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Use that In-Box!
By Natalie Conrad
Remember the in-box, that old tray that was used to gather papers? Do you still have one? Who needs it, right? Everyone needs an in-box! The type of in-box you use is not important; how you use it is!
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1st Quarter 2010
To Resolve or Not…
By Ellie Cary
2010 – I find myself wondering how this can be – I have not finished my 2009 to-do list! Isn’t that always the case? We start the New Year with so many good intentions; most beginning with, “I will…” and we all know in most situations, “we won’t.” The cause, in this writer’s humble opinion, is that we begin our resolutions by taking on the whole year. Some things are best accomplished a week at a time or a month at a time. I learned this lesson last year when my friend Sharon Ward introduced me to the 52 Week Club.
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Creating Customer Loyalty
By Ken Freeman
Customers are never an inconvenience. They are our security blanket. They pay our wages, rent, utilities, inventories, and perhaps even our child’s education! Truly, our customer is the reason we exist in business. Customer loyalty is created one step at a time. Determine customer expectations, develop excellent listening skills, and find out how to communicate with your customers and you’ll begin to create customer loyalty..
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So Much Time, So Little to DO!?
By Debrah Collier, MFT
I remember watching the original “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” as a mother with two young children. There is a line that only a parent, and particularly parents who work outside of the home or run a business, can fully appreciate. Willy Wonka says to young Charlie: “So much time so little to do, strike that, reverse it.”
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Branding
By Kathy Dickinson
A strong corporate identity sets your company apart from the competition. That’s why it’s worth it to build awareness of your brand, and to constantly strengthen and protect its integrity. A strong brand builds your credibility, motivates customers to buy from you, and establishes you as a strong force in your market.
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Leadership Dynamics
By Kate Doscher
“Finally, you’re a leader in the company! So how’s that working for you?
Becoming a manager sounds like the perfect job….except you have to work with people! We spend an enormous amount of time studying and working toward advancement in our careers and, when we finally are rewarded with a promotion, we might be shocked to discover that being in charge isn’t as easy as we thought.
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USPS Changes are Coming
What Does it Mean for Me?
By Kathy Dickenson
You’ve probably heard about the changes in bulk mail (standard mail) regulations being implemented by the United States Postal Service (USPS). Yes, the related acronyms such as IMB, NCOALink, PostalOne! and CASS certification can be confusing. And it’s a daunting task to wade through the regulations in the weighty Direct Mail Manual (DMM) or online.
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If it's Lonely at the Top, Should I bring a Book?
By Richard J. Doscher
We’ve all heard the phrase, “It’s lonely at the top.” Don’t you wish there was a special book of instruction which would be handed to you when you take over the reins of your business; a book that outlined all the pitfalls to avoid and the magic actions to take in order to guarantee success and a peaceful night’s sleep? Well, regardless of what you gleaned from one of those eight-hour super lectures like, “Exercise Your Rights as a Manager,” no one has all the answers. What we can do as key leaders in an organization is to learn from each other and evaluate suggestions to see how they may improve our own workplace. Here are a few suggestions:
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4th Quarter 2009
How to Build a Successful Team
By Ken Freeman
With so much information and so many struggles in this economy, it’s very difficult to determine what information is most important to a business owner…is it marketing information, financial considerations, expense control, health insurance or leadership?
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Winning the Battle over the Fear of Public Speaking
By Kate Doscher
Sleepless nights, cold sweats, major doubts, racing pulse, headache, panic attacks; and a little voice in your head screams, “Just shoot me now!” Sounds like somebody has a public presentation to make and isn’t too happy about it!
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Gardening on the Run
By Ellie Cary
Do you garden on the run? Come home from work, turn on the sprinklers, set the timer and start dinner. On weekends you tell yourself you are going to pull weeds and plant your summer flowers that have been acclimating to your environment in your side yard… Deadheading*gets done in the fall if you’re lucky or in a panic if someone is coming over for a bar-b-cue. Let’s face it, with work, family obligations, errands and maintaining our homes, gardening ranks next to last. This is not a choice but a fact of our life style. So, what do you do?
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Integrated Direct Marketing
By Kathy Dickinson
Integrated direct marketing, also called cross-media marketing, is a direct marketing program that employs direct mail, email and the Internet to help a company communicate with its prospects and customers. The key to an integrated direct marketing program is using personal information about your prospect to entice them to respond to your offering. Generally, a direct mail piece will include a personalized URL with the recipient’s name in it, along with other data that a company may already know about him/her, such as demographics, purchasing history, etc. Highly personalized communications help companies better target their messaging to those with the highest propensity to respond or buy, therefore, leading to higher response rates overall. Such activity tends to help shorten the sales cycle for a company. This can mean huge savings over time.
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The 100% Factor
By Richard J. Doscher
Do these statements sound familiar? Manager: “I wish my employees would give 100%!” Employee: “My boss is never satisfied!” If you have had these thoughts, read on.
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