In a weak economy, having a strong message holding together your marketing campaign takes on a whole new level of importance. Consumers are holding on to the money they have, buying only the necessities. For marketers, then, it is important to make the product seem like a need rather than a want.

At first, this sounds difficult to accomplish because in addition to establishing the necessity, the marketer must distinguish their product and message from all similar products and messages. Trust me - it is not as bad as it first sounds. Now, more than ever, it is important to go back to the basics of Marketing 101 and then add a creative twist to stand out.

As a marketing executive, my company works with clients from Maine to Australia and is faced with many marketing challenges presented by all types of businesses. The recurring question is 'How can I get my postcards, flyers, brochures, even my email blasts and my web-copy to be more effective so I can get more business and set my business apart from my competition?'

In the many years I have worked in marketing, I have established foolproof steps to developing successful campaigns and establishing products as new, interesting, and innovative.

First of all, to reach potential clients in this kind of economy, you really have to understand who they are, what they want, and how to get their attention. In other words, know your audience. Do your research and hone in on the people whom you believe you can really get the best response from. Don't waste precious money sending millions of postcards or letters to people who have no use whatsoever for your product.

Second, do something exciting and out-of-the-box with your campaign. No potential customer wants to see the same old boring advertisements or direct mailers. If they've seen the same thing 100 times, that person is more likely to just discard the memory of ever having seen the advertisement (and will probably physically throw any direct mail straight into the trashcan as well). More creative executives today are realizing that they need to catch the mail-recipient's attention some other way.

In recent months, I have found the most successful and profitable tool to use in my marketing campaigns is to use colorful, crazy doodles to emphasize the important points that will hold the recipient's attention. In fact, my favorite of these tools is called Doodleopes™. Potential customers will surely take a second look at the company that sent them this doodled envelope or postcard.

The beauty of these tools is any one can use them. No expensive professional graphic designers. No long hours trying to figure out how to use a design program. Just cut-and-paste, drop and drag.

Third, make the customer feel special, appreciated, and understood. It is human nature to surround yourself with people and things that make you feel comfortable. If you can make someone feel like they are one-of-a-kind and you really put a lot of time into trying to attain their business, they will be more willing to look at and consider the products you're offering. And if they've already purchased once and they feel like a truly valued customer (you haven't just sent them a postcard that said "You're a valued customer!" but that they really believe it), they will most likely come back to you when they need your product or service again.

So, how do you accomplish making a customer feel special? Well, you tell it to them multiple times and you show it through your kind behavior and unbelievable customer service. An easier way, however, that Ratajczak has come to know and love is to use a font that looks like handwriting on each and every marketing document from envelope to sales letter to postcard. Most direct mail received has an address written in boring Times New Roman or Arial, with no customization except maybe the company's logo. Obviously, not much time was spent on this individual customer and they can feel it. So, this letter goes straight into the trash. No one wants to feel like another consumer in the crowd, so use a font that looks like you've written it yourself.

Marketing genius Bill Glazer of Glazer-Kenndy Insider's Circle agrees, "A handwritten font will typically outperform any other type of font because it appears that it is a friend sending a friend a personal message."

Be sure, however, that you are not using a handwriting font that looks completely fake. The trick is to convince the customer, not turn them off.

There are hundreds of other tips that could be shared, but these are the top three most important to remember. If anything, remember what I said before - take yourself back to Marketing 101 and then add an outrageously creative twist.

You have seen promotional products around. Get a sandwich from McDonald's or some coffee from Starbucks and you walk out with logo plastered stuff. It really does work for business. If you need some ideas look around for some creative ideas. There are a ton of ways to make these things work for you. And some unique methods of getting them to people.

If a patron brings someone new into your business they deserve recognition. You thank someone properly for that and it will likely happen again. Even for employees that bring new people in it is a good idea. With an employee it is even more important to be appreciative. They are what will bring people in or make them feel unwelcome during regular operation. If salespeople get rewards for getting to a certain sale amount, then the person that works your counter and has a smile on everyday should be rewarded.

If you go to an industry event and have a table to give items and info to people it should work out well for you. Trade shows and conferences are really good for making contacts because everyone attending is in a related business. This is one place where you want people to take something home that they will use and keep. There are decent bags that are made from canvas that you can have custom printed to give away. Everyone attending the event will want one because they can put their other goodies inside. Later they will use it when grocery shopping.

Pick up some magnetic business cards and go around talking to other small business owners in your community. Providing them with a business card that is also a refrigerator magnet means that it will get stuck up somewhere instead of accidentally tossed in the trash. This allows them to keep your business information handy while advertising for you at the same time.

If you get creative about it you will think of even better ideas. You can have just about any products customized for your business. The design is what could be the thing that makes it stand out from others. Sometimes it only takes a small push to get someone coming to you for services or products. These items could be that push.

When CEOs want a briefing on the market they often turn to the VP of Sales to get the information they're looking for. Why don't they turn to the VP of Marketing? After all it is the marketing department, right?

Your marketing team is too internally focused

It's not because the VP of Sales is smarter, or has more experience, or is better at politics. It's because the VP of Marketing doesn't have a pulse on the market and is too consumed with the day-to-day tactics of marketing stuff. She may be a brilliant manager and her team may execute with stunning precision on marketing tactics, but her team is so internally focused they have become disconnected with what's really going on in the market.

The CEO knows this and therefore realizes the fastest way to get an answer is to consult with the VP of Sales. The rationale is that since the sales team is regularly engaged in the market, they should have a real-time perspective of what's happening. And the VP of Sales knows having the CEO's ear means greater influence and power.

The CEO is getting the wrong picture

Unfortunately the CEO isn't getting a true picture of the market. Why? Because the picture the sales team paints is a reflection of their most recent interactions with prospects. This isn't a status of the market, it's situational awareness based on a snapshot in time and a function of the limited number of eyes and ears engaged in selling.

It's not that I'm bashing salespeople. Far from it. My livelihood is dependent on my salespeople's success. However, we shouldn't expect salespeople to be experts at markets. We expect them to be good a developing relationships that lead to a sale. Their focus is tactical by definition, which is a good thing if we find revenue and profit important.
Change the game
To be an equal player at the table the VP of Marketing needs a new approach. Stop wasting time, resources and energy on tactical activities that aren't moving the ball down the field and start becoming more strategic in your approach.

Don't rely solely on secondary research to support your most important decisions. Real breakthroughs are made by understanding your market in the first person.

Require each of your team members to get out into the market on a regular basis, write up what they learn, and share it with the rest of the team. Make the activity an important part of their compensation.

Become the experts on buyers, buying criteria and the buying process. Require each person on your marketing team to own and evolve 1 buyer persona profile.

Conduct sales enablement training based on buyers not on product features
Do not rely solely on salespeople to give you the pulse of the market. Their last interaction will likely be their perception of the entire market.

What if you discovered what you can do to enhance the marketing of your high ticket product? Here are 3 simple steps to get you started.

Provide mind blowing coaching programs.

Arrange Teleseminars and webinars to reply live.

St Just do not aim at boosting your business, try and make friends along the way too.
Here are step by step details that you can apply quickly and easily.
Step 1 -

Provide mind blowing coaching programs.
Coaching programs are considered to be the hottest selling high ticket products nowadays. The most basic advantage with them is that you just need to continuously repeat yourself (In case you plan to give live lectures via video conferencing) or else you need to make a onetime investment to record your own program's DVDs and make them available for sale on your website.

