Hello shoppers… 

I was driving my Prius just now when the steering wheel came off in my hands so before the wrecker gets here I thought I’d write a quick post on my Blackberry about how companies handle the bad publicity that comes with making products that can freakin kill us. 

Today it was announced that The Camry Sedan is the latest in Toyota’s “Pick A Car! Any Car!” recall game, joining Prius, Corolla - I can’t type fast enough before they add another one. The President of Toyota said he “may” come to the U.S. next week “to tackle criticism that his company moved too slowly on earlier recalls.“ He also suggested all current Toyota owners “should get their affairs in order” and “don’t start any long books.” 

“May?”??? Here’s a better idea Mr. Toyota owner. Instead of coming to the U.S. waaaay too late to really matter, take the infinity quadrillion dollars in Toyota profits you’ve made since Noon last Wednesday, build a time machine, go back to the first time Toyota owners started screaming about brake and steering problems and, instead of blowing smoke up the owners’ exhaust pipe that it was a stuck floor mat, announce a massive unprecedented recall of every vehicle.  

Customers dying isn't good for business

That’s what smart companies do when they screw up. Like when NBC pulled the plug on Jay Leno’s new show after only two weeks because the ratings were bombing and advertisers were jumping like fleas off an electrocuted skunk. Or when Coke flushed New Coke less than three months after it replaced Coke Classic and Pepsi’s market share jumped 50%. Or in 1982 when, within five days of the first reported case of cyanide poisoning (there were a total of seven) Johnson and Johnson recalled every bottle of Tylenol in the U.S. – 31 million bottles worth over $100 million. 

When you’re a business and you shoot the messenger/consumer, as Toyota did at the beginning of this growing fiasco, you run the risk of the messenger/consumer shooting back. By dragging their feet, Toyota has also shot itself.  Toss in an overall struggling automotive industry and an existing anti-foreign sentiment from American consumers (and workers) and you have the makings of an unprecedented economic disaster for Toyota, not just affecting short-term sales but more important, impacting their brand legacy. 

And it so easily could have been avoided. When somebody makes a mistake, all we want is for them to admit it, own up to it, apologize and make things right. Human beings are very forgiving. So forgiving that Coke and Tylenol both own more market share today than they did at the time of their “mistakes.” And Leno will have higher ratings than he did before he was moved to prime time – just watch. I’m sure you will. 

He’ll probably have a few jokes about Toyota. 

Jonnie Wright is a marketing consultant and customer service trainer in Des Moines, Iowa. Email him at jonniewright@thebuyosphere.com 

Next time: Is That Processing On Your Face Or Are You Just Unhappy To See Me?

The ActionCOACH GulfAtlantic team would like to welcome Eric Simmons to the team.  Eric lives in Delaware, where he has spent most of his recent career at Energizer as VP of North American operations.  His focus has been on cultural transformation leading organizations through strategic and operational changes as a hands-on manager and consultant. 

We will be providing more information on Eric and his plans for his ActionCOACH business in the near future…until then, welcome to the team Eric!

NPDA 8th Annual Leadership Conference
March 10-12, 2010 Sheraton Philadelphia City Center Hotel
http://www.privatedutyhomecare.org/sections/consumers/conference.php

Risa Baker will be presenting: Take Control of Your Exit Plan

Contact us before the Conference!
239.466.2848
info@partners31.com

Thanks to Autoresponders for sponsoring the following blog post

Email marketing has been in existence for a long time and many online entrepreneurs can attest to its powers of persuasion when directed at the right people, at the right time, with the right product/service and in the best language/tone applicable. The advent of the ugly side of email marketing (spam) meant the real value of this concept, experienced devaluation, however there are still ways of getting around this downside – marketers can target email campaigns under permission from recipients. It is also essential to provide opt-out details in each email, to avoid spoiling your reputation with a spammer tag – unsolicited commercial communication is a risky affair.

Professional practices in the bulk mailing area include the provision of a physical address of your company, a privacy policy, a clear opt-out click capacity, do not use third party lists or handing addresses to third parties without permission. The design of your emails should take into consideration the requirements of the most popular email clients(Gmail, Lycos, and Hotmail) the default width of the most common web email clients use 650 pixels, anything wider might cause scrolling difficulties and the ideal size is below 100KB. The inclusion of images is no longer a viable option due to the frequency of malicious software hidden within email images, as a result many email clients automatically block image downloads.

Make available plenty of links in the body of your email, and increase the chances of clickthroughs, pay attention to your imaginative efforts on the subject line by being true and analyze past subject line perfomance, use multiple subject lines to establish the most effective ones and make them as compelling as possible. Landing pages to which your links lead must place your recipients within easy reach of what attracted them in your email content, make it certain that any code you include will appear perfectly on the other side by testing them prior to sending.

When crafting an email message it is imperative to define your objectives, outline the intuitive engagement you expect from the recipients and send them emails that are useful and relevant. Due to the ever-present spam problems they must pass the cynical barrier at which most people regard emails. CSS enables the formatting of various forms of content like captions, links, indents, headings and it helps to avoid unncessary repetition of the formatting once done, this coding is good and useful for websites, but utilizing it in your mailing campaigns does not work well for your desired mail outcomes. Finally, despite the technical problems associated with this form of marketing, email boasts of viral marketing benefits, it is cost-effective and easy to evaluate.

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The Following Story is from Associated Content and sponsored by Email Marketing

You want to work as a business coach. Great, you chose a profitable career path. You created a website to highlight your education and training, and outlined how and why you can help business owners, but now what? If no one sees your website, you will not get any clients. So, now you need to develop a marketing plan. What should that plan include?

Article directories. You may be surprised how many people want to work-from-home or start their own business. You may also be surprised how many people turn to the internet to make that happen. Each day, thousands of men and women search the internet looking for small business ideas, ways to make money from, home, and so forth. If you write articles for article directories, they may find your content. Include a link to your website at the end of those articles and they will find your website.

The key to writing articles for article directories is to write on related subjects. You want to target new business owners and struggling business owners. Write articles on how to start a home based business, how to start a small business, how to run a profitable business, and important keys to running a smooth business. At the bottom of each article, remember to place a link back to your website. If they can use your services, they will.

Message boards for work-at-home parents. As previously stated, a lot of men and women want to work from home or be their own boss. For most, this is because they are tired of having someone else to answer to. For parents, this is to spend more time with their kids and eliminate the need for costly daycare. A stay-at-home mom may have a great idea to sell handmade toys online, but there are thousands of others doing the same. You can help her improve her products, create good sales pitches, and market her website.

To get clients from work-at-home message boards, you need to rely on posts, signatures, and your profile. Interact in the community. Even if you aren't a parent yourself, you are free to join. Does a parent ask about business ideas or marketing tips? Offer a few suggestions, but avoid from outright posting an advertisement. In fact, some message boards have an “Advertise Your Business Here,” section. If signatures are enabled, create a catchy phrase and make it clickable and leading to your website. That signature will appear below each of your posted messages.

In addition to targeting work-at-home communities, you can also do the same with small business communities. There are many online message boards where small business owners get together to share tips and tricks. Insert yourself in these types of communities.

Online business directories. If your business isn't already listed in a number of online business directories, get it. Perform a standard internet search with the phrase “business directories.” Those searching with the same phrase will get the same results. Start at the top of the list and work your way down. Most are free and you can add your business right away. When doing so, be sure to include a link to your website. The search engines and readers will pickup this link.

Search engine optimization. If you don't know what search engine optimization, also known as SEO, is, it is time to learn. You are hurting your business by being unfamiliar with the phrase and practice. When you created content for your website, did you use a keyword tracker tool to see what internet users are searching for? No? Go back and do so. You will find that people want to learn how to start a small business, how to open a storefront store, how to market and online store, and so forth. Take these exact phrases and incorporate them into your website content. The search engines will pick them up and list your website in related search results.

Searching engine optimization is a very important part of internet marketing. It can help your business or greatly hurt it. Your goal as a business coach is to teach others how to market their business. You need to be able to do the same with your own. If a reader searches for “business help,” “business coaches,” or “business coaching services,” and your website does not appear until the 10th page on Google, you are out of luck.

