Casual Articles - Business

The Seven C's: Partnership Danger Signs - The 6th C: Changing Vision
A series of articles exploring the seven critical areas that can indicate a partnership is in trouble.The 6th C: Changing VisionIn order for a business to be a success the vision and mission must be reflected in all aspects of the structure, the culture and the strategy by which business is conducted. Contained in these are core values and principles set forth by the owners and leaders. If there are discrepancies between any of these, I can assure you there will be problems.There are two parts to vision. One is the partners' vision for the business and the other is each partner's per

clear, precise vision of where you are, where you want to be in 1year, and where you want to be in 5 years.

Not surrounding ourselves with the right people

All of the great books on success advocate spending time with people who are already successful at what you want to do. Why? By surrounding yourself with people several steps ahead of you, you can absorb the attitudes and values that made them successful, as well as picking up new strategies and ideas. So If you are hanging out with people who also lack a marketing mindset then it’s time to think about expanding your profes

So, You Want To Be An Entrepreneur?
While every entrepreneur has their own motivation for going into business, based on my experience the following statements reflect a valid representative sampling of the most common reasons; to create more income; to create a better life for their family; to work their own hours; to be their own boss; to have economic freedom, and; to live the American Dream.The reasons noted above are certainly good reasons, and, perhaps in an idealistic fashion, the right reasons to go into business. However while keeping these enthusiastic ideals in mind it is perhaps even more beneficial to examine the other s

Wouldn’t it be great to have a year where your marketing efforts were streamlined and got the results you were after? None of us want to struggle with marketing, and yet this is the one topic that continues to be highest in the minds of small business professionals.

Let’s really consider some of the reasons that can sabotage our marketing efforts, and how we can turn that around.

Lack of a marketing mindset

We don’t see ourselves as in the marketing game. The truth is, if you are out there running a business, thinking like a marketer has to become your priority. It’s no use having a great service if nobody knows about it, or you.

Lack of knowledge is your enemy. Start by reading whatever you can. Speak to successful people in your field and ask them what strategies they use. The information you need is out there for you to take.

Lack of investment

For many small business owners, the focus on cost control prohibits them from ever investing enough money into marketing and promotion. These activities are seen as costs rather than as an investment. So this year I encourage you to reframe your attitude towards marketing. Once you know what marketing activity to do, and have confidence that it will bring results, spend the money enthusiastically.

Lack of focus

Perhaps you do spend time and money on marketing, but you aren’t happy with the results. Or your efforts are ad-hoc rather than carefully planned. Whatever it is, 2005 is the year to take charge. If what you are doing isn’t working – stop doing it! Ask a professional for help (not your friends or associates!). Or put yourself in your customers shoes and work out what’s going to attract them to your business. If an ad-hoc approach is the problem, take the time to complete the marketing plan in the ‘How to…’ section and become ruthlessly systematic this year.

Lack of over-riding marketing strategy

Marketing activity and tactics are all well and good but it is like driving a rudderless ship if there is no grander plan. Part of creating a marketing strategy is to clearly understand exactly where you are right now, and where you want to be. Your goal may be to have sales of $1,$5 or $50 million. Or you may want to revolutionise your industry. Or you may want your company to be acquired within 5 years. What matters most is that you have a clear, precise vision of where you are, where you want to be in 1year, and where you want to be in 5 years.

Not surrounding ourselves with the right people

How To Use Joint Venture Marketing To Enhance Client Relationships
Just like you shouldn’t wait until Valentines Day to pamper your loved one, you shouldn’t wait until the next time you’re launching a new product or service before your past and current clients hear from you. The pampering should continue all year long, if you want loyalty and repeat business from them.A pattern I see again and again is the “keep-attracting-new-clients-and-neglect-old-ones” syndrome.Considering these facts... It costs six times more to acquire a new client than it costs to get repeat business from an existing client. It's sixteen times easier to sell t

se having a great service if nobody knows about it, or you.

