Actual for You - Business

Image, What Image?! - The Image Factor
What image are you projecting when you visit your clients? How do you look when dealing with your clients? What type of car do you drive?I reflect back to my military days when dress and deportment was one of the most important aspects of your day. Many of us took great pride in ensuring that our dress was immaculate and one step ahead of others who were not interested in this important part of their career.Like the military, the business world also judges others by their dress and deportment, along with a number of other factors. Business owners should be aware that there is wisdom in the saying that “you never get a second chance to make a first impression.” First impressions include the services you provide and the products that you sell, however before you even get to this phase the way you look and present yourself to your clients will determine if you get a chance to pitch those s

up and play with them, too. For the more adventuresome, you may have your own bobblehead doll made from a photo of you . . . or your boss (cost is about $70).

THE MIND

LENDING LIBRARY
Visit garage sales and thrift stores and pick up copies of self-improvement books and tapes. Buy them for pennies. You can lend them to your co-workers. Make your own labels, “From the library of . . . “ If you read the books, use an felt pen to highlight favorite passages and add comments from you.

COMMENTS/SUGGESTION BOX
Attach a box to the wall, or put it on your desk. Add a sign, “Jack’s Suggestion Box.” Invite people to make comments about work, about your services, your product, or just you. The good ones you can forward to your boss. If you get a fantastic idea turned in and the author signed their name, be sure to share that with your boss. You will both share the glory, and you will be a team player.

BULLETIN BOARD
With a corkboard or even a cork tile, you can pin up cartoons, articles, and favorite editorials. Make a statement, but don’t be political. People like to think, but don’t want to be lectured to.

WHITE BOARD
A white board gives you the opportunity to write a comment of the day, or a quote of the day, or a brain-teaser of the day. People will stop by just to see wha

Marketing Concept
Most people define marketing as promotion that takes form of advertising on TV, radio, etc. In reality the concept of marketing consists of a lot more functions. The purpose of marketing is to define consumer’s needs and wants, and to combine different strategies in the most efficient way. Marketing is a consumer oriented concept. In this article I will discuss the different marketing functions and their implementation in the business world.Marketing is an activity to enhance the flow of goods, services and ideas from producers to consumer needs and wants. Marketing strategies are using advertisements in order to satisfy customers, promote and sell the products, services or ideas in an effective ways. Everyone have their own needs, wants and demands, and in order to satisfy these unlimited desires, we would need goods and services provided to us. These needs are generally characterized into t

Many people want to know how to get recognized and known within an organization. They want their boss and their co-workers to take notice of them. A couple of days ago I watched a Science Channel program about wolves and I saw connections that combined attributes at work with wolf instinct.

To be better known at work, define your space and set your boundaries by marking your territory: your cubical, your office. Think of yourself as a wolf. The wolf constantly travels his territory leaving signs that he owns this turf.

You mark your territory to show your pack members what and where you are, and you also mark your territory to show your competitors what you control.

Marking your territory should be fun, but forget about scent glands. I’m recommending little things you can do that establish control and notice. It can be expensive, but you can set your own budgetary limits within my suggestions. Basically, marking your territory means making your workspace your own, whether it’s a desk, a cubical, or an office.

One word of warning: if want to attract attention, then you should always look your best. This means personal attire and workspace. Always dress for success. Your workspace should be well-laid out and uncluttered. Put your best foot forward. You are going to have a lot of visitors.

In marking your territory, you need to involve all of the senses . . . including humor and wonder.

SIGHT

SCREENSAVER
Your computer screensaver is a pallet where your creativity is your only limit. If you have a professional headshot, you can put your publicity still on your screen for all visitors to see. Or, if you’re known for your humor, or want to be, you can pose for something funny. You can even produce a series highlighting the holidays and seasons and change your screensaver, often. If you don’t have a professional headshot, schedule a session with a local photographer (cost about $100).

MOUSE PAD
You have the same opportunity with your mouse pad as you do with your screen saver. A local office supply store should be able to supply you with printer supplies to make your own mouse pad. You could even have a matching screen saver and mouse pad. Or you could pass out your mouse pads to your favorite co-workers.

PHOTOGRAPHS
Do you have a personal hero? Share the hero with your friends. Put their image on the wall, framed and mounted. You can also use your favorite motivational quotation, or make up your own and print some with your name as the author. Hint: keep a camera at the office, so you can take a picture of a happy client or co-worker.