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The Following Story is from Associated Content and sponsored by How to Market

Is Direct Marketing for You? Over the past few years, the craze called MLM (Multi-level Marketing), or direct marketing, has taken the business world by storm. The popularity of direct marketing is attributable to a variety of factors. One is the changing world economy, from the old system(industrial) to the new system(informational). Second is the increasingly fragile world of corporate America. Job security is really a thing of the past. Now, People are looking for new ways to supplement or replace there income. Enter direct marketing. Direct marketing is simply a business without the traditional overhead costs. There are no commercials and no rent for buildings, hence the term “direct” marketing. It is a word of mouth business, and all it requires is an army of well trained personnel and a corporate structure. The rest is hopefully a good product and large profits for the entrepreneurial minded. So this begs the question, is direct marketing for you? It is, if you really wish to get out of the rat race and be your own boss.The benefits of working for a sound direct marketing company are many. First, there is the opportunity. Now a days, if you have a computer, a phone and an internet connection, then you have all the tools you need to create business. The information age has made it easier than ever to run with a business idea. The systematic nature of direct marketing has also made it easier than ever to succeed. A good company will have a few years of trial and error under their belt when it comes to training. They are more than happy to share their techniques with you. The cost of owning your own business is cheaper than ever as well. Many legitimate companies are asking for hundreds of dollars for the opportunity to be your own boss, and operate at your leisure. This is significantly cheaper than the hundreds of thousands it costs to own a franchise. You might be asking yourself, “do I have what it takes?”. If you are a natural sales person, direct marketing should be a shoe in. If not, worry not. There are tons of people of different skills and backgrounds that testify to the simplicity of direct marketing. Again, a good company allows the marketing tools, such as the DVD or CDs do all the talking for them. Trust the system and you will be rewarded. How does it all work? Do I have to clock in? Do I have to check in with my boss? The simple answer is no. However, you are running a business and, as such, you are ultimately responsible for your own success or lack of success. You are not on the clock but most companies will recommend that you spend at least ten hours a week on your business for results. You will also have someone mentoring you, your up-line. This person is responsible for training and nurturing you along the way. Your up-line will be vital to your success and you to his. Remember, this is a relationship driven business. Your business associates can make or break you. It sounds easy. What’s the catch? The catch is there is no catch. You will have to work and work hard. But for those with desire and determination, there is infinite financial reward in the form of residual income. What about all of the controversy with pyramid schemes? Yes, there are bad direct selling companies out there with no integrity. But, bad companies come in all shapes. Look at Enron. It is not the corporate structure; it is the people who run the company. Every company is multi-level. In every company, the people at the top usually get more. However, in direct marketing it is very possible to surpass someone who was initially above you. If you are driven and looking for a way out of the rat race, direct marketing could be the gift that you were looking for. A good company can take to places you never dreamed of. You must be responsible and independent, but the gold is there.

Click our link:How to Market for more info

This Blog Post is from Associated Content and sponsored by Affiliate Marketing

A recent post on the website Succeed @ Email Marketing discussed the fact that email marketing should be important. Except important is not used in the literal definition of the word, it's used as the acronym I.M.P.O.R.T.A.N.T., meaning Insightful Marketing that's Personalized, Optimized, Relevant, Targeted and Never Tired. What exactly is meant by this, how can you achieve it for your own email campaigns and why should it matter to you?

Let's begin by looking at the fact that 94% of the email sent around the world is spam. With such an overwhelming majority of the email each of us receives being utterly worthless, it makes sense that we all are a little bit more wary of every message in our inbox, regardless of potential positive intent.

Even messages we signed up to receive end up disregarded because with so much spam floating around, email users trust next to nobody. We are much more likely to hit delete, ignore or SPAM then to open a message and see what's inside.

That's where being IMPORTANT comes into play, because if your email campaigns follow this basic blueprint, your messages will be delivered and read, and will end up converting your prospects into customers and your existing customers into repeat clients.

Think of IMPORTANT email messages as the exact opposite of spam messages. Spam is certainly not personalized to you, even if they ripped off your name as well as your address and included it in the subject line. It's not relevant to what you need or care about, it's not targeted to who you are and it's repeated ad nauseum with the same incessant messages.

So what's the difference with an IMPORTANT email message?

Insightful Marketing: Your email campaigns should be insightful marketing efforts that you take time to put together. They should incorporate not just tried and true marketing strategies, but also basic insight into your market, your list members and your own brand. It's about using your experience and judgment to craft a consistent image and then to match that image with the needs and desires of your selected market.

Personalized: An effective email marketing message is personalized, on both ends. This means that you should inject some personality into your messages, which can be done by writing casual, friendly messages, including full names and pictures of who you are and who is doing the writing and so forth.

On the other end, it can be done by segmenting your email list into different groups with specific needs and interests. Some quick market research will reveal that some people on your list may be interested in discounts and promotions, while others may want breaking news and some people may want everything.

Optimized: The best email marketing campaigns have been thoroughly tested and optimized. By testing different variables such as different styles of subject lines, different email layouts, different calls to action and more you can create a highly optimized email message that contains all of the strongest elements of the various tests. The result is an email campaign that will convert at much higher rates.

Relevant: The messages you send out have to be relevant to the people receiving them. Regardless of how proud you are that your son just got into college, or that your buddy down the hall just got a promotion, is that really relevant material for an email newsletter from your company to its clients? Stay on point, and provide relevant information that people will care about, be interested in and find useful.

Targeted: You'll have an easier time providing relevant email messages if your list has been carefully targeted. There's no sense in purchasing a list full of names that don't know you and wish nothing to do with you. However if you've built a permission based list filled with people that may actually be interested and open to what you have to say, you'll have much more success.

Never Tired: If you haven't purchased the great new system (!!!!) for pleasing your lover and having natural penile extension the first 12,000 times, then you probably won't on time 12,001. Don't keep on doing the same things redundantly, especially when they aren't working. Write about new topics, use a new template or logo, attack a familiar subject from a unique angle and so forth. Just be sure that your campaigns never become tired.

If you take the time to craft IMPORTANT email messages, you'll see that the results speak for themselves.

More info on Affiliate Marketing can be found on our main site!

This Blog Post is from Associated Content and sponsored by Lead Generation

Targeted email marketing is the cheapest and probably the most effective marketing tool available for todays Internet businesses. Everyone on the Internet has an email address. With programs that will send pre-written emails to an almost infinite number of addresses with the click of a mouse button, it's easy to understand the appeal.

But no matter how efficient or advanced your email marketing system is, it's not going to matter if your emails end up in the junk or bulk folder. This is why you need a good spam checker.

The biggest hurdle to email marketing today is spam filters. Many unscrupulous email marketing campaigns, driven largely by fraudulent marketers, took advantage in the early days of email marketing. And continue to do so today. As a result, most ISPs and free email account hosting sites have set up spam filters. Most hosting companies take a firm stand against their clients that engage in spam mailings. But don't think this has stopped the spam. There are many programs available that search websites for “mailto” links and other ways for email addresses without obtaining permission. And some hosting companies can't or just don't enforce the anti-spam rules.

Ways To Avoid The Spam Label

To avoid having your emails labeled spam, focus your email marketing on addresses that have signed up to your list. Use the double opt-in method. Make sure every email you send out has a link for the recipient to unsubscribe. If you're thinking about using a rented or purchased list, check into the company you're getting it from first. If the deal looks to good to be true, it probably is. Before agreeing to joint mailings with other Internet marketers, make sure they're as concerned with their email marketing reputation as you are. Not every marketer cares about using spam free email marketing.

Ways To Avoid Being Blocked As Spam

Once you're sure your emails are going to the people that want them, you still need to take precautions against your emails being blocked by the spam filters.

The best way to avoid spam filters is to be aware of how they work. They don't all work exactly the same. But there are some things that will set off their alarms. Most spam filters use software that scans the e-mail for certain triggers, which include certain phrases, formatting, and some types of aggressive writing styles

You've probably received emails that have certain words typed differently than you usually see them. This is because some words catch the attention of the spam blocking programs. The most common ones are “free” (used alone or with many other words like “money”, “quote”, “sample”, “trial”, “access”, “membership” etc), “guarantee”, “money”, “$$$”, “extra income”, “checks”, “as seen on TV”, “sex”, “XXX” and “porn”. Some harmless seeming phrases like “cable converter”, “reverses aging” and “search engine listings” can set off triggers. If you can word your mailings without using these terms, then you might want to do so. But if you have to use them, get creative with them. For example, you could type f.r.e.e and it shouldn't be read as free by the programs, but the human eye still sees it that way. You don't want to use too many tricks to fool the spam filters. Better to try using words that avoid them. Try to avoid using free in capitals, or in the subject line. And don't talk about money with an exclamation point. Sometimes the word “now” can trip the program triggers. “Now” is often used in sentences like “take advantage of this offer now”.

You also need to be careful with sentences with dollar amounts in them. Saying “I earned $12,756 last month” could trip the spam triggers. One way to rephrase that might be to say “I earned well over $12,756 last month”. Putting extra words between the dollar amount and earned, should let it pass the spam detectors.

Avoid the use of ALL CAPS in both the subject and body of your email. Try not to repeat marketing words too often. Stay away from excessive use of punctuation like “!!!”. These things can clutter your email. And set off the spam triggers. You want to keep your email marketing clean, with out clutter, both for the appearance and to avoid these triggers.

In the early days of email marketing, spammers had addresses like crook5783@flybynite.com. So, you want to avoid using email addresses with numbers in them for your email marketing campaign..