Plus if you are really good with what you are teaching then it also allows us to gain immense respect in our niche. To give quick response to any queries put forth by our clients it's better if we make arrangements for Teleseminars and webinars.
Step 2 -

Arrange Teleseminars and webinars to reply live.
Providing such services makes our client's lives a little easier. Teleseminars and webinars must be arranged on a consistent basis where we solve all the queries put forth by our clients.
On the other hand at the end of each session you may even give them a brief on your newly available products and packages. But to ensure a long term relationship its better if we also try and make some friends instead of just trying to sell our stuff.
Step 3 -

Just do not aim at boosting your business, try and make friends along the way too.
This is needed to gain our customers trust and make sure whenever in doubt they will choose us over others to do business with.

Marketing is a process. Six Sigma is an approach for achieving process excellence. It will help you improve the marketing process by providing tools & techniques for identifying what the marketing process is, including suppliers, inputs, process steps, outputs, and customers.

Six Sigma helps you understand the need to determine who owns the process and helps the process owner determine how to improve it. It provides a framework for improving all aspects of this process. It does much more as well.

The converse is also true, marketing can help Six Sigma. Both marketing and Six Sigma focus on customers.

Marketing is a management discipline dedicated to understanding customer demands, how to design products meet them, and how to let potential customers know what's available. In Six Sigma training for Black Belts and Green Belts, students typically learn a number of tools that are borrowed directly from marketing, such as the analytic hierarchical process, quality function deployment and Pugh matrices. Master Blacks use conjoint analysis, a quasi-designed experiment approach to measuring customer importance weights. Design for Six Sigma is all about integrating the design process across marketing, engineering, and production to better meet implicit and explicit customer demands.

Beyond the technical tools, when Six Sigma or Lean Six Sigma is well done it begins with understanding what customers are solving for, then helping them achieve their goals by improving the processes you use to provide them with service. This is truly an integration of marketing and Six Sigma.

In the end, all organizations are solving for the same thing, stakeholder goals. Marketing's primary focus is on the demands of the customer stakeholder. Six Sigma's focus is on the processes that create and deliver products to meet these demands. The synergy between Six Sigma and Marketing is inescapable.

Thomas Pyzdek is the author of numerous books, including The Six Sigma Handbook. He has worked with large and small organizations around the world for over 40 years in industries as diverse as health care, call centers and high tech manufacturing. Pyzdek offers Six Sigma Training and Certification in live, online, and blended formats. Pyzdek, and his team of expert associates can help you meet your organization's quality and process improvement goals. Support includes consulting, training, and coaching for your entire team, from executives to the change agents working in the trenches.

Marketing is a process. Six Sigma is an approach for achieving process excellence. It will help you improve the marketing process by providing tools & techniques for identifying what the marketing process is, including suppliers, inputs, process steps, outputs, and customers.

Six Sigma helps you understand the need to determine who owns the process and helps the process owner determine how to improve it. It provides a framework for improving all aspects of this process. It does much more as well.

The converse is also true, marketing can help Six Sigma. Both marketing and Six Sigma focus on customers.

Marketing is a management discipline dedicated to understanding customer demands, how to design products meet them, and how to let potential customers know what's available. In Six Sigma training for Black Belts and Green Belts, students typically learn a number of tools that are borrowed directly from marketing, such as the analytic hierarchical process, quality function deployment and Pugh matrices. Master Blacks use conjoint analysis, a quasi-designed experiment approach to measuring customer importance weights. Design for Six Sigma is all about integrating the design process across marketing, engineering, and production to better meet implicit and explicit customer demands.

Beyond the technical tools, when Six Sigma or Lean Six Sigma is well done it begins with understanding what customers are solving for, then helping them achieve their goals by improving the processes you use to provide them with service. This is truly an integration of marketing and Six Sigma.

In the end, all organizations are solving for the same thing, stakeholder goals. Marketing's primary focus is on the demands of the customer stakeholder. Six Sigma's focus is on the processes that create and deliver products to meet these demands. The synergy between Six Sigma and Marketing is inescapable.

Thomas Pyzdek is the author of numerous books, including The Six Sigma Handbook. He has worked with large and small organizations around the world for over 40 years in industries as diverse as health care, call centers and high tech manufacturing. Pyzdek offers Six Sigma Training and Certification in live, online, and blended formats. Pyzdek, and his team of expert associates can help you meet your organization's quality and process improvement goals. Support includes consulting, training, and coaching for your entire team, from executives to the change agents working in the trenches.

Want to know the one thing that causes themed events to fail miserably? Not carrying the theme throughout every aspect of the affair. If your charity is hosting a Mexican night, you'll want to do more than simply serve tacos and play mariachi music. You'll want to infuse every element of the event with all things Mexican.

That means forfeiting the ordinary in exchange for the memorable. Using inflatables for special events built upon themes is one surefire way to make your visual marketing more effective. That's because inflatables offer characteristics not found elsewhere.

Bigger Than Life

Inflatables are custom-made and can be any size you desire. Want a 25-foot tall bullfighter? Done! With giant inflatable sombreros hanging from the ceiling and an inflatable green, white and red national flag standing tall in the corner, your guests will soon feel as though they've stepped into a restaurant in Cancún.

3-D Captures Attention

Unlike ordinary signage or posters, inflatables are three dimensional: a huge advantage with visual marketing. It's hard to ignore a message encouraging you to give generously when it's on the front of a 15-foot tall, inflatable burrito.

Color Is Eye Catching

Add color to size and shape and you have a triple threat that's hard to beat. Inflatables for special events get noticed.

Displays

Let's say that you decide to allow exhibitors at your Mexican-themed charity event. Because of their visual marketing characteristics, those exhibitors will have greater success with drawing guests to their booths when they use inflatables.

Logos

No themed event would be complete without a little branding. Giant inflatable logos get the job done by identically replicating your logo in whatever size fits your needs.

Mascots

CostumesWhether you want a friendly face your guests will immediately recognize or a real-life, walking mascot to shake hands and greet attendees, inflatable mascots and costumes make a big impact. Wrap your mascot or costumed character with a charro jacket to play into your Mexican theme.

Giveaways

Balls, key chains, picture frames, punching bags and more. These mini-inflatables make excellent giveaways your guests will appreciate and use. Branded with your logo, they'll also serve to remind attendees about your business or organization.

Thanks to the visual marketing elements of inflatables, your special events can be all the more successful. Make sure to carry the theme all the way through - from inflatable signage to giveaways - for added impact. Your guests will be thrilled at how festive your affair is... you'll be excited at the results you achieve.

There are many opportunities out there. One just has to look to find them. One such opportunity is Direct Mail. Yes, the mail volumes are lower then they were a year ago. Yes, they are lower then they have been for years. Yes, people are watching their spending in all area of marketing, including Direct Mail. Yes, this is a great opportunity!

Great opportunity you say? With less mail there is less clutter in the mail box. That means more attention will be placed on your message, your offer and your business by the recipient. Yes, a great opportunity for those who seize it.

Anytime an advantage can be had from targeting your market with a vehicle that is being underutilized due to slow market conditions, take it. I'm making a distinction here, marketing message vehicle (direct mail) and your targeted segment. This means, pay close attention to your list (your targeted segment), your message (and offer) and the format of the direct mail package. Very often, one or more of these gets overlooked or not looked at close enough. The success of your program depends on it.