NAMEPLATE
Put your name on the door and on your desk. Let people know whom they are dealing with. Most towns have rubber stamp stores where signs can be made. Stand out in the crowd. Use double-backed tape for the door nameplate, when you move up.

CALENDAR
Do you have a favorite client who sends out a yearly calendar? If so, put up their calendar on your wall. Write on the calendar with a Magic Marker, “I love these guys!”

HEARING

FOUNTAIN
Buy a desktop fountain. The sound of rushing of water is relaxing, and you can choose one that matches your personality.

AUDIO CD
Put your favorite music in your computer to play. Keep the volume down, so you don’t bother anyone outside your area, but loud enough to be identifiable if you are in the room. Keep the control visible, so you can cut the audio for telephone and private conversations. This is easier if you have external speakers with a control knob.

SMELL

SCENT
Get yourself one of those little electric plug-ins. Choose the scent of your choice. If you wear perfume or shaving lotion that is identifiable with you, you could purchase a small atomizer and combine a little perfume or shaving lotion with water. Lightly spritz the light bulb on your desk. The warmth of the bulb will send your sent into the air. Be careful that people aren’t allergic to this, and if they complain, stop it.

COOKIES
Occasionally bring in some freshly baked cookies and drive people crazy. Bake them or purchase them from a bakery when you’re expecting company in your office. A real estate sales trick is to bake cookies in the kitchen of a house in which you are about to show clients. The smell of cookies, especially peanut butter or chocolate chip, should put most people in a good mood.

TASTE

CANDY
You can just buy your favorite cheap candies and have them in a jar for visitors, or you can even have Hershey Bars made with your name on the wrapper. Or you could combine the two. Have a cheap jar handy and the candy bars in a drawer. Personally, I would keep Hershey Bars under lock and key (they cost about a $1.50 each).

FORTUNE COOKIES
Emily’s Chocolates makes a dark chocolate fortune cookie. You can prepare your own fortunes . . . quoting yourself. This is a great one-two combination punch. Visitors taste something rich with complex flavors, and then read something you wrote. Memories are made of this.

TOUCH

TOYS
Toys are great items to have around on your desk. You can play with them while you’re on the phone. They give your hands something to do. They calm you down. Visitors come into your office and pick them up and play with them, too. For the more adventuresome, you may have your own bobblehead doll made from a photo of you . . . or your boss (cost is about $70).

THE MIND

WHITE BOARD
A white board gives you the opportunity to write a comment of the day, or a quote of the day, or a brain-teaser of the day. People will stop by just to see what

Importance of Just-In-Time Inventory System
In today’s competitive world shorter product life cycles, customers rapid demands and quickly changing business environment is putting lot of pressures on manufacturers for quicker response and shorter cycle times. Now the manufacturers put pressures on their suppliers. One way to ensure quick turnaround is by holding inventory, but inventory costs can easily become prohibitive. A wiser approach is to make your production agile, able to adapt to changing customer demands. This can only be done by JUST IN TIME (JIT) philosophy.Taiichi Ohno, a former shop manager and eventually vice president of Toyota Motor Company, is the individual credited most for the with the development of just-in-time. It is a term used to describe the Toyota production system, is widely recognized today as the one of the most efficient manufacturing system in the world. In simple words we can explain JIT only required necess

In marking your territory, you need to involve all of the senses . . . including humor and wonder.

SIGHT

CALENDAR
Do you have a favorite client who sends out a yearly calendar? If so, put up their calendar on your wall. Write on the calendar with a Magic Marker, “I love these guys!”

HEARING

FOUNTAIN
Buy a desktop fountain. The sound of rushing of water is relaxing, and you can choose one that matches your personality.

SMELL

TASTE

TOUCH

THE MIND

WHITE BOARD
A white board gives you the opportunity to write a comment of the day, or a quote of the day, or a brain-teaser of the day. People will stop by just to see wha

Manufacturers - Are Distributors Hurting Your Rankings
I know of an industrial company whos website was banned from Google because of a hacker who’d been hosting spam on their domain. Because the re-inclusion at process can take upwards of several months, I was of course surprised to see one of their keywords getting results on Google. (I know full well none of their pages are indexed.) A click on the result brought me to their distributors website. Evidently this distributor has several sections of their website dedicated to promoting ‘mini versions’ of their supplier’s sites, which, while a fine marketing move, raises HUGE duplicate content issues that can adversly affect rankings.The innterconnectiveity between businesses and brands within the industrial marketplace presents a unique scenario as it relates to duplicate content and advertising online. To save your rankings, here are a few things for industrial companies to watch out for:ur name on the door and on your desk. Let people know whom they are dealing with. Most towns have rubber stamp stores where signs can be made. Stand out in the crowd. Use double-backed tape for the door nameplate, when you move up.