To avoid problems, I use an online spam checker. There are many free spam checkers you can find using key words 'free spam checker”. One of the best I've found is SiteSell SpamChecker Tool. These spam checker tools can help keep your email marketing out of the junk folders and in the in-boxes where they can be read. You just type, or copy and paste your email, newsletter or ezine in the box provided and the spam checker will let you know what you need to change. A good spam checker will also give you some tips to avoid future spam problems.

As you gain more experience in writing your emails, you will start using the right wordings to avoid triggering the spam checkers out of habit. Practice really does lead to perfection. Especially with email marketing. Use the free spam checkers available to keep your email marketing going in the right direction. At least 'till you get to the perfection stage.

You'll find more info on our main site Lead Generation

Thanks to Autoresponders for sponsoring the following blog post

I remember about ten years ago that it would be very rare in South Carolina that a yard sale would be going on a Saturday morning. Once in a while there was one but the family was moving to other parts so they were selling off stuff they did not need. Now there are hundreds of yard sales going on starting in some cases on Friday night and not ending until Sunday night. 

These yards sales have increased and increased and it is not because the family is moving to another town. There is money to be made in yard sales and there is always the dream of finding that hidden treasure like a Picasso or Monet hidden away somewhere behind an old picture of a grapefruit. This is probably a result in the popularity of TV shows such as Antique Road Show or Treasure in your Attic type shows. Yard sales also clear up the house of stuff that was packed away. Most of the items sold are items not wanted or needed by the seller such as crafts, books, electronics, clothing, games, and furniture. Some of the items that are bought are often repaired and resold by the buyer. 

After stopping by some of these yard sales I found out that a family member would put out signs during Friday to announce the yard sale and then when Friday afternoon came by they start setting up. This will continue during the weekend and what I found out is that some members of the family will go scout out other yard sales and buy in bulk what other sales have so they can sell it in their own sale for the following week. More and more families are doing this so there is a lot of variety of things for sale in these yard sales. 

The main reasons for these yard sales popping up all over the place are money and clearance. The money made during these yard sales depends on what is being sold. Clothes, crafts, antiques and kitchen wares sell really well. One family told me they make a few hundred dollars every weekend. There is no cost because you are at the house and there is a little labor that you use. Another reason for these sales is to clear the house of stuff that is not needed anymore. Lets face it most of us are pack rats and we gather in our lifetimes a range of things we no longer use. 

A lot of these sales include crafts and clothing for the most part and it is an easy way to pick up crafts and clothes that are needed by the consumer. For the most part there is financial gain for these craft sales and yard sales and these types of sales will increase in the future especially with the economy heading the way it is heading. When the economy worsens these sales will also increase. Have fun!

More info here: Autoresponders

Thanks to Email Marketing for sponsoring the following blog post

Yard sales are a bonanza for crafters. If you go to enough, you're likely to find almost everything that you need for your hobby, at prices that are generally 75% or more less than retail! Some of the things I pick up the most at yard sales are ribbon, beads, paint, rubber stamps, fabric and yarn. As a preschool teacher- I am drawn to a box of craft stuff like a moth to a flame! If I can't find a use for something in my personal projects, I can definitely use it in the classroom for crafts. The best thing about buying craft items at yard sales is that it allows you the freedom to experiment. I thought I might be interested in using a pottery wheel. I bought one for about $5 at a yard sale, and found it was way too messy and time consuming for me to want to do it frequently. So, I just chalked it up to a fun lesson learned, and re-sold the wheel for what I paid for it at my next yard sale. Most crafters are creative types anyway, and can see the potential in other people's castoffs! Obviously, as you get further and further invested in a craft or art- you will likely need some pieces that are hard to find at yard sales. But when you are just starting out, you can probably find everything you need to get started!

Prices are so much lower at yard sales than just about any other option! I bought a glue gun with about 100 replacement sticks for $1, a copy paper sized box of acrylic paints for $3 , a bag with several dozen bolts of ribbon for $2, etc. etc. (all yard sale prices quoted are in my area- prices can vary widely depending on the area of the county you are in- but I think everyone can find craft items at significantly less than retail!) I've bought whole boxes of assorted odds and ends for $1 or $2, and bought expensive pieces of equipment for much less than they were worth- because the seller wasn't familiar with what they had.

I've saved a ton of money in my candle making hobby by buying at yard sales. I bought my first kit (which included everything I needed to get started), for only $2. I've since bought wax, molds, scent, wicks, and just about everything else I use at other sales. I've also bought tons of stuff for soap making cheaply, and even buy my old jars and bottles to hold my home made bath salts at yard sales. I am always on the lookout for glass containers for candles, and can get them for free to .50 each easily.

Jewelry boxes are a great source for pieces for crafting. You can get broken pieces or a single earring for next to nothing- I've often had sellers give me these items free. I use single post style earrings as cool looking thumbtacks in my office (you can also glue shells to regular thumbtacks for a cute look) I take apart other broken or battered items to use in other projects. I've often bought a necklace or a bracelet to take apart for the beads. Pretty earrings can be made with beads and simple earring wires. “Orphan” earrings and pins can be used to decorate candles . Broken jewelry can be used for lots of projects and decorations. It's much cheaper to buy a handful of costume jewelry for $2 and re-use the beads, than it would be to go out and buy the beads at a craft store.

One of the downfalls for shopping for your supplies this way is that it is often difficult to find exactly what you want, quickly. Broaden your horizons, and roll with it. If you're a crafter, you're probably creative by nature- so use your imagination. I personally, would rather pay .50 for a piece of fabric that is very close to my original idea, instead of spending $5 at a fabric store, for a piece that was exactly what I was looking for. If you treat it like a treasure hunt, you'll likely be surprised at what you can find that will work for your needs. You might be surprised at the “happy accidents” that occur, when things work out different- but better, than you had originally planned!

Many people also decide to pick up a crafting hobby, buy all sorts of supplies, and then either find they don't enjoy it as much as they thought, or no longer have the time.. So you can often get their abandoned supplies very cheaply. Kids craft kits also abound at yard sales. Always check to see that the supplies are still good- I've found lots of dried up paint, clay, markers and glue. Always give any fabric a sniff test to make sure it hasn't gone musty from being in the attic too long!

Our best example of how you can benefit from someone else's discarded hobby was when my father wanted to get into making stained glass projects, but was a little overwhelmed at the amount of material that it took to get started. My Mom and I found a sale where the lady had been given a bunch of stained glass supplies when a relative died. She never got around to trying it, and was now selling hundreds of dollars of stained glass supplies and tools for $10. We got three large boxes full for that price (we later found out the glass included would have been at least a hundred dollars itself), along with books of patterns and instructions. Basically, we had almost everything he needed to get started, at least several hundred dollars retail, for only $10.

You can buy furniture or small items to paint and personalize as gifts. One of my favorite ideas for doing this is for kids. You can buy a children's wooden table and chairs for under $10 at a sale (usually complete with stickers, crayon marks, etc.) and refinish/ repaint it. Put the kid's name, or a favorite character on the table and Voila- you have an inexpensive, personalized, useful gift! You can also paint bookcases, trunks, etc. Many things at yard sales only need a new coat of paint or a creative mind to create another life for a discarded object.

I also buy vintage sheets to use for material for projects. They contain a lot of fabric, and come in cool retro prints- I can usually find sheets for 50 cents to a dollar- which is a lot of fabric for the money. This fabric is great for pillows, curtains, etc! I also see precut quilting squares pretty often, as well as sewing patterns and cross stitch books and kits. My mom bought an unfinished quilt top for $5, used an old sheet as backing, and an old quilt for the batting, and turned that unfinished quilt top into a very useful and beautiful thing! I've even bought clothing items at yard sales because I liked their construction. You can cut apart and de-construct an existing clothing item to make a pattern for another one.

We have a hanging basket chair on our porch. I used our old bed pillows (and added dollar store waterproof pillow covers) and dressed them two vintage pillowcases as covers. Cheap, easy and cute! I use vintage pillowcases and sheets for tons of fabric crafts. In some sheets, the top edge can be cut a little on the sides, making a long tube where you can insert a curtain rod, shower curtain rod etc. for a quick curtain. Buttons are also plentiful at yard sales. I once bought a big jar full of buttons for a dollar. I sold the (vintage) jar for $10 and am still using the buttons! Vintage pillowcases and a little ribbon can be turned into an adorable “pillowcase” dress for little girls.

I sometimes buy wreaths at yard sales, take off all of the original decorations and re-make it to my liking. Grapevine style wreaths work great for this (watch out though if the original items are glued on heavily- the glue can be hard to get off, I usually cover the glue spots with ribbon or new stuff) With a yard sale wreath, yard sale ribbon, and perhaps a holiday appropriate stuffed animal, knick nack, etc tied on- I can usually make a cute wreath for a couple of bucks in just a few minutes. I just about keeled over the last time I was at a craft store and saw the displays of wreaths for $30, $40, and waaaaayy on up!