Much of the mail that is not on our mailboxes are credit card offers and other financial promotions. That volume of mail has shrunk considerably as the bad economy presses on and loan money stays tight.

There are also a lot of companies that have lowered their marketing budgets so much, that they are doing little to promote themselves; thus losing out on many opportunities to maintain and even grow their business. Take a look for yourself and you'll see (well, won't see) what I'm talking about. Because of this, your standard mail package will have less competition in the mailbox. However, don't just stick with the "standard mail package".

Energize and make your high ticket marketing more fruitful by simply taking these marvelous steps:

1. Work harder. If you are looking to get more amazing results, you need to spend more time doing marketing related tasks. Consider spending another 2-3 hours per day promoting your products online. By doing so, you can reach more people and augment your sales leads in no time.

2. Advertise. It's important that you advertise your high ticket products to promote awareness. I highly recommend Pay per Click advertising and search engine marketing. If you do the processes right, these tools can give you so much exposure that can lead to enormous traffic and better page ranking.

3. Build relationship with your prospective buyers. In internet marketing, you cannot possibly get people to buy from you unless they know and trust you. Thus, it's crucial that you build a good business relationship with them. Doing this is relatively easy; just get their email addresses through link building campaign and send them with informative newsletters on a weekly basis. You can also mingle with them on discussion boards and forums.

4. Be more visible. You must be more visible compare to your competitors to boost your sales. You can do this by using all marketing tools that are available to you. These include article marketing, ezine publishing, forum posting, blogging, video marketing, and social media marketing. Ensure that your prospective buyers will see your name or your products every where they go.

5. Offer incentives. You surely want to get online users to buy from you ASAP. You can make this happen by giving them incentives for taking immediate action. Offer them with discounts and freebies.

Do you want to learn more about how I do it? I have just completed my brand new guide to article writing success, "Your Article Writing and Promotion Guide"

In a previous article I talked about the multiple benefits of using webinars in your online business. Now, I want to discuss a model of how marketing webinars can work in your offline business as well. Used correctly, webinar training allows you to identify interested people and concentrate your marketing efforts and dollars on them.

Think about this: if somebody registers for my webinar, well there is a big indicator right there that that person is interested in what I have to say. If they attend my webinar they are even more interested. If they stay on my webinar for sixty minutes, they are really, really interested. The person who stays until the end of the webinar and fills out my exit survey is even more interested.

Anytime I conduct a webinar, there are a number of people who fall into this category. Clearly they are interested in my product but for some reason decided not to buy. Well, once someone has reached all these criteria, these are the people I want to follow up with and really target in my sales efforts.

These are the folks that I want to call personally. These are the people that are worth spending my marketing dollars on and my time pursuing. Is it worth sending direct mail to my entire list? Of course not! I would be in the poor house. I would be sending postcards and bulky mail and making phone calls to people who are really not that interested. What a gross waste of effort it would be to take such a course of action.

However, if I let the webinar do the selection process for me, I hope you can see the potential benefits. With very little effort on my part I have a list of gold, people who I know beyond a shadow of a doubt already have some interest in what I am selling.

Webinar training is a great way to identify interested people, who are interested in your products and services. You know before spending a dime that they are a much better investment than the general public.

1. First, know your target audience on a deeper level. Understand their online behavior and know the various things that can target their emotions or the elements that can easily influence their buying decision. You also need to know the sites they often visit and how long they usually stay online on a daily basis.

2. Create compelling ads. Ensure that your ads or marketing messages are easy to understand and benefit-driven. Your target market must have a solid idea as to product you sell and what kind of pressing issues you solve by giving your ads a quick glance.

3. Social media marketing. Invade as many social media networks that are popular among your target market. In here, you'll be able to connect and later on, build a relationship with those people who are most likely to buy from you. Earn their trust first before you pitch in your high ticket products and services.

4. Use testimonials. People who haven't bought from you will surely feel skeptical about spending thousands of dollars on your high ticket products and services. Overcome their skepticism by simply posting recommendations (those that are coming from industry leaders) and compelling testimonials on your blog and on your website. Make sure that these are genuine.

5. Offer free product sample. If you come across a prospective buyer who would like to get a guarantee that he'll get his money's worth, send him a sample product to give him a chance to experience what you offer for free. This person will surely buy as long as your product delivers great results.
Do you want to learn more about how I do it? I have just completed my brand new guide to article writing success, "Your Article Writing and Promotion Guide"

More than ever before, companies are hiring marketing consulting businesses with one important criterion in mind: "How can this marketing consultant help me get the most out of my marketing dollars?"

With increasing pressure to maximize the return on their clients' marketing investment, marketing consultants are all too aware that campaigns that miss the mark cost their clients time and money. And at times, clients will seek compensation for those losses with a lawsuit.

Although marketing consultant liability insurance will protect your consultancy, a lawsuit can still deal a stinging blow to a marketing business' professional reputation and take away valuable time from client service to focus on defending the lawsuit. To manage this risk, it is important to understand and correctly translate a client's needs into a successful campaign.

Measuring Success

Most marketing consulting projects are focused on one of two outcomes: building brand awareness or generating leads. Each situation calls for similar assessment tactics, but involve very different execution strategies.

A brand-awareness campaign focuses on building a company's reputation within a market and growing corporate or product name recognition among a targeted demographic. Because brand awareness can be hard to quantify, this type of project creates unique challenges for a marketing consulting business seeking to justify a customer's marketing investment. Clearly discussing the project objectives with the client will aid in minimizing marketing consulting risk and liability.

Results for lead-generation campaigns are generally easier to track, as these projects produce tangible, traceable results. These marketing campaigns are designed to generate leads that will in turn help the company to sell a product or service, whether it's an immediate buy such as a soft drink or book, or a longer-term commitment such as a technology system or membership. But new sales aren't the only measure of success. Many companies also have business objectives to grow their customer base; convert prospects to buyers; or turn existing buyers into high-volume, loyal customers.

Where Does the Client Stand?

Before a marketing consultant can develop an effective strategy to achieve the desired results, he or she must first develop a comprehensive understanding of the client's industry and customer base. Most importantly, any marketing strategy must be tied to a company's strategic objectives to ensure greater success and reduce risk for marketing firms.

To translate a customer's needs into a viable marketing project, the first step is to achieve the deepest possible understanding of what a client's business objectives are. In assessing a client's needs, a marketing consultant must consider numerous factors that will affect the company, long after the marketing campaign has finished. Smart marketing consultants employ an interview process to better define potential opportunities and ensure agreement on the campaign's objectives.

Questions may include:

• What is the client's business goal and strategy to achieve it?
• Who and where are the client's customers? What are they buying, and why?
• What markets would the client like to move into?
• What is the goal of this campaign? (Increase revenue? New customers? Market penetration? Repeat business? Customer loyalty?)
• What marketing efforts has the client made in the past, and what were the results?
• What is the client's marketing budget, or acceptable cost per lead? (This is a key question.)
• What IT systems and personnel does the client have in place to track campaign results and return on investment?
• Who are the client's competitors, and what are they doing right or wrong?
• What differentiates the client company from its competitors and makes it the best choice for customers?

Typically, gathering the answers to these and other questions can start with an initial meeting with the client. However, to gain more in-depth insight as a project begins, a marketing consultant can interview both internal client contacts and the company's customers, and assess the market space in which the company operates. Customer surveys, case studies and testimonials are all useful sources for customer perspective into what makes a company stand out.

