Will You Add? - Business

The Advertising Business
Have you ever wondered how advertising works and how an advertising agency makes money? Behind the glitz and glamour, advertising is still really a business and a lucrative one at that.In general terms, advertising refers to the promotion of goods and services (as well as companies and ideas) through media, especially television, radio and print (newspapers and magazines), but also through outdoor and non-traditional means. It is usually undertaken by an advertising agency on behalf of a corporation, which is its client. These clients bank on advertising to make their brands and products stand out in an otherwise cluttered marketplace. To do that, they depend heavily on the creativity and technic

ny things could THAT be? Antiques? Collectibles? Children's clothing boutique? Nothing on the store front (which was somewhat visible from a major road, although hidden slightly by a gas station) said "SCRAPBOOKS". The large sign by the road that had smaller signs on it for all the stores in this strip mall said, "Scrapping and stamping supplies" at the BOTTOM. It

American Idol’s Top 7 Lessons for Job Seekers
The Fox network’s hit reality show American Idol (AI) is watched by millions of viewers. Whether or not you’re a fan of the show, it has some valuable lessons if you’re in the market for a new job. After all, an audition is very much like a job interview, and the panel of judges are like hiring managers--some are encouraging, sensitive and polite, while others can be negative, insensitive and downright mean. (Fortunately, most hiring managers are more like AI judges Randy Jackson or Paula Abdul than judge Simon Cowell.) Here are seven lessons job seekers can learn from AI: 1. Determine whether you’ve chosen the right career pat

Let me tell you about a scrapbook store near my home. It opened about 4 years ago with a BANG! It had a BEAUTIFUL interior - very "Melissa Francis". They got hold of a mailing list of scrapbookers and sent postcards out to scrappers all over the state. My friend who lives 80 miles from this store got one. So far - so good. But, that's where it ended and they closed when their lease ended 3 years later.

I had predicted its death shortly after its opening. It was beautiful as I said, however, 12 months later, I could pretty much tell you everything that was in the store. What was there in the beginning was pretty much what was there when it closed. And, they had a little of everything that made up a whole lotta nothing. I called it the "Scrapbook 7-11". If I needed cardstock or stickers for a card, I went there. But, if I wanted specific themed products for a coordinated page, I headed to the other bigger store that had purchased products deeper into lines and had a bigger selection of coordinated products.

But, I digress. These were just symptoms of a problem. The biggest problem was that they were living in a world that was best summed up by Will Rogers when he said, "Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there." They WERE on the right track, but they didn't move and eventually, they got run over.

Problem one - they had a LARGE sign on their store that said, "Classic Keepsakes". Well, how many things could THAT be? Antiques? Collectibles? Children's clothing boutique? Nothing on the store front (which was somewhat visible from a major road, although hidden slightly by a gas station) said "SCRAPBOOKS". The large sign by the road that had smaller signs on it for all the stores in this strip mall said, "Scrapping and stamping supplies" at the BOTTOM. It

Why Would Anyone Hold a Bad Meeting?
Pssst, want a stock tip that will make you rich? Okay, here it is: phone a public corporation and ask to speak with the CEO.If a secretary tells you that the CEO expects to be busy in meetings for the next six hundred years, call your broker and sell the stock short. Any company unable to manage an activity that should last an hour is on its way down the financial tubes.Although it’s true that senior executives spend much of their time in meetings, you can bet that a business is in trouble if their meetings are out of control.Surveys show companies waste an average of 20% of their payroll on bad meetings. And that’s just the beginning of the problem. Meetings keep people a

d when their lease ended 3 years later.

Before the Interview: How You Can Influence the Result
You get only one shot at the interview itself, but if it is important you can have as many dry-runs as you need. Think of it as a rehearsal for a major stage-play. You wouldn't walk on stage without preparing or rehearsing until you were word perfect would you?So why do people go to interviews which may land them a job with a life-time value of hundreds of thousand of dollars without even the slightest preparation.This then is how you can influence the result of the interview, before the interview.One word: PREPARATION.Research the organization; find out what it does and what THAT job means in THAT organization.Determine in advance how you can describe your own skills

. I called it the "Scrapbook 7-11". If I needed cardstock or stickers for a card, I went there. But, if I wanted specific themed products for a coordinated page, I headed to the other bigger store that had purchased products deeper into lines and had a bigger selection of coordinated products.

The Power of Highly Satisfied
I was recently reading a Harvard Business School case study on Starbucks. Being one of the few people who do not drink coffee, I am not the most frequent Starbucks customer. But, the wireless internet access and Chantico drinking chocolate have gotten me in there regularly. But I digress ...The study talked about many facets of the success of Starbucks. The part that interested me most was the difference between satisfied customers and highly satisfied customers. For ages, many businesses have aimed for customer satisfaction. However, the pot-of-gold is in the highly satisfied category—getting each and every customer to not only be loyal, but also to recommend your brand.As you wres

problem was that they were living in a world that was best summed up by Will Rogers when he said, "Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there." They WERE on the right track, but they didn't move and eventually, they got run over.

The Uniform Franchise Offering Circular - What Every Franchisee Needs to Know
After months of careful thought and planning, you are poised to start your own franchise business. You’ve pinpointed your interests, narrowed your industry options, and selected the company that is your perfect match. Now, just weeks away from your own “opening day,” you find yourself handed a document of intimidating size with an equally intimidating title: Uniform Franchise Offering Circular.What? You’re probably asking.Just when you thought you had done all the heavy reading the law should allow, you’re faced with still more. Unlike your own research, however, this document the law actually requires. What exactly is a Uniform Offering Circular Agreement, or, as it is more c

Problem two - they sent out email newsletters to current customers, but did nothing to bring in new customers. They simply didn't reach out past the group of people who had already discovered them. They relied on (I guess) their current customers to do their marketing for them. No postcards beyond the first group went out to anyone. They didn't place ads or hold special events, they did nothing. We have a very growing and mobile community and over time, they lost many of those customers who knew about them from their opening. They were doing nothing to replace those people by introducing their business to those moving into the area. And, as I said earlier, they didn't turn their inventory very fast so those of us who DID know about them, stopped coming in very often since we already knew what they had.

When this store started their "Going Out of Business" sale at the end of their 3 year lease, I happened to be in the store when I overheard the owner talking to an employee. The store had dozens of women crammed into it and the cash register was jumping. She said, "If this many people had known about us last month, I wouldn't have decided to close". Apparently, since they announced their sale, messages about their sale were posted all over the internet to local scrapping groups. Word of mouth also spread the news like wildfire. She

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If you are about to buy a business and meet with the seller(s) for the first time, and are wondering what you should talk about with them, what questions you should ask and what you should be looking for in this crucial first meeting, then this article will be a huge help to you.

If you want your direct mail donors to respond to your letters in greater numbers and with larger gifts, learn the craft of storytelling. Learn how to write human-interest stories that inspire, motivate and move your donors-to give.

There is much confusion as to whether competition or collaboration is most beneficial to creativity and innovation. Though there are negatives to collaboration and it is not easy separating the effects of time pressure and group activity, in general collaboration beats competition. This article will set out some of the arguments.

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Will You Add? - The Right Track Can Be a Dangerous Place

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