One thing I always look for at yard sales are rubber stamps. One of my favorites is a standard “Invitation” stamp, with lines for the date, time, occasion, etc. I embellish these with other occasion appropriate stamps on card stock and always have inexpensive and personalized invitations. You can get free envelopes by going to card shops after major holidays when the card companies have representatives restocking the shelves. Often, if you ask nicely they'll give you a handful (or sometimes a box full!)- as they are only required to return the unsold cards to the manufacturers, not the envelopes. I also like stamps that say “thank you” in a pretty font- as they can be made into nice “thank you” cards to send yourself or use as gifts. I've even bought card stock at yard sales cheaply!

Occasionally you will find heavy duty tools and professional equipment at yard sales when someone is getting out of the industry. These can be treasure troves! It never hurts to ask a seller if they have anything else along the same line for sale. I had a seller once who brought out a whole extra box of candle making equipment and sold it to me for $5- just because I asked if she had anything else. I gave another seller my business card, and went back and picked up a whole bunch more deeply discounted supplies at a later time.

I went to one sale, where a lady had formerly run a scrap booking business out of her home. She was going out of business, and just wanted all of the excess stuff gone. I got several bags of items for $5, including some items that were only sold to consultants of the scrap booking company.

If you're planning on getting married, you can get a lot of wedding decorations and crafty stuff cheaply at sales. We bought baskets cheaply, and with a little spray paint and yard sale ribbon, they became great holders for favors. We bought tulle at a yard sale for .50, which we then cut up and used for favor wrappings. I bought ribbon for my wedding at yard sales too. We bought a whole bag beautiful of pre-made bows for $5, that we used for pew bows and other decorations. My friend used them at her wedding later in the year, and then we donated them to a church for other brides to use.

Rubber stamps can also be used on plain paper or butcher paper to make wrapping paper- used to make stationery, etc. If you buy stamp pads, check to see that they're not dried up, although sometimes they can be rejuvenated with a little water. If you get good at making cards, you can give a set of stationary or thank you cards as gifts. I purchased a set of alphabet stamps for $2, that were written in a very cool embellished font. By stamping people's initials on card stock, you can make a very nice gift. I usually give a set of thank you cards, and a set of personalized stationary as part of my gift for bridal showers.

Some people also buy used clothing for use in small fabric projects and for quilt squares. I'm not a quilter, but it seems there would be a fair amount of wasted fabric in this method. If you really like the print or the item is really inexpensive though- this might be a good way to get material. Some yard sales have deals where you can fill a bag with clothing for only a dollar or two. This can be a great way to get fabric cheaply, as long as you only need smallish pieces. I've got a friend that made her child an awesome rain slicker (cape style without arms- so pretty easy to make!) out of a vinyl shower curtain with a cool frogs print. Fabric is such a versatile thing- keep an eye out for prints and colors that appeal to you! I also keep a lookout for crib sheets- if you have a large dog bed, these may fit- and are cheap washable covers! (Animal shelters also love donations of clean used sheets and blankets for beds for the animals if you find some cheaply!)

Craft items are one thing that is often sold by the boxful. Sometimes I'll come across sellers that will sell the whole box only, though some people will sell items individually even if the item is priced in a lot. It never hurts to ask politely if you just need one or two things out of a big box. If you buy a box that has craft stuff you don't need, or have extra crafty stuff of your own laying around- many teachers would love a donation for craft time in their classrooms- the supplies for crafts often come out of their own pockets. If you are a teacher, mention to the sellers that you are buying for your classroom. You will sometimes get an additional discount- or they'll throw other items in for free. At a sale a few weeks ago, I was buying some craft supplies and some puppets for my classroom. When the seller heard that I was a teacher, she added a bunch more educational toys and items free of charge. I never ask for these extra discounts or gifts, but many people feel better about getting rid of their stuff when they feel it will be used and appreciated.

Another thing I've bought at yard sales that really helped me to get my craft supplies organized was a couple of big fishing tackle boxes. I have one for beads only (the compartments are great to keep them separated- I got one with multiple plastic boxes inside with lids- so they won't spill) and another with open compartments for general craft supplies. I got a pair of wire cutters for beading at a yard sale for 50 cents, and sometimes use fishing line for beading projects, as its cheap and strong. I had to fight my husband to keep the tackle boxes though, I seriously thought about spray painting them bright pink so he wouldn't try to “borrow” them. Don't feel bad for him- he has plenty of his own tackle boxes!

Another organizational tool I've bought at yard sales are the plastic storage units with drawers. These come from shoebox sized to dresser sized, and are great for organizing craft supplies, (expect to pay $1 to $5 unless they're big) You're much more likely to use your supplies if you can find them! These are also great for organizing bathroom products, office supplies, etc. I've probably bought at least 10 of different sizes at yard sales for various things.

If you plan to do crafts with your kids, you might want to buy a couple of mens dress shirts or big tee shirts at a yard sale for smocks to keep the kiddos clothes clean. Cut the front or back of the tee shirt all the way down so the shirt doesn't have be put on over their heads. Remember to cover the floor for messy projects too!

If you buy any paint or other liquid crafty stuff, make sure the cap is on tight before you buy it, it may not have been put away properly or other shoppers might have been checking it before you.. I had a big bottle of paint thinner spill in my car this way!

A “craft box” is also a super gift for many kids. A box can be made to fit any budget (If your box is looking sparse- maybe go to a dollar store and buy some new items- a sketchpad, markers, etc to add to it!) A box can also be made to reflect a child's age and interests. Depending on the kid, you can add beads, glue, paper, stickers, glitter, pipe cleaners, shells, fabric, ribbon, sequins, buttons and whatever else! You can also buy inexpensive wooden picture frames, journals, etc. at a dollar store for the kids to embellish with their treasures. This is a gift that will keep them entertained on a rainy day and will stimulate their imaginations!

If you're having a kids party, a fun activity plus take home favor is to buy cheap picture frames (or pick up a bunch at yard sales) for the kids to decorate and take home. Just put a big pile of embellishments and craft bits and pieces and enough glue for everybody and let them go to town! If you have a digital camera- perhaps someone can take and print out pictures of the birthday child and each guest to put in the frames. You can easily find bags of odds and ends at yard sales for decorations. A cute idea for a girl's party is to buy a bunch of inexpensive sunglasses and let the girls decorate them with rhinestones, sequins, etc. I've also seen this idea done with “magic wands” (craft store purchased wooden stars glued on dowel rods then embellished as the girls chose with ribbons, glitter and such)

Crafty people are generally creative- and can find alternate uses for lots of things. Give yourself permission to experiment. Use sun catcher paint to decorate your bathroom window, take things apart and put them back together in a way that is more to your liking, whatever. Just let your mind wander and your hands work- creating things, even if they don't turn in to “real” art… it's therapeutic to be creative- at any age! Remember, crafting doesn't have to be expensive. Just shop a few yard sales, and you'll likely find a new hobby, or supplies for an existing one, for a song!

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Sheri Winesett is helping Jim Bucher raise money for the trust he created to help with his son’s fight with leukmia
 When ActionCOACH, the world’s leader in business and executive coaching, launched its first-ever global pro bono business coaching campaign to extend a helping hand to the not-for-profit and charitable sectors of the economy, Business Coach Sheri Winesett enlisted the Landon Bucher Leukemia Trust into the program.

“Last July, my nephew, Landon was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. His parents began a Trust to help raise money so they could cover the costs associated with his treatment,” Winesett said. “I am passionate about helping children who are not well and this trust has the potential of helping other children fighting this fatal disease.”

Thanks to successful fundraising events, Landon received a bone marrow/ stem cell transplant on, December 8th, at Duke University Hospital.

“Landon who spent Christmas, New Year Eve, and his Birthday (January 3rd) in the Hospital will likely spend Easter there as well,” Landon’s father Jim Bucher said.

Winesett organized a very successful fundraiser recently, at the Chantilly National Golf Club, to raise money for the trust.

“Other important fundraising events held recently were the Landon Bucher Carnival in Virginia Beach, which was organized with the help of their Church and local businesses in the Kempsville community, and also a silent auction organized by a local business, (a children’s gym Landon used to attend), to support our cause,” Bucher said.

Hello shoppers…

You’ve done it a million times - you drive to the store, plunk down jack for a jar of Jif, scarf it in the kitchen with your finger, get caught by your wife who yells at you for acting seven, you prove it by drinking out of the milk carton, you get a divorce and live in your parent’s basement for six months where you gain 240 pounds eating peanut butter and drinking vodka any @#%& way you want.  

It all seems simple, no? Buying stuff?

No. Buying is a complex process that involves hundreds of variables, from product placement to peer pressure to whether Jane Seymour endorses it. Betsy Teutsch, consumer advocate and author of  Money Changes Things, writes on her “Why we shop: Getting a Grip on Consumerism” blog that there “are many triggers behind shopping,” of which the most powerful include “meeting needs, solving problems, fulfilling fantasies, affordability, short-term happiness and seeking style.” 