CALENDAR
Do you have a favorite client who sends out a yearly calendar? If so, put up their calendar on your wall. Write on the calendar with a Magic Marker, “I love these guys!”

HEARING

FOUNTAIN
Buy a desktop fountain. The sound of rushing of water is relaxing, and you can choose one that matches your personality.

SMELL

TASTE

TOUCH

THE MIND

WHITE BOARD
A white board gives you the opportunity to write a comment of the day, or a quote of the day, or a brain-teaser of the day. People will stop by just to see wha

Cost Of Living As A Factor In Business Relocation
According to the United States Census Bureau, 40 million Americans move each year. There are no hard statistics on the number of businesses that relocate, but there is a growing trend towards businesses relocating outside of major metropolitan areas to cut costs for themselves and their employees.There are five main reasons why companies decide to relocate, according to economic development researchers. They are: access to a quality labor pool, the need to upgrade facilities or equipment, the need to reach new markets, the wish to lower costs and overhead and finally, quality of life issues.It is this last item that affects employees most directly. Cost of living has a large impact on the quality of life for the average American. For example, the cost of living in Springfield, Missouri is estimated to be just 60% of the national average. Compare that to a large metropolitan area like Miami w

ren’t allergic to this, and if they complain, stop it.

TASTE

TOUCH

THE MIND

WHITE BOARD
A white board gives you the opportunity to write a comment of the day, or a quote of the day, or a brain-teaser of the day. People will stop by just to see wha

Write Right When You Write
Does it turn you off when you’re introduced to someone by your given name and few seconds later that person addresses you by the wrong name? Tom rather than Tim? Or June instead of Jane? And then, in an obvious attempt to commit your name to memory – the wrong name, that is – that person repeats the error several times more?While most of us are too polite – or too timid – to correct that person, their continuing the error can make you want to shake him or her by the shoulders and say, “Hey, can’t you get it right?”Being on the receiving end of an error-riddled written document, no matter what kind or from whom, can have the same effect: “Hey, can’t you get it right?”There’s no excuse for sloppy grammar, punctuation or spelling. Reasons, perhaps. But not excuses. Nothing can or does excuse such errors.The one reason I’ve run into most often seems to originate with members

up and play with them, too. For the more adventuresome, you may have your own bobblehead doll made from a photo of you . . . or your boss (cost is about $70).

THE MIND

WHITE BOARD
A white board gives you the opportunity to write a comment of the day, or a quote of the day, or a brain-teaser of the day. People will stop by just to see what is being offered that day.

NEWSLETTER
Print your own newsletter about your adventures and your business achievements. Tell people about what you’ve been doing. Share your success. Post it on the wall, or make a pile of them available on your desk. Don’t give them to everybody, unless they ask for one.

Keep your workspace fun and lively and you should have a steady audience of people interested in who you are. Be prepared to come early to get your work done. With everybody stopping in to see you, your productivity might slip and that wouldn’t be good. But with your office or cubical as a point of interest and creativity, you should be well noticed.

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Brand Warfare is More of a War than You Think

Brand Marketing Advantage, World War III. It's already started.

Collaborative Marketing - More Results with Less Work

A popular reason for companies to come together is to reciprocally promote one another. Ideas are as simple as a local pharmacy and dry cleaner promoting each other with specials or coupons, to regional promotions, to national promotions. Cross-promotions can be developed with competitors or between organizations from different industries. The key is simply this - do you have similar customers? Almost everywhere you look, you can see one organization cross promoting with another. Recently, a cross-promotion advertisement in a San Francisco newspaper for Pacific Bell also involved Round Table Pizza, Hollywood Video, Nokia and the Special Olympics.

Effective Sales People Need To Find a Way to Contact Prospect

Effective sales people are selling something that they believe in and they know they must get in to talk with those are interested in their services or products and those that can make the decision to purchase them. But how do you get past the front desk and how do you get to the person on the phone that you wish to contact so that you can find out if they are interested or not?

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