With all of this information as a foundation, a marketing consultant should be well-prepared to define the vision and scope of a project, research options, develop success measures, create an internal approval process, and formulate tactics to achieve the client's marketing and business objectives. A good tip to reduce marketing liability is to ensure your project plans include milestone checkpoints and defined success measures.

Incorporating New Technologies

As marketing consultants assess their customers' business needs, it's vital to consider how those needs might be served by the latest technological innovations. For example, almost all marketing campaigns now have some online component, whether it's a landing page that customers can locate using a URL in a print ad or a more advanced interactive campaign with Twitter or Facebook.

An added benefit to Internet marketing is the ability to get immediate feedback on the profitability of a campaign.

Using analytics programs, you can count unique site visitors and track click-through rates, providing an immediate measure of customer response. As part of the project scoping process, marketing firms must identify the client's current platforms, applications and metrics, as well as provide recommendations on new technology to support the business outcomes desired. At the same time, when employing online marketing, the potential for a marketing consultant's liability may increase because outside applications, functionality and databases may fail to perform or experience security flaws, all of which could pose a situation for litigation.

Today's client companies are counting on their marketing consultants to help them understand how to integrate the newest technologies and marketing techniques to get the best return on their marketing investment. By combining a thorough understanding of the latest marketing trends with a solid understanding of a company and its objectives, a marketing consultant can create campaigns that will win customers over, while reducing marketing liability and winning their clients' repeat business.

When I hear of a company talking about their marketing budget, I usually stop and think - then get a funny look on my face.

You see, "budget" can be defined (dictionary.com) as an itemized allotment of funds, time, etc., for a given period; or, the total sum of money set aside or needed for a purpose.

The problem with this is that it automatically implies that "marketing" for a business is an expense.
In fact, marketing (done properly) is not an expense, but an investment.

If marketing is an expense, then it should be stopped! The whole point of marketing is to increase sales, to turn a profit, to generate revenue. The whole point of marketing is to make more money! That is not an expense to your business. So often you hear of a business doing poorly and one of the first things they cut is their marketing. How are you supposed to make more money if you are not marketing?

Marketing is something that you design into your business. It should include all aspects of your business from advertising, customer relations, sales, post-sale contact and so on. There are aspects of almost every point of your business that can be tied in to marketing. This means that you can improve on them incrementally to increase the number of sales you make. This means that you should be measuring and constantly improving your marketing efforts.

This means that your marketing should be producing a measurable return on investment. For every dollar you spend in marketing, you should be making two dollars, five dollars, ten dollars in profit or sales. If your marketing is not doing that now, then you should stop it immediately and take a better look at your marketing strategy. If your marketing is producing results, then certainly do not stop doing it when your business is slowing down. What a perfect time to ramp it up and make more money!

Jonathan Hook is a business marketing consultant who helps businesses to increase their sales by 25-100% in 90 days. He does this by working with them to analyze, develop and implement a step by step marketing strategy that is guaranteed to work.

In recent conversations with restaurant marketing leadership, I heard mostly familiar themes when discussing their marketing strategies. There are those smaller concepts that have found some success with a "Name your own price" promotion and other unique efforts to drive sales that have received quite a bit of media attention. But the majority of restaurant people I spoke to were sticking with more traditional strategies, with the occasional "toe in the water" when it comes to attempting less tried-and-true methods of increasing market share.

Most common among the marketing strategies some restaurant leadership shared with me is discounting or limited-time-only promotions. Jean Smoke, Director of Marketing for the 550%2B unit TacoTime concept, told me her concept has a "limited time addition to their World Famous line of Crisp Burritos, a Crisp Pork Burrito at a discounted price of $1.99." They've found this offering is bringing in their current Crisp Burrito fans as well as new customers for an exciting new item.

Frank Day, Chairman and President of RockBottom Restaurant and Brewery, said his concept has "built traffic and created some excitement with consumers by running a variety of promotional specials, some supported by media but mostly promoted within the four walls of his restaurants". Marc Geman, President and CEO of Spicy Pickle, a 40%2B unit deli and sandwich concept, said his brand will be, "rolling out a Picklenomics menu that will offer a build your own section as well as half sandwiches with soup or salad, a drink and chips that will combine their high quality product with favorable pricing."

Along similar lines of marketing by discounting, Pops for Champagne in Chicago, is offering a Low Fare Promotion. "From 3-7pm weekdays, guests receive 37% off any food item ordered.", Tom Verhey, owner of the nation's longest running champagne bar shared with me. Dan Beem, President of Cold Stone Creamery, was pleased with the results his concept had when they brought their new ice cream cupcakes to market at an introductory price point. "The response was so great that our stores were hardly able to keep the cupcakes on the shelves and our sales spiked as a result." Paul Damico, President of the Tex-Mex concept, Moe's Southwest Grill, said the goal of their $4.99 Joey Jr. Bundle was two-fold.

"First, we wanted to offer our guests a right-sized portion. Second, we wanted to give our guests a meal option under $5. This strategy was a success and we plan to continue expanding our menu in a similar fashion during these hard economic times." In response to Subway's $5 promotion, Jeff Warfield, Chairman, President, and CEO of Submarina, a California based deli concept, has rolled out a $5 value meal that includes 6 inch sub, soda and chips. "Our 6-inch sub has as much meat as a Subway 12-inch, and we use fresh-made bread.", claimed Warfield.

Fewer restaurant concepts had much to share with me in the way of marketing strategies beyond offering discount pricing and limited time promotions. One avenue some did touch on was improving their online presence.

TacoTime recently revamped their website to offer more interactivity to their customer base. They have some online promotions coming soon, including a "look-alike" contest. They and Cold Stone Creamery are also looking into building their online presence through ever increasingly popular social marketing methods such as Facebook and Twitter. Josh Richman, CEO of Happi House, said, "Our most targeted strategy is the establishment of an email club for our guests. Each new address collected online or at the restaurant gets a free meal for joining, a free offer on their birthday, and monthly promotional messages." Happi House is able to track message views, printed redemptions, which offers are most successful, and who their most loyal members are.

Other restaurant concepts are focusing on staying relevant to their customer base. For example, Submarina and Spicy Pickle both are marketing the healthy aspects of their menu offerings, not only the nutritional information, but the absence of enzyme/preservative/filler content in their ingredients. Pops for Champagne is appealing to the generosity of their guests with their Toast on Tuesday Promotion.

Guests are encouraged to find something to celebrate and visit Pops to toast that with specially priced glasses of champagne. Pops will donate $1 from each glass to the Chicago Job Council, an organization that helps people living in poverty find career opportunities. According to Megan Winters, Marketing Manager of Port City Java of North Carolina, they are "making environmental, economic, and social differences through its Fairganic coffees." In response to the increasing receptivity to "green" efforts, Port City Java uses only organic beans cultivated in a way that has low environmental impact.

While most restaurant concepts have made some type of marketing strategy adjustment in response to the market, there are a few I spoke with who feel they are positioned in such a way that they are simply going to continue to do what they currently do. Jeffery Bank, CEO of the New York based Alicart Restaurant Group, had this to say of one of their concepts, "Carmine's has been around for over 19 years and is the original Italian family style concept. It is extremely value driven...It is a perfect brand in this economy and that is why our sales are up, not down." In this case, "if it's not broken, don't fix it" seems to be working.