And duck architecture.

You’d be forgiven if you’ve never heard of the term.(I’ll forgive you although I can not speak for others less tolerant.) I know about duck architecture because I lived for three years on Long Island, where the phrase was coined by Robert Venturi, considered one of the most influential architects of the 20th Century.

Venturi was visiting the eastern side of Long Island when he came upon a wood and concrete building from which duck eggs were sold - good choice by the owners, since the 20 foot tall structure was shaped like a large mallard. The “Big Duck” was eventually sold and later added to the National Register of Historic Places - no one knows why. And the term “duck architecture” was thus used by Venturi to describe a structure that looks like the thing it sells – literalism in advertising.

There are many modern examples of duck architecture – the Oscar Meyer WeinerMobile. The episode of The Brady Bunch where cosmetics heiress Bebe Gallini asks Mike Brady to design a factory for her in the shape of a powder puff. And that’s about it. Okay there aren’t many examples. But the ones we do have scream fun – how can you not smile when you see someone driving a 27 foot long fiberglass wiener?

And that’s the problem. Most retailers aren’t willing to take risks when designing the multi-million dollar glorified Morton outbuildings where we shoppers go on our retail dates, which is why America’s roads are choked with listless four corner casket-shaped retail exteriors and uninspired tofu-flavored interiors dominated by thousands of 90 degree angles created by rows, racks and stacks of merchandise, piled floor to ceiling. Yawn. They’re as boring as my description.

But shoppers don’t shop by thinking with our reasoned practical left-brain. If we did, we’d never buy anything but the things we absolutely needed – donuts, Playboy, check, please!  Instead we buy by feeling, with our unreasonable, impractical, irrational, fun-loving heart. In fact, 80% of the decisions we make are based upon how we feel, not what we think, regardless of what men claim. (“Honey, I’ve thought about this $90,000 life-size animatronic moose with glow in the dark eyes for our family room, and it just makes sense!”)

Shoppers are round pegs, forced by most retailers to shop in square holes. That’s one of the reasons why online shopping has exploded – web site designers may also be left-brain and process driven but they can also read “Daily Unique Visitors” and “Gross revenue” reports. That’s why successful online retail sites are often made alive and vibrant with colors, curves, motion, video and sound.

This “fun-void” presents a tremendous opportunity for savvy business owners who are willing to toss out the book of design rules and play around with the look, feel, taste, sound and smell of their store. Duck architecture may have died but its attitude of fun and whimsy is something we long for, now more than ever. This is why I constantly encourage my clients to experiment with their stores, push the envelop, toss it on the wall and see if it sticks, literally. 

Imagine the entire main facade of a car dealership designed like the front grille of a classic car, complete with working head lights and turn signals. A shoe store entrance built in the form of a shoe opening, even made with real leather. These exterior designs would also give store owners incredibly fertile ground with which to design their store interiors. Speaking of which I once recommended that a lawn care store client plant real grass inside the store and have customers walk on it instead of carpeting. We even found a type of grass that would grow indoors! Eventually the idea was dropped, which demonstrates how difficult it can be to get owners to let go of the tree base and step out on to a limb, where the most breathtaking views exist, where our humanity aches to play – and where the greatest retail impact can be had.

If it looks like a duck and sounds like a duck, it must be - duck architecture. Otherwise you’re probably at Wal-Mart. For the rest of retailers? To paraphrase Cyndi Lauper, shoppers just wanna have fun – so let ‘em!

Click here to go to:  JEN BROOKMAN GRAPHIC DESIGN

Announcing Jen Brookman Graphic Design.  You can continue to her new website and blog at the link above.

About Jen Brookman Graphic Design:

With over eight years of graphic design experience and a large international client base, Jen Brookman has worked with a vast array of business owners and companies. But, it is her heart for helping people and strong knowledge of business and marketing that make her stand out from the rest.

Jen is a wonderful communicator. She takes the time to listen to her valued clients and asks strong questions that uncover their wants and needs. The result is a relationship-based experience that leaves the client satisfied and excited with their design or project.

Jen’s design experience has included working as a Freelance Artist and working at a large Los Angeles design firm as a Project Manager and Senior Graphic Designer. Her experience has allowed her to assemble a team of designers and artists to cover any client’s needs.

There is no corporation too large or start-up company too small for Jen Brookman Graphic Design. She has worked with major Fortune 500 companies such as Verizon Wireless and Remax. She has also designed for simple projects such housewives who want a logo for a hobby or bloggers who want a theme for their blog.

Call Jen today at 310.710.7224 Email: jen.brookman@gmail.com

Services Include: Logo Design, Corporate Branding Packages (Logo, Letterhead, Envelopes, Business Cards), Fliers, Brochures, Business Cards, Booklets, Newsletters, Banners, Mobile Phone App Graphics, Signs, T-Shirts and more…

Also contact us for websites, social media services, copywriting and viral marketing.

Click HERE to see our Photography department.

Partial Client List:

Verizon Wireless
Remax
Keller Williams
Washington Mutual
Classic Party Rentals (New York)
MCG
Orange Grove Entertainment
China Education Services (China)
Hoodialyte (New Orleans)
Raju Rasiah Rare & Exotic Jewels (Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills)
Portofino (Beverly Hills)
Assemblies Of God
Hollywood Icon Magazine (Hollywood)
Patriot Coach Lines (Georgia)
ISPEP Chicago Art Exposure (Chicago)
Little Squeaky Shoes (Australia)
African American Men & Boys Harvest Foundation

www.jenbrookman.wordpress.com

FAMEShawaii.org MISSION

On the first Wednesday of each month in Honolulu you NEED to be at a business meeting guaranteed to get your business noticed!  That meeting is hosted by FAMES (Filipino-American Multi-Ethnic Society) and it starts and ends with intense business networking opportunities!  Whether you’re Filipino or not, you’ll be exposed to the smorgasbord of ethnic flavors found in the “melting pot” known as Hawaii!!  And being Filipino is NOT a requirement for attending or membership!!

The organization is registered as a 501(c)3 non-profit in Hawaii, and exists to help business entrepreneurs and established business owners to share, interact and support one another while we ALL drive along the “Road to Success”!!  Having fun AND making money CAN go hand-in-hand, and the organization’s Founder, Joni B. Redick-Yundt, is a perfect example of what ENJOYING your SUCCESS looks like!  You can contact Joni at 808-781-5905 or jonimda@yahoo.com.

First Wednesday next month… BE THERE… and be more successful !

Service. I used to look at the word differently. Of course, I appreciated great service when I received it in a restaurant or hotel, but I didn’t associate the word with service to others in regards to what I can do for them. My appreciation of service has become more pronounced because of my venture into the entrepreneurial world; as I observe the most successful and charismatic public figures, I can’t help but observe that I am undeniably drawn to those that give back.  I am particularly aware of those that first serve the world with their talent and then share those blessings in charity.

We all know people like this.  When asked to picture someone that fits this description, you may immediately think of someone in ministry or military, but how about the business professional that actively looks to serve?

War hero, Nathan Hale said, “I am not influenced by the expectation of promotion or pecuniary reward. I wish to be useful, and every kind of service necessary for the public good, becomes honorable by being necessary.”

What vital service do you provide?  How can you help people?  How do you find the recipients that your talents would best serve?

Service.  Imagine if you were to approach every opportunity to promote what you do with that in mind first? We may consider it a lovely thought, but can it be manifested into reality? It makes sense, that as a business professional, your focus might be on the possible rewards from a media opportunity, large networking function or an important studio pitch meeting. But when you enter those events with a new mindset of servitude, the payoff can be amazing on a personal and professional level.

Think about this: Have you ever met someone that you admired, and they asked about you?   A friend once related a story about a major recording star that he shared a moment with.  The country-music artist had a song that my friend had associated with the loss of his daughter.  He met the star, and the thing that amazed him most about Garth Brooks was not his obvious talent, but his attitude of servitude. Songwriting is an expression of emotions that others may not be able to articulate and can sometimes heal the soul.  Garth embraced that.

What talents do you possess that might lead to a healing or a breakthrough for someone?

A prosperous life and financial resources can be a great reward, but our eyes needn’t always be on the reward to receive it. If we focus on serving others first, we might temporarily lose sight of the reward, but when the time is right-it is all that more glorious!

Hello shoppers…

I hate being ignored. Hate it. More than I hate almost any other human behavior. And I’ve worked at a bar, where drunks won’t leave you alone.  

Call me Captain Stinky Pants and I’ll understand. Toss your poop at me and I’ll forgive you. (Monkeys have done this and I’ve forgiven them) Yell at me, shoot at me, try to run me over with your car and I can deal with it. (Okay maybe I’ve got self-worth issues.)  Because in each case you are, at the very least, acknowledging me. Your reaction, any reaction, must mean that I do, indeed, exist - I’m here, present and accounted for, horray!

