalled a client whose workouts last spring “got more frequent as time went on” — to block out the disappointment, and to give her something to get up and do every day.
“She lost 40 pounds.”

It Will All Get Better When The Election Is Over

“It will all get better when the election is over.” I have heard this stated in many different ways over the past month, and while I agree that I will hear less Approved Messages by someone that has just…or is about to…sling some mud, the fundamentals of what will make businesses stronger will not change.

I can assure you that on November 5th, your business is not going to magically improve by 10%. What will help businesses continue profitability in this evolving economic climate are sound fundamentals. Don’t wait for the election, now is the time to take a few minutes AWAY from your business to work ON your business. Take a long hard look at the following:

YOUR STAFF: In my opinion, this is the single most important aspect of your business that will help you achieve continued rising profits or a painful spiral into bankruptcy. Do you have the right people on the bus? Is your staff committed to working a bit harder, being a bit more creative, changing the way they approach their jobs? If their work becomes a bit harder or they need to assume additional responsibilities, are they going to be surfing the web for their next home? If you have any concerns about your team, now is the time to retrain, reassign duties or replace. Now is not the time to keep dead weight, they will only bring down your other committed employees and be a wasted labor expense.

YOUR MARKETING PLAN: Are you effectively getting the word out about your exclusive competitive advantage? Do you have a marketing plan? For fun, Google “Advertising In A Down Economy” and read a few of the articles. Now is more important than ever to have a strong marketing plan. Don’t spread your limited marketing budget too thin by trying to be everywhere. Pick one media and dominate that. If you can’t afford to dominate one media, pick one particular radio station / TV station / publication and dominate that. If you can’t afford to do that, then pick one aspect of the advertising entity’s audience and dominate that. In this business climate, a good marketing consultant is worth their weight in gold – find one and listen.

YOUR P&L STATEMENT: When is the last time you really reviewed this? Are there line items that are out of whack? If there are, research, understand and then fix them. Now isn’t necessarily the time to be thinking you need to cut expenses everywhere, just make sure everything is right sized.

YOUR CUSTOMER SERVICE: If it is not at the highest level, fix it fast or be prepared to watch your revenue decline quickly!

YOUR COMMITMENT LEVEL: Are you in this for the long haul? Do you still love what you do? If not, maybe now is the time to reevaluate. Maybe it is time to delegate more to those who do have the passion, or to sell completely. If you are committed then have fun with the challenge and celebrate every little win, no matter how small.