While there are variations on the theme, there's no doubt that current conditions call for restaurant concepts to make sure their marketing strategies are effective and sustainable until the market improves.

Market Opportunity

Many economic analysts agree that the Mexican economy is closely linked to its American counterpart. As a matter a fact, more than a quarter of the country's GDP, 1.143 trillion in 2008 is estimated to be directly linked to exports to the U.S. Inflation (6.2% in 2008 est.) and the public sector deficit have been under control thanks to major macroeconomic initiatives launched by the Mexican government. Nevertheless, the country continues to face many challenges, the income distribution remains highly unequal. In 2008, over 14% of the population remained under the poverty line and the PPP per capita for 2008 was estimated to $14,200. According to a study conducted by BusinessWeek, the Mexican middle class is slowing growing due to the financial crisis and has an income between $7,200 and $50,000 a year. Moreover, the Mexican government still needs to upgrade the countries infrastructure, modernize its labor laws, and allow private investment in the energy sector.

Currently, the president, Felipe CALDERON Hinojosa is focusing the government efforts into reducing poverty and creating jobs. In the foreign trade front, Mexican Imports are estimated to be $305.9 billion f.o.b. in 2008. Mexico's main importing partners are the US 49.6%, China 10.5%, Japan 5.8% and South Korean 4.5%.

Best Industry Segments

The Mexican economy is strongly linked wit the American economy. In fact, the US is the second largest trading partner of Mexico. The total value of American exported goods shipped to Mexico in 2008 was US$151.5 billion, up 11.4% from the prior year and up 36.7% since 2004. According to the U.S. Department of State, U.S. exports to Mexico include electronic equipment, motor vehicle parts, chemicals, building and construction material, energy and environmental technologies, and the finance and insurance service. As confirmed by the importance of trade between Mexico and other countries and the socio-economic affluence, Mexico can provide many opportunities to American exports in several sectors of the economy.

Regulatory and Tariff Landscape

According to the CIA Factbook, Mexico has 12 free trade agreements with over 40 countries. As part of the NAFTA (North American Free Trade Association) agreement between the United States, Canada and Mexico, American goods are duty free. In addition, the General Import Duty Law establishes the MFN rates.

An annual directive determines the preferential tariff rates applicable to originating goods exported from those countries to which Mexico grants preference. Moreover, the WTO indicates that a ceiling of 35% must cover all tariff items but applied rates are much lower due to tariff preferential treatment granted in trade agreements. Customs authorities collect a value added tax (VAT) upon entry of the goods into Mexico. In addition, Mexican customs charges a customs processing fee (DTA) of 0.8%. Maquiladoras and PITEX companies pay a preferential fee.

Mexico regulates products in a number of areas, mainly for health and safety reasons. Goods subject to non-tariff regulations include hazardous materials, pharmaceuticals, food items, medical equipment, etc. Finally, in terms of standards, a NOM, a certification to Mexican customs regarding product safety must be presented to customs. In order to acquire such a license companies can import samples in order to be tested by approved laboratories. For more information, contact the Ministry of Economy Standards Division http://www.economia.gob.mx/ (search for "Normatividad empresarial" / "Normas".)

Online Marketing Profile

According to eMarketer.com Mexico is one of the fastest Internet growing countries in Latin America. In fact, over 27 million people are connected through the Internet, which is approximately equal to one-quarter of the population of 110 million Internet users. Furthermore eMarteter.com predicts that the Internet penetration in this market will be of 82% by 2012. Since Spanish is the third most spoken and searched language in the world, advertising in this language could be profitable in Mexico as well as in other Spanish speaking countries.

Popular Spanish Search Websites

Mexico currently has 34 search engines. However, the most popular search engines are Yahoo! Mexico with 30.5% and Google Mexico with 29%. Terra, UOL, and terespondo have also an important presence in the search engine market.
Summary

Despite the effects of the financial crisis on the Mexican economy, the country's economy continues to grow. U.S. exporters should focus targeting the more affluent Mexican citizens by advertising online especially in the previously mentioned websites. Moreover, American goods have a competitive advantage since they are free from import duties. On the other hand, Mexico suffers from consistently increasing income inequality and unemployment. These could have an impact on US export opportunities.
For all these reasons, GLOBALeMARKETER.com ranks Mexico as a Tier II market for global online expansion. However, from a language point of view GLOBALeMARKETER.com ranks Spanish as a Tier I market for global online expansion.

Xenia Kolesnikov is a Global Market Research Analyst at Global eMarketer (GeM). GeM is an international business and marketing consulting firm that helps business expand globally from preparation, to implementation through global online campaign management

I've been asked a lot more questions recently about how Product Mangers can avoid making mistakes with their products. Half of that answer is to make sure that you understand the fundamentals of Product Management. The other half is to learn from the mistakes of others. Like the big mistake Pepsi made when they tried to change their Gatorade product...

The Problem With Gatorade Pepsi's Gatorade story starts back in 2001 when Pepsi paid $13.8B to buy Quaker Oats and got Gatorade as part of the deal. Gatorade has gone on to become Pepsi's second biggest selling beverage product by volume (after Pepsi!) and is key driver of Pepsi's North American profits.
Gatorade currently has about 75% of the sports drink market. However this market segment is coming under pressure as a host of new competitors have shown up. These competitors include teas, juices, and enhanced brands of water. Pepsi is responsible for some of this competition because they have introduced the Propel and SoBe Lifewater brands.

Pepsi's Big Plan Gatorade has started to lose market share due to increased competition - sales are starting to slide. Gatorade has lost 4.5% of the sports-drink market and volume has slipped 17.5% in the first six months of the year. Clearly something needed to be done.

What Pepsi decided to do was to rebrand their product in order to attract new customers. They did this by simplifying the product label to a "G". They also rolled out a complete marketing campaign to TV, print, and online outlets that asked the question "What is G?". Those of you with long memories may remember that they also paid for a Superbowl commercial that revealed that "G" was really Gatorade.

What Went Wrong? Perhaps a better question is what didn't go wrong? After the product makeover, customers complained that they were confused by the Gatorade "G" campaign. What Pepsi had done was to replace the Gatorade product name on the bottle with a big "G" and at the same time they shrunk the distinctive lightning blot's size.


It's pretty clear that what Pepsi was trying to do here was to make Gatorade "cool" once again. However, it's also pretty clear that they have flubbed up. Pepsi has done the worst thing that you can do to a brand - you've confused your customers.


Final Thoughts Indra Nooyi is the CEO of Pepsi. Unfortunately, she has been at the helm when Pepsi has made two major product stumbles: the Tropicana disaster and now the Gatorade failure. Somehow Pepsi product mangers have lost touch with their customers and seem to be getting caught up in too many internal meetings where they convince themselves that they know what their customers want.

Somebody at Pepsi needs to take a step back and stop the product rebranding madness. What's been missing from the Gatorade campaign is a true reason for the makeover. The core audience for Gatorade remains the same - athletes who are hot. Pepsi product managers need to spend their time finding ways to once again make Gatorade the brand that gets chosen at the right time. If they can do this, then they will have once again have found out how great product managers make their product(s) fantastically successful.

I know they've been knocking...

Earthquake relief, school fund raisers, sports boosters, the high school choir is going to New York, your church needs a new roof - the list goes on and on. Everyone wants you to donate something for their raffle or silent auction, or door prize.
You want to help. Anyone with a lick of compassion does, but after a while the relentlessness of the requests begins to wear you down.
Call it "donation fatigue".