But act like I’m invisible? Whoo nelly - a part of my heart breaks off and falls into my shoes. Look through me like I’m a window instead of a door and you won’t have to shoot me because I’ll do it myself. The truth – my truth and, I believe, a universal human truth for all of us - is that being ignored is one of the most destructive things that another person can do or, more accurately, not do to us.

Here’s why denying our reality, hurts so much.

The only way any of us knows that we exist, that we are (All of that “I think, therefore I am” rigmarole aside) is because people we come in contact with throughout our lives, from the time we are born to the very moment you’re reading this,  react to our presence - they laugh, cry, scream, smile, run away and most important, talk. 

This becomes our expectation and our validation, that we’re alive and here – otherwise, why would anyone talk to us if we aren’t here? (There are rare exceptions to this that involve padded rooms and major city bus stations.) This need to be acknowledged and thus be validated, accepted and loved is such an integral part of our humanity that I think it’s one of the major reasons why we have children – no parent ever wonders if they really exist. “Mom? Mom?? Mooom!”

Yet are there good reasons to be ignored?

Mark Dykeman is an IT pro living in Canada who writes a fascinating blog about human behavior called Broadcast Brain. In a post entitled “The Reasons Why Other People Ignore You,” he writes that “being ignored is one of the worst things in the world,” but that there are intentional and unintentional reasons why people ignore us. “The main reason that people will ignore you in a callous, ignorant, or hurtful way is that acknowledging you will be unpleasant to them,” says Dykeman, who also points out that there are benign reasons, too, including a lack of focus, too much outside stimulus and the fact that those who ignore us, may simply not recognize us. In the circle of our friends, family and acquaintances, there are justifiable reasons for ignoring and being ignored.

And then there’s shopping.

When it comes to the world of retail, we’re talking about a different world with a different set of rules and expectations. Remember, you’re on a retail date - companies are supposed to make you feel loved and wanted and appreciated. Yet regretfully, in today’s sad state of customer service, being ignored by employees has become SOP – like we were a bothersome gnat entering their tent instead of a consumer with money entering their workplace. 

Think of how often you go into a convenience, grocery or retail store and employees don’t acknowledge you – whether you walk past them or walk up to them at the counter. (Telling you the total you owe after ringing up your merchandise is not acknowledging you.) I can’t tell you how many times I’ve walked up to a check-out clerk who will look me right in the eye, and say nothing. Or continue a conversation they’re having with another employee while they completely blow me off. Yikes! We’re talking about people who are paid ambassadors for the stores they work for. And they’re routinely ignoring us. It’s outrageous.

Which is why I draw a line in the sand with employees in training: Acknowledging consumers is not a suggestion, it’s a mandate – you will smile, say hello and acknowledge every person who walks through your company’s door, every time, without exception. It’s something my secret shoppers look for, something we video-tape and train on and something I preach over and over. It’s simple my fellow shoppers – I believe that when we’re not acknowledged and engaged, we will spend less money and show less loyalty and that should be enough reason for business owners to demand it from their employees.

Which is why I made a decision a month ago – if I’m shopping and an employee doesn’t acknowledge me when I bring my merchandise up to the check-out counter, I’m leaving my items there and walking out, no exceptions. So far I’ve had to do it a half-dozen times – each time I’ll explain to the check-out person, “You are three feet from me and yet you didn’t say anything to me. That makes me feel like you don’t care enough to acknowledge me and so I’m going to shop somewhere where they will.” One night I drove to three Hy-Vee’s before I bought a jar of salsa. A helpful smile in every aisle? I’d settle for more than a grunt from their cashiers.  

The bottom line - if the only thing somebody can say to me is “$6.37, paper or plastic?” then they don’t deserve my business…or yours.

(Next time: Duck Architecture – Where We Buy Should Look Like What We Buy)

Hello shoppers…

There are so-so retail dates that we quickly forget. There are bad ones we share with friends. There is any trip to The Dress Barn.

Then there are those nearly-biblical customer service disasters that feel like you’re plummeting to Earth inside a plane whose wings have been sheared off.  These gut-wrenching out of body retail moments transcend the mere irritation that goes with being blown off by an uber-pierced gum-chewing teenage cashier at your local Sack N’ Save – and the rarefied air they occupy guarantees their entry in The Unsecret Shopper’s “Shopping Hall of Shame.”

To qualify for enshrinement in the SHS, a shopping experience must have two basic elements:

1. An unsuspecting shopper.

2. An employee who has completely lost his/her mind.

Together, these forces combine to create cringe-inducing, “I can’t believe I’m seeing this” moments that led Al Gore to invent the internet. (so we could shop on-line instead of in person) 

Here then are some of these magical shopping moments (yes these actually happened) experienced by yours truly (as well as related by shoppers and business owners alike) all of which occupy a beloved space in the Shopper’s Hall of Shame.

 

Kids, do try that at home – preferably

A married couple sitting in a restaurant in Des Moines (now closed) couldn’t figure out why, after taking their order, their server had not returned and had in fact not been seen for nearly 10 minutes. Concerned for the woman’s welfare and encouraged by his wife, the man finally stood up and began walking through the otherwise vacant restaurant, searching for the MIA server. Moving past a storage room, he heard muffled cries from the other side. Uncertain of what to do, he hesitantly opened the door – and the mystery of the missing server was immediately solved. 

On the floor lay the partially clad woman and the equally naked cook, clutching each other in the withering throes of passion.

 

Welcome To The Store, We’re Closing

A high-end furniture store was experiencing a precipitous drop-off in sales. The owner chalked it up to a sluggish economy but the economy didn’t seem to explain why even the most loyal long-time customers had stopped stopping by.

The perplexed owner questioned members of his staff, who all expressed shock at the downturn of business but could offer no plausible explanation. As conditions worsened, the owner took drastic measures including laying off some staff. But to no avail - admitting the company was no longer solvent, the owner sold off the remaining merchandise at fire sale prices and closed the store’s doors for good.

One day, towards the end of the sell-off, the owner was lamenting his misfortune to an old customer when she mentioned that one of the store owner’s employees had told her that the store was going out of business – three months before the owner told his staff. The owner contacted other former customers who relayed similar accounts – adding that staff had also warned them (falsely) of fictional furniture recalls, shoddy craftsmanship and trouble in the owner’s marriage. 

A few days later, the owner got word that two of his former employees had not stayed unemployed for long – they had recently opened their own furniture store.

 

A (dead) Bird At The Door Is Worth No One In The Restaurant

A restaurant owner in Des Moines hired me to review his customer service practices. Cleanliness, he said, was one of his top priorities and one he constantly preached to his store managers.

To see if his preaching was turning his employee congregation into believers, I decided to perform a simple test at one of his locations. I took a dead bird that was lying in the grass, minding his own dead bird business, and put it on the sidewalk directly in front of the front entrance to the restaurant. Certainly an employee would see it and dispose of it!

Two weeks later I returned to the restaurant – the bird had beaten me there. It still sat - dead – right where I’d placed him, so close to the door that employees would have to step over it to clean the glass, if they had been. I considered hiring the bird to it – after all, he was right there. Instead I staked out the area for a few nights, watching to see how patrons would react to the rotting bird carcass. Shockingly!, about every third customer would spot it, cringe, flap their wings and fly back to their car, taking their wallets with them.

Was the bird ever disposed of? Yes, two weeks later – by me. The lack of cleanliness was reflective of chronic customer service problems at the location and the owner eventually closed it.

(The “Dead Bird Test” is a staple of my customer service review process.)

 

There Will Be A Slight Re-stocking Fee

A check-out clerk at a convenience store in a small town in Northwest Iowa was ringing up a customer when the customer mentioned that they were out of a particular brand of beer. The clerk complained to the patron (mistake #1) that she’d repeatedly told the person in charge of re-stocking to make sure there was enough of the beer on the shelf.

Apparently the beer stocker-in-charge heard the clerk tossing him under the bus because he immediately appeared from behind a side door and began expressing his own version of the store’s stocking hierarchy. (mistake #2) The discussion continued and escalated, as a long line of customers gathered, with items in their hands and disbelief on their faces.

Finally, with the encouragement of the first customer, who just wanted to know if they had ”my [gosh darn] beer,” the stocker walked back into the cooler to, apparently, get the man his gosh darn beer.

Then, the sound of smashing glass. (mistake #3) And again. And one more time. The official store stocker was now the unofficial merchandise destroyer, smashing bottle after bottle of beer. (and who knows what else) He would solve the problem of who was supposed to stock the beer – he’d simply get rid of all of it!

Patrons were horrified – yet not leaving. (gotta have their stuff!) The store clerk was laughing. (mistake #4) Reacting calmly under duress, she picked up the store phone and rationally dialed – her best friend (mistake #4,592) who she regaled with a blow by blow description of the stocker’s tantrum.