Lack of investment

Lack of focus

Lack of over-riding marketing strategy

Not surrounding ourselves with the right people

Overcoming Perfectionism
Perfectionism can get in the way of building or marketing a successful business. It can prevent us from moving ahead quickly or from taking advantage of business opportunities. We set ourselves up with unrealistic expectations or goals, which can be damaging to us personally or professionally. Striving for perfection can damage our self-esteem because we never feel like we are good enough. Instead, consider adopting an attitude of striving for excellence. Look at failure as just another teacher. Let’s explore how being less than perfect can move you ahead in your business!1. Get into action

keting activity to do, and have confidence that it will bring results, spend the money enthusiastically.

Lack of focus

Lack of over-riding marketing strategy

Not surrounding ourselves with the right people

New Grads - Beat the Job Competition
Winning your new job takes more than just arriving on time – after all, that's obviously expected. But, what else are employers expecting from you when you arrive for your interview? Here are four tips you'll want to keep in mind for interview success:Tip 1: Employers will assume that you have done a good amount of research on their company. When they ask you what you know about them, you'll get off to a good start by being able to discuss several pertinent points about the Company. To do this you must be sure your research includes:* What the company's mission is * Sales and reve

o complete the marketing plan in the ‘How to…’ section and become ruthlessly systematic this year.

Lack of over-riding marketing strategy

Not surrounding ourselves with the right people

So You are Thinking of Leaving Corporate America to Start Your Own Biz?
I think it's GREAT that you are ready to break away from 'the Man' and start your own business! My hat goes off to you! But, I do have a bone to pick with you first! What tools does your corporate job provide you that helped make you successful enough in the first place? Do you get unlimited administrative support? Do you have access to a large database of information that you may take for granted? Or, do you have an intranet/file management system that you rely on everyday that you couldn't live without? There are probably hundreds of other tools that your corporate job provides you that helps you do yo

clear, precise vision of where you are, where you want to be in 1year, and where you want to be in 5 years.

Not surrounding ourselves with the right people

Marketing is more of an art than a science. Often times you learn by systematically trying different activities and approaches. The experts don't always have all the answers . . . and this is exactly why you need to give plenty of personal attention to make sure your marketing is working as hard as it possibly can. If you want to get serious about success in business, then understanding marketing is an ongoing priority.

Here’s a quick list of 10 ideas to get you into the marketing groove:

1. Commit to reading one new marketing book per month

2. Start learning about how to market online

3. Make a list of people whose businesses inspire you, and carefully study their marketing techniques. How many of these are you using?

4. Make a list of successful people in your industry and check out their marketing strategy. Why not offer to take one of them out for coffee to learn more about how they got where they are (what’s the worst that could happen?)

5. Revise your marketing budget. Look at your previous investment in marketing, and ask yourself if this is the amount a truly successful business would be spending

6. Review all of last year’s marketing activities. Work out which ones brought new business in the door, or were successful in some other way (building credibility for example). If you can’t quantify how successful the outcome was, stop spending the money!

7. Implement an ongoing ‘keep in touch’ program with existing customers

8. Ask 10 or more of your most loyal customers for a referral

9. Stop doing those marketing activities that you know don’t work, but you do them anyway

10. Market research - ask 20 of your customers what value you provide to them. Use what they say in your own marketing materials

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In our climb up the corporate ladder, sooner or later, most of us encounter a bad boss. Bosses, of course, are only human and can have bad days, money problems or family crises, just like the rest of us. Or they might be dealing with a bad boss themselves. Often, though, unfortunately, they’re just someone who’s landed in the wrong position for his or her personality and experience.

Depending on who you talk to, positioning is a marketing phrase that has many different meanings to many different marketers. In this article we look at the strategic rules that apply to positioning.

Are you monitoring the results of your management team? Are you charting the progress of your organization? Are you paying attention to the organizational capital, which comes thru working thru crisis and achieving results?

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