You may be tired of it, but think about it a little differently and you'll realize these folks represent a marketing opportunity, and a very solid one at that.
You have something they want - a donation. They have something you want - their members coming into your store.

If you treat these fine folks with respect you'll find that giving donations can be a wonderful source of new business. Here's one very effective way to get the most from this opportunity...
Rather then giving an item, donate gift certificates. That way the person who "wins" your item has to come into your store.

A good rule of thumb is to make your gift certificates between 25% and 50% of your average sale. If your cost of goods is at least 50%, and you keep the gift certificate value at less than half of your average sale, the worst you'll do is break even. On the plus side, you've generated lots of good will and at least one new customer.
Consider giving the group several smaller gift certificates, rather than one larger one. You'll get more new customers this way.

And keep testing. Give away different denominations of certificates - $10, $20, even $50 and then check the results. Compare the redemption rate, average sale, the "buzz" that each created, what type of customers were they drawing in, etc. Pretty soon you'll find the size that's right for your business.
Content Copyright © 2008 WhizBang! Training
By Bob Negen
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You'll get great FREE business-building information delivered directly to your inbox every week. These tips are not high falutin-acedemic theory or pie-in-the-sky fluff, they are practical, proven ideas to help you run a successful retail store.

In the business market today there are several ways to advertise and finding printed promotional products has never been easier. Some companies use their employees as part of advertising to. By purchasing shirts that have the company logo or name on them as part of a uniform is one way of doing this.

Another way of doing this is through some stores in the United Kingdom. Depending on where you are located, you can find places that offer these services as well. Many have an extensive line of products and items that can be used. Also, if a company is making its first purchase there are stores and web sites that will give you a discount for first time orders. It is somewhat easy to find printed promotional products now, especially via the Internet.

These items show a distinct and unique identity for the company and this allows the company to be different than everyone else. For example, the colour of ballpoint pens with engraving on them, the colour might be different from any other company. Or the style and design can be totally different. They will also guarantee 100% satisfaction. It is these places that you essentially want to do business with. These all make wonderful giveaways and the outcome is phenomenal.


By doing a search via the Internet you will find many different search results for what you are ultimately looking for. Items that are embroidered, engraved, embossed, etched, and laser engraved, are all printed promotional products. And depending on what products you purchase to use these different ideas will probably make your company more successful.

It is also important to remember that when using web sites there is usually a shipping and handling unless they have some type of policy stating that if you purchase so much through the business the shipping and handling is actually waived and you don't have to pay the shipping at all. Many of the web sites have a huge selection to choose from too, and that's not simply just one web site. You might want to shop around before actually making a purchase in case you can find what you want cheaper on a different web site or a different store.


Finding printed promotional products for your company can actually be fun because there are so many different products to choose from. In fact, besides promotional shirts worn by the employees of your company ballpoint pens are next in the product popularity. Then, the key rings are next.

However some computer companies will use personalized mouse pads with their company logo on them this has been a great success. Just look around for ideas and you can even mix it up a bit and purchase different things and different items. It doesn't have to be all one thing. Many people who have already done this type of shopping all agree it's affordable and reasonable in cost. And yet, this depends the web site you use and the products you decide to purchase, and if you choose to purchase those items in bulk form.

It's important not to dismiss this plan, the creation of a slogan is very important and one that will set you apart from your competition.
A slogan or tag line usually consists of a short sentence or phrase that will literally reinforce your business name or logo. Many successful businesses have incorporated this in their marketing plan and because of this the companies can be easily recognized by their slogans alone.
The Importance of a Slogan

The main purpose for developing a slogan is to get brand recognition. The slogan will be the back up when images fail. A slogan will be more easily remembered by the consumers and therefore will enhance the market of the product or service.

So, in essence your sole purpose is to create a slogan that not only creative but intelligent as well. You want to capture the consumer's attention and create interest in your product or service. Your slogan can be catchy enough to not only jar their memories but also create a need for your product. The purpose is to have the consumer take action which in this case is to purchase your product or service.

Developing an Impactful Slogan
We have determined that a good slogan must be memorable. This is the main reason for developing a slogan, a memorable one will increase your brand recall and motivate the consumer to purchase.

A good slogan will produce images in the consumer's mind. Most people produce images on their mind when they hear something. Hence, you can trigger the visual patterns of your customers by using the slogan. An example of this, is creating a logo that will trigger such a response, for example the 'golden arches' - everyone knows that one, right?

An impactful slogan will drive people to action. The slogan will trigger people to purchase or tell others who will ultimately purchase.

A good slogan will also highlight the benefits of your product or service. This is tied up with the efforts of creating product distinction, which is to emphasize the benefits that one can derive from using a company's products or services.

So, now the homework for you is to develop a strong and powerful slogan. More importantly one that consumers will remember and entice them to purchase your product or service.

Carrie Wilkerson is the voice of experience. From corporate life to teaching high school to direct sales, she has 'been there and done that' professionally and personally. An 'overnight mom' to 2 toddlers through adoption, her priorities instantly changed and so did her workplace. She's now built several businesses and coached others to do the same while overcoming extreme debt, losing 110lbs and having 2 more children, for a total of 4 children, ages infant through 12!

I have often written and referred to the difference between convergent and divergent products. Convergent products are simple design improvements on existing models already being marketed.

The push button radio, the car radio or a clock radio are examples of convergent products. These examples simply add features to the divergent "alpha" invention of the radio. The invention of the radio was truly a monumental breakthrough divergent product. It was revolutionary and totally new.


Most new product introductions are simple line extensions, or convergent products. Pringles Potato snacks were a divergent product when introduced. Pringles were a significant departure to any potato snack then on store shelves. The dozen or so newest flavors of Pringles are convergent. They expand the brand, increase retail shelf space and add sales, but they are not revolutionary.


The difficulty for inventors and entrepreneurs is to create truly distinct divergent products. This is the "Holy Grail" for new product developers, and yet, it is exceedingly rare that such a product appears. It is a desirable goal. Nevertheless, it is not essential for a product designer to achieve divergence to enjoy acclaim and enrichment.

There is nothing much new about the ancient bicycle. They have two wheels, a seat, brakes, pedals and maybe some gears. There are different styles and brands of bikes, prices run the gamut, but they essentially do the same thing: transport a human being.

Take a look at the Polygon Bicycle created by Reindy Allendra. It is obviously a bicycle, with a significant difference. The profile of the bike looks like a rocket ship and-- I want one! If nothing else, I want one for a piece of sculpture. Mr. Allendra's design is so stunning that it might be dangerous to ride as drivers and pedestrians gawk at the stunning brilliance of the design and become distracted. This product is convergent, but is so unique that it will almost certainly become a sought after status symbol.

Chairs fill up homes and serve the basic purpose of holding our relaxing bodies. There is nothing really not much new about the uses and placement of the basic chair. We eat while sitting on chairs. We read while sitting on chairs and watch television while relaxing on chairs. Some chairs are upholstered, some are all wood construction, and some recline.


The Rabbit Chair, designed by Stanislav Katz is just another chair. But what a chair! The color, elegant simplicity of design and amazing symmetry of line make the Rabbit Chair a work of art and artisan excellence. This is another example of convergence on steroids. The Rabbit Chair works on so many functional and artistic levels that it will be thought of as much more than a convenience for supporting the human body.