I’ve shared a few of my best stories from the Shoppers Hall of Shame – now it’s your turn! You’ve had your share of bad customer service experiences – the rude clerk, the inebriated salesman, the customer service rep who calls you a name then hangs up on you – now it’s your turn to sound off! Talk about your worst retail dates – not only what happened but what, if anything, you did to retain some level of satisfaction. I’ll share your stories in future blog posts.

Thank you for sharing those bad retail dates!

(Next time: denying your reality – when it’s time to leave the store and not come back)

I have just been reading a great piece on the 3 rdi magazine for women in business website written by management consultant Hilary Briggs (click on the following title to read her full article): Hilary Briggs on the 7 mistakes that people make to kill their business.  Based on her experience of working with business owners, she identifies 7 key mistakes that she sees business owners repeating, often resulting in the end of their companies – and they are the same things we come across on a regular basis that means a business is in trouble:

• The owner doing everything themselves (not delegating)
• Believing they should know everything (as Hilary puts it: “You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know”)
• Expanding the business before getting proof that the basics are right
• Never sharing ideas (“You Haven’t Got Anyone To Bounce Ideas Off”)
• Hiring people just like them
• Being determined to not show weakness (which typically as Hilary shows is simply a lack of self awareness)
• Keep on doing what they’ve always done.

The nature of being human means we can all be guilty of at least one or two of the above list, but the danger is whether we get to realise it in time.  Practically every one of our clients says one of the best aspects of our support is simply that we provide an external, objective view of both their business – and them personally.  The key component of avoiding Hilary’s list above is to get the right people involved in your business – don’t believe you can do it all by yourself!

PPG’s consultants all have a reputation for being very direct, but have all been trained in emotionally intelligent mentoring to create the classic iron fist in a velvet glove approach.  We don’t just advise or coach – we roll our sleeves up and get stuck in when needed (hence our strap-line of Implementing, not just Consulting!).  Which means we get results fast and help business owners avoid getting too far down the top 7 list above.

We recognise that a key differentiator for all true entrepreneurs is their single mindedness in doing what they believe is right.  BUT the successful ones also recognise the need to watch and listen to others before making up their mind – and learning from previous mistakes (to avoid repeating them in the future!).

If you feel you are at risk of falling into any of the 7 traps above, Contact us at PPG for a free consultation to see how we can assist you to accelerate the growth of your business.

The Following Blog Post is from Associated Content and sponsored by Affiliate Marketing

Targeted email marketing is the cheapest and probably the most effective marketing tool available for todays Internet businesses. Everyone on the Internet has an email address. With programs that will send pre-written emails to an almost infinite number of addresses with the click of a mouse button, it's easy to understand the appeal.

But no matter how efficient or advanced your email marketing system is, it's not going to matter if your emails end up in the junk or bulk folder. This is why you need a good spam checker.

The biggest hurdle to email marketing today is spam filters. Many unscrupulous email marketing campaigns, driven largely by fraudulent marketers, took advantage in the early days of email marketing. And continue to do so today. As a result, most ISPs and free email account hosting sites have set up spam filters. Most hosting companies take a firm stand against their clients that engage in spam mailings. But don't think this has stopped the spam. There are many programs available that search websites for “mailto” links and other ways for email addresses without obtaining permission. And some hosting companies can't or just don't enforce the anti-spam rules.

Ways To Avoid The Spam Label

To avoid having your emails labeled spam, focus your email marketing on addresses that have signed up to your list. Use the double opt-in method. Make sure every email you send out has a link for the recipient to unsubscribe. If you're thinking about using a rented or purchased list, check into the company you're getting it from first. If the deal looks to good to be true, it probably is. Before agreeing to joint mailings with other Internet marketers, make sure they're as concerned with their email marketing reputation as you are. Not every marketer cares about using spam free email marketing.

Ways To Avoid Being Blocked As Spam

Once you're sure your emails are going to the people that want them, you still need to take precautions against your emails being blocked by the spam filters.

The best way to avoid spam filters is to be aware of how they work. They don't all work exactly the same. But there are some things that will set off their alarms. Most spam filters use software that scans the e-mail for certain triggers, which include certain phrases, formatting, and some types of aggressive writing styles

You've probably received emails that have certain words typed differently than you usually see them. This is because some words catch the attention of the spam blocking programs. The most common ones are “free” (used alone or with many other words like “money”, “quote”, “sample”, “trial”, “access”, “membership” etc), “guarantee”, “money”, “$$$”, “extra income”, “checks”, “as seen on TV”, “sex”, “XXX” and “porn”. Some harmless seeming phrases like “cable converter”, “reverses aging” and “search engine listings” can set off triggers. If you can word your mailings without using these terms, then you might want to do so. But if you have to use them, get creative with them. For example, you could type f.r.e.e and it shouldn't be read as free by the programs, but the human eye still sees it that way. You don't want to use too many tricks to fool the spam filters. Better to try using words that avoid them. Try to avoid using free in capitals, or in the subject line. And don't talk about money with an exclamation point. Sometimes the word “now” can trip the program triggers. “Now” is often used in sentences like “take advantage of this offer now”.

You also need to be careful with sentences with dollar amounts in them. Saying “I earned $12,756 last month” could trip the spam triggers. One way to rephrase that might be to say “I earned well over $12,756 last month”. Putting extra words between the dollar amount and earned, should let it pass the spam detectors.

Avoid the use of ALL CAPS in both the subject and body of your email. Try not to repeat marketing words too often. Stay away from excessive use of punctuation like “!!!”. These things can clutter your email. And set off the spam triggers. You want to keep your email marketing clean, with out clutter, both for the appearance and to avoid these triggers.

In the early days of email marketing, spammers had addresses like crook5783@flybynite.com. So, you want to avoid using email addresses with numbers in them for your email marketing campaign..

To avoid problems, I use an online spam checker. There are many free spam checkers you can find using key words 'free spam checker”. One of the best I've found is SiteSell SpamChecker Tool. These spam checker tools can help keep your email marketing out of the junk folders and in the in-boxes where they can be read. You just type, or copy and paste your email, newsletter or ezine in the box provided and the spam checker will let you know what you need to change. A good spam checker will also give you some tips to avoid future spam problems.

As you gain more experience in writing your emails, you will start using the right wordings to avoid triggering the spam checkers out of habit. Practice really does lead to perfection. Especially with email marketing. Use the free spam checkers available to keep your email marketing going in the right direction. At least 'till you get to the perfection stage.

You'll find more info on our main site Affiliate Marketing

The Following Story is from Associated Content and sponsored by Email Marketing

Market legitimate work from home businesses like franchising efforts.It's hard to tell legitimate work from home businesses from the scams, but it's even harder to start one that doesn't look like a scam. Most entrepreneurs know how to do something really well, but they might not know how to market it correctly, which will turn people off. It's a shame that sometimes the best people lose out on business because of bad marketing, so here's how to market legitimate work from home businesses without looking spammy.

1.
Legitimate online business does not buy into cheap link trade sites.The true online entrepreneur is inundated with scammy ways to market their product. The first step to start a legitimate work from home business is to not buy into these fly by night marketing schemes. There is no easy way to get your product to the bloggers or on the messageboards; you will have to join up and be a part of the community for a while and get people to trust you. Link trade sites and the like are spam and phishing sites which will make your business seem like a scam. Also remember that Google does pay attention to the “quality” of pages that link back to you. You want quality links, not quantity, so spend some time getting to know the real dealmakers.

2.
Market a legitimate work from home business by keeping your audience tight and small at first.After you separate the chaff promotion sites from the wheat, the second step to creating an airtight online work from home business or franchising opportunity is to brand yourself at every turn, which the quality of your links has to do with. I know it's hard to keep from yelling your business to the rafters, but you want a consolidated audience that is interested in your wares. Wide net casting will get you nothing but banned. Only post on places and talk to people who have opted in some kind of way to receive correspondence from you.

3.
Hire someone to make your website flow and your business look professional.Once you have your audience focused, you need to make your website pop. Overly bright colors, flashing text, weird fonts, and information oversaturation make your brand look scammy. Opt instead for a classic, reserved look, which will set you apart from the scammers in and of itself. If you need to hire someone to do this for you, by all means do. You're not as good at Dreamweaver as you think. Make sure their online portfolio includes clients in industries similar to yours.

4.
Use networking sites to link back to your business' landing page. Free online marketing, and you know it's quality because you did it.After your website is popping, you want to link back quality to it. This is where your affiliate sites come in, your eHow articles with your profile linking back to your landing site, your Youtube page with updates on your business and your funny commercials, again with a link back to your landing site, your Twitter account with timely and relevant updates to your business. Use the networks that are already out there and expand your audience with quality content that you don't have to pay for. People also appreciate the free information at first, which will prompt them to buy your service from you, and not your competitor. Good luck with starting your online work from home business!

You'll find more info on our main site Email Marketing

This Blog Post is from Associated Content and sponsored by How to Market

Direct sales companies such as Mary Kay, Pampered Chef, Tastefully Simple, Tupperware and many others all promote and promise an easier life and success if you just join their company. The sales representatives for these companies make it sound so easy to make money you wonder why everyone hasn't caught onto this direct sales phenomenon. Sales representatives for direct sales companies are taught how to promote their company's marketing plan, give high hourly figures for income but seldom speak of how much work is actually involved to achieve the income they brag about. Most times the income sales representatives are bragging about is only realized by a very small percentage of the company.

Even if commissions earned are high on the products sold, expenses can take a big chunk of your profit. For example, with Mary Kay you earn 50% profit on all of the products you sell. But once you factor in all of your expenses (gas, shipping, samples, catalogs, seminars, retreats, conferences, weekly meetings) your profit will quickly drop to approximately 20% – 25%. There are also companies, like Mary Kay, who like their representatives to carry inventory which is another big expense.

Such a small percentage in direct sales actually earn a lot of money and make a living off of their business without working another job. These direct sales companies will tell you the percentages aren't higher for success because people give up too easily, have poor money management skills and are lazy. But when you think about it, the structure of these marketing plans are set up for failure otherwise everyone who joined would be able to make it to the top.

I had several years experience working in direct sales and I also did it as my full-time job. It is not easy at all. If you want to succeed in a direct sales business, you do have to have some luck on your side. For some people it seems that sales, recruiting and success just come easy. For most of us though it is a constant uphill battle that never ends. In order to make it to the top in any direct sales company, you have to recruit and you can never really stop recruiting. Once you make it to the top, you still need to recruit your downline into higher positions within the company in order to ensure that you will earn more money.

If you are the type of person who can't handle rejection, then direct sales is definitely not for you. You will hear “no” more times than you can count and it can be very frustrating – especially if you depend on your direct sales business for your income. You will also learn quickly in this type of business that people are very unreliable. Most direct sales companies thrive on home parties and you will have many occasions where you go to someone's house for their party they scheduled and no one will be home. This to me was the most frustrating. I made it a point to always tell my hostesses that Mary Kay was my income and I depended on these parties, as it was my job. But some people are rude and just don't care. You can expect that at least 50% – 60% of appointments you schedule will either cancel or postpone.

If you are trying to recruit in order to move up the career path in your direct sales company, you have to realize that you can't make other people work. This is another frustrating aspect. You can motivate and offer incentives until you are blue in the face, but it won't do you any good if your team does not want to work. The only person you can depend on in order to move up is yourself. You have to face the facts that if you want to succeed, you have to do all of the work yourself.

Sales representatives will also promote that you can earn a lot of money with only a minimal time investment. This is another exaggeration. It takes a lot of time to make any business successful. The sales representatives are only taking into consideration the amount of time it takes you to hold a sales party. They forget to mention all of the time it takes leading up to that point. A two-hour sales appointment in reality takes a total of five to six hours that includes phone time, booking the appointment, coaching the hostess, sending postcards and invitations, calling guests, preparing for the party, driving time, set-up time, ordering and delivering product, and the book work involved.

Before joining any direct sales company, make sure you ask a lot of questions and never sign up on the spot. Many of these companies are masters at getting people excited so that they make quick decisions and that is the last thing you want to do. Be prepared and think long and hard before you make any type of commitment or investment.

Click our link:How to Market for more info

This Blog Post is from Associated Content and sponsored by Affiliate Marketing

Bulk email marketing is a method of reaching and communicating with existing and prospective customers. Over the recent years, it has become a lucrative business. An obvious plus factor of bulk email marketing is that it is less expensive than the traditional bulk postage mail. As long as your emails are not unsolicited or labeled 'spam mails' then you're ok.

It is possible to make money with bulk email marketing. It's a means of promoting your products and services the easiest way you can. Avoid the usage of attachments as far as possible because it takes more space and requires longer time to download. You have to also make sure that the links provided in the mails, if any, are functioning properly.

Here are four steps to make money with bulk email marketing:

Step One – Build your lists.
Building the list of your potential or existing customers is usually considered one of the most important, if not the most important. Ask your existing customers for permission to mail them information or the latest updates on your products or services (you call this 'opt-in email) – and most will agree. For prospects, collect their addresses from your email business correspondence. Sometimes, other suppliers may even be willing to swap lists with you.

Step Two – Create your promotion
When many people think about marketing, they usually thing about advertising or promotion. There are various ways in approaching a bulk email promotion. To make money with bulk email marketing, make sure you include a strong offer. Specific offers such as “25% off until the end of the month” are most attractive and inherently stronger than an offer of “Please call us if you need more information” Or “We'll have our salesperson call you.” Other strong offers are sweepstakes or contest (e.g. “win $3,000 cash and a trip to Hawaii…”) and a 'FREE!' offer. Be creative. Also, be sure to include appropriate click-through links to your web site, landing page, name removal, terms and conditions, and other important and relevant information.

Step Three – Plan your lead follow-up and order fulfillment.
Remember that promoting your business's products and services can be an effective way to get the word out. With any promotion, it is important to ensure you plan out exactly how you'll follow-up on each lead or order. We don't want our lead to lose interest if after all the trouble of getting them we neglect their awaited order only to be careless in not promptly following up.

Step Four – Mail and Measure.
Last but not least, place your promotion in the email by using a qualified email distribution vendor or if necessary, an appropriate mailing software. Most vendors or mailing software will be able to or willingly provide statistical information about who opened the emails, who clicked through on each link in the email, who wants their name removed from your list, and so on.

If you follow these steps and stand by your commitment and consistent effort, there's a strong possibility you'll be on your way to the bank with money earned from bulk email marketing.

Visit our sponsor Affiliate Marketing today!

The Following Story is sponsored by Lead Generation

What Is Email Marketing?
Any email sent to a current or potential customer or client falls under the heading of email marketing. Email marketing uses electronic mail (email) as its method of delivery to send messages that are commercial in nature to a specific or targeted audience.

Email marketing is an industry with an amazing growth rate. Experts estimate that US firms alone, spent over $400 million in 2006 on email marketing. It's quickly becoming the most used method for showing advertisements. Email marketing has come a long way over the years. Specialized marketing methods now allow targeting of specific demographics with an ease unheard of a few years ago.

Why Email Marketing?
While email is not necessarily the only means of communication between the seller and the buyer, it's by far the most widely used. Even though it's been the practice of including a phone number and physical address in emails and on the web sites of national and international companies, it's only now becoming common practice for the majority of Internet businesses to do so.

Internet users have become accustomed to corresponding through email. It's fast, it's easy and it's free. Email marketing was just a natural progression in email evolution. People are reading emails, so marketers can use that to their advantage. That was figured out shortly after email came into existence, I'm sure.

What's An Email Marketing Campaign?
Many Internet marketers think an email marketing campaign is just mailing out advertisements. Others think they're using email marketing to is full potential because they're sending out newsletters and ezines.

But a complete and successful email marketing campaign is much more than just newsletters and attempts to sell. The steps in a successful email marketing campaign chain are:
get new potential customers
create and improve relationships with those customers
increase the loyalty and trust of the customer
make new or additional sales.

It's a natural progression. From one step to the next. Doing one successfully will bring you to the next. The email marketing campaign falls short of your goals when you try to go from the first step straight to the last one. Leaving out the two most important steps.

I agree that getting new customers and making sales is the reason all companies are in business. Sales mean money, and money keeps businesses open. And sometimes it happens that a reader will jump straight from your first email to a purchase. I wouldn't count on that happening very often. That would be too easy, and life just isn't that way. Trying to make a sale with every email should not be the primary focus of your email marketing campaign.

Email marketing's full potential lies in the relationship building that it allows. Internet sales depend on customer trust and familiarity more than any thing else. On the Internet there's limited contact. So the only way for online businesses to build familiarity is through repeated communication. And that communication takes the form of email marketing. Reading repeated emails over time builds feelings of familiarity. Not quite friendship, but close. The reader gets comfortable with the sender. And the comfort and the familiarity grows with more communication. Building a solid relationship. Making it easier to give their loyalty and trust.

The customer has to trust that the seller will be available if there's a problem. They certainly can't just go back to the store for problem solving. At least in the real world, it's reasonable to assume the store will still be there tomorrow. But on the Internet, there's no guarantee the web page will still be there. Even if it is, you can't just walk in and demand to see the manager. The customer has to trust the seller will be available at the email address supplied. The buyer must trust that the seller will back up his word. On on the Internet, it should be said “Trust = Sales = Money = Business Success“.

So concentrate your email marketing campaign efforts on building relationships. Then focus on improving those relationships. Then you can use the comfort of those relationships to build loyalty and trust. When you do, the sales will come with the natural progression of the email marketing campaign chain.

Provided, of course, you have a quality product. And that you've been focusing your email marketing campaign on a targeted audience with interest in your product or service. But thats another article.

Click our link:Lead Generation for more info