The smoking pipe has been with us for centuries. I can clearly remember my dad's pipe rack that held his assortment of wooden pipes and tobacco's. I occasionally see pipes on display in tobacconist shops. I do not notice that much has changed in the styling, construction or function of the pipe.

Recently I was introduced to the Ecolos Pipe created by contemporary designer Harold Bogazpinar. Stunning! There is no other word for the sleek beauty of such a mundane product as a pipe that is crafted as elegantly as the Ecolos Pipe. This is another example of the work of creative genius.


A pipe, a chair and a bicycle; common products all! However, when inspired designers and artists apply their amazing creative talents to crafting ingenious styling cues these common household products become art. They are convergent products, but they will enrich the lives of consumers lucky enough to own this artistry. Always remember the importance of design when creating new consumer products.

Geoff Ficke has been a serial entrepreneur for almost 50 years. As a small boy, earning his spending money doing odd jobs in the neighborhood, he learned the value of selling himself, offering service and value for money.


After putting himself through the University of Kentucky (B.A. Broadcast Journalism, 1969) and serving in the United States Marine Corp, Mr. Ficke commenced a career in the cosmetic industry. After rising to National Sales Manager for Vidal Sassoon Hair Care at age 28, he then launched a number of ventures, including Rubigo Cosmetics, Parfums Pierre Wulff Paris, Le Bain Couture and Fashion Fragrance

I have often written and referred to the difference between convergent and divergent products. Convergent products are simple design improvements on existing models already being marketed.

The push button radio, the car radio or a clock radio are examples of convergent products. These examples simply add features to the divergent "alpha" invention of the radio. The invention of the radio was truly a monumental breakthrough divergent product. It was revolutionary and totally new.


Most new product introductions are simple line extensions, or convergent products. Pringles Potato snacks were a divergent product when introduced. Pringles were a significant departure to any potato snack then on store shelves. The dozen or so newest flavors of Pringles are convergent. They expand the brand, increase retail shelf space and add sales, but they are not revolutionary.


The difficulty for inventors and entrepreneurs is to create truly distinct divergent products. This is the "Holy Grail" for new product developers, and yet, it is exceedingly rare that such a product appears. It is a desirable goal. Nevertheless, it is not essential for a product designer to achieve divergence to enjoy acclaim and enrichment.

There is nothing much new about the ancient bicycle. They have two wheels, a seat, brakes, pedals and maybe some gears. There are different styles and brands of bikes, prices run the gamut, but they essentially do the same thing: transport a human being.

Take a look at the Polygon Bicycle created by Reindy Allendra. It is obviously a bicycle, with a significant difference. The profile of the bike looks like a rocket ship and-- I want one! If nothing else, I want one for a piece of sculpture. Mr. Allendra's design is so stunning that it might be dangerous to ride as drivers and pedestrians gawk at the stunning brilliance of the design and become distracted. This product is convergent, but is so unique that it will almost certainly become a sought after status symbol.

Chairs fill up homes and serve the basic purpose of holding our relaxing bodies. There is nothing really not much new about the uses and placement of the basic chair. We eat while sitting on chairs. We read while sitting on chairs and watch television while relaxing on chairs. Some chairs are upholstered, some are all wood construction, and some recline.


The Rabbit Chair, designed by Stanislav Katz is just another chair. But what a chair! The color, elegant simplicity of design and amazing symmetry of line make the Rabbit Chair a work of art and artisan excellence. This is another example of convergence on steroids. The Rabbit Chair works on so many functional and artistic levels that it will be thought of as much more than a convenience for supporting the human body.


The smoking pipe has been with us for centuries. I can clearly remember my dad's pipe rack that held his assortment of wooden pipes and tobacco's. I occasionally see pipes on display in tobacconist shops. I do not notice that much has changed in the styling, construction or function of the pipe.

Recently I was introduced to the Ecolos Pipe created by contemporary designer Harold Bogazpinar. Stunning! There is no other word for the sleek beauty of such a mundane product as a pipe that is crafted as elegantly as the Ecolos Pipe. This is another example of the work of creative genius.


A pipe, a chair and a bicycle; common products all! However, when inspired designers and artists apply their amazing creative talents to crafting ingenious styling cues these common household products become art. They are convergent products, but they will enrich the lives of consumers lucky enough to own this artistry. Always remember the importance of design when creating new consumer products.

Geoff Ficke has been a serial entrepreneur for almost 50 years. As a small boy, earning his spending money doing odd jobs in the neighborhood, he learned the value of selling himself, offering service and value for money.


After putting himself through the University of Kentucky (B.A. Broadcast Journalism, 1969) and serving in the United States Marine Corp, Mr. Ficke commenced a career in the cosmetic industry. After rising to National Sales Manager for Vidal Sassoon Hair Care at age 28, he then launched a number of ventures, including Rubigo Cosmetics, Parfums Pierre Wulff Paris, Le Bain Couture and Fashion Fragrance

During this current economic time a company should spend less on advertising, even though it is needed now more than ever. By using promotional items several things will quickly happen. People will get used to seeing your name and they will feel appreciated by getting a small gift. It is the sort of plan that doesn't cost too terribly much but does send out a lot of good energy. Good energy will be the best thing that you can do for the universe.


The main idea with promo giveaways is name recognition. If people can remember about you then they are going to use you. This only works if you do good work. If your business does shoddy work and takes forever to get things finished then all the freebies in the world won't be able to boost your business. A name and a reputation is the most important thing that you can have. Just make sure that you have a positive reputation. It is really hard to get rid of the opposite.

It can save you money over traditional advertising campaigns. Mailings can be expensive and are very random. When you choose to do a mailing it costs a lot of money for usually very little return.

That is why promotional items work so well. You are handing them to people who are interested in your business and with a very small investment, sometimes less than .50 per item; you can reach a large portion of the population. Custom imprinted merchandise travels with your logo for all to see and lasts for years. This is what makes promotional advertising a better long term investment for your business.


Promo stuff helps customer retention. What better way to let your current clientele know that you appreciate them then by giving them great stuff. Promotional items will help you retain your current customer base while also helping draw others into your business.
It is important to think of the people that work for you. Any business that has high turnover is not a happy workplace.

You can't provide for your customers if your employees are not satisfied. Think about that. If you have high expectations of them then you should be able to give in return. There are laws made to protect employees. A good company will go the distance for its people. You can't pay for a good attitude but you can make someone feel that they are valued by remembering their birthday and other special days with a gift.

Coolers weren't the bags that were carried by the cool people. In fact, the oddballs in the school or workplace carried coolers since these were considered unfashionable items. Those that actually carried their lunch in coolers were ostracized by co-workers and friends because these bags were not designed in some flashy colors and texts and neither were they branded.

This scenario was a long time ago when coolers were sad pieces of functional items.
Fast forward to today and you have coolers that are so creatively designed, DaVinci would be proud of it.

Coolers have taken a life of their own and have reached a certain appreciation and pop-culture symbol compared to its days gone by. With the recent recession, more and more Americans are taking a step back and nowadays are spending less eating out, and opting instead to bring their lunches in cool imprinted coolers and lunch bags.

Imprinted coolers are used more and more these days as more and more people are responding and adapting to the increase in costs of food, gas and the general cost of living. Eating out is now considered a luxury.

For companies, they can help their employees by giving out imprinted coolers with their company logo. This is an incentive to the employees as well as the company. Employees will feel honored to receive a gift from the company. By having a cooler, employees are automatically encouraged to use these coolers to bring in home cooked meals, which ultimately leads to keeping their food costs down daily.]

For the company, imprinted coolers bring their message of corporate culture as well as keep the company branding going on since these coolers act as promotional items for the company. With that many employees carrying the coolers everyday, people outside these group such as family members, commuter and bus passengers, other office people who are also taking the same travel route as you will notice the company logo on the cooler.

Even when having company outings and company family days, imprinted coolers can be offered as prizes together along with other items such as company organizers, tote bags and even ceramic mugs.

Family days and company outings are a great way to enjoy a wonderful time in the midst of co-workers and employers because it is a way of the company saying thank you to everyone for their hard work and services, and this is very true especially if that year has been very fruitful for the company.

Functional, fashionable and cost-saving, imprinted coolers are not your cabinet décor. It brings you healthy, home made lunches everyday, while saving you money from buying expensive lunches outside, that is generally filled with oil and seasoning that is bad for the body.

If your company is planning to get imprinted coolers, get the modern ones that have compartments and trays that enable your food to be packaged properly. Zippers and Velcro are also a good addition to the cooler as it keeps the food safe. Straps are also handy as it makes carrying a breeze.

In this age of blogs, email newsletters and social networking, many companies have moved away from sending printing marketing material. This could be a big mistake, because as we become more and more inundated with electronic communication, the effectiveness of such communication decreases.

Post card marketing is a good alternative to bombarding your contacts with email. It is also a great way to reach thousands of potentially new customers without violating SPAM laws and best practices.

Post card marketing essential entails three steps: 1) making or renting a good mailing list, 2) designing a post card with an effective marketing message, and 3) tracking results.
Making or Renting a Good Mailing List The decision of whether to make rent or make your own mailing list depends on your budget, time frame, future mailing needs and your market. If you want to target the dentists in your relatively small town, it is probably easiest to make your own list. When you make your own list, you own it and can use it over and over; most commercial mailing list providers only rent their list and charge more for multiple mailings. If at all possible, make your own list to avoid the cost of repeatedly renting a list.

Renting a list will save a lot of time, as you can literally have a huge post card marketing campaign initiated in a matter of minutes. The cost per address is usually $.10 to $.20 per address. Add about $.10 for the mailing list company to process and mail the post cards for you. Postage is in addition to the mailing list and processing costs.

Designing a Post Card with an Effective Marketing Message Many post card designs tend to be over-written; that is, too much text. Keep the message simple and clear and try to avoid the pitfall of trying to go into depth about your products or services. Your goal is to compel the recipient to take the next step and call or visit your website. Think bullet lists and not paragraphs. A post card is unlikely to make the sale; it's goal is to get a large number of people to make contact with your company.


A "call to action" is essential. Give the reader a reason to contact you. Good calls to action include a limited time sale price or product giveaway. One way to add urgency to your call to action is to include a limited time offer or a limited availability offer. A good, compelling reason for the recipient to contact will raise your response rate dramatically.

Tracking Results If you are going to do any extensive post card marketing, tracking results will save money, time and help refine your marketing messages.


One the most fundamental level, be sure to include a return address on your post cards so that you can prune your mailing list when items are undeliverable. Over time, you should try to get your non-delivery rate to about 5%. A typically commercial mailing list might have a 15%-20% non-delivery rate.


Ask new customers where they heard about you and keep track of how many have seen your postcard. This information is invaluable in determining what marketing messages are the most (and least) effective.

The keys to post card marketing success include having a good mailing list, designing an effective post card and tracking results. Just as with any other form of marketing, post card marketing takes time and perseverance.

Every so often, someone asks me about which sales and marketing courses they should buy.
Usually, the person asking is tired of dropping their money on expensive courses that turn out to be just more of the same old rehashed information.

And they want to know some ways to tell the fakes and frauds from the legitimate gurus with quality products.
And the following is a giant "red flag" I look for.

A red flag that, when I have ignored it, I regretted it in (almost) every single case.
And while there are exceptions to what I'm about to say, avoiding buying from people who do this has served me extremely well so far.
Anyway, here's the red flag:
Publicly counting their money.

time bragging about their fancy cars, houses and other "toys"? Is their main "proof element" a screenshot of their bank account? Do they constantly drone on and on about all the money they banked last week?
Narrows the list of gurus to buy from doesn't it?

Now, just to be clear, I'm not saying this is ALWAYS the case. There ARE exceptions. And I'm not judging anyone specifically.
Just telling you my criteria.

And this is why my shelf of courses is actually pretty small. I don't waste my time on nonsense just because someone knows how to work the affiliate machine.
Plus, here's something else to think about:

How wise is someone who publicly counts their money? I mean, think about it:
If some sue-happy shark of a lawyer (or, worse, attorney general) is swimming around looking for lunch, what better "chum" is there than the latest guru blabbing about all the scratch he makes in his advertising?

Just don't make no sense to me. But hey, maybe I'm the odd ball when it comes to this stuff.
Again, I'm NOT saying it's ALWAYS the case. And there are times when it make sense to do a little showboating.
But for the most part, I avoid the cash-flashers.

Effective project management can be done by two ways sequential and parallel activities. In sequential activities one step follows another. The first step must be done before the second can be started. The second step must be completed before the third can be started, and so on. These are also called dependent activities.

One step depends on the successful completion of another. This is a main point to remember in managing a project of any size. Parallel or concurrent activities can be worked on at the same time, separate and apart from other activities. For example, if you are planning a new ERP system, you could be evaluating some vendor at the same time and also your ERP preparation simultaneously.

Once you have a target in mind and have listed or noted everything that you must do to active the target, and organized everything in terms of whether it is sequential or parallel, you are ready for the core exercise of effective project management. It is the main point to your future in the world of work. It is the process of selection and allocation. The bigger the project, the more people and the more specialists in different areas, will be required to carry it through to successful completion of the project.

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Your capability to choose right people and then to delegate effectively to them will determine, as much as any other factor, your success or failure of the project. This core exercise of effective project management will decide your project success or failure. A mistake in choosing or a wrong delegation can be enough to derail the entire project or to set it back, or to have run in excess of budget.

Many people have been able to shoot ahead in their career by taking on a project and then performing in an excellent fashion. Others have found themselves bypassed for promotion because when they were given a project to carry out, they did not take it seriously, and their lack of results damaged the confidence of their superiors in their abilities and performance. Effective project management is serious stuff.

Almost all problems in business are project management problems. To deal with this serious problem project manager should be careful in selecting the project team. He should do core exercises of effective project management mentioned in this article. These core exercises will help project managers to handle large project without difficulty or less difficulty.

As a business owner one of my top concerns is how to get as many people as possible to see my marketing message.

What happens when a lot of people see the wrong message, maybe one that is sent by a disgruntled employee or a dissatisfied customer?

Many companies have feared using the Internet to market simply because of that last statement. The funny thing, or maybe not so funny, is those comments are going to happen regardless of the level of participation that a company has. The employee, or the customer, can send out a message to hundreds, if not thousands of people as fast as a text message can be sent.
Now the frightening fact. One text message can be used to update the status of that person on hundreds of web sites.

To fear this is one thing, but even worse is the many companies that simply become paralyzed and do nothing.

Do you tell your employees not to text? Well, what about their time off, their personal time?
Do you encourage your employees to spread good things about your company, even providing sample messages that can be sent out?